How to Connect to Live HCL Domino Data in n8n Workflows and Agents (via CData Connect Cloud)

n8n is an open-source workflow automation tool that allows you to connect various applications and services to automate tasks and processes. When combined with CData Connect Cloud Remote MCP, you can leverage n8n to interact with your HCL Domino data in real-time. This article outlines the process of connecting to HCL Domino using Connect Cloud Remote MCP and creating a basic workflow in n8n to interact with your HCL Domino data.

CData Connect Cloud offers a dedicated cloud-to-cloud interface for connecting to HCL Domino data. The CData Connect Cloud Remote MCP Server enables secure communication between n8n and HCL Domino. This allows you to ask questions and take actions on your HCL Domino data using n8n, all without the need for data replication to a natively supported database. With its inherent optimized data processing capabilities, CData Connect Cloud efficiently channels all supported SQL operations, including filters and JOINs, directly to HCL Domino. This leverages server-side processing to swiftly deliver the requested HCL Domino data.

In this article, we show how to build a simple chat agent in n8n to conversational explore (or Vibe Query) your data. The connectivity principals apply to any n8n workflow. With Connect Cloud you can build workflows and agents with access to live HCL Domino data, plus hundreds of other sources.

Step 1: Configure HCL Domino Connectivity for n8n

Connectivity to HCL Domino from n8n is made possible through CData Connect Cloud Remote MCP. To interact with HCL Domino data from n8n, we start by creating and configuring a HCL Domino connection in CData Connect Cloud.

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

2. Select "HCL Domino" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to HCL Domino.

   Connecting to Domino

   To connect to Domino data, set the following properties:

   • URL: The host name or IP of the server hosting the Domino database. Include the port of the server hosting the Domino database. For example: http://sampleserver:1234/
   • DatabaseScope: The name of a scope in the Domino Web UI. The driver exposes forms and views for the schema governed by the specified scope. In the Domino Admin UI, select the Scopes menu in the sidebar. Set this property to the name of an existing scope.

   Authenticating with Domino

   Domino supports authenticating via login credentials or an Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) OAuth application:

   Login Credentials

   To authenticate with login credentials, set the following properties:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to "OAuthPassword"
   • User: The username of the authenticating Domino user
   • Password: The password associated with the authenticating Domino user

   The driver uses the login credentials to automatically perform an OAuth token exchange.

   EntraID (formerly AzureAD)

   This authentication method uses Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) as an IdP to obtain a JWT token. You need to create a custom OAuth application in Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) and configure it as an IdP. To do so, follow the instructions in the Help documentation. Then set the following properties:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to "EntraID (formerly AzureAD)"
   • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
   • OAuthClientId: The Client ID obtained when setting up the custom OAuth application.
   • OAuthClientSecret: The Client secret obtained when setting up the custom OAuth application.
   • CallbackURL: The redirect URI defined when you registered your app. For example: https://localhost:33333
   • AzureTenant: The Microsoft Online tenant being used to access data. Supply either a value in the form companyname.microsoft.com or the tenant ID.

     The tenant ID is the same as the directory ID shown in the Azure Portal's Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) > Properties page.

   
4. Click Create & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add HCL Domino Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

A Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect Cloud from n8n. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect Cloud app to open the settings page.
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give the PAT a 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.

With the connection configured and a PAT generated, we are ready to connect to HCL Domino data from n8n.

Step 2: Connect n8n to CData Connect Cloud

Follow these steps to connect to CData Connect Cloud in n8n:

1. Sign in to n8n.io or create a new account.
2. Create a Workflow in n8n that uses the MCP Client tool. The example Workflow below acts as a chatbot. OpenAI was used as the Chat Model, and Simple Memory was used for the Memory.
3. Configure the MCP Client node in the Workflow:
   • Set Endpoint to https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp (found in the "Connect Data to AI" ribbon in Connect Cloud)
   • Set Server Transport to HTTP Streamable
   • Set Authentication to Header Auth and set the following properties to use Basic authentication:
     • Set Name to Authorization
     • Set Value to Basic EMAIL:PAT", replacing the EMAIL and PAT with your Connect Cloud email address and the PAT created previously. For example: Basic [email protected]:Uu90pt5vEO..."
     
   

Optional Step: Give the AI Agent context

This step establishes the AI Agent's role and provides context for the conversation through the System Message parameter in the AI Agent node. By providing a system message that explicitly informs the agent about its role as an MCP Server expert and lists the available tools, you can enhance the agent's understanding and response accuracy. For example, you can set the System Message to:

You are an expert at using the MCP Client tool connected which is the CData Connect Cloud MCP Server. Always search thoroughly and use the most relevant MCP Client tool for each query. Below are the available tools and a description of each:
queryData: Execute SQL queries against connected data sources and retrieve results. When you use the queryData tool, ensure you use the following format for the table name: catalog.schema.tableName
execData: Execute stored procedures against connected data sources
getCatalogs: Retrieve a list of available connections from CData Connect Cloud. The connection names should be used as catalog names in other tools and in any queries to CData Connect Cloud. Use the `getSchemas` tool to get a list of available schemas for a specific catalog.
getColumns: Retrieve a list of available database columns from CData Connect Cloud for a specific catalog, schema, and table.
getExportedKeys: Retrieve a list of foreign key relationships from CData Connect Cloud for a specific catalog, schema, and table.
getImportedKeys: Retrieve a list of foreign key relationships from CData Connect Cloud for a specific catalog, schema, and table.
getIndexes: Retrieve a list of indexes from CData Connect Cloud for a specific catalog, schema, and table.
getPrimaryKeys: Retrieve a list of primary keys from CData Connect Cloud for a specific catalog, schema, and table.
getProcedures: Retrieve a list of stored procedures from CData Connect Cloud for a specific catalog and schema
getProcedureParameters: Retrieve a list of stored procedure parameters from CData Connect Cloud for a specific catalog, schema, and procedure.
getSchemas: Retrieve a list of available database schemas from CData Connect Cloud for a specific catalog. Use the `getTables` tool to get a list of available tables for a specific catalog and schema.
getTables: Retrieve a list of available database tables from CData Connect Cloud for a specific catalog and schema. Use the `getColumns` tool to get a list of available columns for a specific table.
  

Step 3: Explore Live HCL Domino HCL Domino data with n8n

With the Workflow created in n8n and the MCP Client connected, you can now interact with your HCL Domino data using n8n. The MCP Client node allows you to send queries and receive responses from the HCL Domino data source in real-time.

Open the Workflow in n8n and execute it to start interacting with your HCL Domino data. You can ask questions, retrieve data, and perform actions on your HCL Domino data using the MCP Client node:

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