Step-by-Step Guide to Connect NetSuite with Claude AI (2026)

AI assistants are quickly moving beyond experimentation and into core business workflows. For ERP platforms like NetSuite, that shift creates a clear opportunity. Instead of navigating reports, saved searches, and dashboards, teams can ask questions in plain language and get answers directly from live ERP data.

With Claude's support for Model Context Protocol (MCP), it's now possible to connect Claude AI to NetSuite in a secure, governed way without installing custom SuiteApps or building brittle integrations. This guide describes how to connect NetSuite to Claude AI using CData Connect AI as the MCP integration layer, enabling real-time queries, analytics, and automation while preserving enterprise security controls.

Connect NetSuite to CData Connect AI

CData Connect AI serves as the managed bridge between NetSuite and Claude. Rather than modifying your NetSuite environment or installing a proprietary AI connector, CData Connect AI connects to NetSuite through its standard REST and SOAP APIs and exposes the data to Claude through an MCP-compliant interface.

In practical terms, CData Connect AI operates as a cloud-based MCP server. It translates Claude's requests into NetSuite API calls and returns structured results that Claude can reason over. This approach aligns with Oracle's own direction for MCP-based ERP integrations, where AI tools interact with NetSuite through standardized, governed interfaces rather than embedded custom logic.

Since CData Connect AI relies on NetSuite's native OAuth Authentication or Token-Based Authentication (TBA), it avoids storing passwords or bypassing NetSuite's role-based access controls. You are giving Claude access through the same permission model you already trust inside NetSuite.

If you want a quick reference, check our documentation on how to Connect NetSuite to Claude with CData.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A NetSuite account with appropriate role permissions

• Your NetSuite Account ID

• Token-Based Authentication enabled in NetSuite

• A CData Connect AI account

• A Claude AI Pro, Team, or Enterprise subscription with integrations enabled

Configure NetSuite authentication credentials

To allow Claude to access NetSuite data securely, you have to first generate Token-Based Authentication credentials in NetSuite. This ensures that all access is auditable, role-scoped, and aligned with enterprise identity policies.

Enable Token-Based authentication

Before proceeding, ensure you are logged in with an administrator's role that has permission to manage company features.

1. Log in to NetSuite

2. Navigate to Setup > Company > Enable Features

3. Open the SuiteCloud tab

4. Locate and enable Token-Based Authentication

5. Click Save to apply the changes

This enables secure, token-based authentication required for integration.

Token-Based Authentication is NetSuite's OAuth-based mechanism for granting API access without storing user passwords, using time-limited tokens instead.

Create an integration record

To create an integration record:

1. In NetSuite, navigate to Setup > Integration and select Manage Integrations

2. Click New to create a new integration record

3. Complete the required integration details

4. Click Save to create the integration

5. Securely note the Consumer Key and Consumer Secret generated for the integration

These credentials will be required later to authenticate and establish the connection.

Create an access token

Finally, to ensure which user and role the access token should be associated with:

• Navigate again to Setup > Users/Roles > Access Tokens

• Click New to create a new access token

• Select the appropriate user, role, and the integration you created in the previous step

• Click Save. This will generate a Token ID and Token Secret

• Securely store them for later use

This step is important because the permissions assigned to the selected role define exactly what Claude can access or modify in NetSuite. When creating the token, select the integration you set up in the previous step and choose the appropriate user. Once completed, NetSuite will generate a Token ID and a Token Secret.

You now have four required authentication components:

• Account ID

• Consumer Key/ Client ID

• Consumer Secret/ Client Key

• Token ID/ OAuth Access Token

• Token Secret/ OAuth Access Token Secret

These credentials provide programmatic access to NetSuite and should be stored securely, as they control API-level access.

Add NetSuite as a data source in CData Connect AI

With authentication in place, the next step is configuring NetSuite inside CData Connect AI.

1. Log in to the CData Connect AI dashboard

2. Navigate to Sources > + Add Connection

3. Select NetSuite from the list of available sources

4. Enter the required connection details:

   1. Account ID

   2. Auth Scheme: Token

   3. Consumer Key / Client ID

   4. Consumer Secret / Client Key

   5. Token ID / OAuth Access Token

   6. Token Secret / OAuth Access Token Secret

For most environments, CData Connect AI automatically detects the correct NetSuite API version and endpoints. Click Save & Test to test the connection to validate access. Once confirmed, NetSuite becomes a live, queryable data source available through the MCP interface.

You can review the full setup flow in our NetSuite–Claude walkthrough if you want to double-check configuration details.

Enable CData Connect AI in Claude

With NetSuite connected, you can now enable CData Connect AI inside Claude. This requires a Claude AI Pro, Team, or Enterprise subscription with MCP integrations enabled.

Now that CData is officially a supported connector inside Claude's interface, you can enable the integration directly from Claude's settings and start querying your NetSuite data right away.   

In Claude:

1. Open Settings, then select Connectors

2. Search for CData Connect AI from the Browse connectors option

3. Select CData Connect AI

4. Click Configure, and configure the connection using your CData Connect AI account credentials

To access your NetSuite data on Claude, open a new chat and select Connect AI MCP from Search & tools option. You can now start asking questions on your NetSuite data.

The connection persists across conversations, so Claude can access NetSuite data whenever needed unless credentials are revoked.

Since CData Connect AI supports multiple data sources at once, Claude can also query NetSuite alongside other data sources like Salesforce and systems in the same conversation. To know more on how this works, see Connect AI with Claude.

Explore and use CData Connect AI's NetSuite capabilities

After setup, CData Connect AI exposes NetSuite through a SQL-style abstraction layer. This hides the complexity of NetSuite's APIs and record model, allowing Claude to work with NetSuite data as if it were querying a database.

Through Claude, you can now:

• Retrieve data from NetSuite tables such as Customers, Transactions, and Items

• Join data across multiple NetSuite objects

• Run aggregations like totals, averages, and counts

• Execute existing NetSuite saved searches by name

• Insert, update, or delete records (if permitted)

• Run NetSuite-specific stored procedures

• Query live NetSuite data, not cached snapshots

All access remains governed by the NetSuite role used during authentication. Also, the SQL interface in CData Connect AI converts NetSuite's API structure into queryable tables, enabling both read and write operations without requiring SuiteQL or REST knowledge. This means users don't need to understand NetSuite's API documentation. Claude translates natural-language requests into properly structured queries automatically.

Employ conversational prompts for NetSuite operations

With the integration active, NetSuite interactions become conversational. Instead of navigating menus or building reports, users can ask questions directly.

Example prompts include:

• "Show me open sales orders over $50,000."

• "What was revenue by subsidiary last quarter?"

• "Update vendor payment terms"

Conversational prompts lower the barrier to entry for non-technical users and speed up every day NetSuite tasks across finance, operations, sales, and IT.

Optimize and automate workflows with Claude AI

Once teams are comfortable with ad-hoc queries, many expand into automation. Claude can help standardize recurring processes such as reporting, approvals, and exception handling.

Best practices include:

• Refining prompts for consistency

• Mapping routine workflows step by step

• Keeping human review in place for critical actions

• Gradually expanding automation scope

Here is a simple checklist to help teams scale safely:

• Pilot in a sandbox environment

• Define triggers and expected outputs

• Establish review checkpoints

• Monitor logs and refine over time

Best practices for secure and effective integration

Connecting AI to ERP data requires strong governance. A few best practices help ensure long-term success:

• Start in a NetSuite sandbox before production rollout

• Apply least-privilege role-based access controls

• Monitor AI activity and connection logs

• Validate AI-generated outputs, especially financial data

• Maintain audit trails for compliance

CData Connect AI and NetSuite both provide logging and auditing capabilities that support these controls. You can also explore related NetSuite integration patterns in NetSuite + ChatGPT and NetSuite + n8n.

Frequently asked questions

Power NetSuite insights from Claude with Connect AI

Move beyond static reports and manual workflows. With CData Connect AI, you can give Claude secure, real-time access to NetSuite data without custom code or environment changes and start turning questions into action.

Sign up for a 14-day free trial, the setup takes just minutes. Explore prebuilt connectors for 300+ enterprise systems. Get enterprise support and deployment options for large-scale integrations.