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The Kitchen Table

The Kitchen Table

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samLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Can I edit a commit message after it's been committed?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Sep 14, 2020 This is possible, but not from Looker's UI.You would need to do this on the command line, following these Github instructions. Then you need to make sure to hit the deploy webhook to get Looker to sync the changes done outside of Looker's UI. This content is subject to limited support.

420

11 months ago

samLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Filtering on the Last Day of the Month

Looker will not be updating this content, nor guarantees that everything is up-to-date. Filtering on the last day of the month is very simple with the right logic. The key is to think of the last day of the month as the day on which you can say, "tomorrow is the first day of the month."Method 1: Custom FilterTo show only dates that are the last day of the month, we can use a custom filter:extract_days(add_days(1,${date})) = 1The above expression returns true if "tomorrow is the first of the month," which is another way of saying "today is the last day of the month." Method 2: LookMLWe can take the logic of the custom filter above and convert it to SQL in a type: yesno dimension. This example uses Redshift:dimension: is_last_day_of_month { type: yesno sql: EXTRACT( day from DATEADD(day,1,${date_raw}) ) = 1 ;;}Here we use the raw timeframe, because it directly inserts the database column without any extra formatting.SQL For Various DialectsThe SQL you use in the dimension varies by dat

420

12 days ago

jamesnestlerLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Troubleshooting PDT Explore queries get sent straight to 'enqueued'Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Sep 28, 2020 The Problem:Users may report difficulty getting a PDT to build, specifically that a PDT query will go straight to queue, even though few other queries are running and the PDT is not the child of another PDT that is still building.You'll want to verify that this is the scenario you are in by doing the following:Navigate to the Production SQL of the derived table, and see if there is any use of .SQL_TABLE_NAME . If so, this PDT is possibly a dependency of a PDT that is still building. Navigate to Admin/Queries and in another tab open that connection's settings; verify that running queries are fewer than the connection limit and PDT queries are fewer than the Max PDT Connections setting With the Admin/Queries page open, navigate to an explore that utilizes the PDT in question (ideally, only uses that PDT), hit the gear icon and select Rebuild Derived Tables and Re-Run . Tab back to Admin/Queries -- is the query from 2 marked as enqueued even though no or few oth

420

11 months ago

ianLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Methods for Period Over Period (PoP) Analysis in Looker - Method 4: Current Period and Many Previous Periods

Looker will not be updating this content, nor guarantees that everything is up-to-date. This post describes the period over period (pop) Method 4: Current Period and Many Previous Periods highlighted in the main Methods for Period Over Period (PoP) Analysis in Looker Community post.This example uses an order_items table from an e-commerce dataset. The example LookML view below is the basis of this example:All SQL in the LookML sql parameters in the following examples is specific to the Redshift dialect and will need to be adapted to your database dialect. This open source project provides adapted examples in BigQuery, Snowflake, and MySQL dialects. view: order_items { sql_table_name: public.order_items ;; dimension: id { primary_key: yes hidden: yes type: number sql: ${TABLE}.id ;; } dimension_group: created { type: time view_label: "_PoP" timeframes: [ raw,

410

12 days ago

jamesnestlerLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Python-SDK: Why isn't the returned object in JSON?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jan 24, 2020 Use file.attribute to access attributes of the object (eg, file.url or file.id).Alternately, use the hidden attribute __dict__ to return the object in json format (eg, file.__dict__ ) This content is subject to limited support.

410

11 months ago

romain.ducarrougeLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Define a view to create a separate PDT that gets generated each day with a title like “pdt_20190219”Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Feb 19, 2019 Turns out we can use liquid in the create_process part of the derived table for this!We use this in the first sql_step to define the name of the PDT to generate.view: yesterday_data {derived_table: {explore_source: order_items {column: pk2_created_date { field: order_items.created_date}column: pk2_brand { field: products.brand }column: total_orders {field: order_items.count }filters: {field: order_items.created_datevalue: "1 days ago for 1 day"}}}} explore: table_date {}view: table_date {derived_table: {datagroup_trigger: incremental_pdt_default_datagroupcreate_process: {sql_step: CREATE TABLE db_scratch.table_{{'now' | date: "%s" | minus : 86400 | date: "%Y%m%d" }} AS ${yesterday_data.SQL_TABLE_NAME} ;;sql_step: CREATE TABLE ${SQL_TABLE_NAME} AS SELECT 1 as one ;; This content is subject to limited support.

400

1 year ago

molly.lippsettLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Can I force a user to use a filter but allow them to change which filter they use?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Aug 21, 2018 Yes! You can use the conditionally_filter parameter on your explore, which allows you to specify a filter that can be overridden with other filters that you also specify.Doc This content is subject to limited support.

400

1 year ago

Peggy_BeardLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Why won't a lookML error go away?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: May 22, 2018 A user may correct a lookML error or warning, re-validate, and the error just won't clear. In some cases it is referencing a field which can't even be found in the project. For example, you had a typo, found it when doing a validation check, corrected the typo, but the validation error or warning still won't clear.Some things to try are toggling dev mode on and off, and doing a hard refresh on the browser. If the changes have been pushed to production, another user can try the validation.Note that The LookML Validator scans only LookML files that have been updated since the last LookML validation, or files that are affected by updates, for more reference check our docs about Validating your LookML This content is subject to limited support.

400

1 year ago

Department of Customer LoveModerator

published in Blog Archives

5 Ways Looker makes Firebase Analytics Data in BigQuery Useful

This content, written by Ernesto Ongaro, was initially posted in Looker Blog on Nov 22, 2019. The content is subject to limited support.The best apps today use a data-driven approach to make them successful. Knowing which segments of users stick around and get the most value (and in turn give you the most revenue) shouldn’t be a guessing game, it should be an exact science. Millions of modern apps are written in Google’s backend application development platform, Firebase. Firebase contains over 18 tools to help application developers build, improve, and grow any app. If you’ve used apps from Venmo, The Economist, or The New York Times, then you’ve used Firebase. There are a few moving pieces here, so let’s introduce them. Cloud Firestore is a database to store your application events, where they can then be analyzed in Firebase Analytics. Firebase Analytics offers some great out of the box functionality, but a lot of growing companies run out of runway with it, and their analytical que

400

3 months ago

Department of Customer LoveModerator

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Why doesn't my user COUNT() in History explore match total existing users? (System Activity)Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Nov 7, 2020 The History explore in System Activity is NOT the best place to see ALL users, looks, dashboards on the instance. The reason for this, is because History only tracks query events, so if a user has not done anything in 90 days, or a look or dashboard has not been queried in 90 days, it will not show up in History.For all of your content exploration needs, use the following explores:/explore/system__activity/look/explore/system__activity/dashboard/explore/system__activity/userFor more details on the History explore, see our documentation on the History Explore in System Activity. This content is subject to limited support.

400

1 year ago

ryan.dunlavyLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

What causes an "undefined method `getURLs' for #" error when starting LookerKnowledge Drop

Last tested: This is caused by trying to run Looker version 7.14 or earlier with a newer Java version that isn't supported yet. Make sure the jar is Looker version 7.16+ you're using Java 9+, or downgrade Java to JDK 8https://docs.looker.com/setup-and-management/on-prem-install/installation?version=7.16Example full errorNoMethodError: undefined method `getURLs' for #<Java::JdkInternalLoader::ClassLoaders::AppClassLoader:0x58cda03f>Did you mean? getClass This content is subject to limited support.

400

11 months ago

samLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Can you manually assign a role to a user that is not determined by the [SAML/LDAP] Group to Role mapping?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jan 2019 No. Roles will be overwritten for a user any time that user logs in with [SAML/LDAP]. So while it's technically possible to manually assign some roles while the user is currently logged in, those changes will be wiped each time the user logs in. This content is subject to limited support.

401

7 months ago

Department of Customer LoveModerator

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

What happens when a null is concatenated with a value?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jan 21, 2019 Just like arithmetic operations on a list, a null will make the entire result null. This content is subject to limited support.

400

1 year ago

Department of Customer LoveModerator

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Why do I see "no results" when drilling from a measure?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: May 14, 2020 The ProblemWhen I drill into a measure, such as a count, I see what is filtered on, and then the query shows "no results"The SolutionThis can occur when there is an error in one of the fields being retrieved. Try "explore from here", or check the Admin -> Queries panel to see if there are any queries with errors. From there, the query can be opened in SQL runner to debug it.It could also be the case that there just aren't results. Check the drill_fields parameter for the measure and verify that the generated SQL should produce results in their data. (You can get the generated SQL for the drill in the Admin > Queries panel).Or if you enter a new row limit, hit run, then you can now see the results. This could be due to the drill querying having cached results. This content is subject to limited support.

400

1 year ago

Peggy_BeardLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Does system activity track changes made to user attribute values?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jan 12, 2021No, it does not. If a user is edited to update the value of a user attribute, there is somewhat generic record added to the 'event' table for the user, and also the user's group being updated, as it appears that all of the user's values are updated in the internal database when a user definition is saved. This content is subject to limited support.

400

11 months ago

chris.seymourLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Can I host a custom visualization on a private github repo?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Aug 28, 2020 Not if you want it to work consistently! Users who are signed into Github and have access to the private repo will be able to see the custom vis, but if they are not signed in to Github, the custom visualization will not work, and Looker will not tell them why. Furthermore, PDF and PNG downloads of the custom visualization will also fail, since Looker will not sign into your Github account to generate the file. More detail:At the time a browser is loading a Looker dashboard page, it will make network requests to fetch the custom visualization javascript source. You will need to host those files somewhere that can be reached by any browser that can load your dashboard, including the “Headless” browser that Looker uses internally to generate PDFs and PNGs. Since there’s no way to guarantee that everyone who visits your dashboard is already signed-in to github with access to the private repo, you will probably need to “publish” the custom visualization source cod

400

1 year ago

LanCommunity Admin

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

How to drill and open link in the same tab / different tabKnowledge Drop

Last tested: May 18, 2020 <a type="button"target="_blank" ### <-- new tabhref="/dashboards/10?Filter%20application=123&run=1"class="btn btn-primary btn-lg btn-block">Block level button</a> For same tab, use: target="_self" This content is subject to limited support.

400

11 months ago

vishal.dharmadhikariLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Why am I seeing a `SELECT boundary AS boundary FROM (SELECT ...)` query in our DB? Dimension fill!Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Sep 29, 2020 This query is being generated from Dimension Fill in explores using time based dimensions. The SQL here doesn't show on the SQL tab and gets run separately and added into the results after. This can be disabled on a field by field basis by setting allow_fill: no (documentation).The exact SQL of this query will be dependent on the dialect and timeframe. Couple examples below.SnowflakeSELECT boundary AS boundary FROM (SELECT TO_CHAR(DATE_TRUNC('second', (DATEADD('month', 2, DATEADD('month', -1, DATE_TRUNC('month', CURRENT_DATE()))))), 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS') AS boundary ) boundaries BigQuerySELECT boundary AS boundary FROM (SELECT FORMAT_TIMESTAMP('%F %T', TIMESTAMP_TRUNC((TIMESTAMP_ADD(TIMESTAMP_TRUNC(TIMESTAMP_TRUNC(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), DAY), WEEK(MONDAY)), INTERVAL (-4 * 7) DAY)), WEEK(MONDAY))) AS boundary ) boundaries This content is subject to limited support.

400

11 months ago

Eric_LyonsLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Send Look to SFTP Server Via Python SDKKnowledge Drop

Last tested: Jun 18, 2020 If someone wants to send content to an SFTP server, but does not want to want to use the UI, they can use the API.import looker_sdkimport csvimport pysftp#SET SFTP CREDENTIALS HERE. IT IS RECOMMENDED TO SET THEM IN ANOTHER FILE AND IMPORT THEM SECURELYmyHostname = "DOMAIN"myUsername = "user"myPassword = "PASSWORD" ####Initialize API/SDK for more info go here: https://pypi.org/project/looker-sdk/#### IN THE SAME DIRECTORY CREATE AN INI FILE TO STORE API CREDENTIALS## INITIALIZE THE APIfrom looker_sdk import methods31, modelssdk = looker_sdk.init31() # or init40() for v4.0 APIme = sdk.me()### GET THE LOOK BY PASSING THE LOOK ID### WE ALSO WRITE THE FILE TO THE LOCAL DIRECTORY AS A CSVlook = sdk.run_look(look_id=12, result_format = "csv")file = open('read.csv', 'w') file.write(look)file.close() ### HERE WE SEND THE CSV TO THE SFTP SERVERwith pysftp.Connection(host=myHostname, username=myUsername, password=myPassword) as sftp:print("Connection succesfully stablish

400

11 months ago

Department of Customer LoveModerator

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Custom liquid formatting isn't displaying in visualizationKnowledge Drop

Last Tested: Jan 21, 2019 DCL tip: To display custom liquid formatting, use {{ rendered_value }} instead of {{ value}}{{ value }} The output displays the standard result from querying your database. Used when datatypes don't matter Output of the code below will be only display the raw query data. (ie. 12345)measure: total_sales {type: sumsql: ${TABLE}.Total_Sale ;;html:<p style="font-size:50px;font-family:monotype;>{{value}}</p>;; value_format_name: usd_0}{{ rendered_value }} Output displays the results from querying your database with formatting applied to it. Used when datatypes do matter Output of the code below will display the query data with formatting applied to it. (ie. $12,345) *font size and family change carried to visualization*measure: total_sales {type: sumsql: ${TABLE}.Total_Sale ;;html:<p style="font-size:50px;font-family:monotype;>{{rendered_value}}</p>;; value_format_name: usd_0 } For more in-depth information about liquid variables check out

390

1 year ago

samLooker Staff

published in Technical Tips & Tricks

Can I put a SAML XML file into Looker?Knowledge Drop

Last tested: Jan 2019 Yes, that is an optional step in setting up SAML with Looker. The option is called "IdP Metadata (Optional)". Paste in your raw XML, or a publicly accessible link to your XML, and hit "Load".cite SAML setup. This content is subject to limited support.

390

1 year ago

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The Kitchen Table

Can I edit a commit message after it's been committed?Knowledge Drop

Filtering on the Last Day of the Month

Troubleshooting PDT Explore queries get sent straight to 'enqueued'Knowledge Drop

Looker can not start because: Incorrect format for wrapped KeyKnowledge Drop

Is there a max IDE file size?Knowledge Drop

Migrating from LDAP to SAML when users have different emailsKnowledge Drop

Can I enable SAML on my instance?

Methods for Period Over Period (PoP) Analysis in Looker - Method 4: Current Period and Many Previous Periods

Python-SDK: Why isn't the returned object in JSON?Knowledge Drop

Define a view to create a separate PDT that gets generated each day with a title like “pdt_20190219”Knowledge Drop

Can I force a user to use a filter but allow them to change which filter they use?Knowledge Drop

Why won't a lookML error go away?Knowledge Drop

5 Ways Looker makes Firebase Analytics Data in BigQuery Useful

Why doesn't my user COUNT() in History explore match total existing users? (System Activity)Knowledge Drop

What causes an "undefined method `getURLs' for #" error when starting LookerKnowledge Drop

Can you manually assign a role to a user that is not determined by the [SAML/LDAP] Group to Role mapping?Knowledge Drop

What happens when a null is concatenated with a value?Knowledge Drop

Why do I see "no results" when drilling from a measure?Knowledge Drop

Does system activity track changes made to user attribute values?Knowledge Drop

Can I host a custom visualization on a private github repo?Knowledge Drop

How to drill and open link in the same tab / different tabKnowledge Drop

Why am I seeing a `SELECT boundary AS boundary FROM (SELECT ...)` query in our DB? Dimension fill!Knowledge Drop

Send Look to SFTP Server Via Python SDKKnowledge Drop

Custom liquid formatting isn't displaying in visualizationKnowledge Drop

Can I put a SAML XML file into Looker?Knowledge Drop

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