Looker Software is one of the most significant data discovery platforms available to analyze and perform the data-driven functionalities. Many organizations hold immense amounts of data, strive hard to meet the deliverables, and make the right decisions based on the business requirements. As an organization runs around data, analysis is always essential to endeavor the goals and make appropriate decisions. In fact, an organization looks for the right tools to get the tasks accomplished smoothly. Looker software helps in meeting the business requirements of the organization. In this tutorial, you will learn about the basic concepts of the Looker software.
Looker is a Business Intelligence software tool which is a solution to the businesses to analyze, capture, and perform the data functionalities. It is specifically a cloud-based platform that is designed to explore and analyze the data. It provides its extensible to small scale, and large scale companies glean the value from the data. Looker uses the data modeling language, which includes a predefined framework. It can work quickly and connect with multiple resources without using other back-end requirements.
Looker allows the creation of customized visuals and provides the flexibility to choose from the blocks with templates. Looker is called a complete platform as it is self-contained as it would not integrate with many other databases and other BI platforms. In simpler terms, Looker tools help us define the data and look at the company's operational metrics to improve the organization's growth by performing analysis. It is the platform on which both data analysts and business teams can rely on for exploring and building the strategies for the improvement in the businesses or an enterprise.
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The organizations need Business Intelligence tools to review and run their operational workflow by conducting the analysis. Data analysts and the business teams will ensure to use the tools that have multiple features in it. Let us have a quick review of the features available in Looker.
Creation of beautiful and modern data products: new data products have to be created and implemented based on the development and integration of an organization. Looker provides the flexibility and capability to build new data products quickly. With Looker 7, you can make data experiences using the Looker components.
Apart from this, we have many other features in Looker. A few of them are listed below:
Looker uses a database architecture that includes a Linux server. In Looker, the Linux server is used for establishing multiple connections. Looker can be either hosted by Looker or could be customer-hosted. Using a Looker hosted instance, installation, configuration, and management of Looker is natural and is handled by Looker instance.
Looker consists of many components like Analytics database, Linux, Looker internal database, user clients, and external communications. Connections are established by using these components.
The analytics database connects the Looker to the databases. It makes use of SSH tunneling and SSL connections to ensure security by providing encrypted connection and extra authentication. The authentication and user-based protocols are available for client and web-based access.
Looker uses a Linux server and resides by running on a Linux based operating system with java runtime. Security is enabled in the entire Looker deployment via a firewall or VPC (Virtual Private Cloud). External communications are established that include looker usage, error reporting, Git integration, and subscription management. Looker internal database uses My SQL database for large deployments and clustered configurations. The looker application is independent of the location where the data resides.
Looker is a tool that uses SQL to generate the queries and submit them against the database connection. SQL queries are formulated based on the LookML project that includes the specific relationships between the columns and tables in the database.
The following steps represent the working of Looker.
Some of the organizations will use Looker hosted installations. This does not require the installation of Looker as it is installed inbuilt. All the other steps except step 1 have to be done in a Looker hosted interface.
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Looker blocks are called as the building blocks. It consists of the pre-built pieces of LookML (Looker Modeling language) that helps in analytics. It provides the flexibility to use the same code the next time instead of starting from the beginning. It also customization of the available pieces of code or LookML to meet the expected business specifications. Looker is called the start point from SQL patterns to the different available and built data models for all the modes of enterprises. It is, therefore, well known for its flexible data modeling in Looker, which is quick enough to handle the operations in all convenient ways.
Looker blocks use the Looker marketplace to install them quickly and easily. When deploying a block using the Looker marketplace, it is essential that the Looker admin has to enable to the Marketplace and Local project import Labs features to perform any function. A looker marketplace is a centralized location that involves all the activities like deploying, finding, and managing the different looker content. The looker content could be either looker blocks, plugins, applications, and visualizations.
There are many different looker blocks available to choose from. Some of the blocks are listed below:
Tableau and Looker are the business intelligence tools that offer their services to transform the data into actionable intelligence that will help make improvised decisions using some business strategies. To optimize business processes efficiently, business intelligence tools integrate and help drive revenue by making fact-based decisions.
Let us specifically have a brief introduction about Tableau and Looker.
TABLEAU:
Tableau is a business intelligence tool that helps users create reports efficiently and quickly by analyzing large volumes of data.
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LOOKER:
Looker is a business intelligence software that allows multiple operations in real-time, like exploring, sharing, and analyzing data by the user.
Let us have a quick review of the differences between Tableau and Looker.
1. Integration:
Tableau: Tableau can integrate different data sources like SQL databases, Google Analytics, Spreadsheets, CSV, etc.It is also flexible to connect with R to provide full-fledged control to the tools.
Looker: Looker is a powerful tool that integrates with third-party applications, SQL databases. The third-party applications can be Amazon, Green Plum, Athena, etc.
2.Speed:
Tableau: Tableau is the fast processing tool that allows users to create the required visualization reports in a few minutes. It will enable the reports to be shared in both online and offline modes.
Looker: Looker is a slow processing tool that takes hours to process the data and reports. The sharing of the stories will take relatively more time when compared with Tableau.
3. Data Modeling:
Tableau: Tableau uses two different models, like a snowflake and dimensional models, used in data warehouses. These models help in improving the performance of the queries as they integrate with multiple data sources.
Looker: Looker uses the LookML data model, which is a replacement for SQL. LookML data model is more powerful, flexible, and reusable when compared with SQL.
4. Data Visualization:
Tableau: Tableau allows visualization of data that can be created in the form of dashboards, graphs, and worksheets. Tableau includes automated templates that would enable the users to create dashboards easily with the drag and drop features.
Looker: Looker helps in the creation and configuration of charts and graphs with drop and drag function. It also includes a mapping feature that allows non-technical users to prepare high data visualizations.
5.Security:
Tableau: Tableau provides security to the reports, worksheets, dashboards as and when required. Permissions will be given to the specific users to access the reports.
Looker: Looker provides an option to change the admin panel's security settings like Google authentication, two-factor authentication, HDAP, and HTML sanitization.
6.Reporting:
Tableau: Tableau is considered as the best tool that allows users to create customized reports based on the user and business requirements. It has the flexibility to create, publish the reports and dashboards and reports in multiple output formats based on the needs.
Looker: Looker only allows users to use standard reporting templates. It also includes ad-hoc reporting that allows building custom reports based on user specifications.
7. Pricing:
Tableau: Tableau includes subscription plans to the users. A single user can use Tableau for a subscription price of $70.
Looker: Looker also has some set of subscription plans. The pricing would range between $3000 to $5000 per month for ten users.
Looker is the most robust and innovative data-driven software that helps business organizations in driving businesses efficiently. Now that you have an idea about the basic concepts about the features, architecture, and working of Looker, you will need to learn more deeply to gain an in-depth knowledge of Looker. I hope the information in the tutorial is helpful. Assuming that it has given a basic idea, I would like to inform you that learning and understanding Looker is a plus in Business Intelligence. For any queries/questions related to the topic, we are here to help you resolve them.
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