Looker Integrations: How They Work + Top Use Cases

What Are Looker Integrations?

Looker Integrations refer to data connectors which automate datasets from various tools and external applications into Looker studio, a business intelligence and data analytics platform.

Integrations with Looker can include anything from marketing automation platforms to customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and even social media platforms.

Some examples are Github, Google Sheets, Zendesk, Salesforce, Snowflake and more.

How Do Looker Integrations Actually Work?

Looker Integrations work by connecting Looker's data analytics platform with other software applications.

This connection enables businesses to access data from external data sources including databases, spreadsheets, and cloud-based applications.

Looker Integrations allow businesses to import, export, and manipulate data in real-time, providing them with up-to-date information for analysis.

What's So Great About Looker?

Looker is a powerful business intelligence platform that provides a wide range of features and functionality.
One of the key strengths of Looker is its ability to integrate with various external data sources and applications, allowing users to access and analyze data from multiple sources in one place.
Looker's platform is designed to be flexible and scalable, allowing businesses to customize their data analysis workflows to fit their specific needs.
Looker's API (Application Programming Interface) allows businesses to connect your Looker instance with other software applications, enabling data to be shared between applications seamlessly.

Related: Need a custom API integration? Portable will build it for you.

Types of Looker Integrations

Pre-built Integrations
Custom Integrations

Pre-Built Integrations

Pre-built integrations are integrations that are already built into Looker's platform. These integrations allow businesses to connect Looker's platform with popular software applications, such as Salesforce, Google Analytics, and Marketo.

Custom Integrations

Custom integrations are integrations that are built specifically for a business's unique needs. Custom integrations allow businesses to connect Looker's platform with their own software applications, databases, and other data sources.

Custom integrations are more complex than pre-built integrations, but they provide businesses with a higher level of customization and control over their data analysis workflows.

Benefits of Looker Integrations

Improved Data Analysis
Increased Efficiency
Better Decision Making
Enhanced Collaboration

1. Improved Data Analysis

Looker Integrations can improve data analysis by providing businesses with access to data from various sources. This access enables businesses to analyze data in real-time, providing them with up-to-date information for analysis. Looker Integrations also allow businesses to manipulate and visualize data in real-time, providing them with a more comprehensive understanding of their data.

2. Increased Efficiency

Looker Integrations can increase efficiency by streamlining data analysis workflows. Looker Integrations enable businesses to automate data analysis processes, reducing the time and effort required to analyze data. Looker Integrations also enable businesses to share data between applications seamlessly, reducing the need for manual data entry and data manipulation.

3. Better Decision Making

Looker Integrations can improve decision making by providing businesses with up-to-date and accurate data. They enable businesses to analyze data in real-time, providing them with a more comprehensive understanding of their data. Looker Integrations also enable businesses to visualize data in real-time, making it easier to identify trends and patterns in the data.

4. Enhanced Collaboration

Looker Integrations can enhance collaboration by enabling businesses to share data between applications seamlessly. Looker Integrations enable businesses to collaborate on data analysis projects, providing team members with access to the same data and analysis tools. Looker Integrations also enable businesses to share data visualizations and reports, making it easier for team members to understand and interpret the data.

Data Pipelines Explained: Types, Uses, & Best Practices

Overview of Looker Platform

Looker's platform is designed to provide users with a comprehensive set of tools to manage and analyze data. The platform is built on a scalable architecture that allows users to handle large amounts of data and perform complex queries in real-time.

Looker's platform provides a range of features, including:

Data modeling: Looker's data modeling feature allows users to create a unified view of their data, making it easier to analyze and understand.
Data exploration: Looker's data exploration feature provides users with a range of tools to explore and analyze their data, including charts, graphs, and tables.
Data visualization: Looker's data visualization feature allows users to create interactive dashboards and reports, making it easier to share insights with others.
Collaboration: Looker's collaboration feature allows users to share data and insights with others, making it easier to collaborate and make data-driven decisions.

Explanation of Looker API

Looker's API is a powerful tool that allows users to integrate Looker with other applications and data sources.

The API provides a range of benefits, including:

Automation: Looker's API allows users to automate tasks and workflows, making it easier to manage data and perform complex queries.
Customization: Looker's API allows users to customize their data models and reports, making it easier to analyze and understand data.
Integration: Looker's API allows users to integrate Looker with other applications and data sources, making it easier to access and analyze data from multiple sources in one place.

Step-by-Step Process of Integration with Looker

1. Connecting Data Sources

The first step in setting up a Looker integration is to connect data sources to Looker. Looker supports a wide range of data sources, including databases, cloud storage, and web services.

2. Setting up Integrations

Once you have connected your data sources to Looker, the next step is to set up integrations. Looker provides a range of integrations, including Google Analytics, Salesforce, and Slack.

3. Configuring Integrations

After setting up an integration, the next step is to configure it to meet your specific needs. Looker provides a range of configuration options, including data mapping, scheduling, and notifications.

To configure an integration in Looker, follow these steps:

Navigate to the Looker Admin panel and select "Integrations."
Select the integration you want to configure and navigate to the configuration settings.
Configure the integration to meet your specific needs.

4. Testing Integrations

The final step in setting up a Looker integration is to test it to ensure that it is working correctly. Looker provides a range of testing tools, including data validation and error reporting.

To test an integration in Looker, follow these steps:

Navigate to the Looker Admin panel and select "Integrations."
Select the integration you want to test and navigate to the testing tools.
Test the integration to ensure that it is working correctly.

Looker Integrations Use Cases

Learn the top use cases for integrating data into Looker.

Marketing

Integrating with Google Analytics: Google Analytics is one of the most widely used web analytics tools.
By integrating with Looker, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their website traffic and user behavior.
Looker allows businesses to create custom reports and dashboards that provide insights into key metrics such as page views, bounce rate, and conversion rate.
Integrating with Salesforce: Salesforce is a popular customer relationship management (CRM) platform used by businesses of all sizes.
Looker allows businesses to create custom reports and dashboards that provide insights into key metrics such as leads, opportunities, and pipeline.

Sales

Integrating with HubSpot: HubSpot is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and service platform.
Integrating with Salesforce: Looker allows businesses to create dashboards that report on key metrics such as leads, deals, and revenue.
Integrating with Marketo: Marketo is a marketing automation platform that helps businesses automate their marketing processes. Looker allows businesses to create custom reports and dashboards that provide insights into key metrics such as email open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.

Finance

Integrating with Quickbooks: Quickbooks is a popular accounting software used by businesses of all sizes. By integrating with Looker, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their financial data. Looker allows businesses to create custom reports and dashboards that provide insights into key metrics such as revenue, expenses, and cash flow.
Integrating with Xero: Xero is another popular accounting software used by businesses of all sizes. By integrating with Looker, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their financial data. Looker allows businesses to create custom reports and dashboards that provide insights into key metrics such as revenue, expenses, and cash flow.

Human Resources

Integrating with BambooHR: BambooHR is a human resources management platform used by businesses of all sizes. By integrating with Looker, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their HR data. Looker allows businesses to create custom reports and dashboards that provide insights into key metrics such as employee turnover, headcount, and time off.
Integrating with Workday: Workday is another popular human resources management platform used by businesses of all sizes. By integrating with Looker, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their HR data. Looker allows businesses to create custom reports and dashboards that provide insights into key metrics such as employee turnover, headcount, and time off.

Best Practices for Looker Integrations

Learn the key considerations for choosing the right integration, ensuring data security, regular maintenance and updates, and monitoring performance and metrics.

Choosing the Right Integrations

Looker offers a wide range of integrations with other tools and platforms, including databases, data warehouses, and cloud services.
When choosing an integration, it is important to consider factors such as data volume, complexity, and security requirements.
For example, if you are dealing with large volumes of data, you may want to consider an integration with a scalable data warehouse such as Amazon Redshift or Google BigQuery.
If you have complex data structures, you may want to consider an integration with a tool like dbt, which can help you transform and model your data for use in Looker.
If you have strict security requirements, you may want to consider an integration with a platform that offers robust security features, such as Microsoft Azure.

Ensuring Data Security

Data security is a critical consideration for any organization using Looker integrations. Looker offers a range of security features to help protect your data, including encryption, access controls, and audit logging.
One key consideration is to ensure that your integration is using secure protocols such as HTTPS or SSL to encrypt data in transit.
You should also ensure that your integration is configured to use secure authentication mechanisms, such as OAuth or SAML, to protect against unauthorized access.

Regular Maintenance and Updates

Regular maintenance and updates are essential for ensuring that your Looker integrations continue to function effectively over time. Looker offers regular updates and releases, which can include new features, bug fixes, and security patches.
It's important to stay up-to-date with these releases to ensure that your integration is running smoothly and securely.
In addition to regular updates, it is important to perform regular maintenance tasks such as database backups, data validation, and performance tuning.

Monitoring Performance and Metrics

Monitoring performance and metrics is critical for ensuring that your Looker integrations are delivering the insights you need.
Looker offers a range of performance monitoring and optimization tools, including query profiling, caching, and database optimization.
To get the most out of these tools, it is important to regularly monitor key performance metrics such as query response times, database utilization, and cache hit rates.

Challenges and Limitations of Looker Integrations

Compatibility
Technical Expertise Required
Cost of Integrations
Data Privacy Concerns

Compatibility Issues

One of the most common challenges with Looker Integrations is compatibility issues. Looker Integrations require compatibility with the data sources they are integrating with. If the data sources are not compatible, the integration will not work. This can result in data inconsistencies and errors.

To address compatibility issues, it is important to ensure that the data sources are compatible with Looker Integrations before implementing them. This can be done by consulting with Looker support or by conducting a compatibility test. It is also recommended to keep the data sources up-to-date to avoid compatibility issues in the future.

Technical Expertise Required

Another challenge with Looker Integrations is the technical expertise required to use them. Looker Integrations require a certain level of technical expertise to set up and maintain. This can be a challenge for businesses that do not have a dedicated IT team or technical staff.

To address this challenge, businesses can consider outsourcing the technical aspects of Looker Integrations to a third-party provider. This can help ensure that the integrations are set up and maintained properly without requiring internal technical expertise. Alternatively, businesses can invest in training their staff to develop the necessary technical skills.

Cost of Integrations

The cost of Looker Integrations can also be a challenge for businesses. Looker Integrations can be expensive, especially for businesses that require a high level of customization or integration with multiple data sources.

To manage the cost of Looker Integrations, businesses can consider implementing integrations in phases. This can help spread out the cost over time and allow businesses to prioritize which integrations are most important. It is also recommended to regularly review the integrations to ensure that they are still providing value and adjust accordingly.

Data Privacy Concerns

Finally, data privacy concerns can be a limitation of Looker Integrations. Looker Integrations require access to sensitive data, which can raise privacy concerns for businesses and customers.