Currency conversion in Looker Studio using parameters

Currency conversion in Looker Studio is essential when you’re building dashboards for international audiences. Instead of creating multiple charts for each currency, you can use a parameter that allows the viewer to select a currency (such as £, €, or $), and dynamically convert metrics like revenue or profit using calculated fields.

In this tutorial, I’ll walk you step by step through adding currency conversion in Looker Studio, using the Superstore Products dataset as an example. By the end, users will be able to select their preferred currency, and your revenue metrics will update automatically based on real-time or fixed exchange rates.

🔧 Step 1: Create a currency selection parameter

First, create a parameter that lets users choose between currencies:

1. In Looker Studio, click Resource > Manage added data sources > Edit your data source
2. Click on Add a Parameter
3. Name it: Selected Currency
4. Set Data type to Text
5. Set Allowable values to:
   • List of values:
     • USD
     • EUR
     • GBP
6. Choose a default value (e.g. USD)
7. Click Save

You now have a currency selector that you can turn into a dropdown menu for users.

🧮 Step 2: Add a currency conversion rate field

Now we’ll create a calculated field that applies the correct exchange rate depending on the selected currency. Let’s say our base currency is USD.

1. Go to Resource > Manage added data sources > Edit your data source
2. Click Add a Field > Add calculated field
3. Name it: Conversion Rate
4. Use the formula:

CASE
  WHEN Selected Currency = "USD" THEN 1
  WHEN Selected Currency = "EUR" THEN 0.91
  WHEN Selected Currency = "GBP" THEN 0.78
  ELSE 1
END

💡 To update this currency conversion in Looker Studio, you can change the rates manually or connect a Google Sheet with live exchange rates (with GOOGLEFINANCE) if needed.

📊 Step 3: Create a converted revenue field

Now, we’ll apply the conversion to a monetary metric. In this case, Gross revenue from the Superstore Products dataset.

1. Add another calculated field
2. Name it: Converted Revenue
3. Use the formula:

Gross revenue * Conversion Rate

That’s it! This new field will now reflect the selected currency value, which will allow you have currency conversion in Looker Studio.

🎛️ Step 4: Add a dropdown control for currency

To let users select the currency in the report:

1. Click Add a Control > Drop-down List
2. From the setup panel on the right:
   • Set the Control field to Selected Currency
3. Place the control at the top of the report

Then add a chart that uses the calculated metric Converted Revenue. You can create a table with Transaction ID as the dimension and Converted Revenue as the metric.

Now, viewers can select their preferred currency, and all charts using Converted Revenue will update instantly.

💡 Optional: Add a dynamic currency symbol

If you want the charts to show the correct symbol (£, €, or $), you can:

• Add a calculated field like:

CASE
  WHEN Selected Currency = "USD" THEN "$"
  WHEN Selected Currency = "EUR" THEN "€"
  WHEN Selected Currency = "GBP" THEN "£"
  ELSE "$"
END

• Display this symbol next to your metric in tables or headers.

✅ Final thoughts

Adding currency conversion in Looker Studio with parameters is a great way to localise your dashboards and make them user-friendly for international audiences. With a single dropdown and a few calculated fields, you can allow users to:

• View sales or revenue in their local currency
• Compare performance across countries
• Avoid the clutter of multiple duplicated charts

This technique works not only with Gross revenue but also with any other financial metric in your dataset, such as Net revenue, Total price, or even calculated profit margins.

❓FAQs