The data control and dimension control in Looker Studio are among the newest controls. Keep reading to see what functions they have.
Visit the post on how to add controls to your report in Looker Studio, if you need a refresher.
1. Data Control
What is it?
It allows you to change the data source of charts without the need to edit the report.
When to use it?
When you have many Google Analytics accounts or other Google tools and want to quickly change the data source without modifying the report. Currently, it can only be used with the following Looker Studio connectors:
- Google Analytics
- Google Ads
- Attribution 360
- Google Ad Manager
- Campaign Manager 360
- Search Console
- YouTube
In the set-up of the control, you can select the type of tool from the list above.
Example
Imagine you work at an online marketing agency and you’ve created a performance report for one of the websites you manage. You can change the data in the report from one website to another that you also work on using this type of control.
This is a Google Analytics data control.
2. Dimension Control
What is it?
The dimension control gives the end user of the report the ability to change the primary dimension of the chart without modifying the settings, meaning they can do it without having editing privileges.
When to use it?
When you want users to be able to change dimensions in the same chart without modifying its configuration.
Example
Suppose you have a table that shows Gross Revenue by Product Category from the Products Superstore dataset, and you want the report users to be able to view this same metric, but by Subcategory or by Customer Segment. With a dimension control, you can achieve this, as it will change the primary dimension of the chart.
The following image shows the table with the dimension and metric mentioned in the previous paragraph, and a dimension control with the fields Subcategory and (customer) Segment.
If I select Subcategory in the dimension control, it will replace Category in the table. The same will happen if I select Segment.
In the set-up of the dimension control, I have chosen both Subcategory and Segment as dimensions.
Only one dimension can be selected at a time in the dimension control, and if the chart has two or more, only the first will be changed.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a comment! 🙂