How to integrate Metabase with Zendesk Data

Metabase is an open source data visualization tool that allows users to create interactive dashboards. When paired with CData Connect Cloud, users can easily create visualizations and dashboards linked to live Zendesk data. This article describes how to connect to Zendesk and build a simple visualization using Zendesk data.

CData Connect provides a pure cloud-to-cloud interface for Zendesk, allowing you to easily integrate with live Zendesk data in Metabase — without replicating the data. Connect looks exactly like a SQL Server database to Metabase and uses optimized data processing out of the box to push all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to Zendesk, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return Zendesk data.

Configure Zendesk Connectivity for Metabase

Connectivity to Zendesk from Metabase is made possible through CData Connect Cloud. To work with Zendesk data from Metabase, we start by creating and configuring a Zendesk connection.

1. Log into Connect Cloud, click Connections and click Add Connection
2. Select "Zendesk" from the Add Connection panel
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Zendesk.

   Connecting to Zendesk

   To connect, set the URL and provide authentication. The URL is your Zendesk Support URL: https://{subdomain}.zendesk.com.

   Authenticating to Zendesk

   You can authenticate using the Basic or OAuth methods.

   Using Basic Authentication

   To use Basic authentication, specify your email address and password or your email address and an API token. Set User to your email address and follow the steps below to provide the Password or ApiToken.

   • Enable password access in the Zendesk Support admin interface at Admin > Channels > API.
   • Manage API tokens in the Zendesk Support Admin interface at Admin > Channels > API. More than one token can be active at the same time. Deleting a token deactivates it permanently.

   Using OAuth Authentication

   See the Getting Started guide in the CData driver documentation for an authentication guide.

4. Click Create & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Zendesk Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

If you are connecting from a service, application, platform, or framework that does not support OAuth authentication, you can create a Personal Access Token (PAT) to use for authentication. Best practices would dictate that you create a separate PAT for each service, to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click on your username at the top right of the Connect Cloud app and click User Profile.
2. On the User Profile page, scroll down to the Personal Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give your PAT a name and click Create.
4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

With the connection configured, you are ready to connect to Zendesk data from Metabase.

Connect to CData Connect from Metabase

After creating the virtual database, navigate to your Metabase instance. Use the SQL Server interface to connect to Connect Cloud.

1. Navigate to the administration screen (Settings -> Admin) and click "Add Database" from the "Databases" tab
2. Configure the connection to Connect Cloud and click "Save"
   • Database type: Select "SQL Server"
   • Name: Name the connection (e.g. "Zendesk (Connect Cloud)")
   • Host: tds.cdata.com
   • Port: 14333
   • Database name: The name of the connection you just created (e.g. Zendesk1)
   • Username: A Connect Cloud username (e.g. user@mydomain.com)
   • Password: The PAT for the above Connect Cloud user
   • Click to Use a secure connection (SSL)

Execute Zendesk Data with Metabase

Once you configure the connection to Connect Cloud, you can query Zendesk and build visualizations.

1. Use the "Write SQL" tool to retrieve the Zendesk data
2. Write a SQL query based on the Zendesk connection in CData Connect Cloud, e.g.
   
   

   SELECT Id, Subject FROM Tickets

3. Navigate to the "Visualization" screen, choose a visualization, and configure the visualization

More Information & Free Trial

At this point, you have built a simple visualization from Zendesk data in Metabase. You can continue to work with live Zendesk data in Metabase just like you would any SQL Server database. For more information on creating a live connection to Zendesk (and more than 100 other data sources), visit the Connect Cloud page. Sign up for a free trial and start working with live Zendesk data in Metabase today.