Looker Studio (rebranded as Data Studio by Google on April 16, 2026; originally known as Google Data Studio) is a free, cloud-based business intelligence and data visualization platform that transforms data from multiple sources into interactive, shareable dashboards and reports. It connects to 1,300+ data sources through native and community connectors, enabling real-time analysis without requiring SQL knowledge. The tool's drag-and-drop interface makes it accessible to both technical and non-technical users, while Gemini AI features (Pro) now enable natural-language querying, formula generation, and automated slide creation. Understanding the distinction between Looker Studio's data source layer (where reusable transformations happen) and its visualization layer (where chart-specific formatting happens) is the single most important mental model for building maintainable reports.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This topic spans 22 focused tables and 235 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.
Table 1: Core Chart Types
Data Studio ships with over 20 native chart types covering the full range of analytical needs — from time trends and geographic data to distributions, flows, and KPI tracking. Choosing the right chart type is the first decision in any report; this table covers all native options from the most-used to the most specialized.
| Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
Metric: SessionsValue: 45,230 | • Displays a single metric value as a large number • supports comparison periods, sparklines, and compact numbers | |
Dimension: CountryMetrics: Users, Sessions | • Shows data in rows and columns • supports sorting, conditional formatting, heatmaps, and pagination | |
Date: DateMetric: Revenue | • Line chart for trends over time • auto-groups dates by day/week/month/quarter/year • supports trend lines and moving averages | |
Dimension: ProductMetric: Sales | • Horizontal bars for category comparison • stacked and 100% stacked variants available | |
Dimension: MonthMetrics: Revenue, Cost | • Vertical columns for category comparison • identical to bar chart but orientation is vertical | |
Bars: RevenueLine: Conversion Rate | • Combines bars and lines with dual Y-axes • compares metrics with different scales | |
Rows: ProductCols: MonthMetric: Sales | • Cross-tabulation with dimension headers as columns • supports subtotals and heatmap color scales | |
Dimension: RegionMetric: Revenue | • Circular part-to-whole chart • donut variant set via inner radius • limit to 5–7 slices for readability | |
Dimension: CountryMetric: Users | • Map visualization using color intensity • supports country, region, city, postal code • optional bubble size for second metric | |
X: Ad SpendY: RevenueBubble: Sessions | • Shows correlation between two metrics • optional third metric controls bubble size (becomes Bubble Chart) • supports trend lines | |
Dimension: DateMetric: Revenue | • Line chart with shaded area below the line • emphasizes volume over time • stacked and 100% stacked variants available |