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

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

Configure Google Ad Manager Connectivity for Metabase

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

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

2. Select "Google Ad Manager" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Google Ad Manager.

   Google Ads Manager uses the OAuth authentication standard. You can authorize the data provider to access Google Ads Manager as an individual user or with a service account that you create in the Google APIs Console. See the Getting Started section in the data provider help documentation for an authentication guide.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Google Ad Manager 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 Google Ad Manager 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. "Google Ad Manager (Connect AI)")
   • Host: tds.cdata.com
   • Port: 14333
   • Database name: The name of the connection you just created (e.g. GoogleAdsManager1)
   • Username: A Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected])
   • Password: The PAT previously created
   • Click to Use a secure connection (SSL)
   

Execute Google Ad Manager Data with Metabase

Once you configure the connection to Connect AI, you can query Google Ad Manager and build visualizations.

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

   SELECT Id, Name FROM Orders

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