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

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

Configure Klipfolio Connectivity for Metabase

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

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

2. Select "Klipfolio" from the Add Connection panel

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

   Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the Klipfolio Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\Klipfolio.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for Klipfolio (see below).

   Klipfolio API Profile Settings

   In order to authenticate to Klipfolio, you'll need to provide your API Key. You can generate an API key from the Klipfolio Dashboard app through either the My Profile page or from Users if you are an administrator (you must have the user.manage permission). Set the API Key in the ProfileSettings property to connect.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Klipfolio 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 Klipfolio 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. "Klipfolio (Connect AI)")
   • Host: tds.cdata.com
   • Port: 14333
   • Database name: The name of the connection you just created (e.g. API1)
   • Username: A Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected])
   • Password: The PAT previously created
   • Click to Use a secure connection (SSL)
   

Execute Klipfolio Data with Metabase

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

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

   SELECT Id, Name FROM DataSources WHERE IsDynamic = 'true'

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