Build Presto-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 Presto, configuring the connection to Presto, connecting the Code Assist MCP add-on to GitHub Copilot, and querying live Presto data from within Visual Studio Code.

Getting Started

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Prerequisites

• Visual Studio Code is installed on your machine
• GitHub Copilot Chat extension is enabled in Visual Studio Code
• CData Code Assist MCP for Presto has been installed

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

1. To begin, download the CData Code Assist MCP for Presto
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 Presto.

Step 2: Configure the connection to Presto

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

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

4. Enter the appropriate connection properties in the configuration wizard

   Set the Server and Port connection properties to connect, in addition to any authentication properties that may be required.

   To enable TLS/SSL, set UseSSL to true.

   Authenticating with LDAP

   In order to authenticate with LDAP, set the following connection properties:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to LDAP.
   • User: The username being authenticated with in LDAP.
   • Password: The password associated with the User you are authenticating against LDAP with.

   Authenticating with Kerberos

   In order to authenticate with KERBEROS, set the following connection properties:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to KERBEROS.
   • KerberosKDC: The Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC) service used to authenticate the user.
   • KerberosRealm: The Kerberos Realm used to authenticate the user with.
   • KerberosSPN: The Service Principal Name for the Kerberos Domain Controller.
   • KerberosKeytabFile: The Keytab file containing your pairs of Kerberos principals and encrypted keys.
   • User: The user who is authenticating to Kerberos.
   • Password: The password used to authenticate to Kerberos.
   
5. Click Connect to authenticate with Presto
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_presto": {
      "command": "C:\Program Files\CData\CData Code Assist MCP for Presto\jre\bin\java.exe",
      "args": [
        "-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8",
        "-jar",
        "C:\Program Files\CData\CData Code Assist MCP for Presto\lib\cdata.mcp.presto.jar",
        "cdata_presto"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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_presto").

Option 2: Copy the MCP configuration from the CData Code Assist MCP for Presto 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 Presto 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 Presto data using natural language. For example:

   "List all tables available in my Presto data data connection."

   
3. Start building with natural language prompts:

   For my project, data from the Customer is very important. Pull data from the most important columns like FirstName and LastName.
   

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

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 Presto data during development. When you're ready to move to production, CData Presto 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.