What is cash runway, and how do you measure it in Metabase?
Definition
Cash runway estimates how many months an organization can continue operating before available cash reaches zero at the current net burn rate. It is a scenario indicator, not a promise: collections, financing, planned cuts, and one-time payments can change it quickly.
Formula: Cash runway (months) = available operating cash / average monthly net burn
What data do you need?
- Latest reconciled cash balances by account and currency
- Restricted-cash classification
- Approved FX rates for reporting-currency conversion
- Monthly operating cash inflows and outflows
- A documented trailing window for net burn
SQL pattern
Runway using trailing three-month net burnPostgreSQL
WITH burn AS (
SELECT AVG(-net_cash_flow) AS monthly_net_burn
FROM monthly_cash_flow
WHERE month >= date_trunc('month', CURRENT_DATE) - INTERVAL '3 months'
AND net_cash_flow < 0
)
SELECT
SUM(reporting_currency_balance) AS available_cash,
burn.monthly_net_burn,
SUM(reporting_currency_balance)
/ NULLIF(burn.monthly_net_burn, 0) AS runway_months
FROM latest_cash_balances
CROSS JOIN burn
WHERE is_restricted = FALSE
GROUP BY burn.monthly_net_burn;Common pitfalls
Including restricted or unavailable cash.→ Show it separately and include only cash that can fund operating obligations.
Using one unusually good or bad month of burn.→ Use a documented trailing window and show sensitivity scenarios.
Adding native-currency balances.→ Translate each balance using a stated rate and valuation timestamp.
Where does this metric apply?
This metric commonly uses data from NetSuite, Plaid, Xero, QuickBooks, Wise, Airwallex, SAP, plus any reconciled warehouse or ledger models that provide the same business grain.
Related
Dashboards
Integrations
Metrics
Analytics
FAQ
What if net burn is zero or positive?
Runway is not meaningful under that formula. Show cash generation and scenario-based downside instead of infinity.
Should committed financing count as cash?
Not until it is available, unless you present a separate scenario with explicit probability and timing assumptions.