Complete Looker Studio Tutorial for Data Analysis and Reporting

Looker Studio is a powerful tool for data analysis and reporting, and with this tutorial, you'll be able to create custom reports and dashboards in no time.

In this tutorial, we'll cover the basics of Looker Studio, including how to connect to your data sources and create visualizations. You'll learn how to use filters, calculations, and other features to drill down into your data and gain insights.

Looker Studio allows you to connect to a wide range of data sources, including Google Analytics, Google Sheets, and more. With the ability to connect to multiple data sources, you can create a single dashboard that pulls in data from multiple places, giving you a complete picture of your business.

By the end of this tutorial, you'll be able to create custom reports and dashboards that help you make data-driven decisions.

To get started with Looker Studio, begin by creating a new report. You can do this by clicking the Create button on the home page. Looker Studio will ask if you want to add the new data source to the report, confirm by clicking ADD TO REPORT.

You'll then be presented with a random table based on the fields in your data source. Delete this table for now, as you'll add a table later. Rename your report title by clicking Untitled Report and typing a new title, such as Online Sales – Dashboard.

Alternatively, you can create a report from scratch using the Create button and following the steps outlined in the report building process. You'll need to delete any generated tables, such as the one created automatically in the report.

Looker is a business intelligence platform that goes beyond data visualization, it also helps you manage and organize data in an accessible way.

Looker Studio, on the other hand, is a data visualization tool that lets you visualize your data in the form of a report.

With Looker, you get data collection, modeling, visualization, and scheduling capabilities, which makes it a more comprehensive solution.

You can use Looker Studio to create reports, but with Looker, you can do much more than that.

You'll need to enter your location, company name, and email preferences when signing up for Looker Studio.

It's essential to think about the objectives of your dashboard, such as understanding how advertising budgets are spent.

To help you prepare, consider the following questions:

Here's an example of how to answer these questions:

By answering these questions, you'll know which data you need, what you want to highlight, and how you'll organize your report.

You'll also need to decide on the dimensions and metrics you'll use. Dimensions are qualitative data used to describe and classify data, often in text format. Metrics are quantitative data that allow dimensions to be measured.

To get started with Looker Studio, you'll first need to create a blank report. Confirm the new data source by clicking ADD TO REPORT, and then delete the randomly generated table.

You can rename your report title by clicking Untitled Report and typing a new title, such as Online Sales – Dashboard. This will help you keep track of your report's purpose.

Before creating your report, it's essential to clarify your objectives, data, and audience. Ask yourself: What are the objectives of this dashboard? Who will use this dashboard? Which data do you want to highlight?

Here's a simple checklist to help you prepare:

By answering these questions, you'll be able to classify your data and organize your report more efficiently. For example, if your objectives are to understand how advertising budgets are spent, you might highlight spend over time, spend by platform, and spend by age.

Once you've clarified your objectives and data, you can start creating your report in Looker Studio. You can get started by clicking the Create button on the home page and following the prompts to add data to your report.

To set up sources in Looker Studio, you'll need to create a data source first. This is not your original data, but rather a connection to your data that's stored in a platform like Google Sheets or a database.

You can connect to more than 800 data sources, including Google products like Google Analytics, Google Sheets, and BigQuery. There are also over 700 partner connectors available, which allow you to sync data from other marketing tools and CRM tools like Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and HubSpot.

To create a data source, click on the "Create" button, then select "Data source" from the menu. If you already have an existing report, you can also add a data source directly from it by clicking "Add data" in the report toolbar.

Here are some of the most common data sources you can connect to:

Once you've selected a data source, you'll need to authorize the connection. This may involve granting access to your data and selecting the specific account or property you want to connect to.

To sign in with Google, you'll need to visit the Looker Studio homepage and log in using your Google account. This will ensure everything in your Google account stays connected.

You can use the same account that you use for Google Analytics and other G-Suite tools. If you don't already have a Google Account, you can create a new one for free.

To create a new account, visit the Looker Studio homepage and click on the "Sign in with Google" button. This will prompt you to enter your Google account credentials.

You'll need to sign in with your Google account to access Looker Studio's features. Don't worry, it's a secure process that will only take a few seconds.

After signing in, you'll be taken to the Looker Studio dashboard, where you can start creating your data sources and reports.

Looker Studio allows you to connect to more than 800 data sources to sync your data in the platform.

There are two types of connectors: native Google connectors and partner connectors. Native Google connectors are available for Google products, such as Google Analytics, Google Sheets, and Google Ads. Partner connectors, on the other hand, are third-party options that let you pull data from both Google and non-Google apps and sources.

You can find the full list of available connectors in Looker Studio or check out our list of the best 12 Looker Studio connectors.

To create a data source, start by clicking on the Create button, then select Data source from the menu. If you already have an existing report, you can also add a data source directly from it by clicking Add data in the report toolbar.

Google offers 21 connectors for its products, including Google Analytics, Google Sheets, Google Ads, and BigQuery. Partner connectors are apps managed by third-party providers, with most being paid tools.

Here's a list of some popular partner connectors:

Once you have selected a data source, you'll need to authorize the connection. This may involve granting access to your data, but you only need to do this once.

After you've connected your data source, you can start building your report. You can use the data from your connected source to create charts and other visualizations.

Data Preparation is a crucial step in creating a Looker Studio report. You need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your report.

Before creating your report, it's essential to list the objectives, data you want to highlight, and who will use the dashboard. This will help you organize your report effectively.

To classify your data, you can use dimensions and metrics. Dimensions are qualitative data used to describe and classify data, while metrics are quantitative data that allow dimensions to be measured. For example, in the case of an advertising dashboard, dimensions could include date, platform, age, and gender, while metrics could include spend, click, and impressions.

Here's a simple breakdown of the types of data you'll find in Looker Studio:

Metrics and Dimensions are the foundation of creating meaningful reports in Looker Studio. Metrics are numeric values that measure or count, and they come from applying aggregation functions like COUNT(), SUM(), AVG(), etc. You can create metrics like sales revenue from selling your products online, number of customers who purchased your products, and average product price.

Dimensions, on the other hand, are the names, descriptions, or other characteristics of the things you're measuring or counting. They help you analyze your data from different angles and can be broken down into various categories like sales per month or per order type. For example, you can use dimensions like the name of the product with the maximum sales or the day of the week with the minimum sales.

To add new dimensions and metrics, you can use calculated fields, which allow you to apply mathematical formulas, transform text, and return data based on logical comparisons. This can be especially useful when you need to change the metric next to a dimension.

Here are some examples of metrics and dimensions:

* Metrics:

+ Sales revenue from selling your products online

+ Number of customers who purchased your products

+ Maximum sales

+ Minimum sales

+ Average product price

* Dimensions:

+ Sales revenue from selling your products online, broken down into sales per month or per order type

+ Number of customers by country of origin, as well as understanding their age, gender, and type of device they use

+ The name of the product with the maximum sales

+ The day of the week with the minimum sales

+ Average product price per product type

You can add a calculated field in either the data source or a chart using Looker Studio formulas. Calculated fields allow you to control the information contained in your data source.

To add a calculated field in the data source, you can follow these steps: select Add a field from the Data pane of your report or click the ADD A FIELD button if you open the data source separately.

You can add a calculated field in the data source to display the total price before the discount by multiplying a price by a quantity.

Here are the steps to add a calculated field in the data source:

If you don’t see the Total field in the Available Fields list, refresh your browser first.

Alternatively, you can add a calculated field in a chart to display product categories in uppercase letters by using a text function: UPPER.

Here are the steps to add a calculated field in a chart:

You can apply mathematical formulas, transform text, and return data based on logical comparisons using calculated fields.

To add a table in Looker Studio, click the Add a chart icon in the toolbar and select Table.

You can make your table nicer by resizing it as needed. If you like, sort the table based on a specific field, such as ProductCategory.

To sort your table, scroll down the Setup tab, change the sort metric to the desired field, and select the sort method: ascending or descending.

You can also add a metric to your table by dragging and dropping a field, like Total, into the table.

Setting Default Date Range is a crucial step in data preparation. You can change the default date settings in Looker Studio to today, yesterday, or last 30 days.

To do so, add a date control to your report and click on the date selector. This will open a sidebar menu where you can change the default date range.

You can choose from the default options or select a custom date range. The next time you open this report, it will display data according to your preset date range.

Here are the steps to change the default date range:

Building from scratch in Looker Studio gives you the freedom to design a custom dashboard from the ground up. It's a great way to start with a blank canvas and create a report that perfectly suits your needs.

To get started, you can create a new report in just a few clicks. This will give you a blank page where you can add elements, such as charts, text boxes, and images, to create your report.

The toolbar is your best friend when building from scratch. It's located at the top of the page and offers a range of tools to help you build and edit your report. From here, you can add new pages, data sources, images, text boxes, lines, shapes, charts, and controls.

If you want to add a text box to explain how to use a report, you can click the text icon to add it, then move the cursor to place it. You can also format the font size and type, alignment, and style options from the "Text Properties" column.

You can also use the toolbar to make changes to your theme. Clicking "Theme and layout" will open the properties column, where you can choose from a selection of preset themes or customize any of these to match your brand.

To save time, you can hold shift when clicking items to select multiple charts at once. Any edits you make will apply to all sections.

Here's a quick rundown of the toolbar tools:

Remember to design the layout of your report before you start building it. Take some time to think about what information you want to present and what Looker Studio charts you'll use to visualize it. A rough sketch using a pen and paper is better than nothing, and will help you avoid staring at a blank report for too long.

You can customize your Looker Studio dashboard by adding various elements such as text boxes, images, lines, shapes, and charts.

To add these elements, click on the toolbar and select the feature you want to add from the list. For example, if you want to add a text box, click on the text icon to add it, then move the cursor to place it.

You can also customize the theme of your dashboard by clicking on the "Theme and layout" button in the top menu. This allows you to choose from a selection of preset themes or customize your own theme.

To customize your theme, click on the "Customize" button and select the elements you want to change. You can also use the "Extract theme from image" option to generate themes based on an image.

If you want to make changes to your theme that apply to all pages, click on the "Theme and layout" button and select the "Page" tab. Here, you can change the background and size of a specific page.

You can also add controls to your dashboard to allow users to filter data and change the view. There are two levels of controls: report-level controls and page-level controls.

Report-level controls change every chart on your dashboard at once, while page-level controls change only the charts on the current page. You can add report-level controls by clicking on the "Add a control" button in the toolbar and selecting the control type.

Some examples of controls include date range controls, data controls, and dimension controls. You can customize the control in the properties panel by using the "Setup" tab to set your dimension and metric, and the "Style" tab to edit the look of your control.

Here are some examples of controls you can add to your dashboard:

You can also style your charts individually by clicking on a chart and selecting the "Style" tab. Here, you can add a title, modify fonts, colors, and background color, and more. You can also copy and paste the style on other charts.

You can add a new chart to your report by clicking on the "add a chart" button and selecting the chart you want. There are 17 types of charts available in Looker Studio, including tables, scorecards, time series, bar charts, and more.

To customize a chart, click on it and select the "style" tab. From there, you can add a title, modify fonts, colors, and background colors, and even copy and paste styles to other charts.

The choice of chart depends on what you want to highlight and the data used. For example, a time series chart is best for showing how data changes over a period of time, while a pie chart is better for showing relative proportions and percentages of a small dataset.

Here are the 17 types of charts available in Looker Studio:

You can add different types of charts in Looker Studio, including line charts, time series charts, scorecards, and more.

A time series chart is best for showing how data changes over time, and it's a good option when you want to see sales over months for different order types.

You can also add a basic line chart, but a time series chart can save you a few steps.

To add a time series chart, click the "Add a chart" icon in the toolbar and select Time series chart.

Alternatively, you can click and drag any dimension or metric from the data panel, and Looker Studio will choose the chart it thinks will work best for the job.

Here are some common types of charts you can add in Looker Studio:

Each type of chart can be customized to fit your needs, and you can add multiple charts to a single report.

Conditional formatting is a powerful tool for making your dashboard more readable and intuitive. You can use it to highlight important data points, such as low sales figures.

To add conditional formatting to your dashboard, select your table and click the STYLE tab on the right. At the top, in the Conditional formatting section, click Add.

To create a rule, set the condition and format in the Edit rule pop-up. For example, you can format the OrderTotal cells to red for values under 1,000,000.

By using conditional formatting, you can quickly identify areas that need attention and make data-driven decisions with confidence.

Sharing and exporting your Looker Studio reports is a breeze. You can share your report in real-time with team members who have a Google account by inviting them to view the report.

To invite people, you can add their email addresses in the "Add people" tab and choose whether they can edit the report or just view it. You can also share the report with Google Groups.

If you want to share your report more broadly, you can turn on link sharing in the "Manage access" tab, which will let anyone view the report, even if they don't have a Google account.

Here are the options for sharing your report:

You can also export a single table or chart in a CSV format, but you can't export the whole dashboard or multiple reports in a PDF or other format yet.

To share your Looker Studio report, click "Share" in the editor and choose one of the following options.

You can invite people to view your report in real time, as long as they have a Google account. This is a great way to collaborate with team members.

To schedule email delivery, select the report you want to share and choose the "Schedule email delivery" option. Enter the email address and schedule the delivery date and time.

To get a report link, click "Get the report link" and copy and paste it to share via email or message. This link will take the recipient directly to your report.

You can also embed your report on a webpage by selecting "Embed report" and choosing the Embed mode and sizing options.

To download your report as a PDF, select "Download report" and choose whether to password protect it. You can also customize the background color.

Here are the different ways to share a report:

You can also set permissions for the people you invite to view or edit your report.

Exporting your reports is a great way to share your insights with others. You can export a single table or chart in a CSV format from LookerStudio.

LookerStudio allows exporting a table or chart in a CSV format, but you can't export the whole dashboard or multiple reports in a PDF or other format yet.

To export a chart or table, install the extension, open your DataStudio dashboard in view mode, and reload the page. You'll then see the "Export to PDF" button on top right of the page.

Exporting a report to a PDF format will take a little time, but it will allow you to export the whole report regardless of the number of pages.