MCP Server for Vault CRM

Build 25.0.9440

Establishing a Connection

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

In order to connect to your Vault CRM account, you first need to set the URL connection property to the host you see in the address bar after logging in to your account.

For example: https://myvault.veevavault.com.

Authenticating to Vault CRM

The server supports the following authentication methods:

  • Vault CRM user credentials
  • OpenID Connect with the Azure AD Authentication Provider
  • Okta SSO

User Credentials

Set the AuthScheme to Basic and set the User and Password to your user login credentials.

OpenID with Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD)

Note: Microsoft has rebranded Azure AD as Entra ID. In topics that require the user to interact with the Entra ID Admin site, we use the same names Microsoft does. However, there are still CData connection properties whose names or values reference "Azure AD".

OpenID Connect with Entra ID (Azure AD) is a connection type that goes through OAuth.

Desktop Applications

Follow the steps below to authenticate with the credentials for a custom OAuth application. See Creating an Entra ID (Azure AD) Application.

Get an OAuth Access Token

You are ready to connect after setting one of the groups of connection properties below:

  1. Authenticating using a Client Secret
    • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your application settings.
    • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret in your application settings.
    • CallbackURL: Set this to the Redirect URL in your application settings.
    • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken. .
    • Optionally, depending on the required claims to complete the authentication with the Vault CRM data source, you may need to set additional scopes via the Scope property. For example, to get the user name and email claims from the UserInfo endpoint, you will need to set the scope value to: 'openid profile email offline_access'.
  2. Authenticating using a Certificate
    • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your application settings.
    • OAuthJWTCert: Set this to the JWT Certificate store.
    • OAuthJWTCertType: Set this to the type of the certificate store specified by OAuthJWTCert.
    • CallbackURL: Set this to the Redirect URL in your application settings.
    • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken. .
    • Optionally, depending on the required claims to complete the authentication with the Vault CRM data source, you may need to set additional scopes via the Scope property. For example, to get the user name and email claims from the UserInfo endpoint, you will need to set the scope value to: 'openid profile email offline_access'.

When you connect, the server opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The server then completes the OAuth process:

  1. Extracts the access token from the callback URL and authenticates requests.
  2. Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
  3. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.

Web Applications

When connecting via a Web application, you need to use the custom OAuth application that you have previously created to Configure the Azure AD Authentication Provider. See Creating an Entra ID (Azure AD) Application. You can then use the server to get and manage the OAuth token values.

Get an OAuth Access Token

Set one of the following connection properties groups depending on the authentication type to obtain the OAuthAccessToken:

  1. Authenticating using a Client Secret
    • OAuthClientId: Set this to the client Id in your application settings.
    • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the client secret in your application settings.
    • Optionally, depending on the required claims to complete the authentication with the Vault CRM data source, you may need to set additional scopes via the Scope property. For example, to get the user name and email claims from the UserInfo endpoint, you will need to set the scope value to: 'openid profile email offline_access'.
  2. Authenticating using a Certificate
    • OAuthClientId: Set this to the client Id in your application settings.
    • OAuthJWTCert: Set this to the JWT Certificate store.
    • OAuthJWTCertType: Set this to the type of the certificate store specified by OAuthJWTCert.
    • Optionally, depending on the required claims to complete the authentication with the Vault CRM data source, you may need to set additional scopes via the Scope property. For example, to get the user name and email claims from the UserInfo endpoint, you will need to set the scope value to: 'openid profile email offline_access'.

You can then call stored procedures to complete the OAuth exchange:

  1. Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. Set the AuthMode input to WEB and set the CallbackURL input to the Redirect URI you specified in your application settings. If necessary, set the Permissions parameter to request custom permissions.

    The stored procedure returns the URL to the OAuth endpoint.

  2. Open the URL, log in, and authorize the application. You are redirected back to the callback URL.
  3. Call the GetOAuthAccessToken stored procedure. Set the AuthMode input to WEB. Set the Verifier input to the "code" parameter in the query string of the callback URL. If necessary, set the Permissions parameter to request custom permissions.

To connect to data, set the OAuthAccessToken connection property to the access token returned by the stored procedure. When the access token expires after ExpiresIn seconds, call GetOAuthAccessToken again to obtain a new access token.

Headless Machines

To configure the driver to use OAuth with a user account on a headless machine, you need to authenticate on another device that has an internet browser.

  1. Choose one of these two options:

    • Option 1: Obtain the OAuthVerifier value as described in "Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code" below.
    • Option 2: Install the server on another machine and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow, as described in "Transfer OAuth Settings" below.

  2. Then configure the server to automatically refresh the access token from the headless machine.

Option 1: Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code

To obtain a verifier code, you must authenticate at the OAuth authorization URL.

Follow the steps below to authenticate from the machine with an internet browser and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

  1. Choose one of these options:

    • If you are using the Embedded OAuth Application click Vault CRM OAuth endpoint to open the endpoint in your browser.
    • If you are using a custom OAuth application, create the Authorization URL by setting the following properties: Then call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure with the appropriate CallbackURL. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser.

  2. Log in and grant permissions to the server. You are then redirected to the callback URL, which contains the verifier code.
  3. Save the value of the verifier code. Later you will set this in the OAuthVerifier connection property.
Next, you need to exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens. Set the following properties:

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthVerifier: Set this to the verifier code.
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret in the custom OAuth application settings.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location of the file where the driver saves the OAuth token values that persist across connections.

After the OAuth settings file is generated, you need to re-set the following properties to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this location grants read and write permissions to the server to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Option 2: Transfer OAuth Settings

Prior to connecting on a headless machine, you need to create and install a connection with the driver on a device that supports an internet browser. Set the connection properties as described in "Desktop Applications" above.

After completing the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the resulting authentication values are encrypted and written to the location specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. The default filename is OAuthSettings.txt.

Once you have successfully tested the connection, copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to connect to data:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location of your OAuth settings file. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the server to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Okta

The server supports the Okta SAML 2.0 flow. Before you can authenticate via Okta SSO, you must configure your Vault CRM and Okta instances as described in Vault CRM's Okta SSO guide.

After following those steps, set the following to connect:

  • AuthScheme: OKTA
  • User: the username of the Okta account to use for Okta SSO.
  • Password: the password of the Okta account to use for Okta SSO.
  • SSOLoginURL: the "Identify Provider Login URL" associated with your Vault CRM single sign-on profile. This is the value you copied from "Identity Provider Login URL" in the View Setup Instructions screen from the "Veeva Vault" app integration menu in Okta (step 8 in the linked Vault CRM Okta SSO guide above).
    • This should look like: https://dev-XXXXXXXXX.okta.com/app/veeva_vault/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX/sso/saml
  • SSOExchangeURL: the "Vault SSO Login URL" associated with your Vault CRM single sign-on profile. After you have created a single sign-on profile in Vault CRM (step 12 in the linked Vault CRM Okta SSO guide above), you can find this in Vault CRM by navigating to Admin > Settings > SAML Profiles > (click your SAML profile's label) > SAML Single Sign-on Configuration.
    • This should look like: https://login.veevavault.com/auth/saml/consumer/_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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Build 25.0.9440