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

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

Configure SFTP Connectivity for Metabase

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

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

2. Select "SFTP" from the Add Connection panel

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

   SFTP can be used to transfer files to and from SFTP servers using the SFTP Protocol. To connect, specify the RemoteHost;. service uses the User and Password and public key authentication (SSHClientCert). Choose an SSHAuthMode and specify connection values based on your selection.

   Set the following connection properties to control the relational view of the file system:

   • RemotePath: Set this to the current working directory.
   • TableDepth: Set this to control the depth of subfolders to report as views.
   • FileRetrievalDepth: Set this to retrieve files recursively and list them in the Root table.
   Stored Procedures are available to download files, upload files, and send protocol commands. See gdatamodel for more on using SQL to interact with the server.
   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add SFTP 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 SFTP 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. "SFTP (Connect AI)")
   • Host: tds.cdata.com
   • Port: 14333
   • Database name: The name of the connection you just created (e.g. SFTP1)
   • Username: A Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected])
   • Password: The PAT previously created
   • Click to Use a secure connection (SSL)
   

Execute SFTP Data with Metabase

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

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

   SELECT Filesize, Filename FROM MyDirectory WHERE FilePath = /documents/doc.txt

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