Everything You Need to Know About Google Data Studio

By: Anna Cave
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Your guide to Google’s data visualization platform.

Google Drive users, this one’s for you. Data Studio is Google’s online data visualization platform. It allows you to make branded reports with graphics, charts and tables. Google provides a variety of templates, just like it does with their other platforms, but you can also create your own reports from scratch. The best part about Data Studio is that it allows you to collaborate easily with others, though there are various permission settings to avoid any issues with changing data.

Data Studio’s interface is similar to its other programs, such as Google Docs and Google Sheets, so it is fairly intuitive to use for those already familiar with Google Drive. To get started, you’ll need a data source. This will be the underlying data that you’ll build reports on. Though you can connect to Data Studio using something like Excel or a CSV, we recommend transferring your data to Google Sheets since those two programs work best together. Once your data source is in, you’ll use connectors to turn it into a data set to then be used in reports.

Data Studio makes it easy to add elements to your reeport. When you add a chart to your report, Google will automatically fill the chart with the data it thinks is best, but you can easily change it to reflect your preferred dimensions (data categories, such as the name of a product) and metrics (measures of the dimensions, such as the number of products sold). 

Data Studio’s range of sharing options makes it easy to collaborate on reports without worrying about running into problems. Editors with owner access have complete control over the report, while those with edit access can make changes to the elements in the report. View access lets people view and interact with a report without making changes. Google also offers different credential levels for even more comprehensive data protection. Owner’s Credentials allow people to see the report populated with all the relevant data, while Viewer’s Credentials require viewers to have their own access to the underlying data in order to view the information in the report— if they don’t have the access they’ll see a blank report. 

Google Data Studio is a pretty intuitive platform, especially for those already familiar with Google Drive, but for anyone who wants to learn more about the platform and get a certification along the way, check out Google’s free training course. The quick and easy 4-part course is interactive, meaning you’ll get the hang of the platform before you even try it out on your own. ​