Last Updated: November 21, 2025
Metabase
Open-source business intelligence
Analytics
Open Source
Installation & Setup
JAR File
java -jar metabase.jar (easiest local install)
Docker
docker run -d -p 3000:3000 --name metabase metabase/metabase
Cloud (Metabase Cloud)
Hosted solution at metabase.com/start
First Launch
Visit localhost:3000; complete setup wizard
Add Database
Settings > Admin > Databases > Add Database
Supported Databases
PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, 30+ more
Questions (Queries)
New Question
Home > New > Question
Simple Question
No SQL; visual query builder (GUI)
Custom Question
Write SQL query directly
Native Query
Use database-specific SQL syntax
Select Table
Choose database > table to query
Summarize
Aggregate data: Count, Sum, Average, Distinct
Group By
Break down by dimension (Date, Category, etc.)
Filter
Add conditions to narrow results
Sort
Order by column, ascending/descending
Save Question
Name and save to collection
SQL Editor
New > SQL Query
Open SQL editor
Run Query
Cmd/Ctrl + Enter or click "Get Answer"
Variables
{{variable_name}} for dynamic filters
Field Filter
WHERE {{date_filter}} for date range picker
Optional Filters
[[AND {{filter}}]] with double brackets
Snippets
Reusable SQL snippets for common queries
SQL Snippet
{{snippet: snippet_name}} to insert
Format Query
Click format icon to auto-indent SQL
Download Results
Export as CSV, XLSX, JSON
Visualizations
Visualization Button
Bottom left after running query
Table
Default view; rows and columns
Line Chart
Trends over time
Bar Chart
Compare categories
Pie/Donut Chart
Show proportions
Scalar (Number)
Single metric display
Progress Bar
Goal tracking with target
Gauge
Meter showing progress
Funnel
Conversion funnel visualization
Map
Geographic data on map
Pivot Table
Cross-tabulation of data
Dashboards
New Dashboard
Home > New > Dashboard
Add Question
Click "+" > Add saved question or new question
Resize Cards
Drag corners to resize chart cards
Reorder Cards
Drag and drop to rearrange
Add Text
Add text box for headers, descriptions
Add Filter
Dashboard filters affect multiple questions
Link Filters
Map dashboard filter to question variables
Auto-Refresh
Settings > Auto-refresh every X minutes
Full Screen Mode
Click full screen icon for TV displays
Public Sharing
Sharing > Public link (no login required)
Filters
Add Filter (Question)
Click "Filter" button in query builder
Filter Types
Text, Number, Date, Dropdown, Location
Text Filters
Contains, Does not contain, Is, Is not, Starts with, Ends with
Number Filters
Equal to, Not equal to, Greater than, Less than, Between
Date Filters
Relative (Last 7 days), Specific dates, Before, After
Relative Dates
Today, Yesterday, Last week, Last month, Last year
Multiple Filters
AND/OR logic between filters
Dashboard Filters
Apply to multiple questions at once
Alerts & Subscriptions
Create Alert
Question > Share > Set up an alert
Goal Line Alert
Notify when metric crosses threshold
Progress Bar Alert
Alert on goal completion percentage
Alert Frequency
Check hourly, daily, weekly
Dashboard Subscriptions
Dashboard > Share > Email this dashboard
Schedule
Daily, weekly, monthly at specific time
Slack Integration
Send alerts/subscriptions to Slack channels
Email Format
Inline charts or attached CSV
Collections & Organization
Collections
Folders for organizing questions and dashboards
Create Collection
Home > New > Collection
Move to Collection
Question/Dashboard > Move to... > Select collection
Collection Permissions
Control who can view/edit items in collection
Personal Collection
Private collection for each user
Archive Items
Archive instead of delete for recovery
Data Model
Admin > Data Model
Configure table metadata and relationships
Field Types
Set semantic type (Email, URL, Number, Category, etc.)
Foreign Keys
Define table relationships for joins
Hide Fields
Hide technical fields from question builder
Segments
Saved filters for common data slices
Metrics
Pre-defined calculations (e.g., Total Revenue)
Friendly Names
Rename technical field names for users
Administration
Settings Gear > Admin
Access admin panel (admin users only)
People
Manage users and groups
User Groups
Create groups for permission management
Permissions
Control database and collection access per group
Database Sync
Admin > Databases > Sync database schema
Cache TTL
Set query result caching duration
Email Settings
Configure SMTP for alerts and subscriptions
Slack Integration
Admin > Settings > Slack > Add to Slack
Keyboard Shortcuts
Cmd/Ctrl + K
Command palette (search anything)
Cmd/Ctrl + Enter
Run query in SQL editor
Cmd/Ctrl + S
Save question or dashboard
Cmd/Ctrl + /
Comment/uncomment SQL
Tab
Autocomplete in SQL editor
Pro Tips:
- Start with Simple Questions: Use GUI query builder first; graduate to SQL for complex queries
- Segments = Reusable Filters: Create segments for "Active Users" or "High Value Customers"
- SQL Snippets: Save common CTEs or joins as snippets for reuse
- Field Filters in SQL: Use {{date_range}} for interactive date pickers in SQL queries
- Dashboard Filters First: Design dashboards with filters for user exploration
- Public Links for Stakeholders: Share public dashboard links (no Metabase account needed)
- Slack Alerts for Monitoring: Send daily KPI updates to Slack channels
- Docker for Easy Updates: docker pull metabase/metabase && docker restart metabase