Connecting GenSpark with HubDB Data via CData Connect AI MCP Server
GenSpark is built for developers and enterprise teams who want to create intelligent, conversational AI experiences powered by real-time data. It's flexible tooling and agentic capabilities make it easy to integrate LLMs, automate complex workflows, and build interactive applications that adapt to user intent. However, when these AI interactions require data beyond local context or predefined APIs, many implementations fall back on custom middleware, manual integrations, or scheduled ETL pipelines to sync information into local stores. This introduces unnecessary complexity, increases maintenance overhead, slows response times, and limits the real-time intelligence your GenSpark agents can provide.
CData Connect AI eliminates these barriers by delivering live, secure connectivity to more than 300 enterprise applications, databases, ERPs, and analytics platforms. Through CData Connect AI remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, GenSpark agents can query, read, and act on real-time enterprise data without replication or custom integration code. The result is grounded, accurate responses, faster reasoning, and automated, cross-system decision-making all with stronger governance and fewer moving parts.
This guide outlines the steps required to configure CData Connect AI MCP connectivity, register the MCP Server in GenSpark, and enable your GenSpark agents to work seamlessly with live enterprise data in real time.
Prerequisites
Before starting, ensure you have:
- A CData Connect AI account
- Access to GenSpark
- Access to HubDB
Credentials checklist
Ensure you have these credentials ready for the connection:
- USERNAME: Your CData email login
- PAT: Connect AI, go to Settings and click on Access Tokens (copy once)
- MCP_BASE_URL: https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp
Step 1: Configure HubDB connectivity for GenSpark
Connectivity to HubDB from GenSpark is made possible through CData Connect AI Remote MCP. To interact with HubDB data from GenSpark, we start by creating and configuring a HubDB connection in CData Connect AI.
- Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
- Select "HubDB" from the Add Connection panel
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Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to HubDB.
There are two authentication methods available for connecting to HubDB data source: OAuth Authentication with a public HubSpot application and authentication with a Private application token.
Using a Custom OAuth App
AuthScheme must be set to "OAuth" in all OAuth flows. Be sure to review the Help documentation for the required connection properties for you specific authentication needs (desktop applications, web applications, and headless machines).
Follow the steps below to register an application and obtain the OAuth client credentials:
- Log into your HubSpot app developer account.
- Note that it must be an app developer account. Standard HubSpot accounts cannot create public apps.
- On the developer account home page, click the Apps tab.
- Click Create app.
- On the App info tab, enter and optionally modify values that are displayed to users when they connect. These values include the public application name, application logo, and a description of the application.
- On the Auth tab, supply a callback URL in the "Redirect URLs" box.
- If you're creating a desktop application, set this to a locally accessible URL like http://localhost:33333.
- If you are creating a Web application, set this to a trusted URL where you want users to be redirected to when they authorize your application.
- Click Create App. HubSpot then generates the application, along with its associated credentials.
- On the Auth tab, note the Client ID and Client secret. You will use these later to configure the driver.
Under Scopes, select any scopes you need for your application's intended functionality.
A minimum of the following scopes is required to access tables:
- hubdb
- oauth
- crm.objects.owners.read
- Click Save changes.
- Install the application into a production portal with access to the features that are required by the integration.
- Under "Install URL (OAuth)", click Copy full URL to copy the installation URL for your application.
- Navigate to the copied link in your browser. Select a standard account in which to install the application.
- Click Connect app. You can close the resulting tab.
Using a Private App
To connect using a HubSpot private application token, set the AuthScheme property to "PrivateApp."
You can generate a private application token by following the steps below:
- In your HubDB account, click the settings icon (the gear) in the main navigation bar.
- In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Integrations > Private Apps.
- Click Create private app.
- On the Basic Info tab, configure the details of your application (name, logo, and description).
- On the Scopes tab, select Read or Write for each scope you want your private application to be able to access.
- A minimum of hubdb and crm.objects.owners.read is required to access tables.
- After you are done configuring your application, click Create app in the top right.
- Review the info about your application's access token, click Continue creating, and then Show token.
- Click Copy to copy the private application token.
To connect, set PrivateAppToken to the private application token you retrieved.
- Log into your HubSpot app developer account.
- Click Save & Test
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Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add HubDB Connection page and update the User-based permissions.
Add a Personal Access Token
A Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI from GenSpark. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.
- Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
- On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
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Give the PAT a name and click Create.
- The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.
With the connection configured and a PAT generated, we are ready to connect to HubDB data from GenSpark.
Step 2: Configure MCP Server in GenSpark
- Log in to GenSpark
- Below the chat interface, click the Tools icon
- Select Add new MCP server
Fill in the server configuration:
NOTE: Use Basic authentication, where you combine your Connect AI email address (e.g. [email protected]) with the PAT you generated earlier (e.g. AbC123...xYz890) with a colon (:) in the Authorization header.
Field Value Name CData MCP Server (or any name you prefer) Server Type SteamableHttp Server URL https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp Request Header {"Authorization": "Basic [email protected]:AbC123...xYz890"} - Click Add Server
Once added, GenSpark will automatically load all MCP tools exposed through your Connect AI workspace.
Step 3: Query data in GenSpark
In GenSpark chat interface enter any sample prompt:
List the tools present in CData Connect AI MCP Server.
Build real-time, data-aware agents with GenSpark and CData
GenSpark and CData Connect AI together enable intelligent, AI-driven workflows where agents can securely access live enterprise data and operate with real-time awareness without ETL pipelines, data sync jobs, or custom integration logic. This streamlined approach delivers stronger governance, lower operational overhead, and faster, more grounded responses from your AI tools.
Start your free trial today to see how CData can empower GenSpark with live, secure access to hundreds of external systems.