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

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

Configure Bitbucket Connectivity for Metabase

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

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

2. Select "Bitbucket" from the Add Connection panel

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

   For most queries, you must set the Workspace. The only exception to this is the Workspaces table, which does not require this property to be set, as querying it provides a list of workspace slugs that can be used to set Workspace. To query this table, you must set Schema to 'Information' and execute the query SELECT * FROM Workspaces>.

   Setting Schema to 'Information' displays general information. To connect to Bitbucket, set these parameters:

   • Schema: To show general information about a workspace, such as its users, repositories, and projects, set this to Information. Otherwise, set this to the schema of the repository or project you are querying. To get a full set of available schemas, query the sys_schemas table.
   • Workspace: Required if you are not querying the Workspaces table. This property is not required for querying the Workspaces table, as that query only returns a list of workspace slugs that can be used to set Workspace.

   Authenticating to Bitbucket

   Bitbucket supports OAuth authentication only. To enable this authentication from all OAuth flows, you must create a custom OAuth application, and set AuthScheme to OAuth.

   Be sure to review the Help documentation for the required connection properties for you specific authentication needs (desktop applications, web applications, and headless machines).

   Creating a custom OAuth application

   From your Bitbucket account:

   1. Go to Settings (the gear icon) and select Workspace Settings.
   2. In the Apps and Features section, select OAuth Consumers.
   3. Click Add Consumer.
   4. Enter a name and description for your custom application.
   5. Set the callback URL:
      • For desktop applications and headless machines, use http://localhost:33333 or another port number of your choice. The URI you set here becomes the CallbackURL property.
      • For web applications, set the callback URL to a trusted redirect URL. This URL is the web location the user returns to with the token that verifies that your application has been granted access.
   6. If you plan to use client credentials to authenticate, you must select This is a private consumer. In the driver, you must set AuthScheme to client.
   7. Select which permissions to give your OAuth application. These determine what data you can read and write with it.
   8. To save the new custom application, click Save.
   9. After the application has been saved, you can select it to view its settings. The application's Key and Secret are displayed. Record these for future use. You will use the Key to set the OAuthClientId and the Secret to set the OAuthClientSecret.
   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Bitbucket 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 Bitbucket 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. "Bitbucket (Connect AI)")
   • Host: tds.cdata.com
   • Port: 14333
   • Database name: The name of the connection you just created (e.g. Bitbucket1)
   • Username: A Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected])
   • Password: The PAT previously created
   • Click to Use a secure connection (SSL)
   

Execute Bitbucket Data with Metabase

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

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

   SELECT Title, ContentRaw FROM Issues WHERE Id = '1'

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