Looker Connect Training
Help Center
Documentation
Community
Cloud Certifications

Knowledge base
Community ResourcesUsing the Community3 Account Info & Registration4 Community Feedback1
Community
WelcomeGetting started145 News & announcements125 Who's hiring494 Release notes (archive)63 Lesson Comments15 Challenge10
Looker developmentLookML1833 SQL323
Exploring & curating dataExplores561 Dashboards & looks1566
Application developmentEmbedding Looker / Powered by Looker155 Open source projects54 Looker API378
AdministrationUser access & management70 General Looker administration453
Data science & analyticsGot a question?83 Share your best practices16
The Kitchen TableTechnical Tips & Tricks1739 Common Account Questions14 Blog Archives347 DCL Mic Drops5 Video Tutorials 🎥4
コミュニティフォーラム (Japanese)ニュースと告知50 ヘルプとサポート14 コラム69

Ask question / Create topic
Login

Community
The Kitchen Table

The Kitchen Table

Explore the product knowledge we've built up together

2109 Topics

Recently active

Most replies Most views Newest first

chris.seymourLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Does the "Send Test" button listen to "Send if there are results"?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Aug 22, 2018 No. The "Send Test" button will always send the look, whether or not you have "Send if there are results" or "and results have changed since last run" selected.If you want to test whether these options are working as expected, you should save a schedule that runs in the next five minutes. This content is subject to limited support.

110

1 year ago

chris.seymourLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

If there are raw results but "Hide No's" is hiding all the rows, does a schedule with "Send if there are results" send?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Aug 22, 2018 As of version 5.8, schedules using the "Send if there are results option" and "Apply visualization options will NOT send the look if the "Hide No's from Visualization" table calc option is hiding all of the rows. The Admin - Scheduler panel will show the message `no delivery - data required but not present`—just as if there were no data in the results at all. This content is subject to limited support.

620

1 year ago

chris.seymourLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Why am I seeing "Looker instance is not configured for backups" on the Admin - Backup page?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Oct 24, 2018 This means that the instance is on a MySQL internal db, and the product doesn't do S3 backups for MySQL.If you are Looker-hosted, we automatically create backups using a process outside of the Looker app, so you don't need to worry about this message.If you host your own instance, you'll need to create your own backups. This content is subject to limited support.

1 year ago

chris.seymourLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Status code 000 after starting LookerKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Oct 9, 2020 A status code of 000 means no HTTP code was received. You may see this response when hitting the alive endpoint after starting a Looker instance because it takes a few minutes before the Looker instance is ready to receive HTTP requests. Note that running systemctl status looker may show that the Looker instance is active even if it is not yet ready to receive HTTP requests. This content is subject to limited support.

540

1 year ago

chris.seymourLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

What makes SSO embed URLs secure? What is the purpose of the signature in SSO embed?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Apr 5, 2021 The signature is used to authenticate that the URL used in the embed context comes from an authorized party and has not been tampered with. If you edit the URL, it won't match the signature that was generated, and the URL won't work.The signature is essentially the embed URL parameters signed with the embed secret -- so when a request is made to Looker in the form of a full embed URL (parameters + signature), Looker will compute its own signature with the embed secret and the URL parameters and compare that to the signature offered in the URL. if they don't match, the URL is invalid and will be rejected with a 401 error response.The signature provides the following cryptographic proofs / safeguards:Proof of Origin That the signature in the URL was created with the embed secret, therefore the URL originated from someone who possesses the embed secret, and therefore we can trust them. Proof of Fidelity That the URL parameters have not been modified in transit. E

1110

1 year ago

chris.seymourLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

How do I import/export looks into Google Sheets?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: May 31, 2019 Starting in Looker 7.4, the best way to do this is to use the Google Sheets action in the Action Hub!Prior to Looker 7.4, there were a few ways to get data from Looker into Google Sheets, described below. All of these methods come with their own security concerns, which is one reason that the Google Sheets action will be the best choice for most use cases. However, these methods may still be useful for you with specific requirements that the Google Sheets action doesn't cover.ImportXML formula with the public URL. There are some issues with ImportXML, so you might want to reference this Help Center article to set up a custom script if you run into those.However, there are still timeouts on the Google Sheets side that we can't change, so queries that take longer than a minute to run in the UI will still error in Google Sheets (you could set a caching policy to avoid this). There are a couple of other options:Run looks from the API: This option allows you to acc

3710

1 year ago

chris.seymourLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

How do I return a specific nested field (subfield) in a response from an interactive API docs call?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Oct 22, 2018 Write the name of the outer block followed by the nested fields desired in parentheses, like this: field(subfield)Example:What about from an Sdk?Example for Ruby scripts:space(447, :fields => 'id, name, looks(id, title), dashboards(id, title)')Note that all of the field names are contained in a comma-separated list in a string. This content is subject to limited support.

150

1 year ago

Christel_IlakaLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Error creating new branch: cannot specify a base branch when checking out an existing branchKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Jan 28, 2021 This error means that the name of the new branch that you're trying to create already exist. Make sure that the name is new and unique. This content is subject to limited support.

190

1 year ago

david.chiaramonteLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Can I use "git:" at the beginning of my repository URL?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Nov 14, 2019 In other words, can I have something like:git://github.com/example/repo_name.gitShort answer: Not if you want to write to your repoUsing this pattern creates a read-only connection to the repo. If you are connecting to the repo via this method, go to Step 2 of this section in our git docs where our supported patterns exist. Because git: doesn't use SSH or HTTPS protocol, you won't be able to write to your repo from Looker, and thus will see READ-ONLY next to the branch name in the top left corner of the project IDE. This content is subject to limited support.

150

1 year ago

david.chiaramonteLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Can I start Looker with java -jar looker.jar start?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Sep 5, 2019 You can but it doesn't mean you should. Using java -jar looker.jar start instead of our startup scripts in our docs means that the Looker process boots with Java's default memory allocation. And Java's memory allocation is much smaller than what we recommend in our docs. Because of this, the Looker process can crash and yield 502 errors with:NoMethodError : undefined method `exception' for java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: GC overhead limit exceeded:Java::JavaLang::OutOfMemoryErrormessages in the logs. For best results, always recommend using the startup scripts! This content is subject to limited support.

260

1 year ago

david.chiaramonteLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

How do I break and change a field reference for a single explore?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Aug 20, 2019 Will the break-the-field-reference-to-find-and-replace-in-Content-Validator method not work for your use case because we want to change specific content in specific explores? Try adding a fields parameter like:fields: [ALL_FIELDS*,-view_name.field_name_we_want_to_break] This will surface "Unknown field" errors in the Content Validator, but only for the specific explores you break (as opposed to breaking the field reference in the view file and having the reference break everywhere). This content is subject to limited support.

250

1 year ago

david.chiaramonteLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Are custom filters preserved when changing other filters on a Look's schedule?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Sep 3, 2019 Yes! If you create a report with a custom filter and save it as a Look, you can change other filters in the Schedule modal without affecting the custom filter logic. It acts as a "constant" filter that you can only change by editing the Look itself. This content is subject to limited support.

280

1 year ago

david.chiaramonteLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Does Looker validate imported LookML from project import?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Apr 27, 2020 Nope!This is outlined in our docs here. Specifically:This is a good option when the same team owns both projects and can validate changes in both places before pushing to production.This means that errors will only surface in their respective projects, so devs will want access to both the base_project as well as the destination_project to validate LookML changes in both places before pushing to production. This content is subject to limited support.

100

1 year ago

davidsLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

What is funnel analysis?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Dec 30, 2019 Funnel analysis enables you to visualize a customer journey, aggregating user behavior in stages across a workflow toward a specific outcome.All businesses have a target outcome (or many), so funnel analysis is applicable for any product/service being sold. Google Analytics (GA), the main leaders in use of funnels, refer to these outcomes as goals that they want users to gravitate toward, (e.g. making a purchase or signing up for a service). The set of steps taken to reach that goal (e.g. the app events or page views) is referred to as a “funnel”. This is because the typical shape created when we visualize the flow of users is similar to a funnel, with users dropping off in each step.Therefore with funnel analysis, you can see at which step users mostly drop off and use that data to optimize per stage and increase the funnel conversion rate, the % of users who make it through the funnel from the start to the end goal.Read the following tutorials to get a bette

3980

1 year ago

Dean_HicksLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Types of AlertsKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Mar 17, 2020 There are three main types of alerts. Single value- only used on single value visualizations.- should alert based on the value used in the vis (first row only)Time Series- used when there is a date/time dimension on the result- checks all new rows that have not been seen before (based on the time series dimension)Categorical- used when not single value or time series.- checks all rows and pivot values unless a specific row or pivot value was selected when the alert was created. This content is subject to limited support.

540

1 year ago

Dean_HicksLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

What happens if I manually stop/kill a Building PDT in admin/queries?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Sep 14, 2020 If the PDT build was initiated by the regenerator (sql_trigger_value or datagroup_trigger, the current build will be cancelled, along with the current regenerator cycle. The PDT will remain triggered and the regenerator will initiate another build/rebuild the next regenerator cycle. If your PDT build was initiated by an explore query (persist_for, dev mode PDTs, trigger PDTs that have not been built yet), Looker will wait until the next time the table is used in a query to rebuild it or in the case of a trigger PDT, the regenerator will attempt to build the next regenerator cycle. If your PDT build was initiated via the Rebuild Derived Tables and Run option, the existing PDT will be used. A rebuild will not be initiated until it is triggered for rebuild. This content is subject to limited support.

1660

1 year ago

diego.camposLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Is there a way for me to email all of my Looker users?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jan 23, 2018 Currently there is not a direct way to do this in Looker.In the meantime, a workaround would be to use System Activity to get the list of all the users and their email addresses.If we go to base url + /explore/system_activity/user we can see there is a view on the left called USER.We can select the email field and also apply a filter on the Is Disabled = NoThat will give us a list of the email addresses for all the current Looker users.Another approach would be to use the API and the get_all_users() call to retrieve all the users and their email address, then from the result, exclude the ones where is_disabled is true.Finally when you have a list of the users to email, it may be easier to create a group of these email addresses via your email provider, and then use that group in the scheduler to send out to this group of users. This content is subject to limited support.

1290

1 year ago

evelyn.shenLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Liquid syntax error: 'if' tag was never closedKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Nov 30, 2020 Liquid tags can't have spaces between { and % or % and } .For example, if we have:{% if view_name.field_name._in_query %}something to insert if true{% else %}something to insert if false{ % endif % }...we will see this error because the last line { % endif % } has these extra spaces. Removing any extra spaces (i.e., using {% endif %}) will resolve the error.Other possible syntax issues (https://talk.jekyllrb.com/t/liquid-if-statement-error/2953):We're missing a % somewhere. We're missing a closing statement in our conditional logic. This content is subject to limited support.

11460

1 year ago

ismailLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

I want to move/copy a dashboard to an embed user's folder but I do not see their folder listedKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Mar 26, 2020 The ProblemAdmins would like to copy dashboards to Embed User folders rather than recreate the dashboards for each Embed Use case but cant see the Embed User Folders when they use the copy modal in User spaces.Workaround:Navigate to All Folders -> Embed Users Folder Set as your default FolderWhen copying/moving a dashboard, the Embed Users folder (and the user folders contained within) are now accessible from the copy/move modal. This content is subject to limited support.

1640

1 year ago

jamesnestlerLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Tabbed Dashboard using Liquid HTMLKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Mar 1, 2021 The code snippets below would go in a text tile on your dashboard. The idea is you can break up larger dashboards into multiple “Tabs” while keeping content in one place from the end user’s perspective. The end user sees a clickable navigation bar on your dashboard. Basic Version:<hr><div type="button" class="btn btn-primary btn-lg btn-block">Text goes here</div><a href="path to next 'tab' in the dash here" class="btn btn-primary">Text goes here</a>#Add as many new <a href ... lines as you like for more tabs!Fancier Version:<hr><div class="vis-single-value"><div class="btn-group btn-group-sm"><a type="button" class="btn btn-primary btn-lg btn-block">Text goes here</a><a href="path to next 'tab' in the dash here" class="btn btn-primary">Text goes here</a>#Add as many new <a href ... lines as you like for more tabs!</div></div>Even better example, works on dashboard-next:&lt

14010

1 year ago

jamesnestlerLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Text Tile: How to create a footer / unlimited width textKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Feb 28, 2020 <div class="vis"><div class="vis-single-value"><font color="#5A2FC2" size="3"><center>If we keep typing will the text wrap at 500px or will it go across the entire tile? This type of example may take a test on your instance to confirm</center></font></div></div> This content is subject to limited support.

380

1 year ago

jamesnestlerLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Why are there commits from a `Lookering` user in my Github repo?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Feb 5, 2020 You may see something like this in your commit history:And be curious that some random Looker github user has access to their Git repo.The TLDR:Lookering is Looker's github user, that initializes branches and does other branch maintenanc-ey stuff. Lookering does not have access to the Git repo, it merely makes commits and merges in certain specific cases.The Long Version:In Github, actions aren't really performed by a user per se, in fact it's not necessary to even have a user account to make a commit. What ties actions taken by a user to that user account is the email address included in the request header. You could include any user's email in your commit header, and have the commit show up as that user, or include none at all. Point is, the Lookering user doesn't actually have access to your Git repo, rather the email address was simply included in the header.https://help.github.com/en/github/committing-changes-to-your-project/why-are-my-commits-linked-to-th

680

1 year ago

Page 49 / 85

Badges

sbrylowskihas earned the badge Friendly Face
carriehas earned the badge Helpful
carriehas earned the badge Community Star
carriehas earned the badge Friendly Face
Dawidhas earned the badge Community Star

Show all badges

Sign up

Already have an account? Login

Social Login

Username *

E-mail address *

Company

(Private)

Only you and moderators can see this information

Password *

I accept the Terms of Service.

If you’re an EEA-based consumer of digital content, services, or goods, and you’ve agreed to our Terms of Service, then EEA consumer laws provide you with a legal guarantee. Under this guarantee, we’re liable for any lack of conformity that you discover for the one-time supply of digital content or services at any time during the “continuous” supply of digital content or services.
Your national laws may provide an even longer guarantee. Your rights under these legal guarantees aren’t limited by any other commercial guarantees that we provide. If you want to make a guarantee claim or if you would like to delete your account data, please contact us lookerconnect-help@google.com.

loginBox.register.email_repeat

Login to the community

No account yet? Create an account

Social Login

Username or Email

Password

Remember me

Forgot password?

Enter your username or e-mail address. We'll send you an e-mail with instructions to reset your password.

Username or e-mail

Back to overview

Scanning file for viruses.

Sorry, we're still checking this file's contents to make sure it's safe to download. Please try again in a few minutes.

This file cannot be downloaded

Sorry, our virus scanner detected that this file isn't safe to download.

The Kitchen Table

Does the "Send Test" button listen to "Send if there are results"?Knowledge Drop

If there are raw results but "Hide No's" is hiding all the rows, does a schedule with "Send if there are results" send?Knowledge Drop

LookML Error: Invalid property for model: project_nameKnowledge Drop

Why is my webhook schedule timing out at 30 minutes?Knowledge Drop

Why am I getting a 403 on all pages in Looker?Knowledge Drop

Why am I seeing "Looker instance is not configured for backups" on the Admin - Backup page?Knowledge Drop

Status code 000 after starting LookerKnowledge Drop

What makes SSO embed URLs secure? What is the purpose of the signature in SSO embed?Knowledge Drop

How do I import/export looks into Google Sheets?Knowledge Drop

How do I return a specific nested field (subfield) in a response from an interactive API docs call?Knowledge Drop

Error creating new branch: cannot specify a base branch when checking out an existing branchKnowledge Drop

Can I use "git:" at the beginning of my repository URL?Knowledge Drop

Can I start Looker with java -jar looker.jar start?Knowledge Drop

How do I break and change a field reference for a single explore?Knowledge Drop

Are custom filters preserved when changing other filters on a Look's schedule?Knowledge Drop

Does Looker validate imported LookML from project import?Knowledge Drop

What is funnel analysis?Knowledge Drop

Types of AlertsKnowledge Drop

What happens if I manually stop/kill a Building PDT in admin/queries?Knowledge Drop

Is there a way for me to email all of my Looker users?Knowledge Drop

Liquid syntax error: 'if' tag was never closedKnowledge Drop

I want to move/copy a dashboard to an embed user's folder but I do not see their folder listedKnowledge Drop

Tabbed Dashboard using Liquid HTMLKnowledge Drop

Text Tile: How to create a footer / unlimited width textKnowledge Drop

Why are there commits from a `Lookering` user in my Github repo?Knowledge Drop

Badges

Sign up

Social Login

Login to the community

Social Login

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded