Query Live Dynamics 365 Business Central Data in Perplexity Desktop via CData Connect AI

Perplexity is an AI-powered research and answer engine that combines web search, structured data, and connected tools through a unified conversational interface. With Perplexity Desktop for macOS, you can bring external data sources directly into your workflow using MCP, enabling fast, context-aware insights powered by live data.

Integrating Perplexity Desktop with CData Connect AI via its built-in MCP connector allows the AI to query, explore, and reason over live Dynamics 365 Business Central data without copying data out of its source system. The result is a research experience where you can ask questions about your governed enterprise data directly from Perplexity Desktop.

This article outlines how to configure Dynamics 365 Business Central connectivity in Connect AI, generate the required access token, register Connect AI's MCP Server in Perplexity Desktop, and then use the chat interface to explore live Dynamics 365 Business Central data.

Step 1: Configure Dynamics 365 Business Central connectivity for Perplexity Desktop

Connectivity to Dynamics 365 Business Central from Perplexity Desktop is made possible through CData Connect AI's Remote MCP Server. To interact with Dynamics 365 Business Central data from Perplexity Desktop, start by creating and configuring a Dynamics 365 Business Central connection in CData Connect AI.

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

2. Select Dynamics 365 Business Central from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Dynamics 365 Business Central.

   To authenticate to Dynamics 365 Business Central, you must select an AuthScheme and provide the required properties (OAuth by default).

   All Methods

   Specify the OrganizationUrl. If you have multiple companies in your organization, you must also specify the Company to indicate which company you would like to connect to. Company does not need to be specified if you have only one company.

   Access Key

   To authenticate with an Access Key, set AuthScheme to "AccessKey" and provide the User and AccessKey properties.

   To obtain the User and AccessKey values, navigate to the Users page in Dynamics 365 Business Central and then click on Edit. The User Name and Web Service Access Key values are what you will enter as the User and AccessKey connection string properties. Note that the User Name is not your email address. It is a shortened user name.

   If you wish to authenticate through other methods, refer to the Help documentation.

   
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 Perplexity Desktop. 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

Create an OAuth App in CData Connect AI

Perplexity Desktop uses OAuth 2.0 to authenticate users against the CData Connect AI MCP Server. This requires creating an OAuth App in your CData Connect AI account.

1. Click the Gear icon () in the top-right corner of Connect AI to open Settings
2. Navigate to OAuth Apps and click + Create App. The Create OAuth App dialog appears
3. Fill in the following fields:
   • Name: Enter a descriptive name (e.g., PerplexityOAuth)
   • Authentication Flow: Select User-based (Authorization Code)
   • Callback URL: Enter the callback URL provided by Perplexity Desktop when adding the connector
   
4. Click Confirm. CData Connect AI generates a Client ID and Client Secret
5. Copy both values and store them securely. You will need them in Step 2

With the Dynamics 365 Business Central connection configured and an OAuth App created, Perplexity Desktop can now connect to Dynamics 365 Business Central data through Connect AI.

Step 2: Configure Connect AI in Perplexity Desktop

Next, register the CData Connect AI MCP Server as a custom remote connector in Perplexity Desktop. This feature requires a Perplexity Pro, Max, or Enterprise account and the macOS desktop app. Once configured, Perplexity's AI can call the tools exposed by CData Connect AI to access live Dynamics 365 Business Central data.

1. Download the Perplexity Desktop application for macOS and sign in with your Pro, Max, or Enterprise account
2. Click Customize in the left sidebar and open the Connectors tab. Click + Custom connector in the top-right corner to open the Add custom connector dialog
3. Enter a Name for the connector (e.g., CData Connect AI) and, optionally, a Description. In the MCP server URL field, enter the CData Connect AI MCP endpoint: https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp
4. Expand Advanced and configure the following:
   • Authentication: Select OAuth, then enter the Client ID and Client Secret from the OAuth App created in Step 1
   • Transport: Select Streamable HTTP
   • Network access: Select Public
   Check the box acknowledging that custom connectors can introduce risks, then click Add
5. The new connector appears in the Connectors list. Click + on the connector to connect it. When redirected to CData Connect AI, sign in and click Allow to grant Perplexity access

Step 3: Query your live Dynamics 365 Business Central data from Perplexity Desktop

1. Click New Session and make sure the CData Connect AI connector is enabled for the session. The active connector appears above the prompt box
2. Start asking questions about your Dynamics 365 Business Central data. For example:

   "Which data sources do you have access to via Connect AI?"

   
3. Try additional queries such as:
   • "List all the tables available in my Dynamics 365 Business Central data connection."
   • "Show the available schemas in Dynamics 365 Business Central."
   • "Retrieve the top 10 records from the Account table."
   • "Summarize the high-priority open opportunities in Dynamics 365 Business Central."

Perplexity Desktop is now fully integrated with the CData Connect AI MCP Server and can reason over live Dynamics 365 Business Central data directly from the chat interface.

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