Guide
What is an MCP server? A guide for ERP teams
An MCP server is a service that gives AI assistants a defined set of tools, such as "find customers" or "prepare a sales order", through Model Context Protocol, an open standard. The assistant decides when to call a tool; the server decides what it may do and returns the result.
How an AI assistant uses an MCP server
- A person asks their assistant a question, for example "Which invoices of Vandermeer Process are overdue?"
- The assistant reads the descriptions of the tools the MCP server offers and picks one, here "Open items for a customer".
- It calls the tool with the details it needs: the customer.
- The MCP server checks who is asking and whether they may use that tool, fetches the answer from the business app and returns it.
- The assistant writes the answer in plain words.
MCP server vs API integration
| Raw API access | A governed MCP server | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Developers writing code | AI assistants and the people using them |
| What the assistant sees | Every entity, field and operation | A few business tools with plain descriptions |
| Who is acting | Often one shared technical account | A named person, signed in |
| Changes | Written immediately | Previewed, confirmed and approved where needed |
| Evidence | Whatever you build | An audit log of every request and decision |
What to require before an MCP server touches your ERP
- Named sign-in. Every request belongs to a real person, not a shared key.
- Least privilege. Roles decide which tools each person may use.
- Governed changes. A preview, a confirmation, and approval above your limits. Nobody approves their own request.
- No data copy. Data read live and not stored by the server.
- An audit trail. Who asked what, through which assistant, with which result.
- Instant offboarding. Deactivate a person and their assistants lose access on the next request.
mcpbizapps is built around these points for every business app it connects. See security and data handling and the platform.
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Questions people ask
What does MCP stand for?
Model Context Protocol. It is an open standard, introduced by Anthropic in 2024, for connecting AI assistants to tools and data. Claude, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot Studio support it.
Is an MCP server the same as an API?
No. An API is built for developers and exposes every field and operation. An MCP server exposes a small set of business tools with plain descriptions, so an AI assistant can choose the right one and a person can understand what it did.
Is it safe to connect an MCP server to an ERP?
It depends on the server. Require named sign-in, role-based tools, previews and approvals for changes, an audit log, and no copy of your data. A raw API wrapper gives the assistant far more than it needs.
Do I need to host an MCP server myself?
No. mcpbizapps runs it for you; your people add one connector URL to their assistant.
See it with your own questions
In 30 minutes we show an AI assistant looking up and preparing work in a business app, with the approval and the audit trail. Bring the questions your team asks every week.