Deploy Looker Blocks
This page describes the steps for installing a prebuilt Looker block for Cortex Framework located in a public GitHub repository, such as:
- SAP for Cortex
- Salesforce Sales Cloud (SFDC) for Cortex
- Oracle EBS for Cortex
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) for Cortex
- Meta for Cortex
- YouTube (with DV360) for Cortex
For deploying the Looker Dashboard for Dun & Bradstreet, see Looker Studio Dashboard for Dun & Bradstreet.
Prerequisites
To access and use these pre built dashboards, you need to priorly do the following:
- Deploy Cortex Framework: Ensure you have Cortex Framework set up and configured with your data sources. For more information, see Cortex Framework prerequisites for deployment.
- Access Looker: Access Looker and get familiar with the platform.
- Explore available dashboards: Explore the prebuilt dashboards and the available insights in the dashboard you would like to deploy. For more information, see Available Looker Blocks.
After completing the prerequisites, you are ready to install your Looker Block.
Installation
Looker Blocks use LookML (Looker Modeling Language) to define the semantic model for the Looker dashboards. To install the LookML Model that corresponds to your Cortex data source, use one of the following options:
- Option A: Install through Looker Marketplace from a Git URL.
- Option B: Install by forking the repository.
The following sections describe the steps for each option.
Option A: Install through Looker Marketplace from a Git URL
The Looker Marketplace is a central location within Looker for finding, deploying, and managing Looker Blocks, applications, visualizations, and plug-ins. To install through Looker Marketplace from a Git URL, follow these steps:
- Go to your Looker instance.
- Click the Marketplace button on the Looker menu bar .
- From the Marketplace menu, select the Manage option.
- On the Manage page, select the three-dot Options menu .
- Select Install via Git URL button.
- Enter the URL and commit SHA of the chosen repository:
- Click Install.
- Agree and Continue at the terms and conditions dialog.
- Enter the required parameters
that corresponds to your data:
- Connection Name
- Project ID
- Reporting Dataset
- Click Install.
For more information, see the Looker documentation for Installing a Tool from a Git URL.
Option B: Install by forking the repository
To install Looker blocks by forking the repository, follow these steps:
Fork the GitHub repository:
- Navigate to the GitHub repository for the chosen Looker Block:
- Click Fork in the top-right corner of the repository.
- Create a fork with your username. This creates a copy of the repository in your GitHub account.
Create a blank LookML project:
- Verify that you are in Development Mode.
- Select Manage LookML Projects from the Develop menu.
From the LookML Projects page, select New LookML Project to open the New Project page.
On the New Project page, specify the options for your project:
- Project Name: Give your project a name. Choose the project name carefully and consider it a permanent ID for the project, since Looker uses the project name for unique identification in different processes.
- Starting Point: Choose Blank Project.
Select Create Project. Looker creates the project and opens it in the Looker IDE.
For more information, see the original Looker documentation for Creating a blank project.
Connect the new LookML project to the forked repository: Follow the steps in the Looker documentation, Setting up and testing a Git connection.
Update the values of constants in the
manifest.lkml
file:- Open the
manifest.lkml
file in your forked repository in Looker. - Locate the constants section and update the values as described in the Required parameters section.
- Open the
Commit and deploy changes to production. With the Looker project based on your forked repository, you can customize the LookML to fit your unique business needs. Follow the steps in Getting your changes to production.
Required parameters
These required values are configured during the Marketplace Installation process
or if this Block was installed from a forked Git repository, you need to
update the values for these constants in the manifest.lkml
file for the project.
Parameter | Value | Description | Looker Blocks |
---|---|---|---|
Connection Name
|
Name of the connection | The BigQuery connection name allowing Looker to query the Cortex REPORTING dataset. must be enabled. | All |
Project ID
|
Project ID | The Google Cloud project where the reporting dataset resides in BigQuery. For more information, see Identifying projects. | All |
Reporting Dataset
|
Name of the dataset for reporting | The deployed Cortex Data Foundation
REPORTING dataset where the data source dataset views reside within the
Google Cloud BigQuery project. Depending on the deployment
settings for the Cortex Data Foundation, this dataset name would typically
be of the pattern ending with _REPORTING .
|
All |
Client
|
SAP Client number (mandt )
|
The SAP Client number (mandt )
to use for Reporting.
|
SAP |
Sign Change
|
Yes or No
|
For Profit and Loss/Income Statement
reporting, revenue is generally displayed in general ledger as a negative
number, which indicates a credit. By setting Sign Change value to Yes ,
it's displayed as a positive number in income statement reports.
|
SAP |
Additional block-specific requirements
Some blocks have specific requirements for its deployment. For more information, see the block-specific deployment:
Block | Link to Additional Requirements |
---|---|
SAP | Additional specifications for Cortex Looker Block for SAP. |
Oracle EBS | Additional specifications for Cortex Looker Block for Oracle EBS. |
Extra Resources
For more information about LookML, see the following documentation and training: