Scattered Metrics to Move-Ready Insights (with Metabase)

Welcome and Introductions

Tom Evans | 00:00–04:10
Hi everyone, and welcome to today’s Productside webinar, “Scattered Metrics to Move-Ready Insights,” presented in partnership with Metabase. I’m Tom Evans, Senior Product Consultant here at Productside, and I’m thrilled to have you join us today.

Before we get started, we’ll give people a minute or two to join. While we do, drop a quick hello in the chat—let us know where you’re joining from. I see people coming in from Austin, London, New York, Berlin—that’s awesome. It’s great to have such a global audience.

Today we’re going to dig into one of the most common frustrations product teams face—data chaos. We all have dashboards, analytics tools, spreadsheets, and reports, but the question is: how do we turn that mess into real insight that actually drives decisions?

I’m joined today by Tanya Aulachynskaya from Metabase. She’s going to show us how product managers can move from scattered metrics to actionable insights, without needing a data science degree. Tanya, welcome!

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 04:10–04:40
Thanks, Tom! I’m really happy to be here and to talk about one of my favorite topics—data that actually helps teams move faster instead of slowing them down.

About Productside and Webinar Overview

Tom Evans | 04:40–07:30
For those new to Productside, we’re an outcome-driven product partner. That means we work with product managers and leaders to help them focus on measurable outcomes—not just shipping features. We deliver training, advisory, and frameworks that connect strategy to execution.

A quick note on logistics: this session is being recorded, and you’ll receive the replay and resources after the session. You can also use the Q&A tab to drop in questions as we go—we’ll try to get to as many as possible toward the end.

Introducing Metabase and Speaker Background

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 07:30–10:45
Thanks again, Tom. I’m Tanya, Product Lead at Metabase. Before this, I worked in B2B SaaS at PandaDoc, focusing on analytics and data platforms. What I learned there is that product teams want clarity, not complexity—they don’t want another layer of dashboards that no one looks at.

At Metabase, our mission is to make data self-serve for everyone, especially product managers. No SQL, no waiting for analysts—just simple, powerful insights that help you make decisions faster.

Poll #1 – Data Challenges in Building Reports

Tom Evans | 10:45–15:30
Let’s start with a quick poll. What’s your biggest challenge with data today? Is it messy data? Slow reporting? Too many disconnected tools? Or maybe you’re not sure what metrics even matter?

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 11:40–15:30
It looks like the top answers are “too many disconnected tools” and “unclear metrics ownership.” That’s something we see everywhere. Everyone has data—but not everyone knows which data actually drives their goals. The truth is, product teams don’t need more dashboards—they need better context.

Why Product Teams Struggle with Data

Tom Evans | 15:30–20:00
This is something we see across nearly every client at Productside. Data often lives in silos—marketing has one dashboard, product has another, sales has spreadsheets—and none of them match up. It makes collaboration harder, and decisions slower.

That’s why we’re excited to have Tanya here—to show us how to bring order to that chaos.

Tanya’s Real-World Data Stack Experience

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 20:00–26:30
Exactly, Tom. I’ll share a quick story. At PandaDoc, our analytics stack had over 10 tools—each with its own learning curve, cost, and maintenance. When we switched to Metabase, we simplified dramatically. We connected our database directly, built a few core dashboards, and empowered PMs to self-serve.

The impact was huge. Decision time dropped, and product teams started using metrics proactively instead of reactively.

Agenda Overview: From Dashboard to Insights

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 26:30–28:10
Here’s what we’ll cover today: first, I’ll show you a typical SaaS dashboard and how to interpret key metrics. Then, we’ll dive into user funnel analysis, retention tracking, and a live demo of how to build your own insights with Metabase.

Poll #2 – Metrics PMs Track Most Often

Tom Evans | 28:10–31:00
Let’s do another quick poll—what metrics do you personally track most often? Usage metrics, revenue metrics, or a mix of both?

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 29:40–31:00
No surprise here—most of you said “a mix.” The best product managers track both sides because business health and user behavior go hand in hand.

Building a SaaS Dashboard: Key Metrics Overview

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 31:00–38:10
Let’s look at a live example. This dashboard shows a SaaS product’s core metrics: monthly signups, conversions, and monthly recurring revenue. I always start with these top-line indicators before diving deeper.

Notice how you can slice this data by segment or plan type. That’s where the insights really come from—contextual understanding.

User Acquisition and Funnel Analysis

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 38:10–45:30
Now let’s zoom in on the funnel. Here we see signups dropping off between steps two and three. In Metabase, you can filter by user type or region to pinpoint where churn happens. This kind of visibility is what helps PMs prioritize what to fix first.

Segmentation by Plans and Use Cases

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 45:30–49:00
Segmentation is one of the most powerful tools in product analytics. Here, we’re breaking down engagement by pricing plan and use case. For instance, enterprise users might engage with more advanced reporting features, while SMB users focus on collaboration tools.

Activation Metrics and Predicting Conversion

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 49:00–54:30
Every product needs to define its activation event. For example, a user creating their first chart within 48 hours might be a strong indicator of long-term retention. Metabase lets you correlate those actions with revenue or churn likelihood.

Customer Engagement and Retention

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 54:30–59:00
This dashboard focuses on retention. I can quickly see which users are engaged and which ones are at risk. It’s simple but powerful—especially when PMs and CSMs share the same view of customer health.

Feature Leaderboard: Measuring Adoption

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 59:00–01:03:00
Here we’ve got a feature leaderboard. You can instantly see which features drive usage and which ones are collecting dust. It’s an easy way to decide where to invest in improvements or deprecations.

Revenue Analysis and Monetization Insights

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 01:03:00–01:08:00
When you layer revenue data on top of usage, the story becomes clear. You can spot which features correlate with higher-paying customers or which plans are most profitable. It’s insight that drives growth strategy.

Live Demo: Building Reports in Metabase

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 01:08:00–01:17:00
Let’s build a report from scratch. I’ll use the Query Builder to pull user events, filter by signup date, and visualize active users over time. No SQL needed. With Metabase’s new Metabot, you can even ask questions in plain English and get charts instantly.

Comparing Metabase to Other Tools

Tom Evans | 01:17:00–01:20:00
Tanya, people are probably wondering—how does Metabase differ from tools like Amplitude or Tableau?

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 01:18:30–01:20:00
Good question. Amplitude is great for event analytics, and Tableau excels at visualization. Metabase focuses on being lightweight, collaborative, and accessible. It integrates seamlessly with your database so PMs can self-serve insights.

Drilldowns, Filters, and Event Tracking

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 01:20:00–01:27:00
Let’s look at drilldowns and filters. You can click on any data point to filter deeper—say, by geography or account type. You can also annotate key events like releases or experiments so everyone understands why metrics shift.

Poll #3 – Analytics Tools in Use

Tom Evans | 01:27:00–01:30:00
Final poll for today—what analytics tools are you using right now? I see responses coming in: Power BI, Looker, Amplitude, Metabase… and several saying “too many to count.” That’s exactly why simplicity matters.

Wrap-Up, Free Tools, and Q&A

Tom Evans | 01:30:00–01:37:00
Alright, we’re nearing the end. Tanya, thank you so much for that demo—it was fantastic. For everyone here, Metabase offers a free self-hosted version you can try right now. You’ll get the link in the follow-up email.

We’re also including a Productside resource pack with templates and a course discount. Let’s take a few quick questions before we close.

Tanya Aulachynskaya | 01:34:00–01:37:00
Thanks, Tom! And thanks to everyone for the great questions. It’s been fun to share how you can simplify data workflows without adding complexity.

Closing Remarks

Tom Evans | 01:37:00–01:38:30
That’s a wrap for today’s session! Big thanks to Tanya and the team at Metabase for partnering with us. Thanks also to all of you for joining—keep an eye on your inbox for the replay and resources. Have a great rest of your day!