Frequently Asked Questions
Where does my data go when I use Bilbo?
Nowhere. Bilbo never stores, logs, or transmits your raw database contents. All query processing occurs locally in-browser or via secure, ephemeral API calls to your Metabase instance. Only the natural language prompt and resulting SQL (which Metabase itself executes) traverse the network—and both are subject to your existing TLS encryption and RBAC policies. Your data remains governed entirely by your Metabase deployment’s security posture.
Is Bilbo compatible with self-hosted Metabase environments?
Yes—fully and natively. Bilbo supports Metabase v0.45+ on any infrastructure: AWS EC2, Kubernetes clusters, Azure VMs, or private data centers. Since it authenticates via Metabase’s official session or API token system and communicates exclusively through its documented REST endpoints, no firewall exceptions, reverse proxies, or custom middleware are required. Compliance-sensitive organizations retain full control over data residency, audit trails, and infrastructure hardening.
What visualization formats does Bilbo support?
Bilbo leverages Metabase’s full native visualization suite—including bar, column, line, area, pie, donut, scatter, heatmap, and pivot tables—as well as custom visualizations built with Metabase’s SDK. You can request specific types (“show as a funnel chart”), refine appearance (“add trendline,” “sort descending,” “hide legend”), or let Bilbo auto-select the most statistically appropriate format based on data cardinality, measure types, and dimensionality—ensuring clarity without compromise.
How does shared context improve team-wide analytics?
Shared context transforms Bilbo from a personal productivity tool into an organizational knowledge engine. When your finance team defines “Net Revenue Retention” with precise filters (e.g., excluding one-time professional services), that definition becomes discoverable and reusable across sales, marketing, and leadership queries. Contexts can be versioned, commented on, and permissioned—so only relevant stakeholders see sensitive metrics. Over time, this builds a living glossary of business logic, reducing misalignment, accelerating audits, and making analytics truly scalable.