January 2022 Summaries

Apache Superset 1.4 introduces a significant number of bug fixes, enhancements, and new features aimed at improving both user and developer experiences. Key updates include the ability to certify charts and dashboards, improved dashboard layout capabilities with tabs in columns, and enhanced Jinja templating with added variable support. The release also introduces support for uploading Parquet files and offers minor upgrades to alerts and reports for better usability. Notably, Superset 1.4 supports new databases such as Firebolt, AWS Aurora, and Databricks SQL Endpoints, enhancing compatibility and performance for modern data teams. Additionally, the update includes several user-facing bug fixes, which improve the reliability of features like CSV downloads, SQL Lab tooltips, and dashboard filter interactions.

In 2021, Apache Superset experienced significant growth and maturation, achieving a higher rank on Github and doubling its Slack community membership. The platform underwent several version updates, starting with the release of Superset 1.0 and culminating with 1.3.2, each introducing enhancements in design, usability, and functionality. Notable improvements included a revamped UI for alerts and reports, the introduction of Dashboard Native Filters, and various quality-of-life enhancements for users, such as clearer filter application displays and the ability to download data from charts. The visualization capabilities were enhanced with new Apache ECharts visualizations, and the platform expanded its database support, including Firebolt, Rockset, Databricks, and CrateDB, alongside improved integrations with existing databases like Google BigQuery and Amazon Athena. The year marked a pivotal period of development for Superset, setting the stage for further advancements in 2022.

In July 2020, a blog post detailed how to create a custom "Hello World" visualization plugin for Apache Superset, which at the time used a multirepo architecture. Since then, Superset has transitioned to a monorepo architecture, simplifying the creation of visualization plugins by consolidating code into a single repository, thus eliminating the need for multiple pull requests across different repos and simplifying dependency management. The blog post outlines the new streamlined process for creating a custom visualization plugin using the Superset Yeoman Generator, which requires familiarity with Node.js, npm, and React, and provides a step-by-step guide for setting up a basic plugin. The post also describes an example of a more complex visualization plugin using the Ant Design Charts library to create a liquid chart, highlighting the customization capabilities and improvements in the developer experience compared to the previous multirepo setup. The transition to a monorepo has made it easier to manage and build new visualization plugins, enhancing the overall functionality and user experience of Apache Superset.