Sybase IQ MCP Server

How to use

You connect your MCP client to the Sybase IQ MCP server and then ask natural language questions. The server exposes data through a simple set of tools that let you discover available tables, inspect columns, and run read queries. You do not need to write SQL to get live data; the client will translate your queries into the appropriate data requests and present results.

Once the server is running, you can ask questions like “What is the current balance by account,” or “Show me all open opportunities,” and the client will retrieve data from Sybase IQ through the MCP interface. Use the built-in tools implicitly by asking for data insights; you do not typically call tools explicitly in normal usage.

How to install

Prerequisites: install Java and Maven to build and run the MCP server.

1) Clone the MCP server project and navigate into it.

git clone https://github.com/cdatasoftware/sybase-iq-mcp-server-by-cdata.git
cd sybase-iq-mcp-server-by-cdata

2) Build the server to produce the MCP jar.

mvn clean install

3) Obtain and install the CData JDBC Driver for Sybase IQ. This enables live access to your Sybase IQ data.

4) License the CData JDBC Driver. Run the license command from the driver’s lib directory and provide your user details and license (or TRIAL) when prompted.

5) Configure your connection to Sybase IQ. Use the driver’s connection utility to create a connection string and test it. Copy the resulting connection string for later use.

6) Create a .prp file that contains your JDBC connection details. Example content:

Prefix=sybaseiq
ServerName=CDataSybaseIQ
ServerVersion=1.0
DriverPath=PATH\\TO\\cdata.jdbc.sybaseiq.jar
DriverClass=cdata.jdbc.sybaseiq.SybaseIQDriver
JdbcUrl=jdbc:sybaseiq:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;
Tables=

Run the MCP server from the built jar

Run the MCP server with the prepared .prp file. The server runs via standard input/output (stdio), so use a local command for the host where the server and client run.

java -jar /PATH/TO/CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar /PATH/TO/sybase-iq.prp

Claude Desktop or similar MCP client setup

Create your client config to register the new MCP server so the client can connect locally. Example Windows and Unix-like configurations are shown here. Use the same class name for the entry and point to the jar built above.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sybaseiq_mcp": {
      "command": "PATH\\TO\\java.exe",
      "args": [
        "-jar",
        "PATH\\TO\\CDataMCP-jar-with-dependencies.jar",
        "PATH\\TO\\sybase-iq.prp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Notes

The MCP server is read-only in this configuration. If you require full read, write, update, delete, and action capabilities, consider the full-featured MCP Server for Sybase IQ.

Troubleshooting

If you cannot see or connect to the MCP server, ensure you have fully quit and restarted the client so new servers are discovered. Verify the connection string is correct and test the JDBC connection separately. If issues persist, check driver licensing and that the correct driver JAR is in the DriverPath.

License

This MCP server is released under the MIT License. You may use, modify, and distribute it in accordance with the MIT terms.

sybase_iq_get_tables

Retrieves a list of tables available in the data source. The output is CSV with column headers in the first line.

sybase_iq_get_columns

Retrieves a list of columns for a specific table. The output is CSV with column headers in the first line.

sybase_iq_run_query

Executes a SQL SELECT query against the data source and returns the results.