Connecting SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) data to Databricks Agent Bricks is a governed-access problem, and CData Connect AI solves it as an AI gateway that lets an agent fetch live SAP data using inherited user permissions. Replicated SAP data needs its own pipelines, sync schedules, and permission models. To connect SAP ERP data to an Agent Bricks agent, add the Connect AI Model Context Protocol (MCP) server from Databricks Marketplace, authenticate SAP, and build the agent.
What is Databricks Agent Bricks?
Agent Bricks is Databricks' enterprise agent platform for building, deploying, and governing agents that operate on business data, unifying model access, execution, governance, and context in one system. The harder work in enterprise agents is making them operate on real business data, under real permissions, with real consequences. Document Intelligence and Custom Agents are generally available, and production agents run across financial services, retail, healthcare, and technology.
What SAP ERP connectivity via MCP means for Agent Bricks
MCP is an open-source standard that connects AI agents to tools, resources, prompts, and other contextual information. Databricks supports external MCP servers, which run outside Databricks and install from Databricks Marketplace or connect through Unity Catalog connections. Adding the Connect AI MCP server therefore gives the agent live access to SAP through a standardized interface, with no extract, transform, and load (ETL) pipeline in between. The AI gateway and the MCP server are the same component seen from two sides: Databricks registers and governs the server, and Connect AI enforces source permissions behind it. SAP's API policy also shapes how enterprises plan AI connectivity.
Approach | How SAP data reaches the agent | Data movement | Governance model |
AI gateway via CData Connect AI | Agent requests live SAP data through a hosted MCP server | None (live request) | Enforced at the SAP source at runtime |
ETL replication | Scheduled pipeline copies SAP data | Full or incremental copies | Rebuilt separately in Databricks |
Why connect SAP ERP to Agent Bricks with CData Connect AI
A Databricks-validated MCP Marketplace launch partner
CData partnered with Databricks to offer Connect AI, an AI gateway, on Databricks Marketplace. Connect AI enables Agent Bricks to connect directly to hundreds of enterprise data systems through the MCP protocol, including SAP, NetSuite, Salesforce, and ServiceNow. Governed write-back extends that reach from context to action.
Production-ready connectivity in minutes
CData hosts and manages Connect AI, so teams configure a data source in minutes. Point-and-click setup and a free tier keep the barrier to a pilot low.
Prerequisites and SAP ERP module compatibility
Prerequisites to verify before starting
Workspace with Unity Catalog enabled: Unity Catalog governs all data and AI assets, including MCP services, and Databricks enables it automatically for workspaces created after November 8, 2023. MCP services are securable objects (catalog.schema.mcp_service), so the Connect AI MCP server receives the same governance as any other asset. External MCP servers register as MCP services once the account enables Unity AI Gateway (Beta) and Managed MCP Servers (preview).
Support for Open Authorization (OAuth) 2.0 in SAP: Confirm the SAP source supports OAuth 2.0 before starting.
Open Data Protocol (OData) services: SAP ERP data reaches external consumers through OData services on Application Server ABAP (AS ABAP) and SAP Gateway. Confirm each required module exposes an OData service.
Supported SAP modules and data sources
SAP module | Example data objects | Typical agent use case |
FI (Financial Accounting) | General ledger accounts | Finance reconciliation agent |
SD (Sales and Distribution) | Sales orders | Order-processing agent |
MM (Materials Management) | Purchase orders | Procurement monitoring |
How to connect SAP ERP data to Agent Bricks (step-by-step)
Step 1: Authenticate the SAP ERP source in CData Connect AI
Connect AI uses point-and-click setup. Add SAP Netweaver Gateway as a connection in the Connect AI console and authenticate to the SAP source.
Step 2: Add the Connect AI MCP server from the Databricks MCP Marketplace
Create an OAuth app in Connect AI, then add a Unity Catalog connection to the Connect AI MCP server. Databricks Marketplace lists the Connect AI MCP server.
Step 3: Configure OAuth authentication and user permissions
Databricks Agent Bricks authenticates to the Connect AI MCP server with OAuth machine-to-machine authentication. The OAuth app runs under the Connect AI user account selected during setup, and Connect AI applies the permissions that user already holds in the connected source. SAP also supports user-delegated access through the OAuth 2.0 Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) Bearer Assertion flow:
The identity provider issues a SAML assertion.
The calling application exchanges the assertion for an OAuth access token.
The application uses the token to reach SAP OData resources on behalf of the user, within the granted OAuth 2.0 scopes.
Step 4: Build the Agent Bricks agent on live SAP data
In Agent Bricks, define the task and connect the data sources. Agent Bricks auto-generates evaluation sets and tunes the agent against them. The agent template connects to MCP servers, so the Connect AI MCP server appears as a set of tools for fetching and acting on SAP objects.
Configuring Unity Catalog governance and least-privilege controls
Enforcing existing SAP permissions at runtime
Unity Catalog is the unified governance layer for data and AI in Databricks, providing centralized access control, lineage, auditing, and data discovery across workspaces. It operates beneath every data and AI interaction automatically, and it governs the Connect AI MCP server as an MCP service. Connect AI enforces existing source-system permissions at the moment of request, with no data replication, so no parallel permission model needs maintenance.
Audit trails and compliance for production rollout
Unity Catalog records every invocation of the MCP service in its audit log system table, and Connect AI logs each request to SAP with the Connect AI user, timestamp, and executed request. Together, the two logs give a Databricks-side and source-side audit trail.
Real-world SAP + Agent Bricks use cases
Finance reconciliation agent
A finance reconciliation agent reads live SAP finance data, such as general ledger accounts, and matches open items against it. Write-back lets it act on records once it finds a discrepancy.
Supply chain order-processing agent
Databricks reports that teams build agents orchestrating supply chain, procurement, and R&D workflows. Databricks says zero-copy access to SAP Business Data Cloud data will enable autonomous decision-making in areas such as supply chain optimization and demand forecasting.
Agent | Primary SAP module(s) | Read actions | Write actions |
Finance reconciliation agent | FI | Fetch general ledger accounts | Act on mismatched records |
Supply chain order-processing agent | SD, MM | Fetch sales and purchase orders | Act on order records |
Troubleshooting and best practices
Confirm the OAuth app user: Select a Connect AI user account that has access to the SAP connection.
Enable audit logging before launch: Confirm audit events appear in Unity Catalog audit logs before launch.
Start building SAP-connected Agent Bricks agents with CData Connect AI
CData Connect AI is immediately available in Databricks Marketplace. Configure a data source for Agent Bricks in minutes and start building.
As a validated MCP launch partner, CData brings that connectivity to SAP ERP data under existing source permissions. Start a free trial today.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need before connecting SAP ERP data to Databricks Agent Bricks?
A Unity Catalog-enabled workspace with Unity AI Gateway (Beta) and Managed MCP Servers (preview) enabled, an SAP source that supports OAuth 2.0, and OData services for each required module. Confirm all three first.
How do I connect SAP to Agent Bricks using the Databricks MCP Marketplace?
Authenticate SAP in Connect AI, add its MCP server from Databricks Marketplace as a Unity Catalog connection, configure OAuth authentication, and build the agent. Create the OAuth app first.
Does connecting SAP ERP to Agent Bricks require custom ETL pipelines or coding?
No ETL pipeline is required, because agents request live SAP data through the MCP server. Setup uses point-and-click configuration.
How does Agent Bricks access SAP data without moving or copying it?
Each request travels through the MCP server to SAP at runtime. SAP stays the system of record, so no replica exists.
How do I enforce SAP user permissions and audit trails in a Databricks Agent Bricks agent?
The Connect AI OAuth app runs as a designated Connect AI user, and Connect AI applies that user's existing permissions. Unity Catalog captures user-level audit logs automatically.
What SAP ERP use cases work best with Databricks Agent Bricks in 2026?
Finance reconciliation, supply chain order processing, and procurement monitoring map directly to FI, SD, and MM data. Write-back adds governed actions.
Why is my Agent Bricks agent returning inaccurate or hallucinated SAP data, and how do I fix it?
Start with scope: the agent sees only what the Connect AI user's permissions and the OData services expose. Then tighten the task description and review answers in evaluation.
