Boost Your Data Analysis Tasks with These 6 Looker Strategies
==========================================================================
Looker, a Business Intelligence (BI) tool from Google, offers a suite of advanced features to transform the way businesses analyse and interpret data. Here are some tips and tricks to get the most out of Looker.
Master LookML for Semantic Modeling
Use Looker’s semantic modeling language, LookML, to create a centralized, consistent data model that defines business logic and relationships. This ensures consistent calculations and governance across reports and dashboards, simplifying exploration for both technical and non-technical users.
Create Customizable, Interactive Dashboards
Go beyond static visuals by building dashboards that support filters, drill-downs, and dynamic parameter inputs. Custom layouts and branding improve data storytelling and stakeholder engagement.
Embed Analytics Seamlessly
Integrate Looker dashboards directly inside internal tools, wikis, or web portals via iframe embedding or embed URLs. This contextualizes analytics within workflows and increases adoption by meeting users where they work.
Leverage Conversational Analytics with Natural Language Queries
Enable teams to ask questions in everyday language through chat interfaces embedded in Google Chat or Slack. This makes data exploration faster and accessible to non-technical users, providing instant insights without navigating complex dashboards.
Automate Workflows Triggered by Data
Connect Looker with automation tools like Zapier or Make (Integromat) to build logic that triggers alerts, Slack messages, or email notifications based on key metric thresholds. Scheduled report emails also keep teams informed without manual effort.
Implement Role-Based Access and Data Controls
Use Looker’s data controls and filter parameters to tailor dashboard views based on user roles or departments. This protects sensitive data and ensures each stakeholder only sees relevant information, enhancing security and compliance.
Enhance Insights Using AI-Powered Extensions
Use AI-driven tools like the Looker Studio Analyzer Chrome extension to get automatic data summaries, detect anomalies, and receive smart recommendations directly inside reports. This speeds up analysis and improves decision-making without coding.
Optimize Performance with Efficient Data Management
For large datasets, limit query row counts, apply aggressive filters, and choose efficient data sources. Third-party connectors can extend functionality to non-Google platforms while maintaining performance.
Table Calculations and Quick Explorers
Table Calculations allow for additional calculations on data in Looker, while it's possible to create a Quick Explorer from a Query in the SQL Runner, which allows for quick analysis across multiple tables without LookML configurations.
Grouping Dimensions and Manual Condition Setting
Grouping Dimensions in Looker allows for the creation of synthetic categories, and in the power-user section, it's possible to manually set conditions in Explorer's LookML definition to create a more permanent Grouping, such as grouping two conditions into one Failed category.
Sharing and Presentation
You can save a Looker Explore as a Look for easy sharing, and saving a link to an Explorer created from SQL Runner allows for sharing with others, but it can't be saved to a dashboard directly. Looker has a beautiful presentation layer.
Manually setting targets in Single Value Tiles can be done by creating a Table Calculation that displays the actual value for the first row and a fixed number for the second and subsequent rows, and then setting the Comparison value on the visual to Calculate Progress (with Percentage).
Looker integrates with GitHub, making it a versatile tool for businesses of all sizes. Its entirely web-based and inherently multi-platform nature ensures seamless integration into daily workflows.
Data-and-cloud-computing technology is utilized in Looker, a Business Intelligence tool, through its integration with automation tools like Zapier or Make (Integromat), allowing for the automation of workflows triggered by data. The technology also powers AI-driven extensions, such as the Looker Studio Analyzer Chrome extension, providing automatic data summaries, anomaly detection, and smart recommendations directly inside reports.
