User-added targets in your Looker Studio report using parameters

There are times when you want the end user of your report to be able to input certain values into the charts. This is now possible in Looker Studio using parameters.

Suppose you have an automated dashboard that shows weekly revenue represented by a line chart. The head of sales at your company has access to this report, and each week when she visits it, she would like to add a reference line to the chart to see how the trend compares to the target.

For this example, I’ll use the Superstore Products data source. Visit the post on how to add data sources to Looker Studio to learn more about it and how to access the data.

To allow her to modify the target within the chart, follow these steps:

First, create a parameter by going to ResourceManage added data sourcesEdit in the Superstore Products data source (as per our example) → Add a parameter.

Name it Target and choose Number (decimal) as the type. Leave the default value blank.

Next, create the time series chart using Gross Revenue as the metric. In Style, add a reference line of Parameter Type and select the Target field you just created as the parameter.

After that, add an Input Box control to your report and select Target as its control field.

This is where the head of sales will be able to input a target value that will be displayed on the chart.

What do you think of this tip? Do you have an example where your colleagues would prefer to add additional data to your charts?

Leave a Comment