Query Live ShipStation 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 ShipStation 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 ShipStation 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 ShipStation data.

Step 1: Configure ShipStation connectivity for Perplexity Desktop

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

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

2. Select ShipStation from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to ShipStation.

   Use the BASIC Authentication standard to connect.

   1. Login to your ShipStation account
   2. Click on the settings icon in the upper right corner. A column menu will show up on the left
   3. Click Account -> API Settings
   4. On the API Settings page, note the API Key and API Secret.

   Authenticating to ShipStation

   • APIKey: Set this to the API key from the API settings page.
   • APISecret: Set this to the Secret key from the API settings page.
   
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 ShipStation connection configured and an OAuth App created, Perplexity Desktop can now connect to ShipStation 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 ShipStation 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 ShipStation 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 ShipStation 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 ShipStation data connection."
   • "Show the available schemas in ShipStation."
   • "Retrieve the top 10 records from the Account table."
   • "Summarize the high-priority open opportunities in ShipStation."

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

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