CData Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server Implementation for SAP SuccessFactors

:warning: This specific deployment functions exclusively for read operations. For comprehensive data manipulation capabilities (CRUD operations and actions) coupled with a streamlined initial configuration, kindly investigate our complimentary CData MCP Server for SAP SuccessFactors (preview release).

Objective

This read-only MCP gateway was engineered to empower large language models (such as Claude Desktop) to interrogate operational data residing within SAP SuccessFactors. This functionality is underpinned by the CData JDBC Driver for SAP SuccessFactors.

The CData JDBC Driver abstracts the SAP SuccessFactors environment, presenting its contents as a conventional relational SQL schema.

This server acts as a wrapper around that driver, exposing the SAP SuccessFactors information via a straightforward MCP interface. Consequently, LLMs can retrieve real-time insights by posing questions in plain language—no specialized database query language expertise is mandatory.

Implementation Walkthrough

1. Obtain the source code repository: bash git clone https://github.com/cdatasoftware/sap-successfactors-mcp-server-by-cdata.git cd sap-successfactors-mcp-server-by-cdata

2. Compile the server artifact: bash mvn clean install

   This action generates the executable JAR file: CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar 3. Acquire and integrate the CData JDBC Driver for {source}: https://www.cdata.com/drivers/sapsuccessfactors/download/jdbc 4. Activate the CData JDBC Driver license: * Navigate to the lib directory within the driver's installation location, typically: * (Windows OS) C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for SAP SuccessFactors\ * (macOS/Linux) /Applications/CData JDBC Driver for SAP SuccessFactors/ * Execute the licensing command: java -jar cdata.jdbc.sapsuccessfactors.jar --license * Input your identification details, email address, and utilize "TRIAL" (or your verified license key). 5. Define the data source connection parameters: * Launch the Connection String utility by executing: java -jar cdata.jdbc.sapsuccessfactors.jar

   • Configure the requisite connection string details and validate the linkage via "Test Connection"

     Important Note: If the connectivity method involves OAuth, user authentication via a web browser will be necessary.

   • Upon successful validation, capture the resulting connection string for subsequent use.
   • Generate a configuration file (.prp) for the JDBC connection (e.g., sap-successfactors.prp): Populate it with the subsequent attributes and structure:
   • Prefix: A short identifier for the exposed tools.
   • ServerName: A designated label for this data service endpoint.
   • ServerVersion: The version identifier for the service.
   • DriverPath: The complete filesystem path pointing to the JDBC driver's JAR file.
   • DriverClass: The fully qualified name of the JDBC Driver implementation class (e.g., cdata.jdbc.sapsuccessfactors.SAPSuccessFactorsDriver).
   • JdbcUrl: The established JDBC connection URI, utilized by the CData JDBC Driver to interface with the target data (copied in the previous step).
   • Tables: Leave empty () for access to all underlying data structures, or specify a delimited list of required tables. env Prefix=sapsuccessfactors ServerName=CDataSAPSuccessFactors ServerVersion=1.0 DriverPath=PATH\TO\cdata.jdbc.sapsuccessfactors.jar DriverClass=cdata.jdbc.sapsuccessfactors.SAPSuccessFactorsDriver JdbcUrl=jdbc:sapsuccessfactors:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH; Tables=

Integration with Claude Desktop

1. Formulate the configuration file for Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json) to incorporate the newly established MCP endpoint. Append the entry to the mcpServers section if the file already contains definitions.

   Windows Environment

   { "mcpServers": { "{classname_dash}": { "command": "PATH\TO\java.exe", "args": [ "-jar", "PATH\TO\CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar", "PATH\TO\sap-successfactors.prp" ] }, ... } }

   Linux/Mac Environment

   { "mcpServers": { "{classname_dash}": { "command": "/PATH/TO/java", "args": [ "-jar", "/PATH/TO/CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar", "/PATH/TO/sap-successfactors.prp" ] }, ... } }

   If necessary, transfer the configuration file to the designated local application data directory (using Claude Desktop as the example): Windows bash cp C:\PATH\TO\claude_desktop_config.json %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

   Linux/Mac bash cp /PATH/TO/claude_desktop_config.json /Users/{user}/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json'

2. Restart or refresh your client application (e.g., Claude Desktop).

Note: A complete termination and subsequent relaunch of the Claude Desktop client may be required for the newly defined MCP services to manifest.

Executing the Server Independently

1. Execute the following command to initiate the MCP Server as a standalone process: bash java -jar /PATH/TO/CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar /PATH/TO/Salesforce.prp

   Caveat: The communication protocol employed by the server is stdio (standard input/output), restricting its utility exclusively to client applications running on the identical host machine.

Operational Guidelines

Once the MCP Gateway is successfully integrated into the configuration, the consuming AI agent gains access to pre-defined instruments for interacting with the connected data (retrieval, insertion, modification, and erasure of records). Typically, direct invocation of these instruments is unnecessary; users should simply pose inquiries directed at the underlying data repository. For instance: * "Analyze the relationship between finalized 'won' sales opportunities and the corresponding account's industry classification." * "Provide a count of all outstanding service requests within the SUPPORT organizational unit." * "List my scheduled activities for the present day."

The available instruments and their functional descriptions are detailed below:

Instruments & Functional Definitions

In the descriptions below, {servername} denotes the identifier assigned to the MCP endpoint within the configuration file (e.g., {classname_dash} from the setup instructions). * {servername}_get_tables - Fetches a comprehensive manifest of accessible data structures within the connected repository. Complement this with the {servername}_get_columns tool to enumerate the fields within a specific structure. The output format adheres to CSV standards, where the initial row defines the field headers. * {servername}_get_columns - Retrieves the field schema for a designated data structure. Reference the {servername}_get_tables tool beforehand to ascertain available structures. The output is delivered in CSV format, beginning with a header row. * {servername}_run_query - Facilitates the execution of a standard SQL SELECT statement against the data source.

JSON-RPC Interaction Examples

For scenarios involving programmatic scripting of requests to the MCP Server (bypassing an AI interface like Claude), refer to the JSON payload examples below. These examples adhere to the JSON-RPC 2.0 specification for invoking the defined instruments.

sap_successfactors_get_tables invocation example

{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "method": "tools/call", "params": { "name": "sap_successfactors_get_tables", "arguments": {} } }

sap_successfactors_get_columns invocation example

{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 2, "method": "tools/call", "params": { "name": "sap_successfactors_get_columns", "arguments": { "table": "Account" } } }

sap_successfactors_run_query invocation example

{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 3, "method": "tools/call", "params": { "name": "sap_successfactors_run_query", "arguments": { "sql": "SELECT * FROM [Account] WHERE [IsDeleted] = true" } } }

Issue Resolution

1. If the CData MCP Server does not appear within the Claude Desktop interface, confirm that Claude Desktop has been completely shut down (Windows: utilize Task Manager; macOS: use Activity Monitor).
2. Should the Claude Desktop client fail to retrieve data, verify the precise configuration of the connection parameters. Employ the Connection String utility to formulate the URI and subsequently transfer it to the corresponding property file (.prp).
3. For difficulties establishing a connection to the underlying data repository, initiate contact with the CData Support Desk.
4. For inquiries related to MCP server functionality or to provide general feedback, engage with the CData User Forum.

Licensing Terms

This MCP server is distributed under the terms of the MIT License. This license grants broad permissions for utilization, modification, and dissemination of the software, contingent upon adherence to the specified MIT License stipulations. Detailed terms are available in the repository's LICENSE file.

Comprehensive List of Supported Data Sources

Access	Act CRM	Act-On	Active Directory
ActiveCampaign	Acumatica	Adobe Analytics	Adobe Commerce
ADP	Airtable	AlloyDB	Amazon Athena
Amazon DynamoDB	Amazon Marketplace	Amazon S3	Asana
Authorize.Net	Avalara AvaTax	Avro	Azure Active Directory
Azure Analysis Services	Azure Data Catalog	Azure Data Lake Storage	Azure DevOps
Azure Synapse	Azure Table	Basecamp	BigCommerce
BigQuery	Bing Ads	Bing Search	Bitbucket
Blackbaud FE NXT	Box	Bullhorn CRM	Cassandra
Certinia	Cloudant	CockroachDB	Confluence
Cosmos DB	Couchbase	CouchDB	CSV
Cvent	Databricks	DB2	DocuSign
Dropbox	Dynamics 365	Dynamics 365 Business Central	Dynamics CRM
Dynamics GP	Dynamics NAV	eBay	eBay Analytics
Elasticsearch	Email	EnterpriseDB	Epicor Kinetic
Exact Online	Excel	Excel Online	Facebook
Facebook Ads	FHIR	Freshdesk	FTP
GitHub	Gmail	Google Ad Manager	Google Ads
Google Analytics	Google Calendar	Google Campaign Manager 360	Google Cloud Storage
Google Contacts	Google Data Catalog	Google Directory	Google Drive
Google Search	Google Sheets	Google Spanner	GraphQL
Greenhouse	Greenplum	HarperDB	HBase
HCL Domino	HDFS	Highrise	Hive
HubDB	HubSpot	IBM Cloud Data Engine	IBM Cloud Object Storage
IBM Informix	Impala	Instagram	JDBC-ODBC Bridge
Jira	Jira Assets	Jira Service Management	JSON
Kafka	Kintone	LDAP	LinkedIn
LinkedIn Ads	MailChimp	MariaDB	Marketo
MarkLogic	Microsoft Dataverse	Microsoft Entra ID	Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft OneDrive	Microsoft Planner	Microsoft Project	Microsoft Teams
Monday.com	MongoDB	MYOB AccountRight	MySQL
nCino	Neo4J	NetSuite	OData
Odoo	Office 365	Okta	OneNote
Oracle	Oracle Eloqua	Oracle Financials Cloud	Oracle HCM Cloud
Oracle Sales	Oracle SCM	Oracle Service Cloud	Outreach.io
Parquet	Paylocity	PayPal	Phoenix
PingOne	Pinterest	Pipedrive	PostgreSQL
Power BI XMLA	Presto	Quickbase	QuickBooks
QuickBooks Online	QuickBooks Time	Raisers Edge NXT	Reckon
Reckon Accounts Hosted	Redis	Redshift	REST
RSS	Sage 200	Sage 300	Sage 50 UK
Sage Cloud Accounting	Sage Intacct	Salesforce	Salesforce Data Cloud
Salesforce Financial Service Cloud	Salesforce Marketing	Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement	Salesforce Pardot
Salesloft	SAP	SAP Ariba Procurement	SAP Ariba Source
SAP Business One	SAP BusinessObjects BI	SAP ByDesign	SAP Concur
SAP Fieldglass	SAP HANA	SAP HANA XS Advanced	SAP Hybris C4C
SAP Netweaver Gateway	SAP SuccessFactors	SAS Data Sets	SAS xpt
SendGrid	ServiceNow	SFTP	SharePoint
SharePoint Excel Services	ShipStation	Shopify	SingleStore
Slack	Smartsheet	Snapchat Ads	Snowflake
Spark	Splunk	SQL Analysis Services	SQL Server
Square	Stripe	Sugar CRM	SuiteCRM
SurveyMonkey	Sybase	Sybase IQ	Tableau CRM Analytics
Tally	TaxJar	Teradata	Tier1
TigerGraph	Trello	Trino	Twilio
Twitter	Twitter Ads	Veeva CRM	Veeva Vault
Wave Financial	WooCommerce	WordPress	Workday
xBase	Xero	XML	YouTube Analytics
Zendesk	Zoho Books	Zoho Creator	Zoho CRM
Zoho Inventory	Zoho Projects	Zuora	... Significantly More Options

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