Build Anaplan-Powered Applications in GitHub Copilot with CData MCP Server

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant that integrates directly into Visual Studio Code and other IDEs. With support for MCP, GitHub Copilot can connect to local tools and enterprise data sources, enabling natural language interaction with live systems during development.

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.

In this article, we guide you through installing the CData MCP Server for Anaplan, configuring the connection to Anaplan, connecting the MCP Server add-on to GitHub Copilot, and querying live Anaplan data from within Visual Studio Code.

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio Code is installed on your machine
• GitHub Copilot Chat extension is enabled in Visual Studio Code
• CData MCP Server for Anaplan has been installed

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. Click Save & Test to finalize the connection

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

Step 3: Connect the MCP Server add-on to GitHub Copilot

1. Download and install Visual Studio Code and enable the GitHub Copilot Chat extension

Option 1: Manually add the MCP configuration

1. Open or create the mcp.json file:
   • For global configuration: %%APPDATA%%/Roaming/Code/User/mcp.json
   • For project-specific configuration: /.vscode/mcp.json
2. Add the JSON code shown below and save the file

{
  "servers": {
    "cdata_anaplan": {
      "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"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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 Github Copilot from the AI MCP Tool dropdown
3. Follow the MCP Client Instructions to create the required configuration file
4. Copy the displayed JSON code and paste it into your configuration file

Step 4: Query live Anaplan data in GitHub Copilot

1. Launch Visual Studio Code and open the GitHub Copilot Chat interface. Select the tool icon to enable the configured MCP Server add-on
2. Ask questions about your Anaplan data using natural language. For example:

   "List all tables available in my Anaplan data data connection."

   
3. Start building with natural language prompts:

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

GitHub Copilot is now fully integrated with CData MCP Server for Anaplan and can use the MCP tools to explore schemas and execute live queries against Anaplan.

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.