How to integrate Metabase with Basecamp 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 Basecamp data. This article describes how to connect to Basecamp and build a simple visualization using Basecamp data.

CData Connect provides a pure cloud-to-cloud interface for Basecamp, allowing you to easily integrate with live Basecamp 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 Basecamp, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return Basecamp data.

Configure Basecamp Connectivity for Metabase

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

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

2. Select "Basecamp" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Basecamp.

   Basecamp uses basic or OAuth 2.0 authentication. To use basic authentication you will need the user and password that you use for logging in to Basecamp. To authenticate to Basecamp via OAuth 2.0, obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties by registering an app with Basecamp.

   See the Getting Started section in the help documentation for a connection guide.

   Additionally, specify the AccountId connection property. This can be copied from the URL after you log in.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Basecamp 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 Basecamp 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. "Basecamp (Connect AI)")
   • Host: tds.cdata.com
   • Port: 14333
   • Database name: The name of the connection you just created (e.g. Basecamp1)
   • Username: A Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected])
   • Password: The PAT previously created
   • Click to Use a secure connection (SSL)
   

Execute Basecamp Data with Metabase

Once you configure the connection to Connect AI, you can query Basecamp and build visualizations.

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

   SELECT Name, DocumentsCount FROM Projects

   
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 Basecamp data in Metabase. You can continue to work with live Basecamp data in Metabase just like you would any SQL Server database. For more information on creating a live connection to Basecamp (and more than 100 other data sources), visit the Connect AI page. Sign up for a free trial and start working with live Basecamp data in Metabase today.