The CData MCP Server for Greenplum defines each connection to Greenplum 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/Greenplum Data Provider/".
• On macOS, configuration files are stored in "~/Library/Application Support/CData/Greenplum 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 Greenplum

To connect to Greenplum, set the Server, Port (the default port is 5432), and Database connection properties and set the User and Password you want to use to authenticate to the server. If the Database property is not specified, the server connects to the user's default database (it is the same name as the user).

Authenticating to Greenplum

The CData MCP Server for Greenplum supports the md5, password, Kerberos and SASL (particulary, SCRAM-SHA-256) authentication methods.

The specific authentication method is setup in the pg_hba.conf file on the Greenplum Server. You can find instructions about authentication setup on the Greenplum Server here. The md5, password and SASL authentication methods do not require additional setup by the CData MCP Server for Greenplum.

Kerberos

The Greenplum Server initiates authentication with the Kerberos Server when the CData MCP Server for Greenplum attempts a connection. You need to setup Kerberos on the Greenplum Server to activate this authentication method. After you have Kerberos authentication setup on the Greenplum Server, see Using Kerberos for details on how to authenticate with Kerberos by the server.