February 2023 Summaries

In 2017, the author, working as a Superset developer, frequently received requests for Google Sheets integration, which led to the creation of a Python library called Shillelagh. This library enables Apache Superset to interact with Google Sheets and other APIs as if they were databases, allowing users to perform SQL queries on spreadsheet data. Shillelagh uses adapters to connect to various APIs, including AWS S3, GitHub, Socrata, and Weather API, enabling data retrieval and visualization in Superset without a traditional database. The library is designed to handle data from different formats like CSV, JSON, and Parquet, and it incorporates security measures such as the shillelagh+safe:// protocol to prevent unsafe operations. By bridging the gap between SQL-based tools and modern APIs, Shillelagh enhances data visualization capabilities in Superset, allowing users to query and aggregate data from diverse sources, including public datasets and private repositories.

Preset has introduced several new features and enhancements, focusing on improving security, user experience, and workflow efficiency. Users can now establish secure connections between their databases and Preset through SSH tunneling, enhancing data security. The platform's self-serve analytics have been upgraded with the Drill-to-Detail feature, allowing users to explore underlying data from visualizations. Additional UI enhancements make it easier to create datasets and visualizations, while themability options, such as a horizontal filter bar, improve dashboard customization. Users can connect to Databricks without coding and upload CSV files more efficiently thanks to a revamped form. New users get a 14-day trial of premium features, which are easily identifiable by a sparkle icon, after which they can continue with either the Professional or Starter plans. Other enhancements include API improvements, Snowflake integration for authentication, and better error message clarity, which collectively enhance the overall user experience.