How to integrate Metabase with Azure Data Catalog Data

Metabase is an open source data visualization tool that allows users to create interactive dashboards. When paired with CData Connect AI, users can easily create visualizations and dashboards linked to live Azure Data Catalog data. This article describes how to connect to Azure Data Catalog and build a simple visualization using Azure Data Catalog data.

CData Connect provides a pure cloud-to-cloud interface for Azure Data Catalog, allowing you to easily integrate with live Azure Data Catalog data in Metabase — without replicating the data. Connect looks exactly like a SQL Server database to Metabase and uses optimized data processing out of the box to push all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to Azure Data Catalog, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return Azure Data Catalog data.

Configure Azure Data Catalog Connectivity for Metabase

Connectivity to Azure Data Catalog from Metabase is made possible through CData Connect AI. To work with Azure Data Catalog data from Metabase, we start by creating and configuring a Azure Data Catalog connection.

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

2. Select "Azure Data Catalog" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Azure Data Catalog.

   You can optionally set the following to read the different catalog data returned from Azure Data Catalog.

   CatalogName: Set this to the CatalogName associated with your Azure Data Catalog. To get your Catalog name, navigate to your Azure Portal home page > Data Catalog > Catalog Name

   Connect Using OAuth Authentication

   You must use OAuth to authenticate with Azure Data Catalog. OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with Azure Data Catalog using the browser. For more information, refer to the OAuth section in the help documentation.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Azure Data Catalog Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. 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 AI 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, you are ready to connect to Azure Data Catalog data from Metabase.

Connect to CData Connect AI from Metabase

After creating the connection in Connect AI, navigate to your Metabase instance. Use the SQL Server interface to connect to Connect AI.

1. Navigate to the administration screen (Settings -> Admin) and click "Add Database" from the "Databases" tab
2. Configure the connection to Connect AI and click "Save"
   • Database type: Select "SQL Server"
   • Name: Name the connection (e.g. "Azure Data Catalog (Connect AI)")
   • Host: tds.cdata.com
   • Port: 14333
   • Database name: The name of the connection you just created (e.g. AzureDataCatalog1)
   • Username: A Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected])
   • Password: The PAT previously created
   • Click to Use a secure connection (SSL)
   

Execute Azure Data Catalog Data with Metabase

Once you configure the connection to Connect AI, you can query Azure Data Catalog and build visualizations.

1. Use the "Write SQL" tool to retrieve the Azure Data Catalog data
2. Write a SQL query based on the Azure Data Catalog connection in CData Connect AI, e.g.
   
   

   SELECT DslAddressDatabase, Type FROM Tables WHERE Name = 'FactProductInventory'

   
3. Navigate to the "Visualization" screen, choose a visualization, and configure the visualization

More Information & Free Trial

At this point, you have built a simple visualization from Azure Data Catalog data in Metabase. You can continue to work with live Azure Data Catalog data in Metabase just like you would any SQL Server database. For more information on creating a live connection to Azure Data Catalog (and more than 100 other data sources), visit the Connect AI page. Sign up for a free trial and start working with live Azure Data Catalog data in Metabase today.