Metabase

Metabase is an open source business intelligence tool for visualizing and exploring data.

Why Connect Metabase to Altertable?

Connecting Metabase to Altertable enables you to:

• Visualize Real-Time Data: Create dashboards and charts on live data in your Altertable lakehouse
• Federated Queries: Query across multiple data sources connected to Altertable (Postgres, MariaDB, Redshift, and more) without moving data
• Performant Analytics: Use Altertable's query engine for large analytical workloads

Connection Methods

You can connect Metabase to Altertable using two methods:

Method 1: Arrow Flight SQL (Recommended)

Arrow Flight SQL is the preferred connection method for Altertable because it provides native columnar transport. Metabase does not support Arrow Flight SQL by default, so you need a community driver.

Installation

Install the metabase-flightsql-driver to add Arrow Flight SQL support to Metabase:

1. Download the driver JAR file from the GitHub repository
2. Place it in your Metabase plugins directory
3. Restart Metabase

Configuration

1. In Metabase, navigate to Admin settings → Databases
2. Click Add database
3. Select Arrow Flight SQL as the database type
4. Configure the connection with the following details:

5. Click Save

Method 2: Postgres Adapter (Alternative)

If you prefer not to install the Arrow Flight SQL driver, you can connect Metabase to Altertable through our Postgres adapter, which works with Metabase's built-in PostgreSQL database support.

Configuration

1. In Metabase, navigate to Admin settings → Databases
2. Click Add database
3. Select PostgreSQL as the database type
4. Configure the connection with the following details:

5. Click Save

Notes

• SQL Dialect: While the connection uses the Postgres protocol, queries are executed using DuckDB SQL dialect. PostgreSQL-specific functions may not be available.
• SSL/TLS Required: Make sure to enable SSL/TLS in the connection settings
• Catalog Name: Enter your Altertable catalog name in the Database name field