Create Interactive Metabase Dashboards that Work with Slack Data

Metabase is an open source data visualization tool that allows users to create interactive dashboards. When paired with CData Connect Server, users can easily create visualizations and dashboards linked to live Slack data. This article describes how to create a virtual database for Slack and build a simple visualization using Slack data.

CData Connect provides a pure SQL interface for Slack, allowing you to easily integrate with live Slack data in Metabase — without replicating the data. Connect looks exactly like a MySQL database to Metabase and uses optimized data processing out of the box to push all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to Slack, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return Slack data.

Create a Virtual MySQL Database for Slack Data

CData Connect Server uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources and generate APIs.

1. Log into Connect Server and click Connections.
2. Select "Slack" from Available Data Sources.
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Slack. Slack uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, you will need to create an app to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties. See the Getting Started section of the help documentation for an authentication guide.
4. Click Save Changes
5. Click Privileges -> Add and add the new user (or an existing user) with the appropriate permissions.

Connect to CData Connect from Metabase

After creating the virtual database, navigate to your Metabase instance. Use the MySQL interface to connect to CData Connect.

1. Navigate to the administration screen (Settings -> Admin) and click "Add Database" from the "Databases" tab
2. Configure the connection to CData Connect and click "Save"
   • Database type: Select "MySQL"
   • Name: Name the connection (e.g. "Slack (CData Connect)")
   • Host: The URL of your Connect instance (e.g. https://CONNECT_SERVER_URL)
   • Port: The port of the MySQL endpoint for your Connect instance (e.g. 3306)
   • Database name: The name of the virtual database you just created (e.g. Slack1)
   • Username: A CData Connect username
   • Password: The password for the above CData Connect user
   • Click to Use a secure connection (SSL)

Query Slack Data with Metabase

Once you configure the connection to CData Connect, you can query Slack and build visualizations.

1. Use the "Write SQL" tool to retrieve the Slack data
2. Write a SQL query based on the virtual database, e.g.
   
   

   SELECT Id, Name FROM Channels

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 Slack data in Metabase. You can continue to work with live Slack data in Metabase just like you would any MySQL database. For more information on creating a virtual MySQL database for Slack (and more than 200 other data sources), visit the Connect Server page. Sign up for a free trial and start working with live Slack data in Metabase today.