Build SQL Analysis Services-Powered Applications in Gemini Code Assist with CData Code Assist MCP

Gemini Code Assist is an AI-powered coding companion that integrates intelligent code generation into everyday development workflows. With support for MCP, Gemini Code Assist can connect to live enterprise data sources directly from Visual Studio Code, enabling natural language interaction with structured data without switching context or manually writing data access code.

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.

This guide walks through installing the CData Code Assist MCP for SQL Analysis Services, configuring the connection to SQL Analysis Services, connecting the Code Assist MCP add-on to Gemini Code Assist, and querying live SQL Analysis Services data from within the editor.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure the following requirements are met:

1. Visual Studio Code is installed on the machine
2. Gemini Code Assist extension is enabled in Visual Studio Code
3. CData Code Assist MCP for SQL Analysis Services has been installed
4. Access to SQL Analysis Services

Note: Gemini Code Assist must already be set up and functional in Visual Studio Code before configuring MCP servers. MCP servers are accessed when Gemini Code Assist is running in Agent mode.

Step 1: Download and install the CData Code Assist MCP for SQL Analysis Services

1. To begin, download the CData Code Assist MCP for SQL Analysis Services
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, the Code Assist MCP add-on is ready for configuration by connecting to SQL Analysis Services.

Step 2: Configure the connection to SQL Analysis Services

1. After installation, open the CData Code Assist MCP for SQL Analysis Services configuration wizard

   NOTE: If the wizard does not open automatically, search for "CData Code Assist MCP for SQL Analysis Services" 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_ssas") and click OK

4. Enter the appropriate connection properties in the configuration wizard

   To connect, provide authentication and set the Url property to a valid SQL Server Analysis Services endpoint. You can connect to SQL Server Analysis Services instances hosted over HTTP with XMLA access. See the Microsoft documentation to configure HTTP access to SQL Server Analysis Services.

   To secure connections and authenticate, set the corresponding connection properties, below. The data provider supports the major authentication schemes, including HTTP and Windows, as well as SSL/TLS.

   • HTTP Authentication

     Set AuthScheme to "Basic" or "Digest" and set User and Password. Specify other authentication values in CustomHeaders.

   • Windows (NTLM)

     Set the Windows User and Password and set AuthScheme to "NTLM".

   • Kerberos and Kerberos Delegation

     To authenticate with Kerberos, set AuthScheme to NEGOTIATE. To use Kerberos delegation, set AuthScheme to KERBEROSDELEGATION. If needed, provide the User, Password, and KerberosSPN. By default, the data provider attempts to communicate with the SPN at the specified Url.

   • SSL/TLS:

     By default, the data provider attempts to negotiate SSL/TLS by checking the server's certificate against the system's trusted certificate store. To specify another certificate, see the SSLServerCert property for the available formats.

   You can then access any cube as a relational table: When you connect the data provider retrieves SSAS metadata and dynamically updates the table schemas. Instead of retrieving metadata every connection, you can set the CacheLocation property to automatically cache to a simple file-based store.

   See the Getting Started section of the CData documentation, under Retrieving Analysis Services Data, to execute SQL-92 queries to the cubes.

   
5. Click Connect to authenticate with SQL Analysis Services
6. Then, click Save Configuration to save the Code Assist MCP add-on

This process creates a .mcp configuration file that Gemini Code Assist will reference when launching the Code Assist MCP add-on. With the Code Assist MCP add-on configured, it is ready to connect to Gemini Code Assist.

Step 3: Connect the Code Assist MCP add-on to Gemini Code Assist

1. Ensure Visual Studio Code is installed and the Gemini Code Assist extension is enabled
2. From the configuration wizard, click Next after saving and testing the connection
3. Select Gemini Code Assist from the AI MCP Tool dropdown
4. Click Copy JSON to copy the generated MCP configuration to the clipboard
5. Paste the copied JSON into the appropriate configuration file based on the desired scope:
   • User-level: Configuration applies across all projects for the current user
   • Workspace-level: Configuration applies only to the current workspace or project

   NOTE: The configuration includes the path to Java 17+ executable and the CData Code Assist MCP add-on JAR file. The final argument must match the MCP configuration name saved in the wizard (e.g. "cdata_ssas").

6. Save the configuration file and restart Visual Studio Code if necessary

Step 4: Query live SQL Analysis Services data in Gemini Code Assist

1. Open Visual Studio Code and select Gemini Code Assist in the activity bar
2. Enter /mcp in the chat prompt to verify the connection status. The SQL Analysis Services Code Assist MCP add-on should appear with a green connection indicator
3. Ask questions about SQL Analysis Services data using natural language. For example:

   "Provide the list of all tables available in my SQL Analysis Services data connection."

   
4. Generate code that works with live SQL Analysis Services data. For example:

   "Write a function to retrieve records from the Adventure_Works table where Fiscal_Year matches a given value."

   

Gemini Code Assist is now fully integrated with the CData Code Assist MCP add-on and can use the MCP tools exposed to explore schemas, execute live queries against SQL Analysis Services, and generate data-aware code.

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 SQL Analysis Services data during development. When you're ready to move to production, CData SQL Analysis Services 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.