How to build Dodo Payments dashboards in Metabase

Dodo Payments is a merchant-of-record payments platform for digital products and SaaS — one-time payments, subscriptions, and payouts, with tax handled for you. Metabase is where you turn that into shared dashboards. Because Metabase reads from SQL databases, the reliable way to connect them is a small pipeline: sync Dodo Payments into a database or warehouse on a schedule, then point Metabase at it. This guide walks through that path end to end — including a free option with no paid connector.

How do you connect Dodo Payments to Metabase?

Metabase connects to SQL databases and warehouses — not to SaaS APIs directly, and there's no native Dodo Payments connector. So connecting Dodo Payments to Metabase means one thing: run a small pipeline that copies Dodo Payments data into a database on a schedule, then connect Metabase to that database. Once the data lands, the models, metrics, and SQL later in this guide all work.

The good news: this doesn't require a paid tool. Use a managed connector if you want zero maintenance, or a free, code-based sync you host yourself — both are covered in Build the pipeline below, and in more depth in our guide to building a data pipeline.

What can you analyze from Dodo Payments data in Metabase?

• Payment volume — gross processed volume and transaction count
• Net revenue — what lands after Dodo fees and tax (merchant of record)
• Success and failures — payment success rate and decline reasons
• MRR and churn — recurring revenue from subscription products
• Refunds and disputes — leakage and chargeback pressure
• Payouts and fees — settlement timing and cost of processing

Which Dodo Payments dashboards should you build in Metabase?

How do you build the Dodo Payments → Metabase pipeline?

For dashboards that need history and reliability, land Dodo data in a database first, then connect Metabase to that database.

Connector options

• dlt / custom pipeline (free, code) — wrap the Dodo API in a Python pipeline for full control.
• Dodo API (free, raw) — paginate payments, subscriptions, refunds, disputes, and payouts into your own pipeline.
• Webhooks (free, events) — stream payment and subscription events into a table for near-real-time dashboards.

Notes

• Land raw tables first, then build clean models on top.
• Amounts are typically in minor units — divide in a model layer.
• Separate gross from net (after Dodo fees and tax) — they answer different questions.
• MRR is derived from active subscriptions and normalized prices.

Can you generate a Dodo Payments dashboard with AI?

Yes — and once Dodo Payments data is synced into a database, this is the fastest way to a strong first draft. First give an AI assistant a way to read your Metabase schema and create questions and dashboards, then paste the prompt below. It builds the dashboard from your database tables and tells the agent to skip metrics the schema can't support instead of faking them.

Two ways to let an assistant query and build in Metabase

Both connect to a Metabase instance that's already pointed at your synced database — the pipeline above moves the data; these just let the assistant read and write Metabase. Pick whichever fits your setup:

Set up the Metabase MCP server

Enable it under Admin → AI → MCP, then point your client at the endpoint:

# Metabase built-in MCP (replace with your instance URL)
claude mcp add --transport http metabase https://your-metabase.example.com/api/metabase-mcp

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "metabase": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://your-metabase.example.com/api/metabase-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Clients with native remote support can use a "url" field instead of the mcp-remote bridge. Confirm the current endpoint in the Metabase MCP docs.

Set up the Metabase CLI

Install it globally, then authenticate once (the binary is mb):

# Install the CLI (the binary is `mb`)
npm install -g @metabase/cli

# Authenticate once — opens your browser on Metabase v62+, or use an API key
mb auth login --url https://your-metabase.example.com
mb auth status

On Metabase v62+ mb auth login opens your browser; older servers fall back to an API key. A terminal-based assistant can then inspect your schema (mb db schemas, mb table get --include fields) and create content (mb card create, mb dashboard create) against the synced tables.

Prompt: build the Dodo Payments Overview dashboard

With MCP or the CLI connected, paste this into your assistant to generate the dashboard:

Create a polished Metabase dashboard for Dodo Payments analytics using the
available Dodo tables in this database.

Goal: Help founders and finance leaders understand payment volume, net revenue,
subscriptions/MRR, failures, refunds, disputes, and payouts from Dodo Payments
data.

First, inspect the schema and identify the available Dodo tables. Do not assume
exact table names. Map the raw data into these analytical concepts where
possible: Customers, Payments, Subscriptions, Products, Refunds, Disputes, and
Payouts.

Important:
- Build the dashboard from durable database/warehouse tables (Dodo API/webhooks).
- Dodo is a merchant of record: separate gross from net (after Dodo fees and
  tax). Report net for what the business keeps.
- Compute MRR from active subscriptions, normalizing to a monthly amount.
- Compute payment success rate as succeeded ÷ attempted, scoped to comparable
  payment types.
- Exclude refunds and disputes from net revenue and show their impact
  separately.
- Do not claim Metabase connects natively to Dodo unless that is explicitly true
  in this environment.

Dashboard title: Dodo Payments Overview

Sections:
1. Executive summary (KPI cards): Payment volume; Net revenue; MRR; Payment
   success rate; Refund rate; Disputes this month.
2. Payments & net revenue: Volume by day; Gross vs. net; Average transaction
   value.
3. Success & failures: Success rate; Failures by reason; Failures by country and
   method.
4. Subscriptions & MRR: MRR movement; Active subscriptions; Revenue churn.
5. Refunds, disputes & payouts: Refund rate; Disputes by month; Payouts and
   settlement timing; Fees as a share of volume.

Filters: Product, Country, Payment method, Currency, Date range.

Before finalizing, create or recommend reusable Metabase models:
modeled_dodo_payments, modeled_dodo_subscriptions, and modeled_dodo_mrr (a
monthly per-subscription MRR model).

Output: Build the dashboard if you have permission; otherwise provide the exact
questions, SQL, model definitions, and layout. Include caveats for any metric
that cannot be calculated from the available schema. Reconcile totals against the
Dodo dashboard. Keep it practical, dense, and executive-readable. Avoid vanity
metrics.

How should you model Dodo Payments data in Metabase?

Core tables

Modeling advice

• Model both gross and net revenue so finance sees what lands after fees/tax.
• Build a modeled_dodo_mrr table from active subscriptions for recurring revenue.
• Define payment success rate on a consistent denominator (comparable payment types).
• Link refunds and disputes back to their payment to net them correctly.
• Reconcile modeled revenue and payouts against the Dodo dashboard.

Which Dodo Payments metrics should you track in Metabase?

What SQL powers Dodo Payments dashboards in Metabase?

These assume the modeled tables above (PostgreSQL dialect, amounts in minor units). Adjust identifiers to match your schema.

SELECT
  date_trunc('day', created_at)                       AS day,
  COUNT(*)                                            AS payments,
  COUNT(*) FILTER (WHERE status = 'succeeded')        AS succeeded,
  ROUND(100.0 * COUNT(*) FILTER (WHERE status = 'succeeded')
    / NULLIF(COUNT(*), 0), 2)                         AS success_rate_pct,
  ROUND(SUM(amount) FILTER (WHERE status = 'succeeded') / 100.0, 2)
    AS gross_volume
FROM payments
WHERE created_at >= CURRENT_DATE - INTERVAL '30 days'
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 1;

SELECT
  date_trunc('month', created_at)                     AS month,
  ROUND(SUM(amount) / 100.0, 2)                       AS gross_revenue,
  ROUND(SUM(amount - tax_amount - fee_amount) / 100.0, 2) AS net_revenue
FROM payments
WHERE status = 'succeeded'
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 1;

-- Requires a monthly MRR model built from Dodo subscriptions
SELECT
  ROUND(SUM(mrr), 2)       AS mrr,
  ROUND(SUM(mrr) * 12, 2)  AS arr,
  COUNT(*)                 AS active_subscriptions
FROM modeled_dodo_mrr
WHERE month = date_trunc('month', CURRENT_DATE);

What are common mistakes when analyzing Dodo Payments in Metabase?

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FAQ