Get started with Connected Sheets for Looker

Requirements: To use Connected Sheets for Looker, you must know the URL of the Looker instance you want to connect to. You can find out what Looker instances are eligible and how to enable Connected Sheets in Looker here: Using Connected Sheets for Looker.

In Sheets, connect to your Looker-modeled data to analyze data from a single source of truth and even integrate other data sources for deeper analysis.

With Connected Sheets for Looker, you can analyze data from more than 60 databases that can be live-connected to Looker. You can also combine your Looker data with Sheets data and you can analyze your data using familiar Sheets features like pivot tables.

Learn more about Looker.

Connect to a Looker instance

1. On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
2. At the top, click Data Data connectors Connect to Looker.
3. Enter your Looker instance URL.
   • To access Looker, you must have a Looker instance. If you don’t have a Looker instance, contact the Looker sales team to request a demo.
   • If you’re prompted to allow access to your Looker data, you'll be asked to link your account, if you agree, click Agree and continue to link your Google and Looker accounts and allow Google to access your Looker data on your behalf.
4. Choose a Looker model, and then an Explore.
5. Click Connect.

Learn how to use Connected Sheets for Looker

After you load the Explore from the Looker instance, you can:

• Run live queries based on modeled data and standardized metrics
• Share and collaborate across the org with partners, analysts, or other stakeholders on up-to-date data
• Create new analysis in Google Sheets with built-in Google Sheets functions

Learn more about Looker

To better understand Looker terminology, please take a look at the Looker documentation:

• Learn more about “model.”
• Learn more about “Explore.”
• Learn more about “views.”
• Learn more about “measures.”
• Learn how to add dimensions for more details.
• Learn how to pivot dimensions.
• Learn how to filter data.

Create a pivot table

At the top left of the spreadsheet that is connected to Looker data, you can easily create a pivot table to analyze large data sets and find relationships between data points.

Learn how to create and use pivot tables.

1. To make edits on the pivot table, click Edit .
2. To add data from dimensions and measures, select an option:
   • Click Add.
   • From the right-hand side of the pivot table editor, drag and drop dimensions as rows, columns, values or filters and measures as values or filters.
3. To apply changes to the pivot table, click Apply.

Add a filter by value in pivot table

1. To open the pivot table, click Edit . 
2. Under “Filters,” click Add.
3. Select a dimension or measure.
4. Next to “Showing all items," click the Drop-down .
5. Under “Filter by value,” click Add filter.

6. Select values to filter. 
7. Click OK.
8. At the bottom left of the sheet, click Apply.

Refresh data

1. Open a pivot table.
2. Click Refresh in the control to the bottom left of the pivot table.

Tip: In the control at the bottom left, you can hover over to find information about the last refresh including date, time, and the person who completed the refresh. You can also open up the pivot table editor to make changes.

Open refresh options

1. Open a pivot table.
2. In the control, at the bottom left of the pivot table, click Menu Refresh Options.
3. A sidebar opens up from right to left.

Choose under refresh options

• Refresh individual items
  • To refresh individually, next to each item, click refresh .
• Scheduled refresh
  • At the bottom of the sidebar, click Set up now.
• Refresh all
  • You can click Refresh all to refresh all connected objects in this workbook.

Tip: You can also choose to not refresh previews.

Explore connection settings

If you are currently connected to an Explore and you want to update the connection, you can use Connection settings.

1. At the top right, click Connection settings.
2. To connect, click a new Explore.
3. Click Connect.

Admin Audit Logs

Important: When you access Looker data in Connected Sheets, entries are recorded in Looker's Audit Logs. The logs show who accessed the data and when. Only people with proper authorization can access log records.

You can find the spreadsheet ID in the audit log. Every spreadsheet has a unique spreadsheet ID value containing letters, numbers, hyphens, or underscores. You can also find the spreadsheet ID in a Google Sheets URL.

Learn more about Monitoring Connected Sheets.