How to add data sources in Looker Studio

If you’re reading this, I assume you either work with data or would like to. The data you have access to and want to communicate through visualisations is the heart of Looker Studio. In this post, we’ll dive into the world of data sources and how to connect them to your reports in Looker Studio.

Visit the post where I added a list of datasets we’ll work with in the examples of this blog to learn how to access them so you can practice as you read along.

1. Connecting Data Sources in Looker Studio

Connecting your data sources is the first step to creating a new report. When you start with a blank one, Looker Studio will ask you to connect your data before anything else.

You can create a blank report from the home page by selecting Create → Report from the left menu or clicking on the colored square with the cross that says Blank Report above the list of recent reports.

You can add data in two ways:

Through a connector
By selecting a data source from My Data Sources

If you’re working with an existing report and want to add more data, you can access the options above in two ways:

Through the top menu: Resource → Manage Added Data Sources → Add a Data Source

Or in just one click: Select Add Data from the menu directly above the canvas.

2. Adding Data through a Connector

Google’s Native Connectors

Some of the most popular data sources are natively supported by Google. For all of them, if it’s your first time connecting, you’ll need to authenticate your Google account.

Once authenticated, the next step varies slightly depending on which source you want to use:

Google Sheets

You need to select the spreadsheet and then the worksheet you want to connect.

Google Analytics

The connection is made at the property level. You need to choose the account and then the property. With Universal Analytics (the old version of Google Analytics), you also had to select a view after the property. Now with Google Analytics 4, views no longer exist, so the selection stops at the property.

Google Ads

The data is connected at the report level, so you need to choose the account to which it belongs first.

BigQuery

You connect to a table within a dataset of a project.

The process is pretty intuitive, and once you’ve selected the source, you click the bottom right Add button.

Looker Studio will think for a bit, and if the connection was successful, it will show a message:

It’s important to note this in case there’s sensitive information you don’t want others to access. Those with editing privileges in the Looker Studio dashboard can create new visualisations and therefore see all the data that the source contains. If you don’t want them to have full access, only grant them viewing privileges, not editing.

After you click Add to report on the message about report editors, you’ll see your dashboard canvas. You’re now ready to start adding charts!

Non-Native Connectors

Currently, there are 24 native connectors, and sometimes they’re not enough to access the data you need. This is the case for social media insights like those from Facebook or Instagram. For these, you’ll need to use non-native connectors. Right now, you have over 1,000 to choose from!

One of the most well-known companies offering non-native connectors is Supermetrics. To find all the connectors they offer, you can use the search bar, and you’ll see that there are more than 100 available (at the time I’m writing this, they offer 124). I’ve used the ones for Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, both Ads and Insights.

If you’re interested in social media data, other companies offer similar solutions. Just search for the network you’re interested in (e.g., Facebook) in the search bar, and you’ll see all the available options.

For SEO data, a well-known tool with connectors in Looker Studio is SEMrush. You can find it following the same process as mentioned above.

When using a non-native connector, the first step is also to authenticate your account, but it won’t be your Google account this time; it will be the account for the tool you’re connecting.

The drawback with non-native connectors is that they’re usually paid accounts. With Supermetrics, for example, there are different pricing options depending on how many data sources you want to connect.

If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t have the budget for paid connectors and there’s no free version available to connect your data, Google Sheets is your best friend. It’s not as ideal as having everything automated through a connector, but you can always download the data, store it in Google Sheets, and use it as your data source. It’s not a perfect solution, but at least you’ll be able to use a free connector and, more importantly, visualise your data.

3. Selecting a Data Source from My Data Sources

In My Data Sources, you’ll see data sources you own and those you don’t. To appear there, it’s important that:

If you’re the owner, you’ve connected it from Looker Studio’s home or made it reusable.
If you’re not the owner, the data source owner has shared it with you. For this, they need to make the source reusable (which I’ll explain in a few paragraphs) and then share it with you.

You’ll also see data samples from various tools that Google makes available. If you search for “Sample” in the search box, you can see what’s available. These are a great option for practicing with data that’s not easily accessible, like Google Ads, which requires you to have or have had active campaigns.

Once you’ve selected the source, just click Add, and you’re ready to start creating visualisations.

4. Managing Added Data Sources

To manage the sources we’ve added, go to Resource in the top menu and select Manage Added Data Sources.

There, you’ll see all the sources that are part of your report, along with columns displaying the following information:

Data source name (can be changed in Edit mode)
Connector type (Google Sheets, Google Analytics, etc.)
Type (embedded or reusable)
Number of charts using the source (useful to identify sources that are not being used and may not be necessary for the report)
Status (whether functioning or not)
Actions:
- Edit (allows you to add fields, among other things)
- Duplicate
- Remove
- Make reusable (this makes the data source accessible from the Looker Studio home, allowing it to be used in other reports without needing to be added through a connector each time)
- Alias