Integrate Cursor with Live Anaplan Data via CData Connect AI

Cursor is an AI-powered code editor that embeds conversational and agent-style assistance alongside your development workflow. By extending Cursor with MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools, you can give its AI agents secure access to external systems such as APIs and databases.

Integrating Cursor with CData Connect AI via the built-in MCP server allows the editor's AI to query, analyze, and act on live Anaplan data without copying data into the IDE. The result is a development experience where you can chat with your governed enterprise data directly from Cursor.

This article outlines how to configure Anaplan connectivity in Connect AI, generate the required access token, register Connect AI's MCP Server in Cursor, and then use the AI chat pane to explore live Anaplan data.

Step 1: Configure Anaplan connectivity for Cursor

Connectivity to Anaplan from Cursor is made possible through CData Connect AI's Remote MCP Server. To interact with Anaplan data from Cursor, start by creating and configuring a Anaplan connection in CData Connect AI.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection

2. Select Anaplan from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Anaplan.

   Authenticating to Anaplan

   The driver supports authenticating with Basic, Certificate, or OAuth. In every case, set Region to the region where your Anaplan account data is hosted (e.g., US1, which is the default).

   Using Basic Authentication

   Set AuthScheme to Basic, then supply your Anaplan User and Password. If your workspace uses single sign-on (SSO), you must be assigned as an Exception User to use Basic authentication.

   Using Certificate Authentication

   Set AuthScheme to Certificate, then supply the Certificate, CertificateType, and PrivateKey properties (and the matching CertificatePassword / PrivateKeyPassword if either is encrypted). The certificate must be a CA-issued X.509 certificate registered with your Anaplan tenant administrator.

   Using OAuth Authentication

   Register a custom OAuth application in Anaplan, then set the following properties:

   • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
   • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
   • CallbackURL: The redirect URI defined when you registered your application.
   • InitiateOAuth: Set to GETANDREFRESH to have the driver manage the OAuth token exchange and refresh automatically.

   See the Getting Started chapter of the help documentation for a guide to creating a custom OAuth app and using OAuth.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab and update user-based permissions

Add a Personal Access Token

A Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI from Cursor. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each integration to maintain granular access control.

1. Click the gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open Settings
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT
3. Give the PAT a descriptive name and click Create

4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use

With the Anaplan connection configured and a PAT generated, Cursor can now connect to Anaplan data through Connect AI.

Step 2: Configure Connect AI in Cursor

Next, configure Cursor to use Connect AI. Cursor reads MCP configuration from an mcp.json file in the user configuration directory and exposes the registered servers under the Tools & MCP settings. Once configured, Cursor's AI chat can call the tools exposed by CData Connect AI.

1. Download the Cursor desktop application and complete the sign-up flow for your account
2. From the top menu, click Settings to open the settings panel
3. In the left navigation, open the Tools & MCP tab and click Add Custom MCP
4. Cursor opens an mcp.json file in the editor
5. Add the following configuration. Make sure to base64-encode your email:PAT before inserting into the header:

   
   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "cdata-mcp": {
         "url": "https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp",
         "headers": {
           "Authorization": "Basic your_base64_encoded_email_PAT"
         }
       }
     }
   }
   		

   
6. Save the file
7. Return to Settings and then select Tools & MCP. You can now see cdata-mcp enabled with an active indicator

Step 3: Chat with CData Connect AI from Cursor

1. From the top bar, click Toggle AI Pane to open the chat window
2. Test the connection by entering "List connections"
3. You can also run queries like "Query Anaplan data and list the high priority accounts"

Cursor is now fully integrated with the CData Connect AI MCP Server and can act on live Anaplan data directly from the editor.

Get CData Connect AI

To access hundreds of SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your development tools, try CData Connect AI today!