How to use Dune Analytics

Introduction to Dune Analytics

Dune Analytics is a powerful blockchain data analysis platform that allows users to query, visualize, and share insights from on-chain data. It supports various blockchains such as Ethereum, Polygon, Optimism, and more. If you're looking to dive into blockchain analytics, Dune Analytics provides the tools necessary to extract meaningful data through SQL queries and dashboards.

This guide will walk you through how to use Dune Analytics effectively, covering everything from setting up your account to creating custom dashboards and sharing insights with the community.

Setting Up Your Dune Analytics Account

Before you can start querying blockchain data, you need to create an account on Dune Analytics. The process is straightforward:

• Visit https://duneanalytics.com and click on the Sign In button.
• You can sign in using your GitHub or Google account.
• Once logged in, you’ll be redirected to your dashboard where you can start exploring existing dashboards or create your own queries.

After signing in, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the interface. On the homepage, you’ll find trending dashboards, popular queries, and new datasets added by the community.

Understanding the Query Editor

The heart of Dune Analytics lies in its SQL-based query editor. To access it:

• Click on the New Query button located on the top right of your dashboard.
• Select the blockchain you want to query (e.g., Ethereum, Polygon, etc.).
• A blank query window will open with access to available tables for that chain.

Each blockchain has multiple pre-indexed datasets that you can query. For example, on Ethereum, you can access tables like ethereum.transactions, ethereum.logs, and smart contract events from major protocols like Uniswap, Aave, and Compound.

To run a basic query:

• Type:

  SELECT * FROM ethereum.transactions LIMIT 10

• Click the Run Query button.
• Wait for the results to load — this may take a few seconds depending on the complexity.

You can also explore pre-written queries shared by other users by clicking on the Explore tab at the top of the page.

Creating Custom Dashboards

Once you’ve written one or more queries, you can combine them into a custom dashboard to present data visually:

• After running a query, click on the Save button and give your query a name.
• Go to the Dashboards section and click New Dashboard.
• Add your saved queries to the dashboard by clicking the Add Panel button.
• You can customize each panel by selecting visualization types like bar charts, line graphs, or tables.

For instance, if you’re tracking NFT sales on OpenSea, you could display a line chart showing daily sales volume alongside a table listing recent high-value transactions.

When building dashboards, make sure each panel serves a clear purpose and contributes to telling a coherent story about the data you’re analyzing.

Sharing Queries and Dashboards

One of the most valuable features of Dune Analytics is the ability to share your work with others:

• After saving a query or dashboard, click the Share button.
• Copy the link and distribute it via Twitter, Discord, or any other platform.
• Anyone with the link can view and fork your query to build upon it.

If you’d like to keep your work private initially:

• Toggle the Private switch when saving your query or dashboard.
• Only people with the direct link will be able to view it unless you change the visibility settings later.

Community contributions are encouraged, and many analysts gain recognition by publishing insightful dashboards that track trends like token emissions, protocol usage, or on-chain governance activity.

Advanced Features and Tips

As you become more comfortable with Dune Analytics, you can leverage advanced features to enhance your analysis:

• Use Common Table Expressions (CTEs) to organize complex queries.
• Join multiple tables across different contracts to correlate data.
• Utilize macros and variables to make reusable components.

For example, to analyze gas usage over time, you might write a query like:

WITH gas_data AS (





SELECT 
    date_trunc('day', block_time) AS day,
    AVG(gas_used) AS avg_gas_used
FROM ethereum.transactions
GROUP BY day
)SELECT * FROM gas_data ORDER BY day DESC LIMIT 30;

This query calculates the average gas used per day over the last 30 days on Ethereum. Running such queries helps identify patterns in network congestion and transaction costs.

Additionally, Dune supports Jupyter Notebook integration for those who prefer Python-based analysis. This opens up even more possibilities for statistical modeling and machine learning applications on blockchain data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use Dune Analytics without knowing SQL?A: While it's possible to explore existing dashboards and visualizations without writing SQL, full functionality requires knowledge of SQL to craft custom queries and derive unique insights.

Q: Are all datasets on Dune Analytics free to access?A: Yes, Dune Analytics offers free access to a wide range of indexed blockchain datasets. However, heavy usage or commercial deployment may require contacting their team for enterprise solutions.

Q: How often is the data updated on Dune Analytics?A: Data is generally updated in near real-time. Most chains have blocks indexed within minutes, ensuring that your queries reflect the latest on-chain activity.

Q: Is there a way to automate query execution on Dune Analytics?A: Currently, Dune does not offer native automation features like scheduled query runs, but users can manually re-run queries or set up external scripts to fetch results periodically via the API.