Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) is a free, cloud-based business intelligence and data visualization platform from Google that transforms data from multiple sources into customizable, interactive dashboards and reports. It connects to over 800+ data sources through native and community connectors, enabling real-time data analysis without requiring SQL knowledge. The tool's drag-and-drop interface makes it accessible to both technical and non-technical users, while its sharing and embedding capabilities allow teams to collaborate on data-driven insights. Understanding Looker Studio's data source layer (where transformations happen) versus its visualization layer (where formatting happens) is crucial — calculated fields created at the data source level are reusable across all reports, while chart-level fields apply only to that specific visualization.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This topic spans 20 focused tables and 168 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.
Table 1: Core Chart Types
| Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
Metric: SessionsValue: 45,230 | • Displays a single metric value as a large number • supports comparison periods, sparklines, and compact comparison to show percentage change from previous period | |
Dimension: CountryMetrics: Users, Sessions | • Shows data in rows and columns • supports sorting, conditional formatting, heatmaps, and pagination • ideal for detailed data exploration with multiple dimensions and metrics | |
Date Dimension: DateMetric: Revenue | • Line chart that visualizes trends over time • automatically groups dates by day, week, month, quarter, or year • supports multiple metrics, trend lines, and moving averages | |
Dimension: ProductMetric: Sales | • Horizontal bars comparing categories • stacked bars show composition • supports sorting by metric, drill-down, and displaying multiple metrics as grouped or stacked bars | |
Dimension: MonthMetrics: Revenue, Cost | • Vertical columns for category comparison • column charts are identical to bar charts except orientation • best for time-based dimensions or showing multiple series side-by-side |