Establishing a Connection
The CData MCP Server for Teradata defines each connection to Teradata as a named configuration that Claude can use when sending natural language queries.
You create and manage these configurations using the MCP Configuration Tool. The tool automatically handles formatting, storage, and registration with Claude Desktop.
Understanding Connection Configurations
Each connection configuration is stored in a .mcp file. This file includes the details needed to initialize the connector when Claude starts a session.
- On Windows, configuration files are stored in "~/AppData/Roaming/CData/Teradata Data Provider/".
- On macOS, configuration files are stored in "~/Library/Application Support/CData/Teradata Data Provider/".
The .mcp file is a text file that contains a list of connection properties and a timestamp. For example:
#Tue May 20 15:48:40 EDT 2025 AuthScheme=Basic User=myUser Password=myPassword Security Token=myToken
The configuration tool handles these settings automatically. Each saved configuration enables Claude to launch a dedicated MCP Server instance with the correct connector and options. Manual file editing is not required.
Connecting to Teradata
The server wraps the official Teradata Database driver. You can connect to the CData MCP Server for Teradata using the same connection properties, and access the same functionality, as the underlying Teradata driver.
Required Properties
To connect to Teradata, set these properties:
- AuthScheme: Specify your Teradata server's required authentication mechanism: either TD2 (default) or LDAP.
- User: Teradata user username.
- Password: Teradata user password.
- DataSource: Specify the Teradata server name, DBC Name, or TDPID.
- Port: Specify the port the server is running on.
- Database: Specify the database name. If not specified, the server connects to the default database.