Sheets with Google Data Studio (Looker) in Google Sheets - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Sheets with Google Data Studio (Looker)

Dashboard Goal

See how sales perform by product and region to find the best sellers and regions with highest revenue.

Sample Data

Order ID	Product	Region	Sales	Quantity	Order Date
1001	Notebook	East	120	3	2024-01-15
1002	Pen	West	80	10	2024-01-17
1003	Notebook	West	150	5	2024-01-20
1004	Marker	East	90	4	2024-01-22
1005	Pen	East	60	7	2024-01-25
1006	Marker	West	110	6	2024-01-28
1007	Notebook	East	130	4	2024-01-30

Dashboard Components

• Total Sales (KPI Card): Shows total sales amount.
  Formula in Sheets: =SUM(D2:D8)
  Result: 740
• Total Quantity Sold (KPI Card): Shows total quantity of items sold.
  Formula in Sheets: =SUM(E2:E8)
  Result: 39
• Sales by Product (Pivot Table): Groups sales by product.
  Formula in Sheets: Use Pivot Table with Rows=Product, Values=SUM of Sales.
  Result:
  Notebook: 400
  Pen: 140
  Marker: 200
• Sales by Region (Pivot Table): Groups sales by region.
  Formula in Sheets: Use Pivot Table with Rows=Region, Values=SUM of Sales.
  Result:
  East: 400
  West: 340
• Sales Trend by Date (Line Chart): Shows sales over time.
  Data: Use Order Date and Sales columns.
  Result: Sales increase and vary by date.

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+----------------------+
| Total Sales (KPI)    | Total Quantity (KPI) |
+----------------------+----------------------+
| Sales by Product (Pivot Table)           |
|                                          |
+------------------------------------------+
| Sales by Region (Pivot Table)             |
|                                          |
+------------------------------------------+
| Sales Trend by Date (Line Chart)          |
|                                          |
+------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

Use a filter control in Google Data Studio connected to the Region and Product fields. When you select a region or product:

• All KPI cards update to show totals for the selected filter.
• Pivot tables refresh to show sales grouped by product or region within the filter.
• The sales trend line chart updates to show sales over time for the filtered data.

This lets you explore sales performance by different regions and products easily.

Self Check

If you add a filter for Region = East, which components update and what changes?

• Total Sales KPI: Updates to sum sales only for East region (120 + 90 + 60 + 130 = 400).
• Total Quantity KPI: Updates to sum quantity for East region (3 + 4 + 7 + 4 = 18).
• Sales by Product Pivot Table: Shows sales only for East region products:
  Notebook: 250
  Pen: 60
  Marker: 90
• Sales by Region Pivot Table: Shows only East region with total 400.
• Sales Trend Line Chart: Shows sales over time only for East region orders.

Key Result

Dashboard shows total sales, quantity, and sales breakdown by product and region with a sales trend line chart.

Practice

1. What is the main benefit of connecting Google Sheets to Google Data Studio (Looker)?

easy

A. Sheets data is copied manually into Data Studio reports

B. You can edit sheet data directly inside Data Studio

C. Data Studio replaces the need for Google Sheets

D. Reports update automatically when sheet data changes

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the connection feature

   Google Sheets connected to Data Studio allows live data linking.

2. Step 2: Identify the benefit of live connection

   When sheet data changes, reports update automatically without manual refresh.

3. Final Answer:

   Reports update automatically when sheet data changes -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Live data connection = automatic updates [OK]

Hint: Remember: Data Studio shows live data from Sheets [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking you edit Sheets inside Data Studio
• Believing data is copied manually
• Assuming Data Studio replaces Sheets

2. Which step is required to connect a Google Sheet as a data source in Google Data Studio?

easy

A. Select 'Add Data' and choose Google Sheets from the connector list

B. Export the sheet as CSV and upload it to Data Studio

C. Copy and paste sheet data into Data Studio report

D. Use the IMPORTDATA formula inside Data Studio

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify how to add data in Data Studio

   Data Studio uses connectors; Google Sheets is one of them.

2. Step 2: Select the correct method to connect Sheets

   You must choose 'Add Data' then select Google Sheets connector to link your sheet.

3. Final Answer:

   Select 'Add Data' and choose Google Sheets from the connector list -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Adding data = use connectors [OK]

Hint: Use 'Add Data' button to connect Sheets [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to upload CSV instead of connecting live
• Copy-pasting data manually
• Using spreadsheet formulas inside Data Studio

3. Given a Google Sheet with sales data updated daily, what happens in Data Studio reports connected to this sheet?

medium

A. Reports require manual refresh to show new data

B. Reports show only data from the first time connection was made

C. Reports show the latest sales data automatically after sheet updates

D. Reports cannot display data from Google Sheets

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand live data connection behavior

   Data Studio links live to Sheets, so data changes reflect in reports.

2. Step 2: Identify update mechanism

   Reports update automatically when the sheet data changes without manual refresh.

3. Final Answer:

   Reports show the latest sales data automatically after sheet updates -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Live link = automatic report updates [OK]

Hint: Connected reports auto-update with sheet changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking reports freeze at first data load
• Believing manual refresh is needed
• Assuming Data Studio can't use Sheets data

4. You connected a Google Sheet to Data Studio but the report shows old data. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. The sheet was not shared with the Data Studio account

B. Data Studio does not support Google Sheets as data source

C. You must export the sheet as Excel first

D. The sheet contains formulas which Data Studio cannot read

Solution

1. Step 1: Check sharing permissions

   Data Studio needs permission to access the sheet data.

2. Step 2: Identify permission issue effect

   If the sheet is not shared properly, Data Studio cannot fetch updated data, showing old info.

3. Final Answer:

   The sheet was not shared with the Data Studio account -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Sharing permissions = data access [OK]

Hint: Always share sheets with Data Studio account [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming Data Studio can't use Sheets
• Thinking export is needed
• Believing formulas block data access

5. You want to create a monthly sales report in Data Studio using Google Sheets data. The sheet has daily sales entries. How can you show monthly totals in Data Studio?

hard

A. Manually sum monthly sales in the sheet and import that summary

B. Use Data Studio's date grouping feature to aggregate daily data by month

C. Create a new sheet with monthly totals and connect it separately

D. Use the QUERY formula inside Data Studio to group by month

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Data Studio aggregation features

   Data Studio can group and summarize data by date fields automatically.

2. Step 2: Apply date grouping to monthly totals

   Use the date dimension in Data Studio and set grouping to month to get monthly sums.

3. Step 3: Compare other options

   Manual sums or separate sheets are extra work; QUERY formula is not used inside Data Studio.

4. Final Answer:

   Use Data Studio's date grouping feature to aggregate daily data by month -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   Date grouping = monthly totals [OK]

Hint: Group dates by month in Data Studio for totals [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to use QUERY inside Data Studio
• Manually summing data in Sheets unnecessarily
• Creating extra sheets instead of using grouping