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Topics started by Morgan

27 Topics

Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Are UI filters case sensitive by default?Knowledge Drop

Last Tested: Jul 27, 2017 By default, case_sensitivity is on and filters are case sensitive. You can change this using the case_sensitive parameter at the model, explore, or field level. However, some dialects do not support this parameter. List of dialects here. This content is subject to limited support.                 

1812
Morgan
Looker Staff
4 months ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Error starting Looker. See log file for details.Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Nov 17, 2017 Chat tip: In general, try stopping looker then check if the java process is running. If it is, kill it and try again.Search the log file for ERROR. Below are some errors and the ways to fix them (at the time of this writing there is just one that I know of)Error starting Looker: Java::JavaSql::SQLException: Database lock acquisition failure: lockFile: org.hsqldb.persist.LockFile@14e27af2[file =/Users/user/looker/.db/looker.lck, exists=true, locked=false, valid=false, ] method: checkHeartbeat read: 2017-11-17 20:15:56 heartbeat - read: -2460 ms. This usually means that Looker was shut down improperly. When I encountered this, I had previously shut down my computer without stopping Looker. This created a looker.lck file that prevented looker from starting.Steps to resolve (assumes you are in the looker directory):run ./looker stop run ps aux | grep java to see if Looker is still running if Looker is running, run pkill -9 java delete the lock file: rm .db/looker

1722
Morgan
Looker Staff
7 months ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Difference between downloading PDFs in Dev and Production ModeKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Jun 4, 2019 Regardless of what mode you are in, PDF downloads always come from the production code.There is an existing discussion on allowing downloads of dev mode versions in Pendo feedback if you search for ID 17678. This content is subject to limited support.                  

280
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Unexpected WITH near XXXKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Dec 1, 2020 This is one example of an error you can get by using a CTE in a derived table. See ​this post for more info.More examples:BigQuery:Syntax Error: Expected \"(\" or keyword SELECT but got keyword WITH at... This content is subject to limited support.                   

270
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Error Starting Looker: Version XX initial fork failed: Cannot allocate memoryKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Oct 24, 2017 This probably means that a Looker instance is already running on this server. Kill the other process then try again! This content is subject to limited support.                   

210
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

What does "Cache Reset At" mean in the Datagroups tab?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jul 4, 2018 "Cache Reset At" refers to the last time the datagroup was "triggered" and cleared all of the cache for the explore/model/pdt. This corresponds to the sql_trigger parameter used in the datagroup definition."Cache Reset At" does not account for max_cache_age parameters. It only refers to triggered cache clears. The reason is that max_cache_age does not specify a universal cache expiration across the entire datagroup; it only specifies cache expiration for individual queries.  For example, if you have max_cache_age: "1 hour" , and you run queries at 9:00 and 9:05, those cached queries will expire at 10:00 and 10:05 respectively (assuming they have not been busted by a sql_trigger change first).  So there is no single time that would make sense to display for when the max_cache_age resets. This content is subject to limited support.                  

270
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Is development mode or production mode used for downloads and schedules?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Dec 8, 2017 Production mode is always used for schedules. Production mode is also always used for rendered jobs (ie PNG/PDF downloads).For downloads that are not png or pdf, we use the mode that the user is in when they download. So, it is possible to export a CSV using dev mode results. But, if you're trying to download PNG or PDF, the resulting export will pull from Production.There is a feature request to use dev mode for PNGs/PDFs. This content is subject to limited support.                   

640
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Can you change the background color of a dashboard?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Oct 19, 2020 Only for Embed dashboards.For Dashboards-Next, it is one of the settings under Dashboard Page in Custom Themes (note that this is a license feature, so it will need to be enabled on an instance).For regular dashboards, there is an "embed settings" option that lets you edit certain options for an embedded dashboard. There are LookML dashboard parameters too. The options look like this:You can't do this for dashboards in the Looker UI. This content is subject to limited support.                  

17270
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

FAQ: "Rebuild Derived Tables and Run" with PDTsKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Dec 27, 2018 What is it?The "Rebuild Derived Tables and Run" button will initiate a rebuild of all persistent derived tables involved in the query. It will also initiate a rebuild of all upstream PDTs. When can you see this option?The "Rebuild Derived Tables and Run" button will appear in the cog of an explore or look if:The user has the "develop" permission (as of 4.18) The query uses a PDT that has already been built. The query has finished running. Note: The option will not appear in an Embedded context (with /embed/ in the URL) - public or private, regardless of permissions Another note: not available on dashboardsDoes it affect other users?Sort of. Only the user that clicked the button will have to wait for the rebuild to finish. All other users use the existing table. However, all users will use the new version of the table once it is complete. Other users may also be impacted by the database strain that the rebuild may cause. If you hit this button while in dev mode

2760
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Does the scheduler listen to cache?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jun 22, 2017 Yes, a scheduled query will behave the same way as a normal query.In addition, a schedule may use the render cache. This content is subject to limited support.                   

150
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

How can I quickly test dev mode PDTs without generating the entire PDT?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Sep 27, 2019 Working Faster in Development Mode (Docs)There are cases when the PDT you're creating may take a long time to generate, which can be frustrating when testing lots of changes in development mode. Looker supports a conditional WHERE clause for development mode that helps manage this:view: my_view {derived_table: {sql:SELECT columnsFROMmy_tableWHERE-- if prod -- date > '2000-01-01'-- if dev -- date > '2015-01-01';;}} Note: if no filtering is wanted in prod, you can do -- if prod -- 1=1, or you can put the WHERE inside the --if dev. Link to full PDT Documentation (Docs). This content is subject to limited support.                 

1160
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Is there a way to see unused fields, explores, views, etc?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jan 21, 2019 You can currently do this with the API, or use the Henry tool for instance cleanup!Note that Henry is an open source tool, and therefore not supported by Looker’s normal support channels. This content is subject to limited support.                 

3430
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Is there a way to remove Looker links from scheduled emails?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jun 21, 2017 Per-ScheduleIn Looker 4.20+, there is an option in the scheduler modal to "Include Links" for each scheduled report.Instance-wideThere is also a Whitelabel section of the Admin page where you can turn this off globally.Note: This requires the Whitelabel license feature to be turned on, contact your Looker account manager if you want to make use of this feature.  This content is subject to limited support.                   

350
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Can you use CTEs (WITH syntax) in a PDT? (common table expressions, aka WITH param)Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jul 1, 2020 You can use CTEs in PDTs, and you can use them in DTs. However, it’s not recommended to use CTEs in PDTs or DTs. Using a CTE can work…but it can also break, and we don’t know when it will nor do we test for it.Ephemeral Derived Tables are created using a WITH statement. Therefore, using a CTE in a DT would create nested WITH statements, which is not allowed in SQL. You may see an error like Syntax error at or near WITHRecommended Fix: take the sql from your CTE and use that in a derived table, then reference that back in the PDT/DT that you are pulling the CTE out ofview: cte_replacement {derived_table: {sql: SELECT id FROM analyst ;;}} view: users_b {derived_table: {sql: SELECT * FROM ${cte_replacement.SQL_TABLE_NAME} ;;}}  This content is subject to limited support.                   

10950
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

What changes will break a look?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jul 1, 2018 The long url of a look is of the form:http://instance.looker.com/explore/MODEL_NAME/EXPLORE_NAME?fields=...filter_config=... This means a look will break or change in the following situations:-model is changed or deleted such that MODEL NAME is no longer valid-explore is changed, moved or deleted such that EXPLORE NAME is no longer valid-field is changed or deleted such that a field name is no longer valid.This means you can move a model to a new project, for example, and the look will not break as long as the explore and model have the same name. This content is subject to limited support.                   

40
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

When does a PDT make upstream (dependent) PDTs get rebuiltKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Jan 16, 2019 Hitting the "rebuild derived tables and run" button will rebuild the current PDTs and any upstream PDTs.A trigger will not cause upstream PDTs to rebuild, unless those PDTs don't exist This content is subject to limited support.                  

70
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

What are Query Slugs?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Mar 26, 2020 We currently have 3 kinds of queries: Normal Queries, SQL Runner Queries, and Merge Queries. Information about each resides in its own table in the internal database (normal queries in the query table, sql runner queries in the sql_query table, merge queries in merge_query ). So query id 8 is unrelated to sql query id 8.A query slug is like a string ID. The thing that makes them great is that they are unique across all tables in the database. So if you give me a query slug, I can tell you what kind of query it is.Query slugs looks like this: drhGIqAK7qSRksKg6Y3UWs and are often found at the end of explore URLs.  This content is subject to limited support.                  

5410
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Why don't I have the option to enable pull requests in the git settings?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Apr 27, 2021 Pull requests are only an option for supported providers. If you've chosen "Custom Git Provider" from the dropdown when configuring your git connection, you won't get the option for pull requests.Also, if the repository is hosted by Looker, pull requests are disabled. You will need to host your own repositories if you want to use them. This content is subject to limited support.                   

350
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Putting a Dashboard or Look on a TV , Raspberry Pi, Airtame, Display, BroadcastKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Mar 22, 2021 You can only put a dashboard on a TV if the streaming service you use will allow you to log in to Looker. This isn't possible with a Raspberry Pi or Airtame since they only take a web address and don't let you navigate or use any input.The options here are public look or SSO embed.As of Looker 6.24, content can be made public but restricted by IP address - so a public look could be made accessible to the Raspberry Pi's IP address and prohibited for all others.If you are using SSO embed, you can also just have the raspberry Pi web server generate an SSO Url with a particular embed user configuration and you can display a dashboard. You may want to refresh the Looker content you want to display on the TV screen periodically (dashboard refresh?). It's recommended that the Raspberry Pi device generate a new SSO URl periodically as well, perhaps daily. This content is subject to limited support.                    

2710
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Embedded Domain WhitelistKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Jul 21, 2018Want to know what your embedded users are up to? You can do this by broadcasting iframe events to the parent page. For security reasons, we can't go broadcasting Looker events to anyone, so if you want to accept the events, your domain needs to be in the "Embedded Domain Whitelist" in the Embed section of the admin panel. Cite Docs. This content is subject to limited support.                   

1170
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Can you change the file name of a scheduled report?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: May 31, 2019 No. Please comment on the feature request: https://feedback.us.pendo.io/app/#/case/17616See this card for how files sent to SFTP and S3 are named: How are files sent to SFTP and S3 buckets named?  This content is subject to limited support.                   

1280
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

When are semicolons used in LookML?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jun 15, 2017 The double semicolon is used to end SQL and HTML blocks. It should not be used to end a query in SQL Runner. This content is subject to limited support.                  

830
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

PDF resolutionKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Mar 15, 2019 The default PDF resolution for looks is 800x600px.The default resolution for dashboards is a width of 1680px - height will be adjusted accordingly. the width of the dashboard is locked at 1680 for a dashboard.NOTE: For old PhantomJS rendering, the figure is actually 1280px. The height is set to 1 but the render script that is ran in phantomjs sets the height of the image taken, and cuts off the image if it would go beyond a page break in a pdf file.These are both configurable using API render task endpoints.Note that tables with many columns may get cut off in the "tiled" dashboard pdf format. In this case, the "single tile" format is usually preferable, as the tile will get scaled to a width of 1680, though there is still a limit (somewhere around 20 columns it will get cut off). This content is subject to limited support.                  

2120
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Can you round down in table calculations?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jun 16, 2020 There is a floor function that will round a number down to the nearest integer. However, to round down to a certain number of decimal places, you will need some math.Use this formula and replace # with the number of decimal places you want to round down to:floor(${number}*power(10,#))/power(10,#) This content is subject to limited support.                  

9520
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago
Morgan
Looker Staff
MorganLooker Staff
published in Technical Tips & Tricks

"Key is already in use" when resetting git connectionKnowledge Drop

Last Tested: Dec 27, 2018 The ProblemWhen you reset a git connection, Looker provides the same deploy key as it did the first time the git connection was set up.The SolutionIf you're not changing remote git repositories, this means you don't need to re-add the key. It's already in your remote git repository settings.If you're trying to migrate from one remote git repo to another, then this collision can be solved one of two ways:Reset the deploy key on the Looker side. (This option is only available in Looker 5.0+) Delete the deploy key on the remote Git provider side on the repository that you're migrating from. This can be found in the repository settings page. This content is subject to limited support.                  

660
Morgan
Looker Staff
1 year ago

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