Microsoft Advertising × Metabase

How to build Microsoft Advertising dashboards in Metabase

Microsoft Advertising is Microsoft's advertising platform for search ads on Bing and Copilot, plus the Microsoft Audience Network. Metabase is where you turn that marketing data into shared, trustworthy dashboards. This guide covers two complementary paths: a lightweight API + CLI route that pulls scoped exports with the Microsoft Advertising Reporting API and loads a CSV into Metabase with the Metabase CLI, and a durable pipeline route that syncs Microsoft Advertising daily stats into a database so you can build dashboards anyone can read.

Heads up: Metabase connects to databases and warehouses — it does not ship a native Microsoft Advertising connector, and a BI warehouse is the wrong home for raw click or event streams. Sync daily aggregates, entities, and stats — campaigns, channels, rollups, subscribers — and leave the raw firehose in Microsoft Advertising.

How do you connect Microsoft Advertising to Metabase?

Most teams combine both routes: use API exports and CLI uploads for a fast first pass, then move recurring marketing reporting to a warehouse-backed model.

1 · API + CLI route (AI-assisted)

Live data in, quick analysis out

Pair the Microsoft Advertising Reporting API with the Metabase CLI. Script a scoped export to CSV, then load it into Metabase as a ready-to-query table and model.

Best for
  • Quick lookups such as "show me spend, clicks, and conversions by campaign"
  • Loading a Microsoft Advertising export into Metabase in seconds
  • Spot-checks and one-off analyses without a warehouse
Trade-offs
  • Great for exploration, not governed recurring reporting
  • Use read-only API credentials scoped to reporting endpoints
  • CSV uploads are snapshots — refresh or move to the pipeline for history
2 · Pipeline route (warehouse-backed)

Durable dashboards with history

Sync Microsoft Advertising daily stats and entities into a database or warehouse with a connector, custom pipeline, or API, then point Metabase at it.

Best for
  • Microsoft Advertising reporting that marketing leaders depend on
  • Joining Microsoft Advertising data with CRM, revenue, or product data
  • Long-run trends for spend, clicks, and conversions by campaign and roas by campaign and network
Trade-offs
  • You own the refresh schedule and the rollup grain
  • Sync daily aggregates and entities — not raw event streams
  • Metric definitions must be consistent across channels and teams

What can you analyze from Microsoft Advertising data in Metabase?

  • Spend, clicks, and conversions by campaign — built from campaign daily stats and the related campaigns, ad groups, keywords data your sync exposes.
  • ROAS by campaign and network — built from campaign daily stats and the related campaigns, ad groups, keywords data your sync exposes.
  • Search-term performance and wasted spend — built from campaign daily stats and the related campaigns, ad groups, keywords data your sync exposes.
  • Device and network mix — built from campaign daily stats and the related campaigns, ad groups, keywords data your sync exposes.
  • Budget pacing against monthly targets — built from campaign daily stats and the related campaigns, ad groups, keywords data your sync exposes.

Which Microsoft Advertising dashboards should you build in Metabase?

For: Performance marketers

Campaign performance

Where spend goes and what it returns.

  • Spend by campaign by week (stacked bar)
  • Conversions and conversion value (combo)
  • ROAS by campaign (bar)
  • Cost per conversion trend (line)
For: Marketing leads

Budget pacing

Whether the month's budget lands where it was planned.

  • Month-to-date spend vs. budget (progress)
  • Daily spend run rate (line)
  • Projected end-of-month spend (number)
  • Pacing by campaign (table)
For: Channel owners

Efficiency signals

The health metrics behind the headline spend.

  • CTR by campaign and ad group (table)
  • CPC and CPM trends (line)
  • Impression share or frequency (line)
  • Wasted spend: high-cost, zero-conversion segments (table)
For: Leadership

Acquisition economics

How paid spend converts into customers and revenue.

  • CAC by channel by month (bar)
  • New customers attributed per channel (bar)
  • Blended vs. channel ROAS (combo)
  • Spend share vs. revenue share by channel (table)

How do you use the Microsoft Advertising Reporting API with the Metabase CLI?

Pair the Microsoft Advertising Reporting API with the Metabase CLI for fast, hands-on analysis. A short export script covers scoped lookups and summarized exports; the Metabase CLI's upload command loads CSV data into Metabase and creates a ready-to-query table and model.

Example workflow

  • Script an export of last month's campaign daily stats with spend, clicks, and conversions by campaign.
  • Export the result as CSV, keeping stable IDs, channels, campaigns, and dates.
  • Run mb upload csv to load it into Metabase as a table and model, then build questions and dashboards on top.

Be honest about the limits

  • Scripted API exports are excellent for exploration, not scheduled reporting.
  • A CSV upload is a snapshot; refresh it with mb upload replace or move to the pipeline for real history.
  • Daily stat rows per campaign are required for pacing and trend cards — a one-off export only supports snapshots.
  • mb upload csv needs an uploads database configured under Admin → Settings → Uploads.

How do you set up Microsoft Advertising API access and the Metabase CLI?

Microsoft Advertising Reporting APIAPI

Transport
REST API — scripted export to CSV
Auth
OAuth access token + Microsoft Advertising developer token
MCP status
Announced June 2026 — read-only partner pilot; the public waitlist hasn't opened yet
Best for
Scoped exports and one-off analyses

Metabase CLIofficial

Install
npm install -g @metabase/cli
Auth
mb auth login
Load data
mb upload csv --file data.csv
Requires
An uploads database (Admin → Settings → Uploads)
TerminalExport Microsoft Advertising data to CSV with the Microsoft Advertising Reporting API
# 1) Submit a report request (Reporting API v13, REST)
curl -X POST "https://reporting.api.bingads.microsoft.com/Reporting/v13/GenerateReport/Submit" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MSADS_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "DeveloperToken: $MSADS_DEV_TOKEN" \
  -H "CustomerId: $CUSTOMER_ID" \
  -H "CustomerAccountId: $ACCOUNT_ID" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d @campaign-performance-request.json

# 2) Poll GenerateReport/Poll with the returned ReportRequestId,
#    then download and unzip the CSV it links to.

# 3) Load it into Metabase
mb upload csv --file microsoft-ads-campaign-daily.csv --collection root
TerminalLoad a Microsoft Advertising CSV with the Metabase CLI
# Install the Metabase CLI
npm install -g @metabase/cli

# Log in (opens your browser; requires Metabase v62+)
mb auth login --url https://your-metabase.example.com

# Load a campaign-daily-stats export — creates a table AND a model
mb upload csv --file microsoft-ads-campaign-daily-stats.csv --collection root

# Refresh that same table later from a new export
mb upload replace <table-id> --file microsoft-ads-campaign-daily-stats.csv

Can you generate a Microsoft Advertising dashboard with AI?

Yes. Use the prompt below with any assistant that can write and run scripts against the Microsoft Advertising Reporting API and the Metabase CLI. It works end to end: if Microsoft Advertising tables already exist in Metabase it analyzes those; otherwise it pulls scoped, summarized data from the API, loads it with mb upload csv, then builds the dashboard and caveats any metric that needs missing history.

Prompt for creating a Microsoft Advertising Advertising Overview dashboard
Create a polished Metabase dashboard for Microsoft Advertising advertising analytics.
Work end to end: get the data into Metabase if it isn't there yet, then build.

Goal: Help marketing and growth leaders understand spend, ROAS, CTR, CPC, budget pacing, and acquisition cost by campaign and channel from Microsoft Advertising data.

Step 1 — Find or load the data:
- First, check what already exists in Metabase (search for microsoft-ads tables and
  models). If durable Microsoft Advertising data is already present — synced from a warehouse
  or uploaded earlier — use it and skip to Step 2.
- If nothing is there, pull a scoped, summarized export from the Microsoft Advertising Reporting API (write and run a short export script):
  campaign daily stats, plus campaigns, ad groups, keywords.
  Prefer daily aggregates over raw events. Write each result to a CSV,
  then load it with the Metabase CLI — run "mb upload csv --file <export>.csv" so
  each upload creates a table and a ready-to-query model. Use "mb upload replace
  <table-id> --file <export>.csv" to refresh an existing table instead of creating
  duplicates.

Step 2 — Inspect before querying:
Do not assume exact table or column names. Inspect available fields, channels,
campaigns, dates, and whether daily history exists before creating trend or
pacing cards.

Important:
- Build on whatever data is present; don't claim Metabase connects natively to
  Microsoft Advertising — it reads a database or CLI-uploaded tables.
- Never try to load raw event or click streams into Metabase; use daily
  aggregates, campaign-grain stats, and entity tables.
- Only compute rates (CTR, conversion rate, ROAS, CAC) when both numerator and
  denominator exist — and state the attribution model when reporting conversions.
- Exclude test campaigns and internal traffic from headline cards, and keep
  currency consistent when spend spans accounts.
- A single CSV is a point-in-time snapshot: only build trend cards if there is a
  usable date column or multiple periods have been uploaded.

Dashboard title: Microsoft Advertising Advertising Overview

Sections:
1. Executive summary: Spend this month; Conversions; ROAS; CAC; Budget pacing
   vs. plan.
2. Campaigns: Spend, clicks, conversions, and ROAS by campaign by week.
3. Efficiency: CTR, CPC, and cost-per-conversion trends; wasted-spend table.
4. Pacing: Month-to-date spend vs. budget; projected end-of-month spend.
5. Acquisition: CAC and new customers by channel, joined to revenue where synced.

Filters: Date range, Channel, Campaign, Country, Device, Segment.

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 data.

How do you sync Microsoft Advertising data into a database or warehouse?

For dashboards that need history and reliability, land Microsoft Advertising daily stats and entities in a database first, then connect Metabase to that database.

Connector options

  • Managed ETL — use a connector when one covers the objects you need.
  • Custom pipeline — use the Microsoft Advertising Reporting API for control over grain, fields, and refresh cadence.
  • MCP + CSV — use this for quick exploration and one-off slices.

Sync campaigns, ad groups, and daily stats with the Airbyte Bing Ads source (Airbyte-certified) or Fivetran's Microsoft Advertising connector. Fivetran's dbt_ad_reporting package unions it with Google, Meta, LinkedIn, and TikTok into one cross-channel model.

Notes

  • Decide the rollup grain first (daily per campaign/channel is the workhorse) — it drives warehouse cost and every trend card.
  • Land raw entity tables first, then build clean Metabase models on top.
  • Normalize channel, campaign, ad-group, date, spend, impressions, clicks, and conversions fields.

How should you model Microsoft Advertising data in Metabase?

Core tables

TableGrainKey columns
microsoft_ads_campaign_statsone row per campaign per daycampaign_id, stat_date, impressions, clicks, spend, conversions, revenue, network, device
microsoft_ads_campaignsone row per campaignid, name, campaign_type, status, budget, time_zone
microsoft_ads_search_query_statsone row per search query per ad group per daysearch_query, campaign_id, ad_group_id, stat_date, impressions, clicks, spend, conversions

Modeling advice

  • Build a clean ad_performance_daily model with common columns across tools, so multi-channel dashboards don't fork definitions.
  • Separate entity tables (campaigns, audiences, pages) from daily time-series rollups.
  • Exclude test campaigns and internal traffic from headline metrics; keep channel and campaign as explicit columns.
  • Use stable IDs for campaign, channel, and user joins; display names change.

Which Microsoft Advertising metrics should you track in Metabase?

MetricDefinitionNotes
ROASConversion value divided by ad spend, per campaign or channel.State the attribution model next to the number.
Customer acquisition costSpend divided by new customers acquired in the period.Decide blended vs. paid-only CAC once.
Cost per clickSpend divided by clicks — the price of attention.Compare within a channel, not across channels.
Click-through rateClicks divided by impressions per campaign or ad.A creative-health signal, not a business outcome.
Cost per leadSpend divided by leads or signups generated.Define what counts as a qualified lead first.

What SQL powers Microsoft Advertising dashboards in Metabase?

These assume a cleaned analytical model in a warehouse (PostgreSQL dialect). Adjust table and column names to match your pipeline.

Spend, conversions, and ROAS by campaign by weekPostgreSQL

The core paid-performance trend.

SELECT
  campaign_name,
  date_trunc('week', stat_date) AS week,
  ROUND(SUM(spend), 2) AS spend,
  SUM(conversions) AS conversions,
  ROUND(SUM(conversion_value) / NULLIF(SUM(spend), 0), 2) AS roas
FROM ad_performance_daily
GROUP BY 1, 2
ORDER BY 2, spend DESC;
CTR, CPC, and cost per conversion by channelPostgreSQL

Efficiency signals across the account.

SELECT
  channel,
  date_trunc('month', stat_date) AS month,
  ROUND(100.0 * SUM(clicks) / NULLIF(SUM(impressions), 0), 2) AS ctr_pct,
  ROUND(SUM(spend) / NULLIF(SUM(clicks), 0), 2) AS cpc,
  ROUND(SUM(spend) / NULLIF(SUM(conversions), 0), 2) AS cost_per_conversion
FROM ad_performance_daily
GROUP BY 1, 2
ORDER BY 1, 2;
CAC by channel by monthPostgreSQL

Spend joined to newly acquired customers.

WITH monthly_spend AS (
  SELECT
    channel,
    date_trunc('month', stat_date) AS month,
    SUM(spend) AS spend
  FROM ad_performance_daily
  GROUP BY 1, 2
),
monthly_customers AS (
  SELECT
    acquisition_channel AS channel,
    date_trunc('month', acquired_at) AS month,
    COUNT(*) AS new_customers
  FROM customers
  GROUP BY 1, 2
)
SELECT
  s.channel,
  s.month,
  ROUND(s.spend, 2) AS spend,
  COALESCE(c.new_customers, 0) AS new_customers,
  ROUND(s.spend / NULLIF(c.new_customers, 0), 2) AS cac
FROM monthly_spend s
LEFT JOIN monthly_customers c
  ON c.channel = s.channel AND c.month = s.month
ORDER BY 1, 2;

What are common mistakes when analyzing Microsoft Advertising in Metabase?

Syncing raw click or event streams into the warehouse.→ Land daily aggregates, campaign-grain stats, and entity tables. Raw streams belong in Microsoft Advertising; the warehouse is for trends and joins.
Comparing platform-reported conversions as one number.→ Each platform attributes conversions under its own model and window — summing them double-counts. Keep per-platform columns, or use one source of truth for conversions.
Averaging ROAS across campaigns with different objectives.→ A brand-awareness campaign and a retargeting campaign aren't comparable. Segment by objective and funnel stage before ranking.
Building dashboards from one-off API exports only.→ Scripted exports are useful for exploration; durable dashboards need a database-backed model with history.

Related analytics

Related dashboards

Related integrations

FAQ

Does Metabase connect natively to Microsoft Advertising?
No. Metabase reads databases and warehouses. Sync Microsoft Advertising daily stats and entities into a database first, or upload a CSV with the Metabase CLI, then build Metabase models and dashboards on top.
Should Metabase replace Microsoft Advertising?
No — they answer different questions. Microsoft Advertising is built for running campaigns and day-to-day operations in its own UI. Metabase is where you build governed, shareable reporting on top of the same data, and join it with CRM, product, and revenue data.
Should I sync every Microsoft Advertising click or impression event?
No. Daily stats by campaign and ad group answer almost every reporting question at a fraction of the volume. Sync daily performance aggregates plus entity tables (campaigns, ad groups, ads) — click-level data only matters for specialized attribution work.
Can I compare ROAS across ad platforms in Metabase?
Yes — that's the point of a warehouse. Union each platform's daily stats into one ad_performance_daily model with consistent channel, spend, and conversion columns. Just label the attribution caveat: each platform self-reports conversions under its own attribution model, so cross-channel ROAS comparisons are directional, not gospel.
Does Microsoft Advertising have an MCP server?
An official read-only server was announced in June 2026, but as of July 2026 it's a partner pilot with no public endpoint — even the waitlist page says "coming soon." Until it opens, the scripted Reporting API route on this page does the same job; swapping it for the MCP server later changes the export step, not the dashboards.