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

Oracle OCI supports the following connection types:

• Oracle Server
• OracleTNS
• LDAP

Oracle Server

After you have added the appropriate libraries to your PATH (as described in Before You Connect), set these properties:

• User: The user Id provided for authentication with the Oracle database.
• Password: The password provided for authentication with the Oracle database.
• Port: The port used to connect to the server hosting the Oracle database.
• ServiceName: The service name of the Oracle database. You can obtain this value by querying global_name (select * from global_name) using the Oracle SQL*PLUS command line.
• Server: The host name or IP address of the server hosting the Oracle database.

OracleTNS

To authenticate via OracleTNS, set these properties:

• User: The user Id provided for authentication with the Oracle database.
• Password: The password provided for authentication with the Oracle database.
• DataSource: The connect descriptor (TNS connect string) or a connection name identifies the database you need to connect to. You can find these values in your tnsnames.ora file.

For example,

DataSource='(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(protocol_address_information))(CONNECT_DATA= (SERVICE_NAME=service_name)))'

LDAP

To authenticate via the LDAP server, set these properties.

• User: The user Id of a user account associated with the Oracle database.
• Password: The password associated with the specified user account.
• LDAPUri: The LDAP URI associated with the LDAP server you want to connect to.
• LDAPUser: The name of the user account on the specified LDAP server that you want to use to connect to Oracle OCI data.
  • Optional if your system administrator allows anonymous LDAP logins.
• LDAPPassword: The password associated with the specified LDAP user.
  • Optional if your system administrator allows anonymous LDAP logins.

Your connection string should look similar to this:

LDAPUri=ldap://myldap.com:389/SERVICE_EXMPL,cn=OracleContext,dc=example,dc=com; User=ORACLEUSER; Password=OracleUserPassword;