September 18, 2026 · Vistelio
Merged Results, cross-database joins, and modeled alternatives all promise to combine data from two Looker Explores or two warehouses. They behave very differently. This tutorial shows how each one actually executes, where the numbers go wrong, and a decision path for choosing between them.
Read moreSeptember 17, 2026 · Vistelio
A practical tutorial on building maps in Looker: the location, zipcode and region dimension types, distance measures, map_layer and custom TopoJSON layers, BigQuery GEOGRAPHY columns, and the performance and permission traps that make Looker maps slow or blank.
Read moreSeptember 16, 2026
A practical guide to drill design in LookML: drill_fields on dimensions and measures, drill sets, controlling the drill overlay with link and html, Liquid-powered drill menus, drill_fields on explores and dashboards, and how to keep drills fast and permission-safe.
Read moreSeptember 15, 2026 · Vistelio
A practical tutorial on LookML localization: locale_data strings files, localization_settings, locale-aware labels and descriptions, translating LookML dashboards, driving locale from user attributes for embedded analytics, and the governance habits that keep translations from rotting.
Read moreSeptember 14, 2026 · Vistelio
Most Looker models join dimensions as if attributes never change. They do. This tutorial shows how to model SCD Type 2 history in LookML, build valid-from/valid-to joins, expose both 'as-was' and 'as-is' views of the same dimension, and keep performance sane on BigQuery.
Read moreSeptember 14, 2026 · Vistelio
A practical tutorial on exposing semi-structured BigQuery data in Looker: when to UNNEST inside a view, how to model repeated records as their own view, how to handle the native JSON type with JSON_VALUE and JSON_QUERY, and how to keep fanout and query cost under control.
Read moreSeptember 9, 2026 · Vistelio
Every mature Looker project accumulates fields nobody should use any more: revenue_v2, the metric finance disowned, the dimension that was a typo in 2022. Deleting them breaks saved Looks, schedules and embedded tiles. This tutorial walks through a repeatable deprecation workflow for LookML: proving a field is unused, staging a rename with aliases, using the Content Validator to repair saved content, and closing the window with a clean removal.
Read moreSeptember 9, 2026 · Vistelio
A practical LookML tutorial on time: how dimension_group: time really works, the three-timezone model that decides what a "day" means, fiscal calendars with fiscal_month_offset, date-range joins, and period-over-period comparisons that survive month-end.
Read moreSeptember 9, 2026 · Vistelio
A practical guide to LookML dashboards: when to use them instead of user-defined dashboards, dashboard file syntax and the listen block, converting existing UDDs with Get LookML, extends for regional variants, and using the Content Validator as a deployment gate.
Read moreSeptember 9, 2026 · Vistelio
Most Looker instances still deploy to production the moment a developer clicks a button. This tutorial shows how to run a real Git workflow for LookML: branch naming, pull requests, protected main, Advanced Deploy Mode, deploy webhooks, and a dev-to-prod promotion path your data team can actually live with.
Read moreSeptember 9, 2026 · Vistelio
Dashboards are read-only. The Extension Framework lets you ship a real React app inside Looker: this tutorial covers scaffolding, the manifest entitlements, the API 4.0 SDK, Looker Components, safe write-back via fetchProxy and Actions, and deploying the bundle through Git.
Read moreSeptember 9, 2026 · Vistelio
A practical guide to Looker caching: datagroups, sql_trigger vs max_cache_age, persist_with on models and explores, datagroup_trigger for PDTs, ETL-driven cache invalidation through the API, and how to prove a caching policy is working.
Read moreAugust 27, 2026 · Vistelio
Refinements (+view_name) and extends solve different problems in a growing LookML project. This tutorial shows when to use each, the gotchas that bite teams in production, and a folder layout that keeps generated views, global labels, and team-specific measures apart.
Read moreAugust 26, 2026 · Vistelio
Model Context Protocol is how AI assistants get tools. This tutorial stands up a Looker MCP server, connects Gemini CLI or Claude Desktop, walks through the tools it exposes, and covers the credentials, permissions and LookML shaping that decide whether the answers are trustworthy.
Read moreAugust 25, 2026
One of the pillars of Looker's powerful capabilities is LookML, its proprietary data modeling language. This article will take a deep dive into LookML, focusing on the three key concepts: Views, Explores, and Models.
Read moreAugust 25, 2026
Derived tables can be a powerful tool in a Looker developer's arsenal. They allow you to create tables on-the-fly from existing tables, essentially enabling you to perform ETL (extract, transform, load) operations directly within Looker. Looker's LookML provides two types of derived tables: non-persistent and persistent. In this post, we will focus on Persistent Derived Tables (PDTs), understand when to use them, and delve into the how.
Read moreAugust 25, 2026 · Vistelio
Build a chat-with-your-data feature on a Looker explore with Google's Conversational Analytics API: prepare the model with labels, descriptions and guardrails, create a data agent, ask questions from Python, and evaluate answer accuracy.
Read moreAugust 25, 2026 · Vistelio
A working CI pipeline for LookML: test and assert data tests, the LAMS linter, Spectacles SQL and content validation in GitHub Actions, and advanced deploy mode with deploy webhooks so production only moves when checks pass.
Read moreJuly 28, 2023
In Looker, Liquid is a powerful templating language that you can use to introduce dynamic elements into your LookML model. One of its most useful features is parameters. Parameters allow developers to create interactive fields that users can modify. This way, users can customize their analyses without diving into the LookML code. Let's delve deeper into Liquid parameters, their use cases, and how you can optimize their usage.
Read moreJuly 27, 2023
LookML, Looker's proprietary data modeling language, provides a highly adaptable and human-readable way to describe and manipulate data sets. A LookML model serves as a blueprint of your data, defining how Looker interacts with your database, and shapes the data for exploration and visualization. This article gives an in-depth explanation of LookML models, their structure, and how to create them.
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