1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,440 All right. Kicking off another deep dive and today we're taking a look at Metabase. 2 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:08,680 You know, you sent over their GitHub repo and the website, 3 00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:12,480 definitely two sides of the same coin, right? So let's, uh, you know, 4 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:14,960 see what kind of picture they paint for themselves. 5 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:18,480 Is it truly a data tool for as they say, everyone, 6 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:20,480 or is that just some marketing hype? 7 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:24,320 That's the question, right? You got the kind of like under the hood view on GitHub. 8 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:28,400 That's where the devs live. And then you have the polished, you know, 9 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:32,220 marketing side on the website. So let's see how those line up. Okay. 10 00:00:32,220 --> 00:00:35,400 So the GitHub repo first thing hits us with this tagline, 11 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:39,800 the simplest fastest way to get business intelligence and analytics to everyone 12 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:43,760 in your company. And I got to say, I love the little emoji, you know, 13 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:48,640 they're trying to be our data BFF, it seems like, but simplest and fastest. 14 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:53,280 That's a, that's kind of fighting words when it comes to the world of data, 15 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,440 for sure. You know, usually you get one or the other, right? Not both. Yeah. 16 00:00:56,480 --> 00:01:00,160 And then there's that, you know, the everyone claim, like that's the holy grail 17 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:01,920 of business intelligence, 18 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:05,960 getting insights out of just the analyst's hands and into, you know, 19 00:01:05,960 --> 00:01:08,880 the folks making those daily decisions. That's a big claim. 20 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,640 So the website better back that up. Let's see. Oh, here we go. 21 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:16,600 Set up in five minutes. Kim on really, 22 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:20,640 I timed myself making coffee this morning and it took longer than that. 23 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:25,500 I think they're serious about that. The installation is like super streamlined. 24 00:01:25,500 --> 00:01:29,880 There's no, no messing around with servers or like crazy configurations. 25 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:32,240 Especially if you go to the cloud route, they want to get you up and running, 26 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:37,200 like ASA. Okay. Intrigued, but color me skeptical as always, 27 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:41,040 you know, got to see the proof, but this next part definitely caught my eye. 28 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:45,240 Ask questions without knowing SQL. Finally, someone gets me. SQL's powerful. Sure. 29 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:47,440 But sometimes I just want to point at my data and just yell, 30 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,020 tell me what's going on. Well, it looks like they actually let you do that. 31 00:01:50,020 --> 00:01:52,640 The visual query builder. It's like a whole different ball game. 32 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:56,480 Imagine you just drag and drop the fields you want, pick your chart or analysis. 33 00:01:56,480 --> 00:02:00,920 And boom, you've got insights without writing a single line of code. Okay. 34 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:05,640 That sounds dangerous. Tempting how suddenly I'm picturing our marketing team 35 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:09,120 actually like understanding our customer data without like a million slack 36 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:13,080 messages to me. All right. All right. Color me cautiously optimistic on this one, 37 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:16,760 but you know, what about when you do need to get down and dirty with the SQL? 38 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:19,680 Can I handle the heavy lifting too? Oh yeah, definitely. 39 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:23,920 They've got a full on SQL editor for those who love to write those custom 40 00:02:23,920 --> 00:02:26,520 queries and really get into the nitty gritty. 41 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:28,720 So it caters to both ends of the spectrum, 42 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:31,760 the SQL newbies and the seasoned data rangers. 43 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:35,400 That's good to know. It means you're not sacrificing power for that ease of use. 44 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:39,200 But speaking of power, what about the types of data it can handle? 45 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:43,840 Is it just for those trendy new databases or can it connect to the, you know, 46 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,080 legacy systems that I feel like so many companies are still stuck with? 47 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:48,920 That's where it gets really interesting. 48 00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:51,640 They've got a seriously long list of supported databases. 49 00:02:51,640 --> 00:02:55,120 You've got your usual suspects, of course, like MySQL and Postgres, 50 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,960 but they also play nice with those big data warehouses like Redshift and 51 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:02,120 Snowflake. Oh, and a bunch of those specialized databases, 52 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:03,320 you might not even expect. 53 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:08,320 So whether you're like a startup on cutting edge tech or a company with data 54 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,960 just spread across a patchwork of systems, Metabase is saying, Hey, 55 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:12,920 we can connect to it. 56 00:03:12,920 --> 00:03:17,160 I'm starting to see why they're making these bold claims about reaching everyone 57 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:20,560 in the company, but talk is cheap, right? Sure. 58 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:25,200 Do they have any like real world examples to show this thing actually works? 59 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,840 Oh, they do. They've got testimonials on their website from, you know, 60 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:32,440 companies of all sizes, different industries. Take Holland and Barrett, 61 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:35,840 for example, that they're a big global health and wellness retailer. 62 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:37,280 And they were, you know, 63 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:40,440 struggling to get data into the hands of their business users who weren't 64 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:42,620 analysts. With Metabase, 65 00:03:42,620 --> 00:03:46,120 they finally empowered those non-technical teams to build their own dashboards 66 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:47,400 and answer their own questions. 67 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:50,880 So they actually walk the walk on that everyone promise. I'm impressed, 68 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:51,840 but let's be real, you know, 69 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:56,480 a shiny website and some nice words can only get you so far needed like dig 70 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:00,040 deeper, see what's really going on, like under the hood with those features. 71 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,160 Agreed. Let's start with that thing that caught your eye, 72 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:07,280 that visual query builder. It's not just, you know, drag and drop. 73 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:11,120 It's about fundamentally changing how people interact with data. 74 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:14,300 Like imagine you're a marketing manager and you want to see which campaigns are 75 00:04:14,300 --> 00:04:15,560 driving the most sales. 76 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:19,640 You can just drag the campaign name field in the sales field right into the 77 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:21,920 builder, pick a bar chart and boom, 78 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:24,600 in seconds you've got a clear picture of what's working and what's not. 79 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,800 So no more waiting for the data team to get back to you with that report. Okay. 80 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:30,280 That's, that's a game changer. 81 00:04:30,280 --> 00:04:33,560 But what about the folks who are comfortable with SQL? 82 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:38,080 I don't want them to feel like they're being like pushed into a simplified tool. 83 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:39,840 Don't worry. They haven't been forgotten. Like I said, 84 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:43,680 they've got that full SQL editor. So if you need to write complex queries, 85 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,880 join multiple tables or use those advanced functions, 86 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:50,680 you've got all that SQL power. And here's where it gets really interesting. 87 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:54,440 They let you switch back and forth between the visual builder and that SQL 88 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:55,960 editor seamlessly. 89 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:58,560 So you could start with a simple drag and drop query. 90 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:02,280 And then if you need to refine it with them custom SQL, 91 00:05:02,280 --> 00:05:04,200 you can do that right there in the same interface. 92 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:08,480 That's pretty slick. Okay. 93 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:10,440 I'm definitely liking what I'm seeing so far, 94 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:12,520 but I think we're just scratching the surface here. 95 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:17,320 Tell me more about these models that keep popping up. They sound intriguing, 96 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,440 but also kind of mysterious. 97 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:24,280 Models they're essentially a way to create a simplified like curated view of 98 00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:28,360 your data. They're really helpful for those non-technical users who, you know, 99 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:31,320 might not know all the ins and outs of how your database is structured. 100 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:33,840 Imagine you've got data spread across, you know, 101 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:37,840 tons of tables with like these complicated relationships and cryptic names. 102 00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:41,360 A model can take all that complexity and present it in this neat and 103 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:42,480 understandable format. 104 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:47,160 So it's like creating a user friendly map of your data with clear labels and 105 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:47,640 directions. 106 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:50,480 I can see how that would be helpful for someone who just wants to get to those 107 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:53,880 insights without getting lost in the, you know, the data jungle. 108 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:58,000 But what about security? If we're making this data accessible to everyone, 109 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:01,680 how do we make sure that people are only seeing what they're supposed to see? 110 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:03,480 That's where sandboxing comes in. 111 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:07,160 It gives you that granular control over data access. 112 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,680 You can create different sandboxes for different teams or departments. 113 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:13,480 That way each group only sees data that's relevant to them. 114 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:14,720 So for example, 115 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:18,600 we could have a sandbox for the marketing team that only lets them see marketing 116 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:23,160 data while the finance team has their own sandbox with the financial data. 117 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:25,440 Exactly. You can even get more granular than that. 118 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:27,320 You can control access at the row level. 119 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:31,480 So you could restrict access to certain types of customers or even transactions 120 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:32,440 within a data set. 121 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,040 Okay. That's reassuring. They're not just, you know, 122 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:37,760 throwing the data doors wide open and hoping for the best. 123 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:41,360 There's some real thought put into that security and governance. 124 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:45,040 Absolutely. And that level of control is crucial when you're talking about 125 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:47,280 democratizing data. You know, 126 00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:49,160 you want to give people access to information, 127 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,600 but you've got to do it responsibly and securely. 128 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:52,960 I'm sensing a theme here. 129 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:58,240 Metabase is all about that balance between power and simplicity, accessibility, 130 00:06:58,240 --> 00:06:59,440 security, you know, 131 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:03,320 they want to make data exploration easy and intuitive for everyone, 132 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:06,720 but they're not skimping on the features and controls that those data pros 133 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:08,440 need. Yeah. You hit the nail on the head. 134 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:10,280 And that's what makes Metabase so interesting. 135 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:12,360 It's not just for one type of user. 136 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:15,760 It's designed to be that data hub for the entire company. 137 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:20,360 And we're just getting started. There is so much more to unpack about Metabase, 138 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:22,600 but let's take a quick pause here. And when we come back, 139 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:27,240 we'll dive even deeper into some of those more advanced features. Welcome back. 140 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:29,560 We're a, we're knee deep in Metabase now, 141 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:32,440 trying to see if it lives up to those ambitious claims. 142 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:36,640 And we, we left off talking about those models. Remember those things that 143 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:40,800 can supposedly make a messy data landscape. Well, less messy. 144 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:42,800 Yeah. You made them sound almost too good to be true. 145 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:46,200 Like a magic data fairy that just swoops in and cleans up all your messy tables 146 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:49,800 and cryptic column names and stuff. But like, how does that actually work? 147 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:53,040 Like in the real world? All right. Let's say your company, 148 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:57,480 they've got data about customer orders spread across a bunch of different tables. 149 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,280 Right. You've got one for customer info, one for order details, 150 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:01,760 another for shipping, so on and so forth. 151 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:06,560 A model can basically stitch all those tables together and present it as one 152 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:07,720 unified view. 153 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:13,040 So instead of having to like navigate this tangled web of tables and try to 154 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,760 figure out how they're all related, you get a nice clean interface that makes 155 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:20,120 sense, even if you're not, you know, a database guru or whatever. 156 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,800 Exactly. And you can define custom fields within the model, you know, 157 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:26,280 combining data from multiple sources. For example, 158 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:29,520 you could create a field called like total order value, 159 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:33,720 and that combines say product price, quantity, and any discounts. 160 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:37,680 That way anyone looking at the model, they can instantly see the total value of 161 00:08:37,680 --> 00:08:40,360 each order without having to, you know, break out the calculator. 162 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:43,760 That's, that's really smart. Those pie in the sky promises about, you know, 163 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:47,320 empowering non-technical users. It's starting to feel a lot more real now, 164 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:51,960 but models, they sound like they could be helpful even for like the season data 165 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:55,280 folks, right? Absolutely. Even if you're a SQL whiz, 166 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:57,800 models can save you a ton of time and effort. 167 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:01,560 Imagine you're building a dashboard to track sales performance, right? 168 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:05,840 Instead of writing all those crazy queries to join tables and calculate those 169 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:09,920 metrics, you can just use those predefined fields in the model and just focus on 170 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:12,640 the visual presentation analysis much easier. 171 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:16,880 So it's like having a whole team of data engineers working behind the scenes to 172 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:20,360 like organize and optimize your data. Even if you're a one man show, 173 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:23,760 I like the sound of that, but let's switch gears for a second. 174 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:25,920 Let's talk about something that's often, 175 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:30,440 I feel like an afterthought in data tools documentation. 176 00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:31,840 How does Metabase handle that? 177 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:35,440 Surprisingly well, actually every model, each metric you define, 178 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:39,200 it all has that built in space for documentation. You're not just throwing, 179 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:42,080 you know, raw data at people. You can actually explain what it means, 180 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:44,720 where it came from, any caveats they should be aware of. 181 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:48,600 So no more like cryptic column names that leave everyone scratching their 182 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:53,520 heads. That alone could save countless hours of frustration and, 183 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:56,120 uh, and misinterpretations. Okay. 184 00:09:56,520 --> 00:10:00,600 I'm really starting to see how all these, you know, seemingly small features, 185 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:04,200 can add up to a huge difference in how a company uses data, 186 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:06,560 but we haven't even touched on one of, 187 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:11,520 I think the most exciting aspects of Metabase embedded analytics. 188 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,320 Tell me more about that. It sounds like something straight out of a, 189 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:15,840 like a sci-fi movie. 190 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:19,480 It's not quite telepathy, but it's pretty close. Imagine this, 191 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:21,080 you're a sales manager, right? 192 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:25,800 And you're using your company's CRM to track, you know, your team's progress. 193 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:29,320 Normally you'd have to switch to a separate like BI tool to get insights into 194 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:33,000 sales performance, customer trends and all that. But with embedded analytics, 195 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,000 you can have all that data displayed right there in the CRM. 196 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:38,000 No switching back and forth. 197 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:40,720 So you're not just looking at a list of contacts and deals. 198 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:44,000 You're actually getting real time insights into what's working, what's not, 199 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:46,000 where you should be focusing your efforts. 200 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:49,240 Exactly. And it's not just dashboards, you know, 201 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:51,800 you can embed interactive charts, reports, 202 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:55,480 even like full blown data exploration tools right into your apps. 203 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:57,840 And that's what I call like actionable intelligence. 204 00:10:57,840 --> 00:10:59,880 No more switching between tools, 205 00:10:59,880 --> 00:11:03,040 no more exporting data and trying to make sense of it in spreadsheets. 206 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:05,040 You get the insights right where you need them. 207 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:08,600 But I can also see how this could be like a slippery slope, right? 208 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:10,760 Too much data. It can be overwhelming, 209 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:13,800 especially for folks who aren't used to working with it all the time. 210 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:17,160 So how do you like, how do you strike that balance? 211 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:22,440 It's all about being like strategic about what data you embed and how you 212 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:26,320 present it. The goal is to make the user experience better, 213 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:28,160 not just bombard people with information. 214 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:33,000 Think about those key questions that your users are trying to answer in a 215 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:33,840 specific app. 216 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:38,680 And then you design the embedded analytics to give them those answers clearly 217 00:11:38,680 --> 00:11:39,520 and concisely. 218 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:43,040 So it's like a choose your own adventure for data where you can tailor the 219 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,440 experience for different users and their needs. I like that. 220 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,520 But I'm also curious about the technical side. 221 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:52,800 How easy is it to actually embed Metabase into, you know, my own applications? 222 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:54,840 That's another area where they've done a great job. 223 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:58,400 They give you a full API and have a bunch of pre-built components that make 224 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:00,680 embedding super easy. You don't have to be, you know, 225 00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:02,400 a coding genius to get it working. 226 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:05,280 So even if you're not a developer, you can still take advantage of this, 227 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:09,400 this powerful feature, huh? That's impressive. Okay. We've, uh, 228 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:11,600 we've covered a lot here, but there's, 229 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:14,320 there's one big elephant in the room we haven't really talked about. 230 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:16,240 Metabase is open source. 231 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:19,960 What does that actually mean for someone who's thinking about using it? 232 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:23,880 That's a great question. And it's one that trips a lot of people up. Let's, uh, 233 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:25,240 let's break down open source a bit. 234 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:29,960 Basically it means that the code that makes Metabase tick, 235 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:35,200 it's publicly available. Anyone can download it, look at it, even modify it. 236 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:38,440 So you're not like locked into a black box where you have no idea what's 237 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:39,560 happening behind the scenes. 238 00:12:39,560 --> 00:12:43,560 Exactly that transparency. That's one of the big perks of open source. 239 00:12:43,560 --> 00:12:46,800 You can see exactly how your data is being handled, which is, you know, 240 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,040 super important for companies that have, you know, 241 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:53,200 strict security or compliance rules. And because the code is open, 242 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:56,800 there's this huge community of developers constantly working on it, you know, 243 00:12:56,800 --> 00:13:00,120 improving it, adding new features. It's constantly evolving. 244 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:03,400 So it's like having this global team of data experts, 245 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:07,320 like working on your BI platform for free. That sounds, that sounds amazing. 246 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:11,160 But what about, what about support? You know, if something breaks, 247 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:13,200 who do you call? Ghostbusters. 248 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:16,520 That's, that's a common worry with open source. I get it. 249 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:20,600 But Metabase, they've got this really active community forum where you can get 250 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,240 help from other users. And they also have, you know, 251 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:27,160 those paid support plans for companies who need like a more formal level of 252 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:30,280 help. So it's like, uh, it's like choosing your own adventure. Again, 253 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:32,080 you can go the DIY route, you know, 254 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:35,720 rely on the community or you can pay for that peace of mind that comes with that, 255 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:37,720 that dedicated support. Precisely. 256 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,440 It's all about finding that level of support that works for you, 257 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:44,080 your needs and your budget. Okay. I'm, I'm getting the open source picture now, 258 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:47,520 but there's still one piece missing licensing. 259 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:49,960 You mentioned different licenses earlier. What's the deal with that? 260 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:54,520 So the core of Metabase, it's released under the AGPL license. 261 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:58,200 It's a type of open source license that, you know, 262 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:01,080 it encourages sharing and collaboration. Basically, 263 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:04,400 if you modify the Metabase code and use it in your products, 264 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:07,040 you're required to make those changes public as well. 265 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:10,240 Makes sense. You know, keeping with that open source spirit, 266 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:11,800 sharing is caring and all that. 267 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:15,560 But what about companies that want to keep those customizations private? 268 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:16,680 Is that even possible? 269 00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:18,920 That's where those commercial licenses come in. 270 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:22,240 They give you more flexibility, more control. So for example, 271 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:23,440 you might want to, you know, 272 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:26,680 integrate Metabase into your own software without having to make those 273 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:29,040 modifications public. Makes sense. 274 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,480 So the open source license, it's great for that transparency, 275 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:35,080 community involvement, but the commercial licenses, 276 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:37,920 they provide that flexibility that some companies need. 277 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:42,920 It sounds like they're trying to, you know, appeal to a wide range of use cases 278 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:44,880 and philosophies, but enough about, you know, legal stuff. 279 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:45,840 Let's get back to the features. 280 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,080 You said before that Metabase supports a ton of different databases. 281 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:52,560 Can you give me a sense of just how broad that support is? 282 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:56,720 Yeah, they're not kidding about that wide range. You've got your big names, 283 00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:59,760 of course, like, you know, Postgresql, MySQL, SQL Server. 284 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:03,240 Then you've got the cloud-based data warehouses like Snowflake and BigQuery, 285 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:07,880 but it's not just SQL databases either. They also support NoSQL databases. 286 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:11,480 Like MongoDB and Cassandra. Oh, and those specialized databases, 287 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:14,000 like Elasticsearch and Redis. It's a lot. 288 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:15,760 Wow. That's, that's a mouthful. 289 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:20,560 So whether you're a tiny startup with a simple database or like a Fortune 500 290 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:24,000 company with data just sprawled out everywhere, Metabase has got you covered. 291 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:28,120 That's the idea. And it's not just about, you know, connecting to those databases. 292 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:32,080 It's about making it easy to work with data from all those different sources 293 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:34,120 within like the same platform. 294 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:37,960 Okay. I'm starting to get a headache just thinking about all the possibilities, 295 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:39,960 but that's a good problem to have, right? 296 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:44,080 It means you're not limited by the tools. You're only limited by, well, 297 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:47,320 your imagination, but let's not get too carried away. There's, 298 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:48,760 there's still more to explore, 299 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:53,920 especially when it comes to the like the nitty gritty details of like deploying 300 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:58,480 and using Metabase. Let's take a quick break. And when we come back, we'll, 301 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:00,840 we'll dive into all those practical details. 302 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:05,520 Welcome back to the deep dive. We've, 303 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:10,640 we've really gone in depth with Metabase from its user friendly query builder to 304 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:13,960 its ability to, you know, talk to a whole bunch of different databases. 305 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:17,000 And we touched on that open source aspect of the platform, right? 306 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:18,560 Which can be a real plus, 307 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:22,160 but also brings up those questions about like support and licensing. 308 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:25,160 Exactly. So let's tackle the, the elephant in the room. 309 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:26,640 The question is probably on everyone's mind. 310 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:29,640 Like how do you actually get started with Metabase? Where do you even begin? 311 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:32,560 Well, that's where it gets pretty interesting. They've got options. 312 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:36,960 And I mean options for everyone from free and DIY all the way up to, you know, 313 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:40,440 fully supported and managed. Let's start with the, 314 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:43,200 the option that everyone loves to hear free. 315 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:46,400 Ah, yes. The magic word free, 316 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:50,560 but free often, you know, comes with strings attached. 317 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:55,200 Is this a limited version or like a trial that expires or you know, what's, 318 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:58,840 what's the catch? Nope, no catch. The open source version of Metabase. 319 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:00,720 It's like totally functional. 320 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:04,240 It has all those core features we've been talking about. You can download it, 321 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:08,320 install it on your own servers and start exploring your data. No limits. 322 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:11,600 So I could like literally go to their website right now, 323 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:15,520 grab that open source version and like be building dashboards by lunchtime. 324 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:18,320 Yeah, pretty much. It's that simple. Of course you'll need some, you know, 325 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:20,560 technical skills to set it up and manage it yourself, 326 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:24,520 but their documentation is like really good. It'll walk you through it. 327 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,880 Okay. That's impressive. But let's say I'm not a, you know, a tech wizard, 328 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,800 or I just, I don't want the headache of managing servers and updates and all 329 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:32,920 that. What are my, what are my options then? 330 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:35,880 Well then you've got Meta-based cloud. That's their, you know, 331 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:39,160 fully managed cloud based option. Basically you sign up, 332 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:44,520 pick a plan and they handle the rest hosting security maintenance, 333 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:45,520 backups, you name it. 334 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:50,400 Sounds like, uh, the, the set it and forget it solution, 335 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:53,040 but I'm guessing that that comes with a price tag. 336 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:56,560 It does. They've got different tiers based on, you know, what you need, 337 00:17:56,960 --> 00:17:59,560 how many users you have, how much data you're working with, 338 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:01,200 the level of support you want. 339 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:04,760 So you're basically paying for that convenience and peace of mind. Exactly. 340 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:07,000 And for a lot of companies, that's, that's worth it. 341 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,200 It lets them focus on the important stuff, you know, 342 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:11,600 getting insights from their data and making better decisions. 343 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:12,720 That makes sense. 344 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,880 But let's not forget about those paid support plans you mentioned before for, 345 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:19,760 for that self hosted version, right? What kind of like handholding did they offer? 346 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:20,880 Their support plans, 347 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:25,920 they range from like basic email support to dedicated account managers and 348 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:28,160 super fast response times. 349 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:31,840 They also do like training and consulting to really help you get the most out of 350 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:32,680 Metabase. 351 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,340 So they've really thought of everything, haven't they? Whether you're, you know, 352 00:18:35,340 --> 00:18:40,340 a solo data nerd running Metabase on your laptop or you're like a huge company 353 00:18:40,340 --> 00:18:44,000 with a whole data team. They've got something that fits. 354 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:46,800 And that brings us right back to their, like their core mission, 355 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:49,760 making data accessible to everyone, you know, 356 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:54,080 breaking down those barriers that have always prevented people from really 357 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:56,440 exploring and understanding their data. Yeah. 358 00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:59,120 It's not just about building a fancy tool. It's about, you know, 359 00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:03,160 democratizing data and giving people the power to ask questions, get answers, 360 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:06,120 and make those data driven decisions. Exactly. 361 00:19:06,120 --> 00:19:09,640 And that's what's so exciting about Metabase. It's not just another BI tool. 362 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:13,720 It's a platform that could really change how companies use data. Okay. 363 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:15,520 So we've covered a lot today. Let's, uh, 364 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:18,240 let's wrap things up with those key takeaways. What have we learned? 365 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:21,840 So first off Metabase is like super user friendly, 366 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:26,360 even if you're not a, you know, a data expert, that visual query builder, 367 00:19:26,360 --> 00:19:29,920 it's, it's a game changer. And those models, don't forget those. 368 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:33,320 They're like having your own personal data organizer. Right. Second, 369 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:36,640 Metabase is, it's more powerful than you might think. 370 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:40,960 It can handle complex queries, connect to like tons of different databases, 371 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:44,280 and even be embedded like we talked about right into your own applications. 372 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:46,920 Third, and this is a big one, it's open source. 373 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:49,960 So that means transparency, flexibility, and you know, 374 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:53,880 a huge and active community of developers constantly improving it. 375 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:56,360 And lastly, they offer like, you know, 376 00:19:56,360 --> 00:19:59,360 different deployment and support options to fit any need, any budget. 377 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:04,120 So if you're looking for a way to really unlock the power of data in your 378 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:07,000 company, I think, you know, Metabase is definitely worth a look. 379 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:10,680 Head over to their website, try out the open source version, or, you know, 380 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:13,480 sign up for a free trial of their cloud offering. It's worth it. 381 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:15,400 You might just be surprised at what you find. 382 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:19,520 Thanks for joining us for this deep dive into Metabase. Until next time, 383 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:20,520 Happy analyzing.