Looker Studio Cheat Sheet — Metrics, Dimensions, Charts, Filters, Calculated Fields | Dataplexa

Looker Studio

metrics · dimensions · charts · filters · calculated fields · data blending · date ranges · sharing

Sheet 5 of 6 Stats & Math Beginner–Inter Printable

Metrics vs Dimensions

must know first

What are Dimensions?

# Dimensions = Categories / Labels
# They describe and group your data

Examples:
  Country        → "India", "USA"
  Date           → "2024-01-01"
  Campaign Name  → "Summer Sale"
  Device Type    → "Mobile"
  Page URL       → "/home"
  User Segment   → "New Users"

# Shown as text in charts/tables
# Used on X-axis, row headers, legends

What are Metrics?

# Metrics = Numbers / Measurements
# They quantify your data

Examples:
  Sessions        → 12,540
  Clicks          → 3,200
  Conversions     → 180
  Revenue         → $45,000
  Bounce Rate     → 42.5%
  Avg Session Dur → 2:34

# Aggregated: SUM, AVG, COUNT, MAX, MIN
# Shown on Y-axis or in value cells

Field Type	Icon	Used As
Text	ABC	Dimension — labels, names, URLs
Number	123	Metric — counts, revenue, rates
Date / DateTime	📅	Dimension — time-series x-axis
Boolean	T/F	Dimension — yes/no segments
Geo	🌍	Dimension — map charts
URL	🔗	Dimension — hyperlink cells

Golden rule: Dimensions slice your data. Metrics measure it. Every chart needs at least one of each.

Chart Types

when to use each

Chart	Best For	Needs
Time Series	Trends over time	Date dim + metric
Bar Chart	Comparing categories	Dim + metric
Pie / Donut	Part-to-whole (max 5 slices)	Dim + 1 metric
Scorecard	Single KPI highlight	1 metric only
Table	Detailed row-level data	Dims + metrics
Geo Map	Geographic distribution	Geo dim + metric
Scatter Plot	Correlation between 2 metrics	Dim + 2 metrics
Bullet Chart	Metric vs target/benchmark	Metric + range
Pivot Table	Cross-tabulation analysis	Row/col dims + metric
Treemap	Hierarchical part-to-whole	Dim + 1–2 metrics

Scorecard tip: Add a comparison date range to show period-over-period change (▲/▼) automatically.

Calculated Fields

formulas & functions

Common Calculated Field Formulas

# Conversion Rate
Conversions / Sessions

# Revenue per Session
Revenue / Sessions

# Conditional label
CASE
  WHEN Bounce_Rate > 0.6 THEN "High"
  WHEN Bounce_Rate > 0.4 THEN "Med"
  ELSE "Low"
END

# Extract year from date
YEAR(Date)

# Concatenate fields
CONCAT(City, ", ", Country)

# Regex extract
REGEXP_EXTRACT(Page, r"^/([^/]+)")

Key Functions Reference

# Math
SUM(x)  AVG(x)  MIN(x)  MAX(x)
ROUND(x, 2)  ABS(x)  LOG(x)

# Text
UPPER(x)  LOWER(x)  TRIM(x)
LEFT(x,n)  RIGHT(x,n)  LEN(x)
REPLACE(x,"a","b")

# Date
TODAY()  NOW()
DATE_DIFF(d1,d2,"DAY")
FORMAT_DATETIME(date,"%Y-%m")

# Null handling
IFNULL(x, 0)
COALESCE(a, b, c)

Calculated field scope: Fields created in a data source are available everywhere. Fields created inside a chart only apply to that chart.

Filters

report · chart · page

Filter Type	Scope	How to Add
Report Filter	All pages	Resource → Manage filters
Page Filter	Current page only	Page → Page Settings → Filters
Chart Filter	Single chart	Chart → Setup → Add Filter
Filter Control	User-interactive	Add → Filter control widget

Filter Conditions

# Include / Exclude conditions
Include  Country  Equal to     "India"
Exclude  Source   Contains     "(direct)"
Include  Sessions Greater than 100
Include  Page     Starts with  "/blog"
Include  Medium   Regexp match r"cpc|ppc"
Include  Date     In range     Jan–Mar 2025

# Multiple conditions = AND logic
# Multiple filters on same chart = AND

Filter controls: Use a drop-down list control linked to a dimension so viewers can self-serve. Check "Apply filter to all charts using data source" for cross-chart filtering.

Date Ranges & Comparison

period-over-period · custom ranges

Built-in Date Range Presets

Today             → current day
Yesterday         → prior day
Last 7 days       → rolling 7
Last 28 / 30 days → rolling
This week         → Mon to today
Last week         → Mon–Sun prior
This month        → 1st to today
Last month        → full prior month
This year         → Jan 1 to today
Last year         → full prior year
Custom            → pick any range

Comparison Periods

# Set in: Chart → Setup → Comparison

Previous period
  → same length, immediately before
  e.g. Jun → May

Previous year
  → same dates, one year back
  e.g. Jun 2025 → Jun 2024

# Result: shows ▲ / ▼ % change
# Works on scorecards, time series
# and tables automatically

Date Control Widget

# Drag "Date range control" onto page
# Lets viewers pick their own dates

Settings:
  Default type  → Last 28 days
  Min date      → optional lock
  Max date      → optional lock

# Affects all charts on that page
# that share the same data source

# To exclude a chart from the
# control: Chart → Setup →
# uncheck "Apply date range"

Best practice: Always add a Date Range control to reports used by non-technical stakeholders — they expect to filter by date without editing the report.

Data Sources & Connectors

connect & configure

Connector	Data it Brings
Google Analytics 4	Sessions, events, users, conversions
Google Ads	Clicks, impressions, cost, ROAS
Google Sheets	Any tabular data you manage
BigQuery	Large-scale SQL query results
Search Console	Impressions, clicks, CTR, position
YouTube Analytics	Views, watch time, subscribers
MySQL / PostgreSQL	Any relational DB via Cloud SQL
CSV Upload	Static files via Google Sheets

Embedded credentials vs viewer credentials: "Owner's credentials" means all viewers see the same data. "Viewer's credentials" means each viewer sees only what their Google account can access — use for multi-tenant reports.

Data Blending

join multiple sources

How to Blend Data Sources

1. Select any chart on your report
2. In Setup panel → click "Blend Data"
3. Add a second (or third) data source
4. Set the JOIN KEY — the shared field
   (e.g. Campaign Name, Date, Country)
5. Select dimensions/metrics from each
6. Click "Save" — blended source created

Join Type	Keeps Rows	Use When
Left Outer Join	All from left, matches from right	Default — keep all primary data
Inner Join	Only matching rows in both	Need values from both sources
Full Outer Join	All rows from both sources	Compare two complete datasets
Cross Join	Every combination	Small lookup tables only

Blending limitations: Blended sources don't support all chart types or functions. For complex joins, use BigQuery SQL and connect a single source instead.

Report Design & Layout

themes · pages · components

Page & Canvas Settings

# Page → Current Page Settings
  Canvas size   → Custom / A4 / 16:9
  Background    → color or image
  Grid & snap   → View → Grid on

# Report → Report Settings
  Default date  → set report-wide
  Filters       → report-level
  Currency      → for revenue fields
  Timezone      → match data source

# Theme & Layout
  Theme         → pick or customise
  Font          → Google Fonts

Useful Components

# Add → these widgets
Text box        → titles, annotations
Image           → logos, icons
Rectangle/Line  → dividers, frames
Date range ctrl → viewer date picker
Filter control  → drop-down / list
Data control    → viewer switches DS

# Lock components you don't want
# viewers to accidentally move:
# Right-click → Make Report-Level

Chart Style Tips

# Style panel (right side)
Background    → card colour
Border radius  → rounded corners
Show legend   → toggle on/off
Data labels   → show values
Reference line→ add a target line
Axis min/max  → don't start at 0

# Copy style across charts:
# Ctrl+C on chart → Ctrl+Shift+V
# to paste style only

Report-level components: Headers, logos and navigation placed as "Report-level" appear on every page — like a master slide in PowerPoint.

Sharing & Embedding

share · schedule · embed

Share Method	How	Notes
Share link	Share → Get Link	Set view / edit permission
Email invite	Share → Add people	Google accounts only
Schedule email	Share → Schedule delivery	PDF snapshot on schedule
Embed iframe	File → Embed report	Copy iframe code for website
Download PDF	File → Download → PDF	Current page or all pages
Make a copy	File → Make a copy	Duplicate report + data sources

Embed Code Example

<!-- File → Embed report → copy this -->
<iframe
  width="800"
  height="600"
  src="https://lookerstudio.google.com/embed/
       reporting/REPORT_ID/page/PAGE_ID"
  frameborder="0"
  allowfullscreen
></iframe>

Performance & Best Practices

speed · accuracy

Limit charts per page — keep under 10–12; each chart fires a separate query. More charts = slower load.
Use date range controls — avoid fixed wide ranges. Narrower ranges = fewer rows fetched = faster.
Use extract data sources — Resource → Add data source extract. Caches a snapshot so queries don't hit live DB every load.
Avoid unnecessary blending — each blend adds query complexity. Use BigQuery SQL joins for heavy work.
Name everything clearly — rename fields in the data source (pencil icon) so charts auto-label correctly without calculated field workarounds.
Use report-level filters — apply global filters once at report level instead of on every individual chart.
Test with viewer credentials — always preview as a viewer before sharing to confirm permissions and data visibility are correct.

Looker Studio — Mastery Checklist

sheet 5 complete

Fundamentals	Key point
Tell metrics apart from dimensions	numbers vs labels
Pick the right chart for your data	time → time series
Connect a data source	GA4, Sheets, BQ
Add a Date Range control	viewer self-serve

Fields & Filters	Key point
Write a CASE WHEN formula	conditional labels
Create a conversion rate field	Conv / Sessions
Apply a chart-level filter	Setup → Filter
Add period-over-period comparison	Previous period

Advanced & Sharing	Key point
Blend two data sources	join key needed
Explain left vs inner join	all vs matching
Schedule a PDF delivery	Share → Schedule
Embed report in a webpage	File → Embed

Next up → Sheet 6: SPSS · Regression, ANOVA, frequencies, crosstabs, descriptive statistics — a practical reference for IBM SPSS statistical analysis. Go to Sheet 6 →

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