What is Embedded Analytics?
Staring from the top, embedded analytics is the integration of data visualization and business intelligence (BI) capabilities directly within applications, websites, or portals. Instead of requiring users to switch to a separate BI tool, embedded analytics brings insights directly into the workflow, making data-driven decision-making more seamless and efficient.
Why Use Embedded Analytics?
Businesses leverage embedded analytics to enhance user experience, improve operational efficiency, and drive engagement with data. Users can interact with dashboards and reports without leaving the primary application, providing a superior user experience while increasing fostering data-driven decision-making.
For those looking to maintain a consistent look and feel within their application, Metabase offers a software development kit (SDK) for embedding analytics directly into their platform. Currently supporting Next.JS and React, this SDK allows developers to customize components which load data directly from Metabase.
What is Metabase?
Metabase is an open-source business intelligence tool that enables organizations to explore, visualize, and share data insights. It provides an intuitive, user-friendly interface for querying data, creating dashboards, and generating reports without requiring SQL expertise.
For organizations looking to integrate analytics directly into their applications, Metabase offers three distinct types of embedded analytics: Static Embedding, Interactive Embedding, and the Embedded Analytics SDK for React.
Types of Embedded Analytics in Metabase
1. Static Embedding
(Available in all Metabase plans)
Example – Appytown
Static embedding provides a simple way to integrate dashboards and charts into an application without interactivity. This is the simplest form of embedded analytics, operating entirely in an iFrame.
Key characteristics:
- Embedded dashboards and charts that display pre-configured data.
- Users can view data but cannot click through or interact with it.
- No authentication or complex permission management needed.
Pros:
- Available in all Metabase plans, including the free version.
- Simple to implement with minimal setup.
- No user authentication required.
Cons:
- Users cannot interact with or drill down into data.
- Limited flexibility for dynamic analytics.
This approach is perfect for cases where organizations want to share read-only insights, such as public reports, internal executive dashboards, or customer-facing summary views.
2. Interactive Embedding
(Available in Pro and Enterprise plans)
Example – Edumation
Interactive embedding allows full self-service BI functionality within an application while maintaining a seamless user experience.
Key characteristics:
- A full, self-service report builder within your app.
- Custom branding to align with your application’s design.
- Single Sign-On (SSO) permissions to control data access.
- Users can query, visualize, and drill down into the data they need—without accessing data they shouldn’t.
This is ideal for SaaS applications where end-users need flexible data exploration capabilities within the platform.
Pros:
- Fully interactive and self-service analytics.
- Customizable branding for seamless integration.
- Granular data access control with SSO.
Cons:
- Requires Pro or Enterprise plan.
- More complex setup and maintenance.
3. Embedded Analytics SDK for React
(Available in Pro and Enterprise plans)
Example – Proficiency Labs
For organizations building modern web applications with React, Metabase offers an Embedded Analytics SDK.
- Embed individual React components for analytics.
- Fully integrate analytics with their UI.
- Manage permissions and interactivity at both the component and user levels.
- Apply custom themes and styling to match the application’s design.
This option is best for development teams looking for granular control over embedded analytics and who need deep integration with React-based applications.
Pros:
- Highly customizable and integrates seamlessly with React applications.
- Fine-grained control over component-level permissions and interactions.
- Theming options allow branding consistency.
Cons:
- Requires development effort and React expertise.
- Only available in Pro and Enterprise plans.
Feature Comparison Table
| Action | Embedded SDK | Interactive | Static |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requires Pro / Enterprise Plan | ✅ | ✅ | ✖️ |
| Display charts, dashboards, and interactively filter data | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Download results | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Simple data restrictions | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Complete data sandboxing | ✅ | ✅ | ✖️ |
| Drill-through self-serve query builder | ✅ | ✅ | ✖️ |
| View usage of embeds with usage analytics | ✅ | ✅ | ✖️ |
| Complete control over metabase components design and feel | ✅ | ✖️ | ✖️ |
| Manage access and interactivity per component | ✅ | ✖️ | ✖️ |
Embedded analytics with Metabase empowers businesses to deliver actionable insights directly within their applications. Whether you need simple data sharing (Static Embedding), self-service analytics (Interactive Embedding), or deep UI integration (Embedded Analytics SDK for React), Metabase provides flexible solutions to enhance your product’s data capabilities.
If you’re looking to integrate Metabase’s embedded analytics into your platform, consider your use case and user needs to determine the right approach. Want help with implementation? Driftwave is a boutique firm focused on helping small to medium sized growth businesses make the most of their data. We offer expert analytics consulting to get you up and running quickly.