Build Anaplan-Powered Applications in Claude Code with CData MCP Server

Claude Code is an AI-powered command line tool that enables agentic coding workflows. With support for MCP, Claude Code can connect to local tools and enterprise data sources directly from your terminal, enabling natural language interaction with live systems without switching context.

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting LLM clients to external services through structured tool interfaces. MCP servers expose capabilities such as schema discovery and live querying, allowing AI agents to retrieve and reason over real-time data safely and consistently.

The following steps cover installing the CData MCP Server for Anaplan, configuring the connection to Anaplan, connecting the MCP Server add-on to Claude Code, and querying live Anaplan data from within the terminal.

Step 1: Download and install the CData MCP Server for Anaplan

1. To begin, download the CData MCP Server for Anaplan
2. Find and double-click the installer to begin the installation
3. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation

When the installation is complete, you are ready to configure your MCP Server add-on by connecting to Anaplan.

Step 2: Configure the connection to Anaplan

1. After installation, open the CData MCP Server for Anaplan configuration wizard

   NOTE: If the wizard does not open automatically, search for "CData MCP Server for Anaplan" in the Windows search bar and open the application.

   
2. In MCP Configuration > Configuration Name, either select an existing configuration or choose to create a new one
3. Name the configuration (e.g. "cdata_anaplan") and click OK

4. Enter the appropriate connection properties in the configuration wizard

   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.

   
5. Click Connect to authenticate with Anaplan through OAuth
6. Then, click Save Configuration to save the MCP Server add-on

This process creates a .mcp configuration file that Claude Code will reference when launching the MCP Server add-on. Now with your MCP Server add-on configured, you are ready to connect it to Claude Code.

Step 3: Connect the MCP Server add-on to Claude Code

1. Install the Claude Code CLI using the terminal
2. Open the Claude Code configuration file at ~/.config/claude-code/config.json (or the location shown after initialization)

Option 1: Manually add the MCP configuration

1. Open the mcp.json file in your preferred editor
2. Add the code shown below

{
"mcpServers" : {
  "cdata_anaplan" : {
    "type" : "stdio",
    "command" : "C:\Program Files\CData\CData MCP Server for Anaplan\jre\bin\java.exe",
    "args" : [ "-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8", "-jar", "C:\Program Files\CData\CData MCP Server for Anaplan/lib/cdata.mcp.anaplan.jar", "cdata_anaplan" ],  
    "env" : {}
  }
}
}

NOTE: The command value should point to your Java 17+ java.exe executable, and the JAR path should point to the installed CData MCP Server add-on .jar file. The final argument must match the MCP configuration name you saved in the CData configuration wizard (e.g. "cdata_anaplan").

Option 2: Copy the MCP configuration from the CData MCP Server for Anaplan UI

1. After saving and testing your connection in the configuration wizard, click Next

2. Select Claude Code from the AI MCP Tool dropdown

3. Click Copy JSON to copy the generated MCP configuration to your clipboard

4. Paste the copied JSON into the mcp.json file

Step 4: Verify connection in Claude Code

Claude Code provides tools to verify the connection is active before building.

1. Open a terminal and navigate to your project directory. Run the command claude mcp list
2. Check that your configuration name appears with a Connected status

3. Start Claude Code by running claude
4. Inside the Claude Code session, type /mcp to view active servers

Step 5: Query live Anaplan data in Claude Code

With the connection verified, you can now use natural language prompts to query and work with live Anaplan data.

1. Prompt Claude Code to review the instructions for your MCP connection to ensure it has all the appropriate context when writing code
2. Start building with natural language prompts! For example:

   For my project, data from the Sales is very important. Pull data from the most important columns like Region and Product.

Claude Code will use the MCP add-on to connect to Anaplan, retrieve the requested data, and provide results directly in your terminal

Build with MCP Server. Deploy with CData Drivers.

Download MCP Server for free and give your AI tools schema-aware access to live Anaplan data during development. When you're ready to move to production, CData Anaplan Drivers deliver the same SQL-based access with enterprise-grade performance, security, and reliability.

Visit the CData Community to share insights, ask questions, and explore what's possible with MCP-powered AI workflows.