Time grouping parameter

You can add a parameter to SQL questions to change how results are grouped by time: by day, week, month, and so on.

To add a time grouping parameter, you’ll need:

• An aggregation (like COUNT).
• A parameter in the SELECT clause
• That same parameter in the GROUP BY clause.

Time grouping parameter example

Here’s an example that counts the number of orders in the orders table and inserts a parameter to allow people to change how Metabase groups the results by the created_at column.

SELECT
  COUNT(*) AS "Orders",
  {{created_at_param}} AS "Created At"
FROM
  orders
GROUP BY
  {{created_at_param}}

Like in all SQL groupings, you must include the parameter in both the SELECT and GROUP BY clauses. You can also use the mb.time_grouping function on different columns in the same query, like this:

SELECT
  COUNT(*) AS "Count",
  {{created_at_param}} AS "Created at",
  {{trial_ends_at}} AS "Trial ends at"
FROM
  accounts
GROUP BY
  {{created_at_param}},
  {{trial_ends_at}}

Like with all parameters, you can set a default value (e.g., “month”). With time grouping parameters, you’re limited to the options for the time grouping parameter.

If people don’t set a value for the parameter, Metabase won’t group to a date part (like day or week). It will just group by untruncated dates.

Handling aliases

Just like with field filters, if you alias a table, then map a time grouping parameter to a field in that aliased table, you’ll need to tell Metabase about the table and field alias.

Connecting to a dashboard filter

See dashboard filters and parameters.