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

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

Configure xBase Connectivity for Metabase

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

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

2. Select "xBase" from the Add Connection panel

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

   The DataSource property must be set to the name of the folder that contains the .dbf files. Specify the IncludeFiles property to work with xBase table files having extensions that differ from .dbf. Specify multiple extensions in a comma-separated list.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add xBase 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 xBase 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. "xBase (Connect AI)")
   • Host: tds.cdata.com
   • Port: 14333
   • Database name: The name of the connection you just created (e.g. xBase1)
   • Username: A Connect AI username (e.g. [email protected])
   • Password: The PAT previously created
   • Click to Use a secure connection (SSL)
   

Execute xBase Data with Metabase

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

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

   SELECT Company, SUM(Total) FROM Invoices GROUP BY ContactName

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