The Metabase integration in TimeTonic lets you automatically export your data to Metabase for analysis, then display your Metabase dashboards directly within a TimeTonic workspace. You keep your data in TimeTonic and gain a dedicated visualization layer, with no development required.
Before you start, make sure your Metabase environment is set up.
1
A provisioned Metabase instance
The Metabase instance is set up by TimeTonic. Once in place, access to this instance (the gateway) appears automatically in the export window.
2
The required permissions
Access requires an administrator role on the workspace and a business account. The available gateway depends on the notebook owner.
An access to activate, depending on your plan.
The Metabase integration is not available by default: access depends on your license plan. If no gateway appears when choosing the destination, your account does not have access yet. Activation is handled with the TimeTonic sales team.
The export to Metabase is set up in the same place as FTP/SFTP transfers, from the File transfers window. To open this window, refer to the article Set up an FTP / SFTP transfer. Then click New export.
1
Name the export and choose the source view
As with a file transfer, give the export a name and select the table view to export. The export uses the structure of the view.
2
Choose the Metabase connection type
In the Connection section, select Metabase as the connection type instead of FTP or SFTP. The gateway you have access to appears automatically as the destination, with its availability status (online). A shortcut to the right of the destination opens Metabase directly in a new tab.
3
Enter the target table name
The beginning of the name is fixed and cannot be changed: it identifies the workspace, the category, and the selected table. Complete the end with a name of your choice to easily identify the table on the Metabase side, for example interventions.
Allowed characters in the table name. Only letters, numbers, hyphens (-), and underscores (_) are accepted. Spaces become hyphens, and accents as well as other special characters are removed.
Choose the synchronization strategy
This is the main difference from a file transfer. The synchronization strategy determines how TimeTonic updates the data already present in Metabase.
Strategy
Behavior
Update (incremental)
All rows from TimeTonic are sent: if the identifier already exists in Metabase, the row is updated; otherwise, it is added. Rows deleted in TimeTonic are not deleted in Metabase, because deletion information is not transmitted.
Synchronization (mirror)
Metabase reflects the exact state of TimeTonic. If you delete rows in TimeTonic, they are also deleted in Metabase at the next export. This is a true mirror of your view.
Choose carefully based on your needs. Use incremental update to accumulate and refresh data without ever losing it. Use mirror synchronization when Metabase must reflect your TimeTonic view exactly, deletions included.
Test, run, and schedule
Before saving, use the Test configuration button: it checks the connection to Metabase and shows a data preview. Then run the export immediately with Run now, or schedule a recurring run as with a file transfer. The scheduling cadences are detailed in the article Set up an FTP / SFTP transfer.
Find your data in Metabase
Once the export succeeds, open Metabase and go to the database that receives your data. Your exported table appears there, and clicking it shows the rows sent from TimeTonic.
The table does not appear right away? Metabase synchronizes its database schema at regular intervals (about once a day). If you have just run the export, a Metabase administrator can trigger this synchronization manually to see the new table without waiting.
Create your dashboards in Metabase
Creating questions, charts, and dashboards happens directly in Metabase. TimeTonic does not handle this part: here are the official Metabase resources to guide you, each with its demonstration video.
Once your dashboard is created in Metabase, you can display it in a TimeTonic workspace in two steps: retrieve its public link in Metabase, then add it in TimeTonic.
Step 1: retrieve the public link in Metabase
1
Open your dashboard in Metabase.
2
Click the share icon at the top right, then click Public link.
3
Copy the public URL shown, in the form https://metabase.timetonic.com/public/dashboard/...
The public link makes the dashboard accessible to anyone who has the URL. If the Public link option does not appear, public sharing must first be enabled by the Metabase administrator.
Step 2: add the dashboard in TimeTonic
1
Click Add or import at the bottom of the side menu.
2
Choose Dashboard from the available templates.
3
Enter the name and the link
Type a name in Dashboard name, paste the copied public URL into Dashboard link, then confirm with Add dashboard.
Your Metabase dashboard now appears directly within your TimeTonic workspace.
Going further
To create your first charts and dashboards (connect, create a question, choose a visualization, save), see the resources above. To explore everything Metabase can do (query builder, SQL, filters, subscriptions, and alerts), refer to the official Metabase documentation.
Going further
Dashboard with Google Sheets
Another way to visualize your TimeTonic data, using Google Sheets.