Research indicates that a mere 25% of employees, on average, harness the potential of business intelligence tools to derive measurable value from their data. Concurrently, the generation of data is accelerating swiftly, and the apetite for insights is on the rise. Despite this surge, end users find themselves unable to access reliable, actionable insights.

Through this article, we delve into the impediments hindering users from obtaining reliable data insights. We also discuss strategies for overcoming these challenges through a contemporary approach to business intelligence, highlighting how Looker streamlines the process, making actionable business intelligence more accessible than ever before and how the latest Google BI and Analytics training course can help you take you data driven insights to the next level.

01
In data we can not trust

Doubts about data reliability? Trust erodes when:

• No single source of truth leads to varied versions.
• Outdated data extracts yield incorrect KPIs.
• Data unavailability undermines trust.

Without reliable data access, decision-making falters. Join us to fortify your data foundation.

02
Dashboard chaos and bottlenecks

How many dashboards clutter your company? Modern BI tools simplify dashboard creation but often lack control over data accuracy and business logic.

Consider this: Is “monthly active users” or “repeat customer rate” universally defined? Easy user-defined logic results in an influx of ungoverned metrics, eroding BI trust.

Moreover, relying on inadequate dashboards necessitates tedious ticket submissions for new reports, causing delays of weeks or even months. Data analysts, burdened with ad-hoc reports, divert focus from strategic business challenges.

03
New data experiences are out of reach

Picture receiving a text alert when your store’s inventory is running low—no need to constantly check a dashboard. Sounds simpler, right?

As demands for information intensify, we’re moving beyond traditional dashboards and visual tools toward data-driven experiences. The key is delivering precise data to the right person, at the right time, and in the right manner—an intricate task that requires ease and intuitiveness for the end recipient.

How do we overcome these challenges and ensure accurate data delivery to those who need it most?

Step one: shift the focus to the end user—the customer.

Move beyond the traditional BI model of a data analyst creating dashboards. Not everyone is comfortable with BI tools, and diverse roles demand tailored solutions. Many require data for their jobs, but their primary focus isn’t data related.

In a modern BI solution, insights should seamlessly align with users’ preferences, making it intuitive for diverse roles, from the C-suite to frontline workers.

Sounds promising, right? But you might wonder, how do we turn this vision into reality?

Similar to Google’s mission of organizing the world’s information for universal accessibility and usefulness, Looker empowers you to achieve the same for your business data. It facilitates the creation of intuitive, governed, and interconnected data experiences, utilizing a data platform that seamlessly and reliably operates on any data, on any cloud, on any device, for everyone.

At the core of Google Cloud‘s enterprise data platform offering lies Looker, supporting a vision that entails:

1. An open ecosystem: Looker empowers customers to animate their data within their preferred tools.
2. A unified offering: We consolidate all of Google’s data analysis and governance tools, ranging from Google Sheets to Looker Studio, under a single umbrella.
3. An intelligent platform: Seamlessly enriching data with AI/ML context and insights, we aid end users in making real-time, informed decisions.

Now, let’s delve into how this operates in practice.

There are three key pillars to encapsulate how Looker unleashes the potential of reliable data for everyone: a trusted platform, informed decision-making, and enriched data experiences.

We trust this article has illustrated the necessity for a fresh BI approach, one that empowers all users in your organization to access the trusted data and insights they require. Looker, Google’s business intelligence and analytics solution, stands ready to make this a reality.

If you find yourself thinking, “This sounds promising, but I’m unsure how to begin,” consider joining the Google BI and Analytics with Looker program, now available for free under the Go Cloud initiative. Kickstart your journey toward comprehensive business intelligence and analytics with confidence.

Looker serves as Google for your business data. Beyond being a contemporary business intelligence platform, Looker offers the flexibility of self-service or governed BI. You can leverage Looker to construct custom applications with reliable metrics or seamlessly integrate Looker modeling into your current BI environment.

Explore this learning path, which encompasses labs, quests, and courses designed to offer hands-on activities related to Looker.

01
Using Custom Fields in Looker Explores

Looker enables non-developer users to create and use ad hoc fields for advanced data analysis. This involves custom measures, dimensions, table calculations, and custom groupings to refine data based on specific conditions. Ad hoc fields offer flexibility, allowing users to independently create new fields without requiring development permissions or LookML understanding.

02
Creating a Looker Modeled Query and Working with Quick Start

Looker allows LookML developers to construct modeled queries, aiding all business users in promptly initiating and effortlessly exploring data within the platform.

This lab provides hands-on experience in utilizing the query parameter to generate a modeled query for an Explore. Modeled queries, listed in the Quick Start section of a blank Explore, are particularly beneficial for Looker business users. They allow the specification of dimensions, measures, filters, and pivots that are most pertinent and insightful. This practical exercise guides you in creating a modeled query, serving as a valuable starting point for users new to Looker and learning the ropes of data querying.

03
Optimizing Performance of LookML Queries

Looker on Google Cloud is a modern platform for interactive data analysis and visualization. It supports in-depth analysis, integrates insights across sources, enables actionable workflows, and facilitates custom data applications. To optimize query performance, this lab focuses on key methods: persistent derived tables, aggregate awareness, and efficient view joins.

04
Exploring Data with Looker

Achieve a skill badge by finishing the Exploring Data with Looker quest. This quest guides you through utilizing the Explore interface to access data provided by LookML developers. You’ll grasp the basics of data exploration in Looker, covering dimensions and measures, filtering and pivoting, merging explores, and incorporating advanced functions, among other essential concepts.

05
Understanding LookML in Looker

Embark on this quest to gain practical experience with LookML in Looker. Develop your skills in crafting LookML code to establish new dimensions and measures, create derived tables, join them with Explores, implement Explore filters, and define caching policies within LookML.

06
Applying Advanced LookML Concepts in Looker

This course provides hands-on experience in applying advanced LookML concepts within Looker. Learn how to leverage Liquid for customizing and crafting dynamic dimensions and measures. Dive into creating dynamic SQL derived tables, customized native derived tables, and employing “extends” to modularize your LookML code.

07
Analyzing and Visualizing Data in Looker

In this course, discover how to perform data exploration and analysis in Looker, tasks traditionally handled by SQL developers or analysts. Upon course completion, you’ll harness Looker’s modern analytics platform to explore pertinent content in your organization’s Looker instance, query your data effectively, create new metrics, and develop/share visualizations and dashboards to support data-driven decision-making.

08
Developing Data Models with LookML

This course enables you to create scalable and high-performance LookML (Looker Modeling Language) models, offering your business users standardized and readily accessible data to address their inquiries. Upon finishing the course, you’ll possess the skills to initiate the construction and upkeep of LookML models, overseeing data curation and management within your organization’s Looker instance.

In wrapping up our Google BI and Analytics course journey, envision yourself stepping into a realm where data is not just a stream of numbers but a dynamic force shaping the future of your decisions. Beyond mastering tools like Looker, this course is your compass through the exciting landscape of business intelligence and analytics. Picture yourself at the helm, transforming raw data into strategic insights that propel your business forward.

So, are you ready to redefine the way you approach analytics?
Your Go Cloud journey awaits – enroll now and let the data-driven adventure begin!

There are four more free Google learning paths offered within the Go Cloud! program. If you’re interested, don’t hesitate to explore them.

> Workspace End User Learning Path

> Cloud Digital Leader Learning Path

> Generative AI Learning Path

> Google Workspace Administrator Learning Path