Looker Studio
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Looker Studio

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Article Summary

Looker Studio, previously Google Data Studio, is a free tool that transforms data into interactive, customizable dashboards and reports, with a range of visualization options and no need for programming. It connects to a variety of data sources, including databases, Google products, flat files, and social media platforms, and offers features for sharing, collaboration, and access control, making data storytelling accessible to individuals, teams, and organizations.

Looker Studio Implementation Cheat Sheet

Using Dataddo direct connection to Looker Studio might not be an optimal solution for all the cases (e.g. when you need to work with large volumes of data with >150K rows per flow or you need to perform complex SQL transformations). Check the table below to find the optimal implementation for your specific case.

Use CaseSolution
Less than 150 000 rowsConfigure your Looker Studio data flow in Dataddo.
More than 150 000 rowsIt is highly recommended for you to first connect your data to a data warehouse like Google BigQuery. Each flow will represent a single table in your data warehouse. You can then send your data to Looker Studio using its native BigQuery connection.

Create a New Data Flow to Looker Studio in Dataddo

  1. Navigate to Flows and click on Create Flow.
  2. Click on Connect Your Data to add your sources. Here, you can blend or union your data.
  3. Click on Connect Your Data Destination and navigate to the Dashboarding Apps tab to add your destination.
  4. Check the Data Preview to see if your data is correct.
  5. Name your flow, and click on Create Flow.

A window with configuration details will pop up. Follow the instructions to finish the setup in your dashboarding app.

If you need to revisit the configuration details, simply go to the Flows tab and click on the power outlet/plug icon.

Connect Your Flow in Looker Studio

  1. In Looker Studio, click on the Google Data Studio connector link and insert the Dataddo API Key.

    If you haven't previously used Looker Studio with your account, you might be asked to allow the following additional permissions:

    • email
    • profile
    • openid
    • script.external_request
  2. From the list of flows, select the one you want to connect and confirm.
DATADDO TIP

Use one of our free Looker Studio templates for a quick start!

Add Additional Data Sources to an Existing Looker Studio Dashboard

  1. In the dashboard edit mode, click on Resource in the top navigation bar and select Manage added data sources.
  2. Click on Add a Data source and in the connector list search and select Dataddo.
  3. Select the flow(s) that you want to include and click on Add.
DATADDO TIP

Give your data sources unique labels in Looker Studio.

Edit Already Added Data Sources

Dataddo allows you to easily modify data sources which have already been connected to Looker Studio (e.g. add or remove the metric or dimension).

In Dataddo

  1. Click on the three dots next to you flow and select Edit.
  2. Add more sources through data union or blending.
  3. Check the Data Preview tab to ensure that your flow has been configured correctly.

In Looker Studio

Data Model Change

Dataddo is using column name as an identifier, which is why you need to make sure that all metrics and dimensions that are actively used in your dashboard are present in the flow.

  1. In the dashboard edit mode click on "Resource" in the top navigation bar and select "Manage added data sources".
  2. Click on "Edit" next to the edited source.
  3. Click on "Refresh Fields" in the bottom-left corner of the screen. You will see the preview of the changes in the data model.
  4. Save the changes and proceed to your dashboard.

Troubleshooting

Data Records Limit

When sending your data to Looker Studio, keep in mind that there is a limit of 150,000 rows.

If you try to load more than 150,000 rows, your data in Looker Studio might be incomplete or Looker Studio will operate very slowly. You can check how much data you're sending in Dataddo. Click on the three dots next to your source and select Data Preview, the total number of records is shown in the top left.

What can you do when you have more data?

  1. Limit the amount of data: If you have less than 150,000 rows but are still hitting the limit, check your snapshotting settings. It is possible that due to incorrect snapshotting, you are getting duplicates in your dashboard.
  2. Connect the data to a data warehouse like Google Big Query first, then send the data to Looker Studio.

Select a Specific Date Range

If you're trying to see data for a specific date range, however, all data since connecting your source is shown, please try the following:

  1. Set the date_start field as text.
  2. Create a new field named e.g. date.
  3. Use this funcion:
    TODATE(date_start,"%Y.%m.%d")
    


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