Build your first dashboard with Superset

This guide goes end to end with Apache Superset, an open-source BI tool you can install yourself. The Data Connector works the same way with Power BI, Tableau, Looker, and Sigma, so the steps translate: only the field names and the chart editor differ.

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Before you start

You need a Data Connector account and a warehouse that’s already been set up for your organization. For both, see Get started with the Data Connector. You also need Superset running, with the Snowflake driver installed. For installation, see the Apache Superset documentation.

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Connect Superset to the Data Connector

This guide signs in with your own username and password, which is the quickest way to get a first chart on screen.

1. In ION, go to Data Connector > BI service users and find the Connection details card. Keep it open: you copy four values from it.
2. In Superset, go to Settings > Database Connections and select Database to start a new connection.
3. Select Snowflake from the Supported databases list.
4. Fill in the form:

   Field	Value
   Database name	Database from the Connection details card
   Username	your Data Connector username, which is your email address
   Password	your Data Connector password
   Display Name	any name you choose, such as ION Data Connector
   Account	Server from the Connection details card, with the .snowflakecomputing.com suffix removed
   Warehouse	Warehouse from the Connection details card
   Role	Role from the Connection details card

5. Select Connect.

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Create a dataset

A dataset is the query behind a chart. Creating one from the Datasets page only points at whole tables, so anything with a join, a filter, or a GROUP BY starts in SQL Lab.

1. In Superset, go to SQL > SQL Lab.
2. Select your database, then select the schema, using the Schema value from the Connection details card in ION.
3. Enter a query. This one ranks suppliers by how many open purchase order lines are past due:
   select supplier_name,
          count(*)                                     as po_lines,
          sum(case when is_past_due then 1 else 0 end) as late_lines,
          round(avg(days_past_due), 1)                 as avg_days_late
   from purchase_order_tracker
   where is_open
   group by 1
   having count(*) >= 3
   
4. Select Run.
5. In the query toolbar, select Save dataset, name the dataset, and save it.

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Label the columns

Unquoted names come back in uppercase, so a column you wrote as avg_days_late reads as AVG_DAYS_LATE on every axis and in every menu. Rather than quoting the names in your query, which forces you to quote every later reference, set a label on each column:

1. On the dataset, select Edit.
2. On the Columns tab, expand a column and enter a Label, such as Avg days late.
3. Repeat for each column you plan to chart, then save.

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Build a chart

1. In Superset, go to Charts and select Chart to open the chart builder.
2. Select your dataset, choose Bar Chart, and select Create new chart.
3. In X-axis, add your supplier column.
4. In Metrics, add your average-days-late column.
5. Select Update chart, then Save.

Leave Dimensions empty. That control splits each bar into a series, which isn’t what you want here.

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Add the chart to a dashboard

1. In Superset, go to Dashboards and select Dashboard to create one.
2. Name the dashboard.
3. Drag your chart from the chart list onto the canvas.
4. Select Save.

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Troubleshooting