Toolbox Thursday #2
Ninety.io delivers on EOS® Scorecard discipline. But when leaders need deep dives or AI insights, BI tools like Superset, Metabase, or Looker step in. Mature EOS® companies run both: Scorecard for weekly traction, BI for cross-functional analysis and predictive power.
Scorecards vs BI Dashboards in an EOS® World — Ninety ⇄ Superset / Metabase / Looker
TL;DR
Ninety.io nails the EOS® Scorecard mandate—5–15 “Measurables” that drive every Level 10® Meeting.
When leaders need ad-hoc analysis, cross-functional drill-downs, or predictive models, they bolt on a BI engine.
Superset (open source power), Metabase (speed & simplicity), and Looker (enterprise governance) cover the full horsepower spectrum.
Most mature EOS companies run both layers: Scorecard for weekly pulse → BI for deep dives & AI projects.
1. Why Integrators Should Care
EOS® insists we “measure what matters.” Yet Integrators quickly discover two realities:
- Scorecards win meetings—leaders won’t read a 30-page dashboard pack.
- The questions keep evolving—Marketing wants cohort conversion, Ops wants downtime cost, Finance wants cash-to-cash cycle.
The result? One tool rarely does it all—hence the rise of a two-layer data stack.
2. The EOS Scorecard Mandate (Ninety.io)
| What Ninety.io delivers | Why Integrators love it |
|---|---|
| Measurables with red/yellow/green targets that roll up to every Level 10® Meeting (help.eos.ninety.io) | Keeps the conversation on leading indicators, not lagging P&L lines |
| One-click CSV export of any Scorecard (help.ninety.io) | Easy hand-off to your analyst or data warehouse |
| Role-based dashboards per team or department (ninety.io) | Everyone sees only the numbers they own |
Bottom line: Ninety is the operational scoreboard—perfect for 5-15 metrics, no SQL required.
3. When a Scorecard Isn’t Enough
| Emerging need | Why Ninety alone struggles |
|---|---|
| Join CRM, ERP, IoT, and finance data | Scorecard fields are manual or CSV-based |
| Ad-hoc slice & dice (“Show me scrap rate by machine shift”) | No visual query builder |
| Predictive or Gen-AI projects (“Forecast next-quarter cash”) | Requires SQL/ML runtime and semantic layer |
| Embedded dashboards for customers/partners | Limited white-label options |
That’s when Integrators reach for BI engines.
4. BI Showdown: Superset vs Metabase vs Looker
| Tool | Ideal for | Hosting / Cost (2025) | Governance & Semantic Layer | AI / Dev Features | Learning Curve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Superset 3.0 | Tech-savvy teams with DevOps talent |
OSS = free; Preset Cloud ≈ $20 user/mo |
Lightweight semantic layer, column-lineage, RBAC (preset.io, github.com) |
Visual query builder & Python API hooks |
Steepest (K8s, SQL) |
| Metabase Cloud | “Dashboards tomorrow” pilots & SMBs |
Starter $85 /mo + $5 /mo per extra user |
No formal semantic layer; ad-hoc collections, basic RBAC (metabase.com) |
Visual builder & SQL + Python APIs |
Medium (SQL) |
| Looker | Enterprise BI teams & data-model experts |
Custom pricing (approx. $3,000–6,000 /mo) |
Robust semantic layer with LookML modeling & enterprise-grade governance |
LookML modeling, embedded analytics & REST APIs |
Steep (LookML, SQL) |
Key takeaways:
- Superset = control & extensibility for the price of YAML and Kubernetes.
- Metabase = speed to first insight—perfect for proof-of-concepts.
- Looker = governed single source of truth (and Google AI bells & whistles).
5. Choosing Your Stack (Quick Decision Matrix)
| If you… | Recommended combo |
|---|---|
| Run a 10-person shop on EOS, no analyst yet | Ninety only (Scorecard + CSV exports) |
| Have an ops analyst who knows SQL & Docker | Ninety + Superset (self-host or Preset) |
| Need customer-facing dashboards next quarter | Ninety + Metabase Pro (white-label embed) |
| Must enforce SOX-level data governance | Ninety + Looker (central semantic layer) |
6. Wiring Diagram (How Data Flows)
← daily CSV export ┌──────────┐
Ninety.io ───────────────▶ S3/GCS ┤ Data Lake├──▶ BI Engine (Superset | Metabase | Looker)
Scorecard └──────────┘ ▲
│ live metrics feed
Optional: Zapier / Airbyte -------▶┘
Use your favorite ELT tool (Airbyte, Fivetran, Zapier) to automate the export so analysts aren’t babysitting CSVs.
🔗 Ready to Connect the Dots?
Download our BI Dashboard Integration Playbook—your weekend-build guide for:
- ✅ Setting up Axiom.ai exports, n8n workflows & PostgreSQL
- ✅ Automating Ninety® Scorecard & HubSpot data pipelines
- ✅ Building, scheduling & monitoring your Metabase dashboard
Next on Traction.AI
7/31 will be next Buried Alive by To Do Lists: How AI Helps Integrators Reclaim Time and Prevent Burnout
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