Looker Studio Release Notes Highlight New Features and Enhancements

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Looker Studio has rolled out some exciting new features and enhancements, making it easier to create and share interactive dashboards.

One of the standout features is the ability to add custom dimensions to your metrics tables, allowing for more flexible and dynamic reporting.

This new feature is a game-changer for users who need to analyze complex data sets, and it's now available in the latest release of Looker Studio.

With this update, you can also create custom date ranges that automatically update when you change the date filter, saving you time and effort.

The new "date range picker" feature is a welcome addition, making it easier to work with dates in your reports.

This feature is particularly useful for users who need to analyze data across different time periods, such as quarterly or annually.

Google Ads and Ad Manager

You can now connect your Google Ads data to Looker Studio and get a better understanding of your ad performance. This update brings new dimensions to visualize, including Account Budget Order Amount and Account Budget Order Adjustable Amount.

Credit: youtube.com, How to create a Google Ads Report in Looker Studio

These dimensions allow you to see how your ad budget is being used, making it easier to make informed decisions about your ad spend. For example, you can use the Account Budget Amount Spent dimension to track how much you're spending on ads.

Here are the new dimensions you can now visualize in Looker Studio:

  • Account Budget Order Amount
  • Account Budget Order Adjustable Amount
  • Account Budget Amount Spent
  • Campaign Bid Strategy Type
  • Ad Group Bid Strategy
  • Target CPA
  • Target ROAS
  • User Ad Distance
  • First Position Bid

Google Ads Updates

Google Ads has recently rolled out some exciting updates that will help you better understand your ad performance. You can now visualize more data from Google Ads, including account budget order amount and account budget order adjustable amount.

With this new update, you can gain valuable insights into your ad spend and campaign performance. For example, you can see how much you've spent on account budget amount spent.

One of the key updates is the ability to view campaign bid strategy type and ad group bid strategy. This will help you identify areas where you can optimize your bids for better performance.

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Here are some of the new dimensions you can visualize using the Ads connector:

  • Account Budget Order Amount
  • Account Budget Order Adjustable Amount
  • Account Budget Amount Spent
  • Campaign Bid Strategy Type
  • Ad Group Bid Strategy
  • Target CPA
  • Target ROAS
  • User Ad Distance
  • First Position Bid

By having access to this data, you can make more informed decisions about your ad campaigns and optimize your budget for better results.

Visualize More in Google Ad Manager

You can now access more data from Google Ad Manager, making it easier to gain insights into your campaigns.

The new fields available in Google Ad Manager data sources include Line item ID, Order ID, Creative ID, Ad unit ID (top level), Placement ID, Country ID, City ID, Master and Companion creative ID, and App ID.

These additional fields can help you better understand your ad performance and make data-driven decisions.

Here are some of the new fields you can access in Google Ad Manager data sources:

New Conditional Functions

Google Ads and Ad Manager just got a whole lot more powerful with the introduction of new conditional functions. You can now use COALESCE to return the first non-missing value found in a list of fields.

Studio Setting
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These new functions are a game-changer for data analysis and manipulation. With COALESCE, you can easily handle missing values and ensure that your data is accurate and reliable.

Here are the three new conditional functions you can use in calculated fields:

  • COALESCE: Returns the first non-missing value found in a list of fields.
  • IFNULL: Returns a result if the input is null, otherwise, returns the input.
  • NULLIF: Returns null if the input matches an expression, otherwise returns the input.

These functions are perfect for working with complex data sets and ensuring that your calculations are accurate.

Data Visualization and Analysis

Data visualization is a crucial aspect of data analysis, and Looker Studio has made some exciting updates in this area. You can now connect to Amazon Redshift and visualize that data in your reports and explorations.

To get the most out of your data, you can now view up to 100 dimensions and 100 metrics for tables based on flexible schema data sources, such as Sheets or BigQuery. This is a significant improvement over the previous limit of 10 dimensions and 20 metrics for fixed schema connectors.

To enable horizontal scrolling for tables, simply edit your report, select the table, and check the Horizontal scrolling option under the STYLE tab. This will give you more room to view and analyze your data.

Visualize from Redshift

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You can now connect to Amazon Redshift and visualize that data in your Data Studio reports and explorations.

The Amazon Redshift connector is currently in beta testing, so keep an eye out for updates and improvements.

To learn more about the Amazon Redshift connector, check out the link provided for more information.

Connecting to Amazon Redshift allows you to tap into a powerful data warehouse solution.

Create Calculated Fields in Blended Tables

You can now create calculated fields in blended data source tables, which is a game-changer for data visualization and analysis.

This feature is particularly useful when working with complex data sources, as it allows you to extract and manipulate specific data points to gain deeper insights.

Report editors can now create calculated fields when configuring a blended data source, making it easier to analyze and visualize data from multiple sources.

With this feature, you can create calculated fields that are based on a Boolean expression, such as Revenue > Forecast, which returns true or false.

Credit: youtube.com, 9.6. Data Blending: Calculated Fields & Nulls (Looker Studio Masterclass) (Full Data Studio Course)

This is a huge time-saver compared to using CASE statements, which were previously required to achieve the same result.

You can use these new calculated fields within other calculated fields, allowing you to build complex formulas and gain even more insights from your data.

This feature is especially useful for data analysts and report editors who need to work with complex data sources and create detailed reports.

Here are some key things to keep in mind when creating calculated fields in blended tables:

Handling Unrecognized Date Formats

Handling Unrecognized Date Formats can be a challenge in Data Visualization and Analysis.

Data Studio can now handle ambiguous dates or times by displaying a message saying "Data Studio can't convert [field] to a date" along with some helpful tips on how to resolve the issue.

This improvement means you'll get direct feedback when working with data that contains unrecognized date formats.

The message and tips will guide you in figuring out how to correctly format the date field, making it easier to work with your data.

Community Visualizations in Embedded Reports

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Community visualizations in embedded reports are a game-changer for data analysis.

You can now use community visualizations in an embedded report, allowing you to present complex data in a clear and concise manner.

This feature enables you to tap into the power of community-driven insights, making it easier to identify trends and patterns in your data.

Community visualizations can be used in a variety of ways, from highlighting key statistics to showcasing the relationships between different data points.

By incorporating community visualizations into your embedded reports, you can make your data more engaging and accessible to a wider audience.

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