How to Query Live Paylocity Data in Perplexity MacOS Desktop

Perplexity is an AI-powered research and answer engine that allows users to combine web search, structured data, and connected tools through a unified conversational interface. With Perplexity Desktop for macOS, users can bring local tools and data sources directly into their workflow using MCP, enabling fast, context-aware insights powered by live data.

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an emerging, open-source standard for connecting LLMs with external services and enterprise data sources. Using MCP Servers, AI clients such as Perplexity Desktop can securely interact with applications and data, performing actions, retrieving live information, and enabling natural language access to data.

CData Code Assist MCP provides schema-aware context to AI tools — whether you're using it for AI-assisted code generation in IDEs like Cursor, or for querying live data through chat interfaces like Perplexity Desktop.

In this article, we guide you through installing CData Code Assist MCP for Paylocity, configuring the connection to Paylocity, and interacting with your live Paylocity data from Perplexity Desktop.

Step 1: Download and install CData Code Assist MCP for Paylocity

1. To begin, download CData Code Assist MCP for Paylocity 👁 Downloading the CData Code Assist MCP installer
   
2. Find and double-click the installer to begin the installation
3. Drag the Code Assist MCP app into the Applications folder 👁 Completing the Code Assist MCP installation
   

When the installation is complete, you are ready to configure Code Assist MCP by connecting to Paylocity.

NOTE: Since you downloaded the application from the internet and not the Apple App Store, you may see a warning that the application was not opened because Apple could not verify its security. You may continue with the installation.

Installing a trusted, unverified App

CData's solutions are trusted across the globe by some of the largest software vendors in the world. That said, if you have any concerns about continuing, please consult with your IT and/or security team.

1. In the warning message that pops up, click "Done"
2. Open "System Settings" on your machine and navigate to the "Privacy & Security" page
👁 Dismissing the notification

3. Scroll down to the "Security" section and click "Open Anyway" 👁 Installing a trusted, unverified App
   
4. Authorize the installation (passkey or password) 👁 Authorizing the installation
   

Step 2: Configure the Connection to Paylocity

1. After installation, you can open CData Code Assist MCP for Paylocity from the Applications folder on your mac 👁 The Code Assist MCP configuration wizard
   
2. Click the dropdown menu in MCP Configuration > Configuration Name and select "new configuration" 👁 Creating a new configuration
   
3. Name the configuration (e.g. "cdata_paylocity") and click "OK" 👁 Naming the configuration
   

4. Enter the appropriate connection properties in the configuration wizard.

   Set the following to establish a connection to Paylocity:

   • RSAPublicKey: Set this to the RSA Key associated with your Paylocity, if the RSA Encryption is enabled in the Paylocity account.

     This property is required for executing Insert and Update statements, and it is not required if the feature is disabled.

   • UseSandbox: Set to true if you are using sandbox account.
   • CustomFieldsCategory: Set this to the Customfields category. This is required when IncludeCustomFields is set to true. The default value for this property is PayrollAndHR.
   • Key: The AES symmetric key(base 64 encoded) encrypted with the Paylocity Public Key. It is the key used to encrypt the content.

     Paylocity will decrypt the AES key using RSA decryption.
     It is an optional property if the IV value not provided, The driver will generate a key internally.

   • IV: The AES IV (base 64 encoded) used when encrypting the content. It is an optional property if the Key value not provided, The driver will generate an IV internally.

   Connect Using OAuth Authentication

   You must use OAuth to authenticate with Paylocity. OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with Paylocity using the browser. For more information, refer to the OAuth section in the Help documentation.

   The Pay Entry API

   The Pay Entry API is completely separate from the rest of the Paylocity API. It uses a separate Client ID and Secret, and must be explicitly requested from Paylocity for access to be granted for an account. The Pay Entry API allows you to automatically submit payroll information for individual employees, and little else. Due to the extremely limited nature of what is offered by the Pay Entry API, we have elected not to give it a separate schema, but it may be enabled via the UsePayEntryAPI connection property.

   Please be aware that when setting UsePayEntryAPI to true, you may only use the CreatePayEntryImportBatch & MergePayEntryImportBatchgtable stored procedures, the InputTimeEntry table, and the OAuth stored procedures. Attempts to use other features of the product will result in an error. You must also store your OAuthAccessToken separately, which often means setting a different OAuthSettingsLocation when using this connection property. 👁 Configuring the Server connection.
   

5. Click "Connect" to authenticate with Paylocity through OAuth.
6. Click "Save Configuration" to save the configuration 👁 Saving the Code Assist MCP configuration
   

With Code Assist MCP configured, you are ready to connect it to Perplexity Desktop.

Step 3: Connect Code Assist MCP to Perplexity Desktop

1. Download the Perplexity Desktop application for macOS and sign in with your Pro or Premium account
2. Open Settings > Connectors. If the Perplexity Helper App is not installed, you will be prompted to download it. Install the Helper App, then restart Perplexity Desktop 👁 Downloading Perplexity Helper App
   
3. After restarting, return to Settings > Connectors and click Add Connector
4. Select the Simple tab and assign a name for the connector (e.g., "CData Paylocity"). In the Command box, enter the absolute path to the Code Assist MCP executable.

   For example:

   	/Applications/CData Code Assist MCP for Paylocity.app/Contents/Payload/jre/Contents/Home/bin/java \
   	-jar /Applications/CData Code Assist MCP for Paylocity.app/Contents/Payload/lib/cdata.mcp.paylocity.jar \
   	cdata_paylocity
   

   👁 Providing the MCP server command
   
5. Click Save. Code Assist MCP should now appear in the connector list with a "Running" status 👁 Connector successfully running
   

Step 4: Query Your Live Paylocity data in Perplexity Desktop

1. Open a new chat in Perplexity Desktop. Click the Sources toggle and enable Code Assist MCP 👁 Selecting Code Assist MCP as a source
   
2. Start asking questions about your Paylocity data. For example:

   "List all the tables available in my Paylocity data connection."

   👁 Querying live data through MCP
   

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 Paylocity data during development. When you're ready to move to production, CData Paylocity 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.