Metabase is recommended as an optional, supplemental tool. At this time we have not decided if we will adopt Metabase at all, adopt it for all, or adopt it for only libraries that choose to opt-in.
To be clear, we can build any necessary “count” and “list” type reports in Koha. We will create a set of ready-to-run templates for commonly/frequently used reports. Creation of custom or ad-hoc reports will require some level of fluency in SQL. Metabase would allow for creation of custom or ad-hoc reports without a knowledge of SQL, which would make local report use more accessible for users. Metabase also allows for creation of advanced visualizations and dashboards, functionality which is not available in Koha but that some libraries may wish to have.