Looker default filter tip for an easier user experience
Looker is a new tool for me, and I’ve decided to start to write up useful tips so that I remember them. I’ve been writing about data visualization tools for many years, such as Power BI, Tableau and Excel for years. This is a real break from tradition where I start to blog about Looker.
For clarity; one of my consulting roles involves leading data engineering teams, and that often spills into data visualization as well. I’ve picked up leading a team who use Looker as one of their many tools, so I have been learning. Generally speaking, from a data visualization angle, the user perspective, the user will want to land on the dashboard and see the data for the current month (for example). You can set up dynamic filters, of course, but this is a quick win. This applies to Looker but the principle applies to other dataviz tools.
Here’s an easy tip on how to set up a default filter in Looker.
Default Filter Instructions
In Looker, make sure that you are in edit mode on the dashboard and you have appropriate permissions and a Developer licence.
Then, click on the Edit Dashboard setting on the top right hand side.
Next, on the Looker dashboard, select the filter you want to change. Here, we will use a Month filter. Hover over the filter, and on the three drama dots, select the Edit option.
In Looker edit mode, choose the preferred default option from the drop down list. I will choose August here. Then, click Update.
Finally, on teh right hand side of the Looker dashboard, choose the Reset filter option from the drama dots on the right-hand side of the report.
I’m enjoying using Looker to understand the underlying data better. Leading the data engineering teams mean that I need to get up to speed very fast, and this is a good way to explore the data. I saw this Looker tip happening and I thought I’d share it.
It’s just a nice tip from the user perspective. When they open a dashboard, they expect it to show current data. They don’t expect to have to change the filters to see current data.
Do you like Looker? Would you like to see more posts on the topic? I’m learning but I am happy to share, connect and learn as I go.