How do I use CData Sync MCP Server?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@CData Sync MCP Server Show me the status of my recent data synchronization jobs" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

CData Sync MCP Server

A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for CData Sync with dual transport support. This server exposes CData Sync's REST API as MCP tools, enabling AI assistants like Claude to manage data synchronization jobs, connections, and ETL operations.

Transport Options:

stdio - For desktop usage with Claude Desktop app
HTTP - For remote server deployments and API access

✨ Features

🔧 20 Consolidated MCP Tools - Streamlined read/write operations for all entity types
🚀 Dual Transport Support - Both stdio (Claude Desktop) and Streamable HTTP (web clients)
📡 Real-time Notifications - Live monitoring of job executions and API calls via Server-Sent Events
🏗️ Production-Ready Architecture - TypeScript, error handling, logging, and comprehensive type safety
🔐 Multiple Auth Methods - Support for API tokens and basic authentication
🌐 Web Client Support - RESTful HTTP API with streaming capabilities
📊 Job Management - Execute, monitor, and control data sync jobs
🔌 Connection Management - Test, create, and manage data connections
👥 User Management - Handle user accounts and permissions
📈 History & Logging - Access execution history and detailed logs

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+
CData Sync instance running
Claude Desktop (for stdio transport) or web browser (for HTTP transport)

Installation

Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/CDataSoftware/cdata-sync-mcp-server.git cd cdata-sync-mcp-server
Install dependencies
npm install
Build the project
npm run build
Configure environment variables
# Copy the example environment file cp .env.example .env # Edit with your CData Sync details CDATA_BASE_URL="http://localhost:8181/api.rsc" CDATA_AUTH_TOKEN="your-auth-token" CDATA_WORKSPACE="your-workspace-uuid" # Optional: scope operations to specific workspace MCP_TRANSPORT_MODE="both" # stdio, http, or both

🔌 Transport Options

Desktop Usage: Stdio Transport (Claude Desktop)

The stdio transport is designed for local desktop usage with the Claude Desktop app. This is the recommended approach for individual developers.

Configuration for Claude Desktop:

{ "mcpServers": { "cdata-sync-server": { "command": "node", "args": ["/absolute/path/to/cdata-sync-mcp-server/dist/index.js"], "env": { "MCP_TRANSPORT_MODE": "stdio", "CDATA_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-token-here", "CDATA_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:8181/api.rsc", "CDATA_WORKSPACE": "your-workspace-uuid-here", "DISABLE_SSE": "true" } } } }

Start stdio-only server:

npm run start:stdio

Server Usage: HTTP Transport (Remote Deployments)

The HTTP transport is designed for server deployments where the MCP server runs on a remote machine and accepts API requests. This is ideal for:

Team deployments
Docker/Kubernetes environments
Integration with web applications
Remote access scenarios

Start HTTP-only server:

npm run start:http

Available endpoints:

GET /mcp/v1/info - Server and protocol information
GET /mcp/v1/health - Health check
POST /mcp/v1/message - Send MCP requests
GET /mcp/v1/stream - Server-Sent Events for real-time updates

Example HTTP client usage:

// Connect to the server const client = new MCPStreamableHttpClient('http://your-server:3000/mcp/v1'); await client.connect(); // List available tools const tools = await client.listTools(); // Call a tool const connections = await client.callTool('read_connections', { action: 'list', top: 5 }); // Set up real-time monitoring client.onNotification = (method, params) => { console.log('Notification:', method, params); };

Development: Dual Transport

For development and testing, you can run both transports simultaneously:

npm run start:both

This is useful for testing both desktop and server scenarios during development.

🛠️ Available Tools

Connection Management

read_connections - List, count, get details, or test connections
write_connections - Create, update, or delete connections
get_connection_tables - List tables in connection
get_table_columns - Get table schema information

Job Management

read_jobs - List, count, get details, status, history, or logs
write_jobs - Create, update, or delete jobs
execute_job - Run a sync job immediately
cancel_job - Stop running job
execute_query - Run custom SQL queries

Task Management

read_tasks - List, count, or get task details
write_tasks - Create, update, or delete tasks

Transformation Management

read_transformations - List, count, or get transformation details
write_transformations - Create, update, or delete transformations

User Management

read_users - List, count, or get user details
write_users - Create or update users

Request/Log Management

read_requests - List, count, or get request log details
write_requests - Delete request logs

History Management

read_history - List or count execution history records

Certificate Management

read_certificates - List certificates
write_certificates - Create certificates

Configuration Management

configure_sync_server - Get or update server configuration

📋 Tool Usage Patterns

Action-Based Operations

All read/write tools use an action parameter to specify the operation:

Example: Reading connections

{ "tool": "read_connections", "arguments": { "action": "list", "filter": "contains(Name,'prod')", "top": 10 } }

Example: Creating a connection

{ "tool": "write_connections", "arguments": { "action": "create", "name": "MyDatabase", "providerName": "System.Data.SqlClient", "connectionString": "Server=localhost;Database=test;" } }

Real-time Monitoring

The HTTP transport provides real-time notifications for:

Tool execution start/completion
Job execution progress
Configuration changes
Error notifications

// Monitor all server events const eventSource = new EventSource('http://localhost:3000/mcp/v1/stream'); eventSource.onmessage = (event) => { const message = JSON.parse(event.data); if (message.method === 'notifications/job_executed') { console.log('Job completed:', message.params); } };

🔧 Development

Development Scripts

# Start in development mode with both transports npm run dev:both # Start with stdio only npm run dev:stdio # Start with HTTP only npm run dev:http # Type checking npm run typecheck # Linting npm run lint npm run lint:fix # Testing npm test npm run test:watch npm run test:coverage

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
`CDATA_BASE_URL`	CData Sync API base URL	`http://localhost:8181/api.rsc`
`CDATA_AUTH_TOKEN`	API authentication token	-
`CDATA_USERNAME`	Basic auth username (alternative to token)	-
`CDATA_PASSWORD`	Basic auth password (alternative to token)	-
`CDATA_WORKSPACE`	Workspace UUID to scope all operations (optional)	-
`MCP_TRANSPORT_MODE`	Transport mode: `stdio`, `http`, or `both`	`stdio`
`MCP_HTTP_PORT`	HTTP transport port	`3000`
`MCP_HTTP_PATH`	HTTP transport base path	`/mcp/v1`
`NODE_ENV`	Node environment	`production`
`LOG_LEVEL`	Logging level	`info`

🐳 Deployment

Docker

# Build image docker build -t cdata-sync-mcp-server . # Run with stdio transport docker run -e CDATA_AUTH_TOKEN=your-token cdata-sync-mcp-server # Run with HTTP transport docker run -p 3000:3000 -e MCP_TRANSPORT_MODE=http -e CDATA_AUTH_TOKEN=your-token cdata-sync-mcp-server

Docker Compose

# Start with Docker Compose docker-compose up -d cdata-sync-mcp-both

Kubernetes

# Deploy to Kubernetes kubectl apply -f k8s/

Systemd Service

# Install as systemd service sudo cp cdata-sync-mcp.service /etc/systemd/system/ sudo systemctl enable cdata-sync-mcp sudo systemctl start cdata-sync-mcp

📡 HTTP API Reference

Protocol Information

GET /mcp/v1/info

{ "protocol": "Model Context Protocol", "version": "2025-03-26", "transport": "streamable-http", "endpoints": { "message": "http://localhost:3000/mcp/v1/message", "stream": "http://localhost:3000/mcp/v1/stream" } }

Health Check

GET /mcp/v1/health

{ "status": "healthy", "transport": "streamable-http", "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z", "pendingRequests": 0, "bufferedMessages": 0 }

Send MCP Request

POST /mcp/v1/message

{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": "1", "method": "tools/call", "params": { "name": "read_connections", "arguments": { "action": "list", "top": 5 } } }

Real-time Events

GET /mcp/v1/stream

Server-Sent Events stream providing real-time notifications:

data: {"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"notifications/tool_execution","params":{"tool":"read_connections","timestamp":"2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"}} data: {"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"notifications/job_executed","params":{"jobName":"TestJob","result":"success","timestamp":"2024-01-15T10:31:00Z"}}

🧪 Testing

Running Tests

# Run all tests npm test # Run with coverage npm run test:coverage # Watch mode for development npm run test:watch

Test Structure

src/ ├── __tests__/ │ ├── services/ # Service unit tests │ ├── transport/ # Transport tests │ ├── integration/ # Integration tests │ └── utils/ # Utility tests

🤝 Contributing

Fork the repository
Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🆘 Support

Documentation: Full API documentation available in the docs directory
Issues: Report bugs and request features via GitHub Issues
Discussions: Community support via CData Community

📚 Additional Resources

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