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George Smarts

Welcome. I am here to help you learn quickly how to use Looker and LookML

Beginners welcome: no need to know anything about Looker and LookML.

Looker can be challenging to learn on your own without guidance from an experienced trainer. In this course, I will walk you through every step of using Looker and LookML in an easy to undertand way for the absolute beginner.

This course will give you a deep understanding of Looker's functionality by using hands-on, contextual examples designed to showcase why Looker is awesome and how how to use it for any project.

In this Looker course you will learn:

Read more

Welcome. I am here to help you learn quickly how to use Looker and LookML

Beginners welcome: no need to know anything about Looker and LookML.

Looker can be challenging to learn on your own without guidance from an experienced trainer. In this course, I will walk you through every step of using Looker and LookML in an easy to undertand way for the absolute beginner.

This course will give you a deep understanding of Looker's functionality by using hands-on, contextual examples designed to showcase why Looker is awesome and how how to use it for any project.

In this Looker course you will learn:

· How to setup a free training account with Looker

· Get familiar with the Looker interface

· How to build Looks in Looker

· How to edit a Look

· How to build a dashboard

· The different elements of LookML

· How to create a custom dimension

· How to create a view from table

· Understand the different dimension types

· How to structure your project

· How to use Explores

· How to utilize the formal Looker documentation

· How to create a model in the Development environment

· The interface of the Development environment

and much, much more.

Enroll today and enjoy:

  • Lifetime access to the course

  • 9 hours of high quality, up to date video lectures

  • Practical Looker course with step by step instructions on how to implement the different features

Thanks again for checking out my course and I look forward to seeing you in the classroom

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Learn the looker platform and interface
  • Learn lookml from the basics
  • Learn best practices for using looker and lookml
  • Become confident in using looker for any project
  • Be able to create analysis using looker

Syllabus

Introduction
Get a free Looker learning account
Setting up a Sandbox environment - Part 1
Setting up a Sandbox environment - Part 2
Read more
Sandbox tip - limit of labs usage
The Interface
Explores - Getting Started
What is an Explore in Looker?
Filtering Explores
Sorting our data
Row Limit and Totals in Explores
In Use & Clear fields options
Pivoting in Explores
Cache data in Looker
SQL section in Explores
Advanced Topic - What stand behind the Explores?
Explores Part 2 - Vizualizations
Into to the Visualization section
Table Visulizations
Column chart
Bar charts
Scatterplot Visualizations
Line Chart
Area Chart
Pie Chart
Map Chart
Single Value
Donut Multiples
Single Record
Table Legacy visulization
Word Cloud
Explores Part 3 - Custom Fields
What are Custom Fields?
Create a custom dimension - group items
Custom Binning
Create a custom measure from a dimension
Create a custom measure 2
Apply filters to our custom fields
Creating a custom dimension using a Looker expression
Looker Expressions - Part 2
Explores Part 4 - Filters deep dive
Filters - The Basics
Filters - The Basics Part 2
Matches Advanced filtering expressions
Custom Filter options
Looks
Creating our first Look
Editing our saved Look
Looks options - Sending, Sharing, Scheduling, adding to Boards and more
Dashboards - Beginner to Expert
Creating our first Dashboard - Part 1
Creating our first Dashboard - Part 2
Dashboard filtering
Cross-filtering
Dashboard settings
Dashboard options
Other useful tips and tricks for Users and Looker Analysts
Looker Shortcuts
The History option
Looker Marketplace
Boards
Boards - Part 2
LookML Basics
Explore the LookML environment
Elements of LookML
Fields
Views
Explore
Models
Project
Dimension and Measure Fields
Dimension Types
LookML Practice - Beginner
Create Folders and tidy up your space
Create a view
Create dimensions on our view
Create a measure in our view
Commit Changes and Deploy to Production
Join a View to an existing Model and Explore
Create a new custom dimension based on calculation
Create a new custom measure
Decimals in our custom measure
LookML Practice - Intermediate
Add filters to your Explores using LookML - Always_Filter
Add filters in LookML - Part 2 (sql_always_where)
Add filters in LookML - Part 3 (sql_always_having)
Add filters in LookML - Part 4 (conditionality_filter)
Using commenting in LookML
Create our first Model in LookML
Create a join
Limiting fields in a join
Changing field names
Dashboards - User-Defined vs LookML Dashboards
LookML Practice - Advanced
Datagroups in LookML
Apply the datagroup
LookML reference
The Looker Community
LookML - Integrating Looker with Git

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Provides hands-on experience with Looker, which allows learners to immediately apply their knowledge to real-world projects and gain practical skills
Begins with setting up a free training account and familiarizing learners with the Looker interface, which ensures accessibility for newcomers
Covers LookML best practices, which enables learners to structure their projects effectively and write clean, maintainable code for data modeling
Explores Looker's functionality through contextual examples, which demonstrates how to leverage the platform for various analytical tasks and reporting needs
Includes a section on integrating Looker with Git, which is essential for version control and collaborative development in professional environments
Teaches LookML, which is a domain-specific language, and may require learners to invest time in learning a new language for data modeling

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Looker and LookML - The Complete Course for Beginners with these activities:
Review SQL Fundamentals
Reinforce your understanding of SQL, as LookML generates SQL queries behind the scenes. A solid SQL foundation will help you understand and optimize LookML code.
Browse courses on SQL
Show steps
  • Review basic SQL syntax and commands.
  • Practice writing SQL queries against a sample database.
  • Understand SQL joins and aggregations.
Review 'Looker for Dummies'
Gain a broader understanding of Looker's capabilities and use cases. This book can supplement the course material and provide additional context.
Show steps
  • Read the introductory chapters to understand Looker's purpose.
  • Explore the chapters on building dashboards and visualizations.
  • Review the sections on LookML and data modeling.
Build a Sample Dashboard
Apply your knowledge by creating a dashboard using a public dataset. This hands-on project will solidify your understanding of Looker's interface and features.
Show steps
  • Find a public dataset relevant to your interests.
  • Import the data into Looker.
  • Create explores and visualizations based on the data.
  • Build a dashboard using the visualizations.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
LookML Coding Challenges
Sharpen your LookML skills by completing coding challenges. This will help you become more proficient in writing LookML code and troubleshooting errors.
Show steps
  • Find LookML coding challenges online.
  • Attempt to solve the challenges independently.
  • Compare your solutions with the provided answers.
Study 'Information Dashboard Design'
Improve your dashboard design skills by studying the principles of effective data visualization. This book will help you create dashboards that are both visually appealing and informative.
View Signal on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the chapters on dashboard design principles.
  • Analyze the examples of good and bad dashboard designs.
  • Apply the principles to your own Looker dashboards.
Write a Blog Post on Looker Best Practices
Deepen your understanding of Looker by researching and writing about best practices. This will force you to think critically about the concepts you've learned.
Show steps
  • Research Looker best practices from various sources.
  • Organize your findings into a coherent blog post.
  • Provide clear and concise explanations with examples.
  • Proofread and edit your blog post before publishing.
Contribute to a LookML Project
Gain real-world experience by contributing to an open-source LookML project. This will expose you to different coding styles and project management practices.
Show steps
  • Find an open-source LookML project on GitHub.
  • Review the project's documentation and coding guidelines.
  • Identify an issue or feature you can contribute to.
  • Submit a pull request with your changes.

Career center

Learners who complete Looker and LookML - The Complete Course for Beginners will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Business Intelligence Developer
A Business Intelligence Developer builds and maintains systems for data analysis and reporting. This role often involves creating dashboards and visualizations, skills directly addressed in this course. Learning to build Looks and dashboards in Looker, as taught in the course, is essential for a Business Intelligence Developer. The course's focus on LookML will help you understand the structure of Looker projects, an important skill for a developer in this field. By also covering data modeling within Looker, this course provides a comprehensive introduction to the work of a Business Intelligence Developer.
Data Analyst
A Data Analyst examines data to identify trends and provide insights to a business. This course is relevant for a Data Analyst because it provides a hands-on introduction to Looker and LookML. The course focuses on how to use Explores, build visualizations, and create custom fields, all of which are core tasks for a Data Analyst. The course teaches you how to filter, sort, and pivot data in Looker, which are essential for extracting valuable information. Furthermore, the course helps build a foundation in using LookML to create dimensions and measures, useful in your work as a Data Analyst.
Analytics Engineer
An Analytics Engineer works with data platforms to build reliable and scalable data solutions. This course helps the Analytics Engineer by providing a thorough introduction to Looker and LookML. The course's coverage of the LookML development environment, including how to create views and models, directly supports the work of an Analytics Engineer. Understanding how to structure a Looker project and implement best practices is necessary. Because the course addresses topics of data governance such as LookML commenting, it helps build a foundation for the work of an Analytics Engineer.
Data Visualization Specialist
A Data Visualization Specialist focuses on communicating data insights through compelling visuals. This course helps build the skills needed for a Data Visualization Specialist through its intensive introduction to Looker's visualization capabilities. The course provides in-depth coverage of charts such as column, bar, scatterplot, line, area, and pie. This course goes further by giving a foundation in building single value visualizations, donut multiples, and word clouds. The knowledge gained through this course helps you create clear, effective data visualizations, which is essential in this role.
Reporting Analyst
A Reporting Analyst creates reports that provide information and analysis to stakeholders. The course will assist a Reporting Analyst because it offers a deep dive into Looker's reporting features. The course's discussion of creating Looks, dashboards, and custom fields directly translates to the work of a Reporting Analyst. You will learn how to use Looker's filtering and sorting capabilities to present data in a meaningful way. The course provides training in how to schedule and share reports, essential skills for any Reporting Analyst. This course helps build a solid footing in data reporting.
Business Intelligence Analyst
A Business Intelligence Analyst works to help businesses make data-driven decisions. This course provides a foundation for a Business Intelligence Analyst through its hands-on training in Looker. The course covers setting up a Looker account, familiarizing you with the interface, and building Looks and dashboards. You'll learn how to navigate the Looker environment, use LookML, and create custom dimensions and measures. This course covers the process of using Explores, filtering data, and creating visualizations. These are all core skills for a Business Intelligence Analyst.
Database Administrator
A Database Administrator manages and maintains an organization's databases. While not a direct focus, this course may be useful for a Database Administrator who wants to gain a deeper understanding of how data is accessed and used. This course may help the database administrator visualize the impact of database structure on the final reporting outputs. Looker also can help create a layer of abstraction, potentially reducing the load on database resources. Familiarity with LookML and its use in defining data models may be valuable for a Database Administrator's understanding of how data is accessed in the BI ecosystem.
Marketing Analyst
A Marketing Analyst examines marketing data to provide insights for campaigns and strategies. This course may be helpful for a Marketing Analyst who wants to improve their data visualization and reporting skills. The course's focus on building dashboards helps you track key performance indicators and present marketing data effectively. The hands-on approach to using Looker and LookML also can help a Marketing Analyst create custom reports. The practical instruction in structuring data sets may be beneficial for any Marketing Analyst who wishes to do their own data analysis.
Financial Analyst
A Financial Analyst examines financial data to identify trends and provide decision-making support. This course may benefit a Financial Analyst who wants to use data to enhance decision-making. The course's coverage of Looker can help a Financial Analyst to create custom visualizations and dashboards. Learning to use LookML to structure data and create custom calculations can also help the Financial Analyst. The course teaches you how to leverage Looker's tools, which may improve efficiency in accessing and analyzing financial data.
Operations Analyst
An Operations Analyst works to improve a company's operational efficiency and productivity. This course may be valuable for an Operations Analyst who needs to use data to understand and improve business processes. This course teaches you the skills to create dashboards and reports that can help the Operations Analyst to track key metrics. The course's hands-on approach to using Looker and LookML can allow you to make operational data more accessible and meaningful. Learning to create custom dimensions and measures in LookML may allow you to more efficiently analyze complex datasets.
Sales Analyst
A Sales Analyst examines sales data and looks for opportunities to improve sales performance. This course may be useful for Sales Analysts who want to use data more effectively. Learning to use Looker can help a Sales Analyst to create reports and dashboards to track sales metrics. Training in LookML will also help the Sales Analyst understand how to structure sales data in a way that facilitates analysis. By creating custom dimensions and measures in LookML, the Sales Analyst may be better equipped to create a custom view of relevant data.
Project Manager
A Project Manager oversees project planning and execution. While not a direct fit, this course may be helpful for a Project Manager who wants to improve their data literacy. By becoming familiar with Looker, a Project Manager may be better equipped to understand project metrics and monitor overall team progress. Familiarity with LookML may help the Project Manager better understand the data and insights behind key performance indicators. A Project Manager may find that this course will help them become a more effective leader by improving data reporting skills.
Product Manager
A Product Manager is responsible for the strategy, roadmap, and execution of a product. This course may be helpful for a Product Manager who wants to increase their data-driven decision making. This course will help a Product Manager understand how to use Looker and LookML to track key metrics. Gaining experience with Looker's visualization tools can help a Product Manager communicate product performance with stakeholders. Knowledge of LookML may allow a Product Manager to structure and analyze product data with greater speed and efficiency.
Human Resources Analyst
A Human Resources Analyst collects and analyzes employee data to make recommendations for HR policies. This course may be useful for a Human Resource Analyst who wants to improve how they use reporting tools. The course may provide a foundation for generating visually appealing reports and dashboards. Learning how to use filters and custom fields can help an HR Analyst with creating reports that meet specific needs within the organization. An HR analyst may find that learning LookML will improve data literacy and the ability to model data for analysis.
Consultant
A consultant provides expert advice and solutions to client organizations. This course may be useful for Consultants who need to analyze client data and communicate insights. Learning Looker and LookML can help a consultant present data in compelling and easily digestible ways. Skills taught in this course may allow Consultants to quickly access and interpret data. These skills may help improve a Consultant's ability to provide clients with clear and actionable recommendations.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Looker and LookML - The Complete Course for Beginners.
Focuses on the principles of effective dashboard design. While not specific to Looker, it provides valuable insights into how to create dashboards that are clear, concise, and informative. It's a great resource for anyone who wants to improve their dashboard design skills. This book is commonly used by industry professionals.
Provides a comprehensive overview of Looker, covering everything from basic concepts to advanced features. It's a great resource for beginners who want to get up to speed quickly. The book offers practical examples and step-by-step instructions, making it easy to learn Looker. It can be used as a reference guide throughout the course.

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