METABASE

Meet the easy, open source way for everyone in your company to ask questions and learn from data.

A tour of Metabase

Metabase is a deep product with a lot of tools to simplify business intelligence, from embeddable charts and interactive dashboards, to GUI and SQL editors, to auditing and data sandboxing, and more.

This is the “what comes in the box when you install Metabase” article. Metabase has a lot of tools in its toolkit (and we can’t cover everything here), but even seasoned Metabasers will benefit from a tour of its feature set – especially since we add major new features at a regular clip.

<em>Fig. 1</em>. The Metabase home page, before any dashboards are pinned to the <strong>Our analytics</strong> collection.” data-width=”2220″ data-height=”1636″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 1</em>. The Metabase home page, before any dashboards are pinned to the <strong>Our analytics</strong> collection.</figcaption> </figure> <p>At a high level, we’ll walk through the features that let you:</p> <ul> <li><a href=Query and visualize your data
  • Embed charts and share your results
  • Find things and stay organized
  • Configure Metabase

    • How to query and visualize your data

    Metabase supports a lot of different databases, and ships with a Sample Dataset for you to play around with. And once you’ve connected your data sources, Metabase gives you a lot of tools to explore them.

    Ask questions

    There are three ways to ask questions: simple, custom, and native queries.

    Simple and custom questions

    The first two ways, simple and custom questions, use a graphical user interface (GUI).

    Simple questions: Affectionately known as “chill mode”, here you can use the query builder to filter and summarize data. For a quick walkthrough, check out Getting started with Metabase.

    Custom questions: Compose more sophisticated questions using the notebook editor. With custom expressions, you can accomplish pretty much anything you’d be able to do with SQL: join tables, create custom columns, filter and group results, compare time series, and more. Plus, people who don’t know SQL can duplicate your question and use it as a starting point for another question.

    <em>Fig. 2</em>. The simple but powerful notebook editor.” data-width=”1730″ data-height=”1232″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 2</em>. The simple but powerful notebook editor.</figcaption> </figure> <p>Simple and custom questions will automatically get an <a class=action menu applied to their visualizations, allowing people to click on a table or chart to drill through the data.

    <em>Fig. 3</em>. Using the <strong>Action menu</strong> to zoom in on a chart, then view the rows that make up an aggregate value.” data-width=”1068″ data-height=”614″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 3</em>. Using the <strong>Action menu</strong> to zoom in on a chart, then view the rows that make up an aggregate value.</figcaption> </figure> <p>Both simple and customs questions can start with a table in a database or with the results of a <a class=saved question, and you can convert them to native SQL at any time.

    Native queries

    Use the native query editor to compose questions in the database’s native query languages (typically SQL for relational databases, but also other query languages for data sources like MongoDB and Google Analytics). For questions written in SQL, you can use variables in your code to create SQL templates, including field filter variables that can create smart dropdown filters.

    <em>Fig. 4</em>. A handy data reference tab shows information about your tables in the sidebar.” data-width=”2545″ data-height=”1049″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 4</em>. A handy data reference tab shows information about your tables in the sidebar.</figcaption> </figure> <p>Like <a class=GUI questions, you can use the results of saved questions as starting points for new questions, just as you would a table or view. For example, to reference question 123 like so:

    WITH gizmo_orders AS #{123}

    Visualize results

    When you ask a simple or custom question, Metabase will guess at the most appropriate visualization type for the results, but you can select from sixteen different visualization options.

    <em>Fig. 5</em>. Select from 16 different chart types to visualize your results.” data-width=”2546″ data-height=”1331″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 5</em>. Select from 16 different chart types to visualize your results.</figcaption> </figure> <p>Additionally, each visualization type has their own set of options to customize. You can even <a href=add custom maps to your Metabase instance.

    Alerts

    Set up an alert to get notified when your results meet a goal.

    How to embed charts and share your results

    Once you’ve asked questions, it’s time to present your analysis.

    Create interactive dashboards

    You can organize questions into a dashboard, and contextualize them with Markdown text cards.

    <em>Fig. 6</em>. Example dashboard with two filters: date and state.” data-width=”2202″ data-height=”1098″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 6</em>. Example dashboard with two filters: date and state.</figcaption> </figure> <p>You can add filters to dashboards and connect them to fields on questions to narrow the results.</p> <figure class=
    <em>Fig. 7</em>. Connect a filter to multiple cards on a dashboard by specifying the field to filter.” data-width=”2576″ data-height=”1318″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 7</em>. Connect a filter to multiple cards on a dashboard by specifying the field to filter.</figcaption> </figure> <p>You can <a href=link filters, create custom destinations (to send people to another dashboard or external URL), or even have a chart update a filter on click.

    To keep people posted on key metrics, you can set up dashboard subscriptions via email or Slack.

    <em>Fig. 8</em>. Set up a dashboard subscription to email or Slack results on a regular basis.” data-width=”2480″ data-height=”1240″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 8</em>. Set up a dashboard subscription to email or Slack results on a regular basis.</figcaption> </figure> <h3> </h3> <h3 id=Embed questions and dashboards

    You can embed charts and dashboards using iframes. With Enterprise Edition, you can even embed the full Metabase app, which allows you to do things like deliver multi-tenant, self-service analytics.

    How to find things and stay organized

    Things in this case being databases and their analysis: the questions, dashboards, and collections you and your teams create.

    Home page

    What you see when you log in. This page “evolves” as you add databases and create collections. Any dashboards pinned to the Our analytics collection (the root collection) will appear on the home page, which you can customize.

    You know, to find things: data, metrics, segments, dashboards, and questions. You’ll probably use the search bar the most often, but the catch here is that you need to know what to search for.

    Organize with collections

    Collections organize questions and dashboards. They work like folders on a file system, and you can set permissions on collections, giving some groups edit, view, or no access. Groups with edit access to a collection can pin the most important items to the collection – your “official” dashboards.

    <em>Fig. 9</em>. Collections group questions and dashboards. You can set permissions on collections via groups.” data-width=”2475″ data-height=”1115″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 9</em>. Collections group questions and dashboards. You can set permissions on collections via groups.</figcaption> </figure> <h3> </h3> <h3 id=Browse data

    The data browser lists all of your databases, and gives you space to add context. You can browse tables and their fields, see sample data, as well as a list of questions that query that data.

    <em>Fig. 10</em>. Browse data to explore databases, tables, and fields.” data-width=”2572″ data-height=”1256″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 10</em>. Browse data to explore databases, tables, and fields.</figcaption> </figure> <h3> </h3> <h3 id=X-rays

    To give you a head start on asking questions, Metabase can X-ray a table for you.

    <em>Fig. 11</em>. Part of an X-ray of the Sample Dataset’s Orders table.” data-width=”2548″ data-height=”1346″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 11</em>. Part of an X-ray of the Sample Dataset’s Orders table.</figcaption> </figure> <p>These X-rays will generate a bunch of questions that slice the table’s <a class=records in different ways. You can save the X-ray as a dashboard, take out any questions that don’t interest you, add new questions, or just use the X-ray to get a feel for the table.

    Activity feed and recently viewed

    The activity feed lets you see what other people have been creating (provided you’re in a group with access to the relevant collection), as well as your recently viewed questions and dashboards.

    <em>Fig. 12</em>. Click on the <strong>Gears</strong> icon and select <strong>Activity</strong> to view recent activity and your recently viewed questions and dashboards.” data-width=”2156″ data-height=”1396″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 12</em>. Click on the <strong>Gears</strong> icon and select <strong>Activity</strong> to view recent activity and your recently viewed questions and dashboards.</figcaption> </figure> <h2> </h2> <h2 id=How to configure Metabase

    Permissions, localization, data modeling: with great power comes great responsibility.

    Settings

    <em>Fig. 13</em>. The <strong>Settings</strong> tab in the <strong>Admin panel</strong>.” data-width=”1920″ data-height=”1610″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 13</em>. The <strong>Settings</strong> tab in the <strong>Admin panel</strong>.</figcaption> </figure> <p>You can set up <a href=email and Slack integrations, customize locale settings like language and currencies, and configure authentication with Google Sign-In or LDAP, or for Enterprise: JWT or SAML.

    Data modeling

    Metabase will try to guess how to display the various fields in your tables, but if you want more control, you can customize how Metabase handles each field, setting field visibility, type, formatting, and more.

    <em>Fig. 14</em>. Customize how Metabase displays tables and their fields.” data-width=”1164″ data-height=”732″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 14</em>. Customize how Metabase displays tables and their fields.</figcaption> </figure> <p>Admins can also create <a href=segments and metrics for commonly used business definitions, like Active Users, Churned Users, or New Products, so that your analysis will have a shared vocabulary across teams.

    <em>Fig. 15</em>. Example <strong>Segment</strong> that captures how the company defines a New Product.” data-width=”896″ data-height=”490″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 15</em>. Example <strong>Segment</strong> that captures how the company defines a New Product.</figcaption> </figure> <p>You can do the same kind of standardization for SQL questions by codifying SQL code in <a class=snippets, which in the Enterprise Edition you can organize with folders and permissions.

    Auditing

    If you need to see what everyone’s looking at, check out Metabase Enterprise’s auditing feature.

    Group permissions for data and collections

    Create groups in Metabase, add people to those groups, and give the groups different levels of access to databases and collections.

    <em>Fig. 16</em>. Add permissions to databases and collections using groups.” data-width=”2512″ data-height=”542″></div> </div> <figcaption><em>Fig. 16</em>. Add permissions to databases and collections using groups.</figcaption> </figure> <p>If you need granular control over who can see what, check out Enterprise Edition’s <a class=data sandboxing feature to learn how you can restrict table access by row and by column.

    Submit a PR, or fork the source code

    Metabase is open source (and Enterprise is source available), so if Metabase lacks a feature you need, you can always build it yourself. Check out our releases to see the features we’ve added recently, and the roadmap for what we’re working on next.

    Further reading

     

      Contáctenos

      Close Popup

      Utilizamos cookies propias y de terceros. Al hacer click en “Aceptar cookies” acepta que las cookies se guarden en su dispositivo para permitir un correcto funcionamiento de la web, analizar datos de uso, proveer funcionalidades mejoradas y personalizar anuncios en web de terceros. También puedes configurarlas o rechazar su uso clickando en “Configurar cookies”.

      Aceptar Cookies Configurar cookies
      Close Popup
      Privacy Settings saved!
      Configuracion de Privacidad

      Cuando visita cualquier sitio web, el mismo podría obtener o guardar información en su navegador, generalmente mediante el uso de cookies. Esta información puede ser sobre usted, sus preferencias o su dispositivo, y se usa principalmente para que el sitio funcione según lo esperado. Por lo general, la información no lo identifica directamente, pero puede proporcionarle una experiencia web más personalizada. Ya que respetamos su derecho a la privacidad, usted puede escoger no permitirnos usar ciertas cookies. Haga clic en los encabezados de cada categoría para saber más y cambiar nuestras configuraciones predeterminadas. Sin embargo, el bloqueo de algunos tipos de cookies puede afectar su experiencia en el sitio y los servicios que podemos ofrecer.

      Configuración de Privacidad Protección de Datos Política de Cookies
      Cookies Estrictamente Necesarias
      Estas cookies son necesarias para que el sitio web funcione correctamente y no se pueden desactivar. Están configuradas para adecuar la página web para cuestiones como recordar sus preferencias de privacidad, iniciar sesión o rellenar formularios. Puede configurar su navegador para bloquear o alertarle acerca de estas cookies, pero si lo hace puede ocasionar que algunas partes de la web no funcionen correctamente. Estas cookies no guardan ninguna información personal identificable.
      Cookies de Preferencias
      Estas cookies permiten que el sitio ofrezca una mejor funcionalidad y personalización. Pueden ser establecidas por nosotros o por terceras partes cuyos servicios hemos agregado a nuestras páginas. Si no permite estas cookies algunos de nuestros servicios podrían no funcionar correctamente.
      Cookies para Publicidad de Terceros
      Estas cookies son instaladas por nuestros socios publicitarios en diferentes partes del sitio. Se utilizan para elaborar un perfil sobre sus intereses y mostrarle anuncios relevantes en otros sitios de terceros. Solo almacenan información respecto al navegador y dispositivo que utiliza. Si no permite estas cookies, tendrá una publicidad menos dirigida.
      Cookies Analíticas
      Estas cookies nos permiten realizar un recuento de las visitas y fuentes de tráfico para poder medir y mejorar el funcionamiento de nuestro sitio. Nos ayudan a saber qué páginas son las más y menos populares, y comprobar cuántos usuarios navegan por el sitio web. Toda la información que recogen estas cookies está agregada y, por lo tanto, anónima. Si no permite estas cookies no podremos saber que visitó nuestro sitio y no podremos mejorarlo.
      Rechazar todos los servicios
      Save
      Acepto todos los servicios
      0:00
      0:00