Interact with Live Databricks Data in Warp via CData Connect AI
Warp is an agentic development environment that combines a modern terminal with an AI agent. It supports large language model (LLM) interactions and Model Context Protocol (MCP) server integrations, so the agent can reach live external data sources without leaving the terminal.
By integrating Warp with CData Connect AI through its built-in MCP Server, the Warp Agent gets governed, real-time access to live Databricks data. You can explore Databricks data, ask questions in plain language, and work with your records without writing custom integration code.
This article walks through configuring Databricks connectivity in Connect AI, configuring the CData MCP Server in Warp, and interacting with live Databricks data from the Warp Agent.
About Databricks Data Integration
Accessing and integrating live data from Databricks has never been easier with CData. Customers rely on CData connectivity to:
- Access all versions of Databricks from Runtime Versions 9.1 - 13.X to both the Pro and Classic Databricks SQL versions.
- Leave Databricks in their preferred environment thanks to compatibility with any hosting solution.
- Secure authenticate in a variety of ways, including personal access token, Azure Service Principal, and Azure AD.
- Upload data to Databricks using Databricks File System, Azure Blog Storage, and AWS S3 Storage.
While many customers are using CData's solutions to migrate data from different systems into their Databricks data lakehouse, several customers use our live connectivity solutions to federate connectivity between their databases and Databricks. These customers are using SQL Server Linked Servers or Polybase to get live access to Databricks from within their existing RDBMs.
Read more about common Databricks use-cases and how CData's solutions help solve data problems in our blog: What is Databricks Used For? 6 Use Cases.
Getting Started
Step 1: Configure Databricks connectivity for Warp
Connectivity to Databricks from Warp is made possible through Connect AI's Remote MCP Server. To interact with Databricks data from Warp, start by creating and configuring a Databricks connection in Connect AI.
- Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
- Select Databricks from the Add Connection panel
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Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Databricks.
To connect to a Databricks cluster, set the properties as described below.
Note: The needed values can be found in your Databricks instance by navigating to Clusters, and selecting the desired cluster, and selecting the JDBC/ODBC tab under Advanced Options.
- Server: Set to the Server Hostname of your Databricks cluster.
- HTTPPath: Set to the HTTP Path of your Databricks cluster.
- Token: Set to your personal access token (this value can be obtained by navigating to the User Settings page of your Databricks instance and selecting the Access Tokens tab).
- Click Save & Test
- 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 Warp. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each integration to maintain granular access control.
- Click the gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open Settings
- On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT
- Give the PAT a descriptive name and click Create
- Copy the token when displayed and store it securely. It will not be shown again
With the Databricks connection configured and a PAT generated, Warp can now connect to Databricks data through Connect AI.
Step 2: Configure Connect AI in Warp
Enable the Warp Agent, configure an LLM provider, and the Connect AI MCP endpoint in Warp so the agent can discover and call live data tools.
- Download and install Warp, and then sign up or log in to your Warp account
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Click the Tabs panel icon at the top left of the window, or press Ctrl + Shift + B
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Click Settings, expand Agents, select Warp Agent, and toggle Warp Agent on
Configure an LLM provider
The Warp Agent needs an LLM provider to interpret your prompts and decide which MCP tools to call. Add an API key for your preferred provider.
- On the same Warp Agent page, scroll down to the Custom Inference section
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Enter the API key for the LLM provider of your choice (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google)
Add the Connect AI MCP Server
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Under Agents, click MCP servers, and then click Add
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In the Add New MCP Server editor, paste the following JSON configuration:
{ "mcpServers": { "CData_Connect_AI": { "url": "https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp", "headers": { "Authorization": "Basic your_base64_encoded_email_PAT" } } } }Note: Combine your Connect AI email and PAT in the format email:PAT, Base64 encode the combined string, and prefix it with Basic. For example, given [email protected]:ABC123...XYZ, the header value becomes something like: Basic dXNlckBteWRvbWFpbjphSzkvbVB4Mi9Rcjd2TjQ...
- Click Save to add the MCP server
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Under My MCPs, confirm that CData_Connect_AI appears with the toggle enabled and the tools available
With the MCP server and an LLM provider configured, the Warp Agent is ready to interact with live Databricks data through Connect AI.
Step 3: Interact with live Databricks data from the Warp Agent
Use natural language prompts in the Warp Agent to explore live Databricks data.
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Click the icon in the left navigation bar and select Agent
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Enter a prompt to interact with your data, for example:
- List the sources available in my CData_Connect_AI mcp connection
- Show me what I can explore in Databricks
- Fetch the five most recent records from Databricks data
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The agent calls the Connect AI MCP Server and returns live results from Databricks data
Your Warp Agent now calls the Connect AI MCP Server to interact with live Databricks data through remote MCP tools, all from the terminal.
Get CData Connect AI
To interact with hundreds of SaaS and enterprise data sources directly from your AI agents and cloud applications, try CData Connect AI. Download a free 14-day trial of CData Connect AI, and our Support Team is available to answer any questions.