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How to Connect to Live NetSuite Data in n8n Workflows and Agents (via CData Connect Cloud)
Leverage the CData Connect Cloud Remote MCP Server to enable n8n to securely read and take actions on your NetSuite data for you.
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 NetSuite data in real-time. This article outlines the process of connecting to NetSuite using Connect Cloud Remote MCP and creating a basic workflow in n8n to interact with your NetSuite data.
CData Connect Cloud offers a dedicated cloud-to-cloud interface for connecting to NetSuite data. The CData Connect Cloud Remote MCP Server enables secure communication between n8n and NetSuite. This allows you to ask questions and take actions on your NetSuite 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 NetSuite. This leverages server-side processing to swiftly deliver the requested NetSuite 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 NetSuite data, plus hundreds of other sources.
About NetSuite Data Integration
CData provides the easiest way to access and integrate live data from Oracle NetSuite. Customers use CData connectivity to:
- Access all editions of NetSuite, including Standard, CRM, and OneWorld.
- Connect with all versions of the SuiteTalk API (SOAP-based) and SuiteQL, which functions like SQL, enabling easier data querying and manipulation.
- Access predefined and custom reports through support for Saved Searches.
- Securely authenticate with Token-based and OAuth 2.0, ensuring compatibility and security for all use cases.
- Use SQL stored procedures to perform functional actions like uploading or downloading files, attaching or detaching records or relationships, retrieving roles, getting extra table or column info, getting job results, and more.
Customers use CData solutions to access live NetSuite data from their preferred analytics tools, Power BI and Excel. They also use CData's solutions to integrate their NetSuite data into comprehensive databases and data warehouse using CData Sync directly or leveraging CData's compatibility with other applications like Azure Data Factory. CData also helps Oracle NetSuite customers easily write apps that can pull data from and push data to NetSuite, allowing organizations to integrate data from other sources with NetSuite.
For more information about our Oracle NetSuite solutions, read our blog: Drivers in Focus Part 2: Replicating and Consolidating ... NetSuite Accounting Data.
Getting Started
Step 1: Configure NetSuite Connectivity for n8n
Connectivity to NetSuite from n8n is made possible through CData Connect Cloud Remote MCP. To interact with NetSuite data from n8n, we start by creating and configuring a NetSuite connection in CData Connect Cloud.
- Log into Connect Cloud, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
- Select "NetSuite" from the Add Connection panel
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Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to NetSuite.
The User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, must be set to valid NetSuite user credentials. In addition, the AccountId must be set to the ID of a company account that can be used by the specified User. The RoleId can be optionally specified to log in the user with limited permissions.
See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for more information on connecting to NetSuite.
- Click Create & Test
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Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add NetSuite 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.
- Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect Cloud app to open the settings page.
- On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
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Give the PAT a name and click Create.
- 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 NetSuite data from n8n.
Step 2: Connect n8n to CData Connect Cloud
Follow these steps to connect to CData Connect Cloud in n8n:
- Sign in to n8n.io or create a new account.
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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.
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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
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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 NetSuite NetSuite data with n8n
With the Workflow created in n8n and the MCP Client connected, you can now interact with your NetSuite data using n8n. The MCP Client node allows you to send queries and receive responses from the NetSuite data source in real-time.
Open the Workflow in n8n and execute it to start interacting with your NetSuite data. You can ask questions, retrieve data, and perform actions on your NetSuite data using the MCP Client node:
Get CData Connect Cloud
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