Use ChatGPT to Talk to Your Avalara AvaTax Data via CData Connect AI

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, launched in November 2022. Based on large language models (LLMs), it enables users to refine and steer conversations through natural language processing. ChatGPT's developer mode, available to Plus and Pro subscribers, provides full Model Context Protocol (MCP) support for connecting to external data sources and tools.

CData Connect AI offers a dedicated cloud-to-cloud interface for connecting to Avalara AvaTax data. The CData Connect AI Remote MCP Server enables secure communication between ChatGPT and Avalara AvaTax. This allows you to ask questions and take actions on your Avalara AvaTax data using ChatGPT, all without the need for data replication to a natively supported database. With its inherent optimized data processing capabilities, CData Connect AI efficiently channels all supported SQL operations, including filters and JOINs, directly to Avalara AvaTax. This leverages server-side processing to swiftly deliver the requested Avalara AvaTax data.

Step 1: Configure Avalara AvaTax Connectivity for ChatGPT

Connectivity to Avalara AvaTax from ChatGPT is made possible through CData Connect AI Remote MCP. To interact with Avalara AvaTax data from ChatGPT, we start by creating and configuring a Avalara AvaTax connection in CData Connect AI.

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

2. Select "Avalara AvaTax" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Avalara AvaTax.

   The primary method for performing basic authentication is to provide your login credentials, as follows:

   • User: Set this to your username.
   • Password: Set this to your password.

   Optionally, if you are making use of a sandbox environment, set the following:

   • UseSandbox: Set this to true if you are authenticating with a sandbox account.

   Authenticating Using Account Number and License Key

   Alternatively, you can authenticate using your account number and license key. Connect to data using the following:

   • AccountId: Set this to your Account Id. The Account Id is listed in the upper right hand corner of the admin console.
   • LicenseKey: Set this to your Avalara Avatax license key. You can generate a license key by logging into Avalara Avatax as an account administrator and navigating to Settings -> Reset License Key.
   
4. Click Save & Test

With the connection configured, we are ready to connect to Avalara AvaTax data from ChatGPT.

Step 2: Connect ChatGPT to CData Connect AI

Follow these steps to add a CData Connect AI connector in ChatGPT:

1. Sign in to ChatGPT with a Plus or Pro subscription.
2. Navigate to Settings > Connectors.
3. Under the "Advanced settings" section, toggle on Developer mode.
4. Once developer mode is enabled, return to the Connectors page and click Create.
5. Enter a name for the connector (such as Connect AI MCP).
6. In the Remote MCP server URL field, enter:

   https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp

7. Set Authentication to "OAuth."
8. Check I trust this application and click Create
9. You will be redirected to CData Connect AI's OAuth authorization page. Sign in with your Connect AI credentials.
10. Review the permissions requested and click Authorize to grant ChatGPT access to your Connect AI resources.
11. After successful authorization, you will be redirected back to ChatGPT.
12. The Connect AI MCP Server will now appear in your available connectors list where you can manage the connector and enable/disable actions (tools).

Step 3: Explore Live Avalara AvaTax Data with ChatGPT

1. Start a new conversation in ChatGPT.
2. In the tool picker, enable "Developer Mode."
3. Enable your Connect AI MCP Sever.
4. You can now start exploring your data with natural language prompts. ChatGPT will use the Connect AI MCP server to query your live Avalara AvaTax data. Example prompts:
   • "Show me all customers from the last 30 days"
   • "What are my top performing products?"
   • "Analyze sales trends for this quarter"
   • "List all active projects and their current status"
   Refer to CData's prompt library for more prompt ideas.
5. ChatGPT will translate your natural language queries into SQL and execute them against your Avalara AvaTax data through the Connect AI MCP server.

IMPORTANT: ChatGPT's developer mode provides full read/write MCP access. Be cautious when allowing write operations to your Avalara AvaTax data. Always review and confirm any data modifications before allowing them to proceed.

NOTE: Developer mode is in beta and only available to ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers. Refer to OpenAI's documentation for the latest setup information.

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