Apache Superset Pocket Book

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Apache Superset Pocket Book — Uplatz

40 deep-dive flashcards • Wide layout • SQL & Visualizations • Performance & Security • Interview Q&A

Section 1 — Fundamentals

1) What is Apache Superset?

Apache Superset is a modern, open-source BI and data visualization tool. It allows analysts to explore data, build interactive dashboards, and create advanced visualizations with minimal code. It integrates with most SQL-speaking databases.

# Run locally (Docker)
docker-compose -f docker-compose-non-dev.yml up -d

2) Why Superset?

✔️ Open-source (no licensing fees)
✔️ SQL-first analytics
✔️ Rich visualizations
✔️ Secure RBAC model
✔️ Easy integration with modern data warehouses.

3) Superset Architecture

Superset is built on Flask (backend), React (frontend), SQLAlchemy (DB layer), and Celery (async jobs). It communicates with data sources through SQLAlchemy connectors and caches queries for performance.

4) SQL Lab

Interactive query editor with autocomplete, schema browser, and query history. Queries can be saved as virtual datasets and reused across dashboards.

SELECT country, SUM(sales) as revenue
FROM ecommerce
GROUP BY country
ORDER BY revenue DESC;

5) Dashboards

Superset dashboards support filters, drill-downs, and real-time refresh. Users can drag-and-drop charts, resize, and link filters across multiple charts.

Section 2 — Setup & Security

6) Installation Methods

  • Docker Compose (recommended)
  • PyPI: pip install apache-superset
  • Kubernetes helm charts for production

7) Authentication & RBAC

Superset supports role-based access (Admin, Alpha, Gamma, etc.) and integrates with LDAP, OAuth, and SSO providers.

8) Performance Optimization

  • Enable query caching
  • Use async queries with Celery
  • Materialize complex queries in the DB
  • Use fast warehouses (BigQuery, Druid, ClickHouse)

Section 3 — Visualization & Extensions

9) Supported Visualizations

Bar, Line, Pie, Heatmap, Treemap, Sankey, Sunburst, Word Cloud, Pivot, Box Plot, Histograms, and more via plugins.

10) Custom Plugins

Superset supports adding custom visualization plugins via npm/yarn and React. This allows organizations to extend charting options.

11) Filters & Cross-Filters

Filter Boxes enable user-driven interactivity. Cross-filtering lets one chart’s selection update others in real-time dashboards.

Section 4 — Interview Q&A

12) Q: Superset vs Tableau?

Answer: Tableau is commercial and feature-rich but costly. Superset is free, open-source, SQL-native, and highly customizable for teams with engineering resources.

13) Q: Can Superset handle real-time?

Answer: Superset isn’t a streaming platform but can query real-time DBs like Druid/ClickHouse to provide near-real-time dashboards.

14) Q: How to secure Superset?

Answer: Use HTTPS, RBAC, limit SQL Lab access, integrate with enterprise SSO, and monitor with audit logs.