Build Salesforce Pardot-Powered Applications in GitHub Copilot with CData Code Assist MCP

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 Code Assist MCP for Salesforce Pardot, configuring the connection to Salesforce Pardot, connecting the Code Assist MCP add-on to GitHub Copilot, and querying live Salesforce Pardot 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 Code Assist MCP for Salesforce Pardot has been installed

Step 1: Download and install the CData Code Assist MCP for Salesforce Pardot

1. To begin, download the CData Code Assist MCP for Salesforce Pardot
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 Code Assist MCP add-on by connecting to Salesforce Pardot.

Step 2: Configure the connection to Salesforce Pardot

1. After installation, open the CData Code Assist MCP for Salesforce Pardot configuration wizard

   NOTE: If the wizard does not open automatically, search for "CData Code Assist MCP for Salesforce Pardot" 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_salesforcepardot") and click OK

4. Enter the appropriate connection properties in the configuration wizard

   Salesforce Pardot supports connecting through API Version, Username, Password and User Key.

   • ApiVersion: The Salesforce Pardot API version which the provided account can access. Defaults to 4.
   • User: The Username of the Salesforce Pardot account.
   • Password: The Password of the Salesforce Pardot account.
   • UserKey: The unique User Key for the Salesforce Pardot account. This key does not expire.
   • IsDemoAccount (optional): Set to TRUE to connect to a demo account.

   Accessing the Pardot User Key

   The User Key of the current account may be accessed by going to Settings -> My Profile, under the API User Key row.

   
5. Click Connect to authenticate with Salesforce Pardot
6. Click Save & Test to finalize the connection

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

Step 3: Connect the Code Assist MCP 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_salesforcepardot": {
      "command": "C:\Program Files\CData\CData Code Assist MCP for Salesforce Pardot\jre\bin\java.exe",
      "args": [
        "-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8",
        "-jar",
        "C:\Program Files\CData\CData Code Assist MCP for Salesforce Pardot\lib\cdata.mcp.salesforcepardot.jar",
        "cdata_salesforcepardot"
      ]
    }
  }
}

NOTE: The command value should point to your Java 17+ java.exe executable, and the JAR path should point to the installed CData Code Assist MCP add-on .jar file. The final argument must match the MCP configuration name you saved in the CData configuration wizard (e.g. "cdata_salesforcepardot").

Option 2: Copy the MCP configuration from the CData Code Assist MCP for Salesforce Pardot 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 Salesforce Pardot data in GitHub Copilot

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

   "List all tables available in my Salesforce Pardot data data connection."

   
3. Start building with natural language prompts:

   For my project, data from the Prospects is very important. Pull data from the most important columns like Id and Email.
   

GitHub Copilot is now fully integrated with CData Code Assist MCP for Salesforce Pardot and can use the MCP tools to explore schemas and execute live queries against Salesforce Pardot.

Build with Code Assist MCP. Deploy with CData Drivers.

Download Code Assist MCP for free and give your AI tools schema-aware access to live Salesforce Pardot data during development. When you're ready to move to production, CData Salesforce Pardot 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.