Metabase offers two editions, Open Source and Enterprise, and two primary methods for production deployment: Metabase Cloud and self-hosting. Metabase Cloud simplifies the process by handling setup, backups, and upgrades, offering a hassle-free experience, though it provides less control and may not meet certain compliance requirements. Conversely, self-hosting grants more control and can be more cost-effective, but requires teams to manage infrastructure, backups, and upgrades themselves. For self-hosting, Metabase can be deployed using a Docker image or a JAR, with recommendations based on a team's familiarity with containers and Java. Regardless of the deployment method, it's essential to migrate the default H2 database to a production-ready SQL database like PostgreSQL or MySQL and ensure proper backup protocols. Once set up, Metabase requires configuration of settings, database connections, and data models to ensure accurate data visualization.