Looker Basics: Quick Start to Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Looker (TTDVLK01)

Course Objectives

This course combines expert lecture, real-world demonstrations and group discussions with machine-based practical labs and exercises.  Working in a hands-on learning environment led by our expert facilitator, you’ll explore and gain:

• Solid foundation in Looker's platform: Acquire a comprehensive understanding of Looker's key features, functionality, and interface, enabling you to effectively utilize the platform for your data analysis and visualization needs.
• Proficiency in LookML and data modeling: Develop essential skills in Looker's unique data modeling language, LookML, to create efficient and customized data models tailored to your organization's specific requirements.
• Expertise in creating Explores: Learn how to build, customize, and save Explores with dimensions, measures, filters, and calculated fields, empowering you to analyze your data and uncover valuable insights in a short amount of time.
• Mastery of dashboard design and visualization: Gain the skills to design visually appealing and informative dashboards, create various types of visualizations, and customize them to effectively communicate your data story.
• Improved content organization with folders and boards: Understand how to effectively use folders and boards in Looker to organize, manage, and discover content, making your data insights easily accessible for you and your team.

Need different skills or topics?  If your team requires different topics or tools, additional skills or custom approach, this course may be further adjusted to accommodate.  We offer additional Looker, data visualization, reporting, analytics and other related topics that may be blended with this course for a track that best suits your needs.

Course Prerequisites

Audience

The audience for this course includes professionals who are new to Looker who are interested in leveraging Looker for data analysis, visualization, and reporting. The course is designed for individuals seeking to gain a comprehensive understanding of Looker's functionalities and apply these skills in their organizations to drive data-driven decision-making.

Ideal attendees for this course come from a wide range of roles, including but not limited to:

• Data Analysts: Professionals responsible for analyzing data and creating reports to support decision-making processes within an organization.
• Business Analysts: Individuals who work closely with business stakeholders to understand their requirements, analyze data, and provide insights for strategic decision-making.
• Data Engineers: Technical professionals who manage and process data and want to expand their skill set to include data visualization and reporting using Looker.
• Product Managers: Professionals who need to track and analyze product performance metrics and want to utilize Looker to create visually appealing and informative dashboards for better decision-making.
• Marketing Analysts: Individuals responsible for analyzing marketing data and providing insights to drive marketing strategies and optimize campaigns.
• Data Science Team Leads: Professionals who oversee data science teams and want to leverage Looker to efficiently communicate results and insights to stakeholders within the organization.
• Project Managers: Individuals who need to monitor project progress and performance and want to use Looker for creating project-specific dashboards and visualizations.

Pre-Requisites

In order to be successful in this course you should have:

• Basic computer literacy: Participants should be comfortable using computers and navigating software applications, as well as basic file management and organization.
• Fundamental understanding of data concepts: Attendees should have a basic understanding of data concepts such as tables, columns, rows, data types, and primary/foreign keys.
• Familiarity with databases (optional): While not required, having a basic understanding of relational databases and some experience with SQL will be helpful for grasping certain concepts in Looker.
• Basic spreadsheet skills: Attendees should be comfortable working with spreadsheets (e.g., Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets) for data manipulation, filtering, and sorting.
• Foundational knowledge of data visualization: Participants should be familiar with common chart types and their use cases (e.g., bar charts, line charts, pie charts, etc.), as well as basic principles of effective data visualization.

Course Agenda

1. Getting Started with Looker

• Overview of Looker and its key features
• Navigating the Looker interface

2. Connecting to Data Sources and LookML Basics

• Setting up and managing data connections
• Exploring database schemas
• Understanding LookML: Looker's data modeling language
• Lab: Practice setting up data connections and writing basic LookML code

3. Creating and Customizing Explores

• Building and customizing Explores
• Adding dimensions, measures, and filters
• Creating calculated fields
• Lab: Create an Explore from scratch, adding dimensions, measures, filters, and calculated fields

4. Data Visualization and Dashboard Design

• Creating visualizations using Looker's visualization library
• Customizing chart types, colors, and labels
• Displaying visualizations in dashboards
• Lab: Develop a variety of visualizations and assemble them into an interactive dashboard

5. Organizing Content with Folders and Boards

• Introduction to folders and boards in Looker
• Creating and managing folders for organizing content
• Setting up boards for easy content discovery
• Lab: Set up and manage folders and boards for content organization and discoverability

6. Hands-on Workshop and Project

• Participants work on a guided project to apply the skills learned
• Lab: Apply data analysis, visualization, and organization techniques in a real-world scenario

7. Wrap-up and Q&A

Course Materials

Setup Made Simple with our robust Learning Experience Platform (LXP)

All course software (limited versions, for course use only), knowledge checks, digital courseware files or course notes, labs / data sets and solutions, live coaching support channels (as applicable) and rich extended learning / post training resources are provided for you in our “easy access / no install required” high-speed Learning Experience Platform (LXP) remote lab and content environment. Our tech team works with every student to ensure everyone is set up with working access and ready to go prior to every course start date, ensuring a smooth delivery and great hands-on experience.

Every-Course Extras = High-Value & Long-Term Learning Support! All Public Schedule courses include our unique EveryCourse Extras package (Course Recordings, Live Instructor Follow-on Support, Free *Live* Course Refresh Re-Takes, early access to Special Offers, Free Courses & more). Please inquire for details.