How to Add Data in Looker Studio

Building a powerful dashboard starts with properly connecting your data, and Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) is built to handle this exact task. This guide will walk you through the entire process of adding data sources, covering everything from simple Google Sheets connections to more advanced databases and partner connectors. We’ll show you, step-by-step, how to connect, configure, and manage your data so you can get to the fun part - building your reports.

Understanding Data Sources in Looker Studio

In Looker Studio, a "data source" acts as the bridge between your raw data - wherever it lives - and your visual report. A single report can pull information from multiple data sources, allowing you to blend insights from Google Analytics, your CRM, and advertising platforms all in one place.

When you create a data source, you’re not moving your data into Looker Studio. Instead, you're telling Looker Studio how to access it. This connection stays live, allowing your dashboards to update with fresh data automatically. Think of the data source as an instruction manual for Looker Studio, defining which fields are available (like Sessions or Campaign Name), their data types (like Number or Text), and how they should be aggregated.

Embedded vs. Reusable Data Sources

Before connecting, it's helpful to know about the two types of data sources you can create:

• Embedded Data Sources: Created directly within a report and live exclusively inside that report. They’re great for quick, one-off projects where you won't need to reuse the connection.
• Reusable Data Sources: Created from the Looker Studio home page and exist as standalone items in your account. The primary benefit is that you can use the same configured data source across multiple different reports. If you update a calculated field or a data type in a reusable source, that change will apply to every report using it. This saves a ton of time and keeps your reporting consistent.

For most regular reporting, creating a reusable data source is the best practice.

How to Connect Your First Data Source: Step-by-Step

The easiest way to get started is by creating a reusable data source from the Looker Studio homepage. This makes it easy to find and manage later.

Step 1: Navigate to the Data Source Menu

Go to your Looker Studio homepage. In the top-left corner, click the Create button and select Data Source from the dropdown menu.

Step 2: Choose a Connector

You'll now see the connector gallery, which is Looker Studio’s library of available data integrations. It’s divided into a few key sections:

• Google Connectors: Native integrations for Google products like Google Analytics, Google Sheets, Google Ads, BigQuery, and YouTube Analytics. These are free and very reliable.
• Partner Connectors: Integrations built by third-party BI specialists (like Supermetrics). These let you connect to platforms like Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Shopify, or HubSpot. Note that many of these are paid services that require a separate subscription.
• Open Source Connectors: Connectors developed by the community.

From here, the process differs slightly depending on the connector you choose. Let's walk through the most common examples.

Connecting Data from Google Products

Google’s own services offer the tightest integrations. The process is often as simple as authenticating your account and selecting what you want to connect.

How to Add Data from Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics is arguably the most common data source for Looker Studio dashboards. Here’s how to connect it:

1. From the connector gallery, select Google Analytics.
2. You'll be asked to authorize Looker Studio to access your Google Analytics data. Click AUTHORIZE and choose the appropriate Google account in the pop-up window.
3. Once authorized, you’ll see your GA4 accounts listed. Select the account and property you want to connect to.
4. You will have one main data table available: Events. This table will automatically populate with standard recommended dimensions and metrics, which cover most reporting needs. Select it.
5. In the top right corner, click Connect.

You've successfully connected GA4! Looker Studio will take you to the schema view, where you can configure the fields, which we'll cover later in this article.

How to Add Data from Google Sheets

Google Sheets is the ultimate flexible data source. You can use it to connect data from unsupported platforms (via a CSV export/import) or to manage static tables like team goals or budget information.

1. In the connector gallery, find and click Google Sheets.
2. Authorize your Google account if prompted.
3. You'll see a list of your recent Google Sheets. You can also search for a sheet or paste its URL directly. Select the desired spreadsheet.
4. Next, choose the specific Worksheet (tab) within that spreadsheet you want to use.
5. Tick the necessary configuration options:
6. Click Connect in the top-right.

Your Google Sheet is now a live data source. If you update the data in your sheet, the changes will eventually reflect in your Looker Studio reports upon the next data refresh.

Connecting to Non-Google Data Sources

While Google's connectors are seamless, you’ll almost certainly need data from other platforms like your CRM, advertising networks, or e-commerce store.

Using Partner Connectors (e.g., Salesforce, Facebook Ads, Shopify)

Partner connectors bridge the gap for popular SaaS tools. The process is similar for most of them.

1. In the data connector gallery, use the search bar to find the platform you want to connect, like "Facebook Ads" or "Shopify."
2. Select a connector from the results. It's often a good idea to choose a well-known provider like Supermetrics or Funnel.
3. Follow the prompts to authorize the partner platform. This usually involves creating an account with them and starting a trial or subscribing to a paid plan.
4. After authorizing the third party, you'll be redirected to authorize the actual platform (e.g., logging into your Facebook or Salesforce account).
5. Configure the connection settings. For example, a Facebook Ads connector might ask you to select which advertising accounts you want to sync.
6. Complete the connection, and your data fields will appear in Looker Studio.

Remember, these partner connectors typically carry an additional monthly cost, but they automate a data-pulling process that would otherwise be intensely manual.

Connecting to SQL Databases (e.g., a PostgreSQL Database)

If your data resides in a SQL database, Looker Studio has connectors for major types like BigQuery, PostgreSQL, and MySQL.

1. Select the appropriate connector (e.g., PostgreSQL).
2. You will be prompted for your database credentials. This typically includes:
3. After entering your credentials, click AUTHENTICATE.
4. If successful, you can choose to write a custom query to pull in specific data or select a table from the list of available tables in your database.
5. Click Connect to finish.

File Uploads for Static Data

Have a one-time dataset in a CSV file? Looker Studio’s File Upload connector is perfect for this. It is important to note that this data is static - it will not update itself automatically.

1. Choose the File Upload connector.
2. Click to authorize access, then drag and drop your CSV file or select it from your computer. The file size limit is 100MB.
3. Wait for the file to process. Once the status shows "Uploaded," click Connect.

Next Step: Configuring Your Data Source Schema

After successfully connecting any data source, Looker Studio presents you with the "schema" configuration screen. This might look intimidating, but it’s where you fine-tune your data to make it easy to use in your reports.

Here are the key actions you’ll take here:

• Understand Dimensions and Metrics: Looker Studio automatically categorizes your fields into Dimensions (green chips) and Metrics (blue chips).
• Check Data Types: In the "Type" column, make sure each field is correctly identified. For instance, a Date field must have a Date or Date & Time type to work correctly in line charts and date-range controls. Click on the dropdown to change a data type if needed.
• Rename Fields: Many platforms provide field names that are awkward or technical (e.g., spend or ga:sessionDuration). Hover over a field name, click to edit, and change it to something human-readable, like "Amount Spent" or "Average Session Duration." Your future self will thank you.
• Create Calculated Fields: This is one of Looker Studio's most powerful features. You can create your own custom metrics and dimensions using formulas. Click "Add a Field" to get started. For example, you could create a "Cost per Conversion" metric with the formula:

Once you are happy with the configuration, you can click “Create Report” to start visualizing your data immediately.

Final Thoughts

Connecting data is the foundational step for any meaningful analysis in Looker Studio. Once you master the process of choosing a connector, authorizing access, and configuring your fields, you can bring together data from virtually any platform to build comprehensive and insightful dashboards.

As powerful as these tools are, the reality is that managing dozens of connectors, configuring fields, and scheduling data refreshes can become a full-time job. With Graphed, we automate the "connect and configure" workload completely. Simply provide access to your platforms like Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, or Salesforce, and ask a question in plain English. We instantly build live dashboards and reports for you, with no need to worry about the difference between dimensions and metrics or setting up data types yourself.