Looker Studio

Creating Data Sources

Define query configs and create data sources for Looker Studio reports.

In Two Minute Reports, a Query Config defines what data to pull from your connected sources. This data then becomes available as a data source in Looker Studio for building visualizations and reports.

Prerequisites

At least one connector is authenticated and active
The Speed Boost warm-up process has completed
You're in the TMR Hub for Looker Studio

Creating a Query Config

Step 1: Navigate to Query Configs

In the TMR Hub Looker Studio section, click on Query Configs to view all your saved queries.

Step 2: Click Add New

Click the + Add New button to create a new query config.

Step 3: Name Your Query Config

Give your query config a descriptive name. Examples:

"Google Analytics - Traffic Report"
"Facebook Ads - Campaign Performance"
"Shopify - Monthly Sales"

This name will appear in Looker Studio when you select the data source for your report.

Step 4: Select Data Source and Account

Choose which connector and account to pull data from. If you've connected multiple accounts with the same connector, select the one you want to use.

Step 5: Configure Metrics and Dimensions

Metrics are the numbers you want to measure:

Impressions, clicks, conversions
Revenue, cost, ROI
Traffic, users, sessions

Dimensions are how you want to segment that data:

By campaign, date, region, product
By device type, user source, landing page

Available metrics and dimensions depend on your data source. Select only the ones you need for your report.

Step 6: Set Date Range

Choose how to handle dates in your report:

Fixed range - Data from a specific date range
Dynamic range - Data that adapts (Last 30 days, Last quarter, etc.)
User-selectable - Allows report viewers to change the date range

Dynamic and user-selectable ranges are useful for dashboards that need to stay current.

Step 7: Add Filters (Optional)

Filters narrow your data to specific criteria:

Campaign contains "Brand"
Spend is greater than $100
Device type equals "Mobile"

Add any filters that make sense for your report. You can add multiple filters using AND logic.

Step 8: Configure Sort Order (Optional)

Set how your data should be sorted by default:

By a specific metric (highest to lowest)
By dimension (alphabetical)
By date (newest to oldest)

Step 9: Save the Query Config

Click Save to create the query config. You'll return to the Query Configs list.

Using Query Configs in Looker Studio

Once you've created a query config, you can use it to build reports:

Step 1: Click Create Report

In the top-right corner of the TMR Hub, click Create Report.

Step 2: Select Your Query Config

Choose the query config you just created from the dropdown.

Step 3: Open in Looker Studio

Click Create report from scratch to open Looker Studio with your data source automatically connected.

Modifying Query Configs

You can edit an existing query config:

Click the query config in the list
Click Edit
Modify metrics, dimensions, filters, or date ranges
Click Save

Important: Changes to a query config affect all reports using that config. Reports will automatically use the updated data the next time they refresh.

Managing Query Configs

In the Query Configs section, you can:

View all configs - See all saved query configs at a glance
Duplicate - Copy a config to create a variation
Delete - Remove configs you no longer need
View usage - See which reports use each config
Test run - Preview what data the config will pull

Testing is useful before publishing reports to ensure the data looks correct.

Best Practices for Query Configs

Keep queries focused:

Pull only the metrics and dimensions you need
Large queries can impact performance in Looker Studio
If possible, split large reports into multiple smaller queries

Use consistent naming:

Make names descriptive and easy to understand
Include the data source, time period, or purpose in the name
Avoid vague names like "Report" or "Data"

Leverage filters:

Use filters to exclude outliers or unwanted data
Filters reduce the data size and improve performance
Some filters (like date range) can be user-selectable in your report

Test before publishing:

Run a test to verify the data is correct
Check that metrics and dimensions match your expectations
Verify filters are working as intended

Available Data and Limitations

Each data source offers different metrics and dimensions:

Advertising platforms - Impressions, clicks, spend, conversions, CPC, ROAS
Analytics platforms - Users, sessions, pageviews, events, conversion rates
E-commerce platforms - Revenue, orders, average order value, product performance
Databases - Any data you have permissions to query

Refer to the connector-specific documentation for detailed information about what data is available.