Integrate Live NetSuite SuiteAnalytics Data in the Windsurf IDE via CData Connect AI

Windsurf is an AI-native IDE built around Cascade, an autonomous coding agent that understands project context and executes multi-step tasks directly inside the editor. Cascade supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing the agent to discover and call external tools and data sources without leaving the development environment.

By integrating Windsurf with CData Connect AI through the built-in MCP server, the Cascade agent gains governed, real-time access to live NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data. This enables developers to list catalogs, inspect schemas, and query records from NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data within the IDE using natural language prompts.

This article explains how to configure NetSuite SuiteAnalytics connectivity in Connect AI, generate the required personal access token, configure the Connect AI MCP Server in Windsurf, and verify the integration by querying live NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data from the Cascade chat.

Step 1: Configure NetSuite SuiteAnalytics connectivity for Windsurf

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

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

2. Select NetSuite SuiteAnalytics from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to NetSuite SuiteAnalytics.

   Prerequisites

   Before you can connect to NetSuite SuiteAnalytics, you must set up SuiteAnalytics Connect in your NetSuite account:

   1. Enable the Connect Service feature.

      1. Ensure that your Account Administrator has enabled your Account and Role with the Connect Service feature.

      2. Navigate to Setup > Company > Enable Features.

      3. Click the Analytics tab and check the SuiteAnalytics Connect box.

   2. Add the SuiteAnalytics Connect permission to an existing Role, and note the Role ID for later.

   3. Find the Settings portlet on your home page and click Set Up SuiteAnalytics Connect, then click Your Configuration to view your service host and account ID. These settings map directly to the Server and Account Id properties.

   Add the NetSuite SuiteAnalytics Connection

   1. Open the Sources page of the Connect Cloud dashboard.

   2. Click Add Connection and select NetSuite SuiteAnalytics from the list of connectors.

   3. Enter a Connection Name of your choice.

   Authenticate to NetSuite SuiteAnalytics

   Set the following required properties:

   • Server: The Service Host value you found when setting up SuiteAnalytics Connect.

   • Account Id: The Account ID value you found when setting up SuiteAnalytics Connect.

   • Role Id: The internal ID of the login role you granted the SuiteAnalytics Connect permission.

   Next, choose one of the supported authentication methods:

   Basic authentication

   • User: The username you use to authenticate to your NetSuite account.

   • Password: The password associated with that account.

   Token-based authentication

   • Consumer Key and Consumer Secret: Generated when you create your integration record in NetSuite.

   • Token Key and Token Secret: The access token and secret generated for that integration.

   After you enter your credentials, click Save & Test to validate the connection.

   
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 Windsurf. 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. Copy the token when displayed and store it securely. It will not be shown again

With the NetSuite SuiteAnalytics connection configured and a PAT generated, Windsurf can now connect to NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data.

Step 2: Configure Connect AI MCP in Windsurf

Next, configure the Connect AI Remote MCP Server in Windsurf so that the Cascade agent can discover and call live data tools through Connect AI.

1. Download and install the Windsurf IDE
2. Open Windsurf, click your profile icon in the top right, and select Windsurf Settings
3. Under the Cascade section, locate MCP Servers and click Open MCP Registry
4. In the MCP Marketplace, click Add custom MCP in the top right
5. This opens the mcp_config.json file. Paste the following JSON:

   {
       "mcpServers": {
           "cdata-mcp": {
               "serverUrl": "https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp",
               "headers": {
                   "Authorization": "Basic your_base64_encoded_email_PAT",
                   "Content-Type": "application/json"
               }
           }
       }
   }
   		

   Note: Windsurf will use Basic authentication with Connect AI. Combine your Connect AI user email and the PAT you created earlier in the format email:PAT, base64 encode the combined string, and prefix it with Basic. For example, given [email protected]:ABC123...XYZ789, the Authorization header value becomes something like: Basic dXNlckBkb21haW4uY29tOkFCQzEyMy4uLlhZWjc4OQ==

   
6. Save the mcp_config.json file and return to the MCP Registry
7. Under Installed, confirm that cdata-mcp is listed and marked as Enabled

With the MCP server registered and enabled, Windsurf is ready to query live NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data through Connect AI.

Step 3: Query live NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data from Windsurf

With the integration complete, use the Cascade chat panel in Windsurf to interact with live NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data through natural language prompts.

1. On the top bar of Windsurf, switch from Editor to Agent to open a new Cascade chat
2. At the bottom of the chat panel, confirm that the cdata-mcp server is listed and the toggle is enabled
3. Start interacting with the agent by entering prompts like:
   • List all catalogs in my cdata-mcp connection
   • Show the available schemas and tables for NetSuite SuiteAnalytics
   • Query the top 5 records from a table in NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data
4. The Cascade agent calls the Connect AI MCP Server and returns live results from NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data

At this point, your Windsurf IDE communicates with the Connect AI MCP Server and retrieves live NetSuite SuiteAnalytics data through remote MCP directly from the editor.

Get CData Connect AI

To access hundreds of SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications, try CData Connect AI today! Download a free 14-day trial of CData Connect AI today, and as always, our Support Team is available to assist you with any questions you may have.