Looker Studio Guide: Free Dashboards from Google Sheets
Practice4 minInnovialabs editorial team
In short
Looker Studio turns Google Sheets, BigQuery and dozens of other sources into interactive dashboards for free. What matters most is a clean source table and deliberate sharing settings: whose credentials the data source uses and who can download the data.
The short answer
Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) is Google's free web tool for dashboards. All you need is a Google account. The workflow:
- Prepare the source table.
- Connect it as a data source.
- Build the report: charts, tables, filters.
- Add calculated fields.
- Share it — with the right permissions.
Prepare Google Sheets for connection
Most Looker Studio problems start in the spreadsheet. The rules are simple:
- One header row, no merged cells, no empty columns.
- One row per record (an order, a lead, a visit), no subtotals mixed into the data.
- One type per column: dates are dates, amounts contain no text like "about 500".
- Months go in a single "date" column, not spread across columns.
- Keep raw data on its own sheet, and notes and calculations on another.
If the sheet grows very large, Sheets slows down — that is your cue to move the data into BigQuery or a regular database.
Connect your sources
Create → Data source → pick a connector:
| Source | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Google Sheets | Small data, manual input, CRM exports |
| BigQuery | Large volumes, data combined from several systems |
| GA4, Google Ads, Search Console | Marketing analytics |
| MySQL, PostgreSQL | Direct connection to the application database |
| Partner connectors | Social networks, ad platforms; often paid |
After connecting, check field types: dates should be Date, amounts Number or Currency, and default aggregation should be Sum or Count where it makes sense.
With BigQuery, remember that each dashboard query may be billed. Build small aggregated tables or views for the dashboard and use the Data freshness setting to cache results.
Build charts, filters and calculated fields
A basic page:
- Scorecard — key numbers with comparison to the previous period.
- Time series — trends by day or week.
- Bar chart — breakdown by channel or category.
- Table — details with sorting.
Controls add interactivity: a Date range control and a Drop-down list for channel or city. Turn on cross-filtering so that clicking a chart filters the whole page.
Calculated fields are created in the data source (Add a field) or directly in a chart. Average order value:
SUM(revenue) / COUNT_DISTINCT(order_id)
Grouping traffic channels:
CASE
WHEN source IN ("google", "bing") THEN "Search"
WHEN source = "telegram" THEN "Telegram"
ELSE "Other"
END
Fields created in the data source are available in every report built on it, which keeps formulas consistent.
To combine two tables (for example, ad spend and leads), use Blend data with a shared key such as date or campaign.
Share the dashboard safely
This is where most mistakes happen. Check three things.
1. Whose credentials the data source uses. The data source settings include Data credentials:
- Owner's credentials — viewers see data through your access, even if they have no access to the underlying sheet.
- Viewer's credentials — each person sees only what they already have access to.
For sensitive data, choose the second option or create a separate table containing only what may be shown.
2. Who can open the report, and how.
- Share with specific people or a group, not "anyone with the link".
- Give Viewer by default and Editor only to people who maintain the report.
- Disable downloading, printing and copying for viewers when the data is sensitive.
3. What the data source itself contains. Even if a column is hidden in a chart, report editors can see every field in the source. Do not connect more than needed — customer personal data rarely belongs in a sales dashboard.