2023-05-24 | Article | Insights
In today's data-driven world, businesses need powerful analytics tools to help them make informed decisions. The Looker family of tools are a popular business intelligence platform that provides a range of options for businesses of all sizes. Looker tools are known for their ability to help users connect to a wide range of data sources, create meaningful visualizations, and gain deeper insights into their data.
One of the key strengths of the Looker family of tools is its flexibility. They can be used by businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises, and offers a range of different options to meet the needs of different users. Whether you're looking to explore and visualize your data or manage complex data analysis workflows, the Looker platform has a solution for you.
In this article, we'll take a closer look at Looker Platform, Looker Studio, and Looker Studio Pro, and explore the differences between these three options. We'll dive into the core functionality of Looker platform, explore Looker Studio's ability to empower data discovery, and examine Looker Studio Pro's advanced collaborative analytics features. Finally, we'll offer guidance on selecting the most suitable option based on specific business needs and scale.
At its core, the Looker platform also known simply as Looker at its core is a powerful data modelling and exploration tool that allows users to connect to a wide range of data sources and create meaningful visualizations. Looker is focused on governed modelling, enterprise management, embedded data experiences, and developer tooling, which means that users can analyze their data in a centralized platform with a strong emphasis on data governance.
One of Looker's key strengths is its ability to connect to a wide range of data sources, including SQL databases, cloud storage services, and other data warehouses. This means that users can easily access and analyze their data, regardless of where it is stored. Looker allows users to create visualizations based on a wide range of data sources, including SQL databases, spreadsheets, and cloud-based data storage solutions. Users can easily connect to these data sources and begin exploring their data using Looker's intuitive interface.
Looker offers a range of visualisation options to help users display their data in the most meaningful way possible. Users can choose from a range of charts, including line charts, bar charts, scatter plots, and more. Looker also offers advanced visualization options, such as heatmaps, treemaps, and Sankey diagrams, for more complex data sets.
One of the key benefits of Looker's visualization capabilities is that users can easily create custom visualizations that are tailored to their specific needs. Looker provides a drag-and-drop interface that allows users to quickly and easily create custom charts and visualizations based on their data.
Looker Studio is a data exploration and visualisation tool built on top of Looker. It is a free self-service BI tool meant for easy visualisation. It provides an intuitive user interface for exploring and visualizing data and allows users to create dynamic reports and dashboards that can be shared with others.
One of the key benefits of Looker Studio is its user-friendly interface. Looker Studio makes it easy for users to explore their data and create custom visualizations using a drag-and-drop interface. Users can quickly create charts and graphs based on their data, and then customize them to fit their needs.
Looker Studio also allows users to create dynamic reports and dashboards that can be shared with others. Users can create custom dashboards that display key metrics and KPIs, and then share them with their team or stakeholders. Looker Studio also allows users to schedule reports to be sent out automatically, making it easy to keep everyone up-to-date on the latest data insights.
Overall, Looker Studio is a powerful tool for data exploration and visualization. Its user-friendly interface and dynamic reporting capabilities make it a great option for businesses of all sizes looking to gain deeper insights into their data.
Looker Studio Pro is an advanced version of Looker Studio that offers additional features and capabilities for enterprise-grade analytics. It extends the functionality of Looker Studio by providing enhanced collaboration, scheduling, and alerting capabilities. In addition to this, the Pro version incorporates SLAs and content management for a more professional environment.
One of the key benefits of Looker Studio Pro is its advanced collaboration features. Looker Studio Pro allows users to collaborate on dashboards and reports in real time, making it easy for teams to work together on data projects. Users can leave comments and annotations on dashboards and reports, and can even collaborate on data modelling and analysis.
Looker Studio Pro also offers enhanced scheduling capabilities. Users can schedule reports to be sent out automatically, either by email or to a shared drive. This makes it easy to keep stakeholders up-to-date on the latest data insights, without requiring manual intervention.
Another key feature of Looker Studio Pro is its alerting capabilities. Users can set up alerts to be notified when certain metrics or KPIs reach a specific threshold. This allows users to stay on top of important data trends and identify potential issues before they become major problems.
Overall, Looker Studio Pro is a powerful tool for enterprise-grade analytics. Its advanced collaboration, scheduling, and alerting capabilities make it a great option for organisations with lots of users or business critical reporting that require more advanced functionality, support, and collaboration capabilities.
When it comes to choosing between Looker, Looker Studio, and Looker Studio Pro, there are several key differences to consider. Here's a breakdown of some of the main differences:
Core Functionality: Looker Platform is the core data analytics platform, providing robust data modelling, querying, and exploration capabilities. Looker Studio builds on this functionality by providing an intuitive user interface for data exploration and visualization, while Looker Studio Pro extends the functionality even further with enhanced collaboration, scheduling, and alerting capabilities.
User Interface: Looker Platform has a more technical interface designed for data professionals, while Looker Studio and Looker Studio Pro have more user-friendly interfaces that are accessible to a wider range of users.
Pricing: Looker Platform and Looker Studio Pro are priced on a per-user basis, and the Looker platform has an additional license fee. Looker is however the much more expensive option. On the other hand, Looker Studio is free, and we offer pricing based on the number of data sources connected to the platform that is running on our Digitl Cloud Connectors.
Target Users: Looker Platform is designed for data professionals and analysts, while Looker Studio and Looker Studio Pro are designed for a wider range of users, including business analysts and non-technical users.
When it comes to choosing the right option for your business, it's important to consider your specific data analytics requirements and scale. If you have a small team of data professionals who need robust data modelling and querying capabilities, Looker may be the best option. If you have a larger team with a mix of technical and non-technical users, Looker Studio or Looker Studio Pro may be a better fit, providing a more user-friendly interface and collaboration capabilities. It's also important to consider your budget and the pricing structure of each option, as well as any specific features or functionality that your team requires. By carefully evaluating these factors, you can choose the right option to meet your business needs and enable more effective data analytics.
In conclusion, Looker Platform, Looker Studio, and Looker Studio Pro each offer unique features and capabilities to help businesses make sense of their data. Whether you're a data professional or a non-technical user, there's an option that can meet your needs and enable more effective data analytics.
At Digital Cloud, we specialize in helping businesses navigate the complex world of data analytics tools and solutions. Whether you need help connecting to specific data sources, configuring Looker to meet your unique requirements, or obtaining licenses for the Looker platform or Looker Studio Pro, our team is here to help.
If you're interested in learning more about the Looker Platform, Looker Studio, or Looker Studio Pro, or if you have any questions about the connectors we offer, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We'd be happy to discuss your data analytics needs and provide guidance on the best tools and solutions to meet them.