CData Virtuality MCP Server Setup Guide

This guide will help you set up the CData Virtuality MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for use with Claude Desktop on Windows and macOS.

Prerequisites

• Claude Desktop application installed
• Java 17 or higher installed on your system
• The MCP server JAR file (CDataMCP-1.0-SNAPSHOT-jar-with-dependencies.jar)
• The CData Virtuality JDBC driver (CDataVirtualityJDBCDriver.jar)
• Configuration file (cdv.prp)

Download Required Files

1. Download the latest release from the Releases section
2. Extract the downloaded archive to a location of your choice
3. Note the extracted folder path - you'll need it for configuration

Installation Instructions

Windows

Step 1: Install Java 17

1. Download Java 17 from Oracle or OpenJDK
2. Run the installer and follow the installation wizard
3. Verify installation by opening Command Prompt and running:

   java -version

Step 2: Set Up the MCP Server

1. Create a folder for the MCP server (e.g., C:\Users\%USERNAME%\cdata-mcp)
2. Copy the following files to this folder:
   • CDataMCP-1.0-SNAPSHOT-jar-with-dependencies.jar
   • CDataVirtualityJDBCDriver.jar
   • cdv.prp (configured with your connection details)

Step 3: Configure Claude Desktop

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to:

   %APPDATA%\Claude
   

2. Create or edit the file claude_desktop_config.json

3. Add the following configuration (adjust paths as needed):

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "cdv": {
         "command": "java",
         "args": [
           "-jar",
           "C:\\Users\\%USERNAME%\\cdata-mcp\\CDataMCP-1.0-SNAPSHOT-jar-with-dependencies.jar",
           "C:\\Users\\%USERNAME%\\cdata-mcp\\cdv.prp"
         ]
       }
     }
   }

   Note: Replace %USERNAME% with your actual Windows username, or use full paths like:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "cdv": {
         "command": "C:\\Program Files\\Java\\jdk-17\\bin\\java.exe",
         "args": [
           "-jar",
           "C:\\Users\\john\\cdata-mcp\\CDataMCP-1.0-SNAPSHOT-jar-with-dependencies.jar",
           "C:\\Users\\john\\cdata-mcp\\cdv.prp"
         ]
       }
     }
   }

4. Save the file and restart Claude Desktop

macOS

Step 1: Install Java 17

1. Install via Homebrew (recommended):

   brew install openjdk@17

   Or download from Oracle or OpenJDK

2. Verify installation:

   java -version

Step 2: Set Up the MCP Server

1. Create a folder for the MCP server:

   mkdir -p ~/cdata-mcp

2. Copy the required files to this folder:

   cp CDataMCP-1.0-SNAPSHOT-jar-with-dependencies.jar ~/cdata-mcp/
   cp CDataVirtualityJDBCDriver.jar ~/cdata-mcp/
   cp cdv.prp ~/cdata-mcp/

Step 3: Configure Claude Desktop

1. Open Terminal and navigate to Claude's configuration directory:

   cd ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude

2. Create or edit the configuration file:

   nano claude_desktop_config.json

3. Add the following configuration:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "cdv": {
         "command": "java",
         "args": [
           "-jar",
           "/Users/$USER/cdata-mcp/CDataMCP-1.0-SNAPSHOT-jar-with-dependencies.jar",
           "/Users/$USER/cdata-mcp/cdv.prp"
         ]
       }
     }
   }

   Or with explicit username:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "cdv": {
         "command": "/usr/bin/java",
         "args": [
           "-jar",
           "/Users/john/cdata-mcp/CDataMCP-1.0-SNAPSHOT-jar-with-dependencies.jar",
           "/Users/john/cdata-mcp/cdv.prp"
         ]
       }
     }
   }

4. Save the file (in nano: Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter)

5. Restart Claude Desktop

Configuration File (cdv.prp)

The cdv.prp file contains your CData Virtuality connection settings.

Configuration Parameters

Parameter	Description	Example
Prefix	Server prefix identifier	cdv
ServerName	Display name for the server	CDataVirtuality
ServerVersion	Version identifier	1.0
DriverPath	Full path to the JDBC driver JAR	Windows: C:/path/to/CDataVirtualityJDBCDriver.jar Mac: /Users/username/path/to/CDataVirtualityJDBCDriver.jar
DriverClass	JDBC driver class name	com.datavirtuality.dv.jdbc.Driver
JdbcUrl	Connection URL (see below)	See connection formats below
Tables	Comma-separated list of tables (optional)	Leave empty for all tables

Connection URL Formats

For SSL connections (recommended):

jdbc:cdatavirtuality:datavirtuality@mms://your-host:31001;user=your_username;password=your_password

For non-SSL connections:

jdbc:cdatavirtuality:datavirtuality@mm://your-host:31000;user=your_username;password=your_password

Important:

• Use mms:// protocol for SSL/secure connections (typically port 31001)
• Use mm:// protocol for regular/non-SSL connections (typically port 31000)
• Replace your-host, your_username, and your_password with your actual connection details

Platform-Specific Examples

Windows cdv.prp:

Prefix=cdv
ServerName=CDataVirtuality
ServerVersion=1.0
DriverPath=C:/Users/john/cdata-mcp/CDataVirtualityJDBCDriver.jar
DriverClass=com.datavirtuality.dv.jdbc.Driver
JdbcUrl=jdbc:cdatavirtuality:datavirtuality@mms://prod-server.example.com:31001;user=john_doe;password=secure_pass123
Tables=

macOS cdv.prp:

Prefix=cdv
ServerName=CDataVirtuality
ServerVersion=1.0
DriverPath=/Users/john/cdata-mcp/CDataVirtualityJDBCDriver.jar
DriverClass=com.datavirtuality.dv.jdbc.Driver
JdbcUrl=jdbc:cdatavirtuality:datavirtuality@mms://prod-server.example.com:31001;user=john_doe;password=secure_pass123
Tables=

Verifying the Setup

1. Start Claude Desktop
2. Open a new conversation
3. Look for the MCP server indicator (usually shows connected servers)
4. Try a test query to verify the connection is working

Troubleshooting

Windows Issues

1. Java not found: Ensure Java is in your PATH or use the full path to java.exe
2. Permission denied: Run Claude Desktop as administrator if needed
3. Path issues: Use double backslashes (\\) in JSON paths

macOS Issues

1. Java not found: Run which java to find the Java path
2. Permission denied: Check file permissions with ls -la ~/cdata-mcp/
3. Claude config not loading: Ensure the JSON syntax is valid

Common Issues (Both Platforms)

1. Server not connecting:

   • Check that all file paths are correct
   • Verify the JAR files are not corrupted
   • Check the cdv.prp configuration
   • Ensure the JDBC driver path in cdv.prp points to the correct location
   • Verify SSL vs non-SSL connection (mms:// vs mm://)

2. JDBC Driver issues:

   • Ensure CDataVirtualityJDBCDriver.jar is in the correct location
   • Verify the DriverPath in cdv.prp matches the actual file location
   • Check that the driver file has proper read permissions

3. Claude Desktop not recognizing config:

   • Ensure JSON syntax is valid (no trailing commas, proper quotes)
   • Restart Claude Desktop after making changes
   • Check Claude Desktop logs for error messages

Additional Notes

• The MCP server will start automatically when Claude Desktop launches
• You can add multiple MCP servers to the configuration
• Logs may be available in Claude Desktop's log directory for debugging