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Metabase - Developer guide

dinesh chathuranga

• 6 min read
Metabase - Developer guide
Metabase is an open source tool that allows for powerful data instrumentation, visualization, and querying.

Welcome to the Meetrix Metabase Developer Guide! This guide is designed to assist you in seamlessly integrating Metabase into your AWS environment through detailed, step-by-step instructions.

Metabase is a user-friendly business intelligence platform that empowers users to effortlessly explore and visualize data, facilitating informed decision-making through intuitive dashboards and ad hoc query capabilities. It provides PostgreSQL database backup functionalities, ensuring data security and integrity.

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Prerequisites

Before you get started with the Metabase AMI, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

Launching the AMI

Step 1: Find and Select 'Metabase' AMI

  1. Log in to your AWS Management Console.
  2. Navigate to the 'Metabase' in  AWS Marketplace.

Step 2:  Initial Setup & Configuration

  1. Click the "Continue to Subscribe" button.
  2. After subscribing, you will need to accept the terms and conditions. Click on "Accept Terms" to proceed.
  3. Please wait for a few minutes while the processing takes place. Once it's completed, click on "Continue to Configuration".
  4. Select the "CloudFormation Template" as the fulfilment option and choose your preferred region on the "Configure this software" page. Afterward, click the "Continue to Launch" button.
  5. From the "Choose Action" dropdown menu in "Launch this software" page, select "Launch CloudFormation" and click "Launch" button.

Create CloudFormation Stack

Step1: Create stack

  1. Ensure the "Template is ready" radio button is selected under "Prepare template".

2. Click "Next".

Step2: Specify stack options

  1. Provide a unique "Stack name".
  2. Provide the "Admin Email" for SSL generation.
  3. For "DeploymentName", enter a name of your choice.
  4. Provide a public domain name for "DomainName" (Metabase will automatically try to setup SSL based on provided domain name, if that domain hosted on Route53. Please make sure your domain name hosted on route53. If its unsuccessful then you have to setup SSL manually).
  5. Choose an instance type, "InstanceType" (Recommended: t3.medium).
  6. Select your preferred "keyName".
  7. Provide a S3 bucket name to "S3Bucket" for storing PostgreSQL backups.
  8. Set "SSHLocation" as "0.0.0.0/0".
  9. Keep "SubnetCidrBlock" as "10.0.0.0/24".
  10. Keep "VpcCidrBlock" as "10.0.0.0/16".
  11. Click "Next".

Step3: Configure stack options

  1. Choose "Roll back all stack resources" and "Delete all newly created resources" under the "Stack failure options" section.
  2. Click "Next".

Step4: Review

  1. Review and verify the details you've entered.

2. Tick the box that says, "I acknowledge that AWS CloudFormation might create IAM resources with custom names".

3. Click "Submit".

Afterward, you'll be directed to the CloudFormation stacks page.

Please wait for 5-10 minutes until the stack has been successfully created.

Update DNS

Step1: Copy IP Address

Copy the public Ip labeled "PublicIp" in the "Outputs" tab.

Step2: Update DNS

  1. Go to AWS Route 53 and navigate to "Hosted Zones".
  2. From there, select the domain you provided to "DomainName".

3. Click "Edit record" in the "Record details" and then paste the copied "PublicIp" into the "value" textbox.

4. Click "Save".

Access Metabase

You can access the Metabase application through the "DashboardUrl" or "DashboardUrlIp"  provided in the "Outputs" tab.

(If you encounter a "502 Bad Gateway error", please wait for about 5 minutes before refreshing the page)

Generate SSL Manually

Metabase will automatically try to setup SSL based on provided domain name, if that domain hosted on Route53. If its unsuccessful then you have to setup SSL manually.

Step1: Copy IP Address

  1. Proceed with the instructions outlined in the above "Update DNS" section, if you have not already done so.

2. Copy the Public IP address indicated as "PublicIp" in the "Outputs" tab.

Step2: Log in to the server

  1. Open the terminal and go to the directory where your private key is located.
  2. Paste the following command into your terminal and press Enter: ssh -i <your key name> ubuntu@<Public IP address>.

3. Type "yes" and press Enter. This will log you into the server.

Paste the following command into your terminal and press Enter and follow the instructions:

sudo /root/certificate_generate_standalone.sh

(Admin Email is acquiring for generate SSL certificates)

Shutting Down Metabase

  1. Click the link labeled "Instance" in the "Resources" tab to access the EC2 instance, you will be directed to the metabase instance in EC2.

2. Select the metabase instance by marking the checkbox and click "Stop instance" from the "Instance state" dropdown. You can restart the instance at your convenience by selecting "Start instance".

Remove Metabase

Delete the stack that has been created in the AWS Management Console under 'CloudFormation Stacks' by clicking the 'Delete' button.

API Documentation

For more information, refer to the Metabase API documentation.
Api Documentation

Upgrades

When there is an upgrade, we will update the product with a newer version. You can check the product version in AWS Marketplace. If a newer version is available, you can remove the previous version and launch the product again using the newer version. Remember to backup the necessary server data before removing.

Troubleshoot

  1.  If you face the following error, please follow https://meetrix.io/articles/how-to-increase-aws-quota/ blog to increase vCPU quota.

2.  If you face the following error (do not have sufficient <instance_type> capacity...) while creating the stack, try changing the region or try creating the stack at a later time.

3. If you face the below error, when you try to access the API dashboard, please wait 5-10 minutes and then try.

Conclusion

The Meetrix Metabase Developer Guide is your comprehensive resource for seamlessly integrating Metabase into your AWS environment. Designed for simplicity and power, Metabase empowers users of all technical backgrounds to connect to data sources, create interactive dashboards, and gain valuable insights effortlessly. With its user-friendly interface and robust feature set—including data exploration, visualization tools, and PostgreSQL database backup functionalities—Metabase ensures accessibility and data security.

Technical Support

Reach out to Meetrix Support (support@meetrix.io)  for assistance with Metabase issues.

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