Funnel chart parameters for LookML dashboards

This page demonstrates how to add and customize a LookML dashboard element of type: looker_funnel with LookML dashboard parameters in a dashboard.lkml file.

For information about building a funnel chart through the Looker UI, see the Funnel chart options documentation page.

Parameter definitions

Parameter Name	Description
Basic Parameters
name (for elements)	Creates an element
title (for elements)	Changes the way an element name appears to users
type (for elements)	Determines the type of visualization to be used in the element
height (for elements)	Defines the height of an element in units of tile_size for layout: tile and layout: static dashboards
width (for elements)	Defines the width of an element in units of tile_size for layout: tile and layout: static dashboards
top	Defines the top-to-bottom position of an element in units of tile_size for layout: static dashboards
left	Defines the left-to-right position of an element in units of tile_size for layout: static dashboards
row	Defines the top-to-bottom position of an element in units of rows for layout: newspaper dashboards
col	Defines the left-to-right position of an element in units of columns for layout: newspaper dashboards
refresh (for elements)	Sets the interval at which the element will automatically refresh
note	Starts a section of LookML to define a note for an element. This parameter has the subparameters text, state, and display.
Query Parameters
model	Defines the model to be used for the element's query
explore (for elements)	Defines the Explore to be used for the element's query
dimensions	Defines the dimensions to be used for the element's query
measures	Defines the measures to be used for the element's query
sorts	Defines the sorts to be used for the element's query
pivots	Defines the dimensions that should be pivoted to be used for the element's query
limit	Defines the row limit to be used for the element's query
filters (for elements)	Defines the filters that cannot be changed for the element's query
listen	Defines the filters that can be changed for the element's query, if filters (for dashboard) have been created
query_timezone	Defines the time zone that should be used when the query is run
merged_queries	Defines a merged results query
hidden_fields	Specifies any fields to use in the query but hide in the chart
Axis Parameters
leftAxisLabelVisible	Specifies whether a label is applied to the left axis
leftAxisLabel	Specifies a label for the left axis
rightAxisLabelVisible	Specifies whether a label is applied to the right axis
rightAxisLabel	Specifies a label for the right axis
Bar Parameters
color_application	Applies a color palette to a dashboard element. This parameter has the subparameters collection_id and palette_id.
smoothedBars	Specifies whether to connect the outer edge of each bar in the funnel chart with the bars above and below it
isStepped	ADDED 21.16 Specifies whether to display the funnel chart in the stepped funnel style.
orientation	Specifies whether the data for the funnel chart is drawn from the table rows or from the columns
labelScale	Specifies the size of labels that are positioned both on top of the chart bars and on the sides of the chart
Label Parameters
labelPosition	Specifies where data labels will appear on the chart
percentType	Specifies whether each bar is assigned a percentage
percentPosition	Specifies where bar percentages will appear on the chart
valuePosition	Specifies where your data values will appear on the chart
labelColorEnabled	Specifies whether to set a custom color for labels and percentages in the chart
labelColor	Specifies a custom color for the label and percentages

Basic parameters

When defining a LookML dashboard element, you must specify values for at least the name and type basic parameters. Other basic parameters like title, height, and width affect the appearance and position of an element on a dashboard.

name

This section refers to the name parameter that is part of a dashboard element.

name can also be used as part of a dashboard filter, described on the Dashboard parameters documentation page.

Each name declaration creates a new dashboard element and assigns it a name. Element names must be unique. Names are sometimes referenced in the elements parameter when you're using layout: grid dashboards.

- name: orders_by_date

title

This section refers to the title parameter that is part of a dashboard element.

title can also be used as part of a dashboard, described on the Dashboard parameters documentation page.

title can also be used as part of a dashboard filter, described on the Dashboard parameters documentation page.

The title parameter lets you change how an element's name will appear to users. If unspecified, the title defaults to the element name.

Consider this example:

- name: sales_overview
  title: '1) Sales Overview'

If you used this format, instead of the element appearing as Sales Overview, it would appear as 1) Sales Overview.

type

This section refers to the type parameter that is part of a dashboard element.

type can also be used as part of a dashboard filter, described on the Dashboard parameters documentation page.

type can also be used as part of a join, described on the type (for joins) parameter documentation page.

type can also be used as part of a dimension, described on the Dimension, filter, and parameter types documentation page.

type can also be used as part of a measure, described on the Measure types documentation page.

The type parameter determines the type of visualization to be used in the element.

- name: element_name
  type: text | looker_grid | table | single_value | looker_single_record |
        looker_column | looker_bar | looker_scatter | looker_line | looker_area |
        looker_pie | looker_donut_multiples | looker_funnel | looker_timeline |
        looker_map | looker_google_map | looker_geo_coordinates | looker_geo_choropleth | looker_waterfall | looker_wordcloud | looker_boxplot

See the type (for LookML dashboards) documentation page for an overview of the different types of LookML dashboard elements.

height

This section refers to the height parameter that is part of a dashboard element.

height can also be used as part of a dashboard row, described on the Dashboard parameters documentation page.

For dashboards with tile or static layouts

The height parameter defines the height of an element, in units of tile_size (which is defined in pixels), for layout: tile and layout: static dashboards.

For example, the following code specifies tile_size: 100 and height: 4, making the orders_by_date element 400 pixels in height.

- dashboard: sales_overview
  tile_size: 100
  ...

  elements:
  - name: orders_by_date
    height: 4
    ...

For dashboards with newspaper layout

The height parameter defines the height of an element, in units of row, for layout: newspaper dashboards.

A dashboard with newspaper layout defaults to an element height of 6 rows, or about 300 pixels. The minimum height is 1 row for dashboards with a preferred viewer parameter set to dashboards-next. The minimum height is 2 rows for dashboards with a preferred viewer parameter set to dashboards.

For example, the following code sets an element to be 12 rows tall, or twice as tall as other elements that are set to the default:

- dashboard: sales_overview
  layout: newspaper
  ...

  elements:
  - name: orders_by_date
    height: 12
    ...

width

This section refers to the width parameter that is part of a dashboard element.

width can also be used as part of a dashboard, described on the Dashboard parameters documentation page.

The width parameter defines the width of an element, in units of tile_size, for layout: tile and layout: static dashboards.

For example, the following code specifies tile_size: 100 and width: 4, making the orders_by_date element 400 pixels in width.

- dashboard: sales_overview
  tile_size: 100
  ...

  elements:
  - name: orders_by_date
    width: 4
    ...

The width parameter defines the width of an element, in units of columns, for layout: newspaper dashboards.

A dashboard with newspaper layout defaults to a width of 24 columns.

For example, the following code sets the element to half the width of the dashboard:

- dashboard: sales_overview
  layout: newspaper
  ...

  elements:
  - name: orders_by_date
    width: 12
    ...

top

The top parameter defines the top-to-bottom position of an element, in units of tile_size, for layout: static dashboards.

For example, the following code specifies tile_size: 100 and top: 4, positioning the top edge of the orders_by_date element 400 pixels from the top of the dashboard.

- dashboard: sales_overview
  tile_size: 100
  ...

  elements:
  - name: orders_by_date
    top: 4
    ...

left

The left parameter defines the left-to-right position of an element, in units of tile_size, for layout: static dashboards.

For example, the following code specifies tile_size: 100 and left: 4, positioning the left edge of the orders_by_date element 400 pixels from the left side of the dashboard.

- dashboard: sales_overview
  tile_size: 100
  ...

  elements:
  - name: orders_by_date
    left: 4
    ...

row

For layout: newspaper dashboards, the row parameter defines the row that the top edge of an element is placed on.

A dashboard begins with row 0 at the top of the dashboard. A dashboard with newspaper layout defaults to an element height of 6 rows, meaning the dashboard elements at the top of a dashboard (row: 0) would default to taking up rows 0-5.

Each row is 50 pixels tall, which means the default element height of 6 rows is 300 pixels.

For example, the following code sets an element to be set on the second row of elements in the dashboard, assuming elements are set at the default height:

- dashboard: sales_overview
  layout: newspaper
  ...

  elements:
  - name: orders_by_date
    row: 6
    ...

col

For layout: newspaper dashboards, the col parameter defines the column that the left edge of the element is placed on.

Dashboards are divided into 24 columns. A dashboard begins with column 0 at the left of the dashboard. A dashboard with newspaper layout defaults to an element width of 8 columns, meaning the dashboard elements at the left of a dashboard (col: 0) would default to taking up columns 0-7.

For example, the following code sets an element to be set in the third column of elements in the dashboard:

- dashboard: sales_overview
  layout: newspaper
  ...

  elements:
  - name: orders_by_date
    col: 16
    ...

refresh

This section refers to the refresh parameter that is part of a dashboard element.

refresh can also be used as part of a dashboard, described on the Dashboard parameters documentation page.

The refresh parameter allows an element to reload automatically on some periodic basis, thereby retrieving fresh data. This is often helpful in settings where a dashboard is constantly displayed, such as on an office TV. Note that the dashboard must be open in a browser window for this parameter to have an effect. This setting does not run in the background to "pre-warm" the dashboard cache.

The refresh rate can be any number (without decimals) of seconds, minutes, hours, or days. For example:

- name: orders_by_date
  refresh: 2 hours

Use caution when setting short refresh intervals. If the query behind the element is resource-intensive, certain elements may strain your database more than desired.

note

You can add descriptive notes to elements like this:

- name: element_name
  note:
    text: 'note text'
    state: collapsed | expanded
    display: above | below | hover

note has the subparameters text, state, and display.

text

The text subparameter specifies the text displayed in the note. The text can be localized.

state

The state subparameter determines whether the note will be collapsed or expanded if it is too big to fit on a single row within the element's width. If you choose collapsed and the note is too long, the note will end in a clickable ellipsis (...) that can be used to read the full note.

display

The display subparameter determines where the note is displayed on an element. above places the note at the top of an element, below places it at the bottom of an element, and hover requires the user to hover their mouse over the element to see the note.

Query parameters

When defining a LookML dashboard element of type: looker_funnel, you must specify values for at least the model and explore query parameters, as well as at least one dimension and one measure using the dimensions and measures parameters.

model

The model parameter defines the model to use for the element query. If unspecified, it will default to the model where the dashboard resides.

- name: orders_by_date
  model: ecommerce

The model parameter accepts LookML constants. You can define a constant in the manifest file for your project, then use the syntax "@{constant_name}" to set the constant as the value for model. Using a constant lets you define the name of a model in one place, which is particularly useful if you're updating the name of a model that is used by multiple dashboard elements.

For more information and an example of using constants with LookML dashboards, see the constant parameter documentation page.

explore

This section refers to the explore parameter that is part of a dashboard element.

explore can also be used as part of a model, described on the explore parameter documentation page.

explore can also be used as part of a dashboard filter, described on the Dashboard parameters documentation page.

The explore parameter defines the Explore to use for the element query.

- name: orders_by_date
  explore: order

The explore parameter accepts LookML constants. You can define a constant in the manifest file for your project, then use the syntax "@{constant_name}" to set the constant as the value for explore. Using a constant lets you define the name of an Explore in one place, which is particularly useful if you're updating the name of an Explore that is used by multiple dashboard elements.

For more information and an example of using constants with LookML dashboards, see the constant parameter documentation page.

dimensions

The dimensions parameter defines the dimension or dimensions to use for the element query. Use the syntax view_name.dimension_name to specify the dimension. Don't include dimensions if the query doesn't have any.

## single dimension example
- name: orders_by_date
  dimensions: order.order_date

## multiple dimension example
- name: orders_by_date
  dimensions: [order.order_date, customer.name]

measures

The measures parameter defines the measure or measures to use for the element query. Use the syntax view_name.measure_name to specify the measure. Don't include measures if the query doesn't have any.

## single measure example
- name: orders_by_date
  measures: order.count

## multiple measure example
- name: orders_by_date
  measures: [order.count, order_item.count]

sorts

The sorts parameter defines the sorts to be used for the element query. The primary sort is listed first, then the secondary sort, and so on. Use the syntax view_name.field_name to specify the dimension or measure. Don't include sorts if you want to use Looker's default sort order. Descending sorts are suffixed with desc; ascending sorts don't need a suffix.

## single sort example
- name: orders_by_date
  sorts: order.order_date desc

## multiple sort example
- name: orders_by_date
  sorts: [order.order_date desc, customer.name]

pivots

The pivots parameter defines the dimensions that should be pivoted for the element query. Use the syntax view_name.dimension_name to specify the dimension. Don't include pivots if the query doesn't have any.

## single pivot example
- name: orders_by_date
  pivots: customer.gender

## multiple pivot example
- name: orders_by_date
  pivots: [customer.gender, customer.age_tier]

limit

The limit parameter defines the row limit that should be used for the element query. The limit applies to the number of rows before any pivots are applied.

- name: orders_by_date
  limit: 100

filters

This section refers to the filters parameter that is part of a dashboard element.

filters can also be used as part of a dashboard, described on the Dashboard parameters documentation page.

filters can also be used as part of a measure, described on the filters parameter documentation page.

The filters parameter defines the non-changeable filters that should be used for the element's query. If you would like filters that a user can change in the dashboard, you should set up the filters using filters for dashboards, then apply them to the elements using listen.

The syntax for filters is:

- name: element_name
  filters:
    orders.created_date: 2020/01/10 for 3 days
    orders.status: Shipped
    # You can create multiple filter statements

Each filter can accept a Looker filter expression or a value constant. You can also use the _localization or _user_attributes Liquid variables in the filter expression for flexible filter values.

listen

Dashboards can have filters that allow users to change the data behind dashboard elements. These are set up by using the filters for dashboards parameter. For a filter to impact an element, the element must be set up to "listen" for that filter, using the listen parameter.

The syntax for listen is:

- name: element_name
  listen:
    filter_name_goes_here: dimension or measure on which to apply
                           the filter using view_name.field_name syntax
    # You can add more than one listen statement

For example, you might create a filter called Date that requires a user to enter a date into the filter field in the UI. You could then apply the value that the user enters to the orders_by_date element like this:

- dashboard: sales_overview
  ...

  filters:
  - name: date
    type: date_filter

  elements:
 - name: orders_by_date
    listen:
      date: order.order_date
    ...

This concept is described in more detail on the Building LookML dashboards documentation page.

query_timezone

The query_timezone parameter specifies the time zone in which the query will be run. The time zone options are shown on the Values for timezone documentation page. If you want the query to run using the viewer's time zone, you can assign the value as user_timezone.

- name: orders_by_date
  query_timezone: America/Los Angeles

- name: orders_by_customer
  query_timezone: user_timezone

merged_queries

The merged_queries parameter defines how to merge results from several queries. You define the component queries under the merged_queries parameter and use the join_fields subparameter to define the merge rules.

The syntax for merged_queries is:

  merged_queries:
  - 'primary query definition'
  - 'next source query definition'
    join_fields:
    - field_name: 'field from the source query using the view_name.field_name syntax'
      source_field_name: 'joined field from the primary query using the
        view_name.field_name syntax'
    # more join_fields definitions as needed
  - 'next source query definition'
    join_fields:
    - field_name: view_name.field_name
      source_field_name: view_name.field_name
    # more join_fields definitions as needed
  # additional source queries and join_fields definitions as needed

The first query defined under merged_results is the primary query, and the other queries will be merged with that one.

For example, by joining on the stock symbol, company name, and Facebook username, you can merge two queries to return results for company name, company Facebook username, IPO year, stock symbol, number of employees, and job count:

- name: merged_results_element
  title: Merged Results Tile
  merged_queries:
  - model: market_research
    explore: company_info
    fields: [company.name, company.facebook_username, ipo.public_year, ipo.stock_symbol]
    filters:
      company.facebook_username: "-NULL"
      ipo.valuation_amount: NOT NULL
    sorts: [ipo.public_year desc]
  - model: crunchbase
    explore: companies
    fields: [companies.name, ipo.stock_symbol, companies.facebook_username,
      companies.number_of_employees, jobs.job_count]
    filters:
      companies.number_of_employees: NOT NULL
      ipo.stock_symbol: "-NULL"
      companies.facebook_username: "-NULL"
    sorts: [jobs.job_count desc]
    join_fields:
    - field_name: ipo.stock_symbol
      source_field_name: ipo.stock_symbol
    - field_name: companies.name
      source_field_name: company.name
    - field_name: companies.facebook_username
      source_field_name: company.facebook_username

Then you can apply element parameters to style the visualization as you desire.

hidden_fields

The hidden_fields parameter indicates which fields, if any, are used in the query but hidden in the chart. Any hidden fields will appear in the data table section of an Explore.

hidden_fields: [inventory_items.count, distribution_centers.id]

Axis parameters

Most of the parameters described in this section correspond to the options in the Axes section of the visualization editor for funnel charts.

leftAxisLabelVisible

This parameter determines whether a label is applied to the left axis.

leftAxisLabelVisible: true | false

leftAxisLabel

Specify a label for the left axis. The leftAxisLabelVisible parameter must be set to true.

leftAxisLabel: Year

rightAxisLabelVisible

This parameter determines whether a label is applied to the right axis.

rightAxisLabelVisible: true | false

rightAxisLabel

Specify a label for the right axis. The rightAxisLabelVisible parameter must be set to true.

rightAxisLabel: Count

Bar parameters

Most of the parameters described in this section correspond to the options in the Bars section of the visualization editor for funnel charts.

color_application

The color_application parameter, and its subparameters collection_id and palette_id, can be used to apply a specific color collection and palette to a dashboard element. For an overview of Looker's native color collections, see the Color collections documentation page.

If you have the collection ID and palette ID for the palette you want to use, you can enter those IDs into the collection_id and palette_id subparameters. A collection ID or a palette ID may be an alphanumeric code or be based on the name of the color collection. Alphanumeric codes are used for Looker's native collections. They are instance-specific and look like this:

color_application:
  collection_id: 1297dk12-86a7-4xe0-8dfc-82de20b3806a
  palette_id: 93c8aeb7-3f8a-4ca7-6fee-88c3617516a1

Custom color collections use collection and palette IDs based on the name of the color collection, which are portable across instances and look like this:

color_application:
  collection_id: blue-tone-collection
  palette_id: blue-tone-collection-categorical-0

You can also use the UI to find the colors, collections, or palettes that you want and generate the LookML to add them to your dashboard. Navigate to a piece of user-defined content (like a Look, a dashboard, or an Explore), and apply the colors, collection, or palette that you want to that content's visualization using the UI. Once you've done that, you can follow the steps to get dashboard LookML, copy the LookML that was produced, and paste it in the color_application section.

smoothedBars

Specify whether to connect the outer edge of each bar in the funnel chart with the bars above and below it.

smoothedBars: true | false

isStepped

Specify whether to display the funnel chart in the stepped funnel style.

isStepped: true | false

orientation

The orientation parameter determines whether the data for the funnel chart is drawn from the table rows or from the columns. You can also set orientation to automatic, which causes the funnel chart to choose data based on where there are the most data points.

orientation: automatic | rows | columns

labelScale

Specify the size of labels that are positioned both on top of the chart bars and on the sides of the chart. Labels have a minimum size and a maximum size that varies depending on the size of the chart. Set labelScale to '0' to specify that the labels will be the minimum size. Set labelScale to '1' to specify that the labels will be the maximum size. Enter a number between 0 and 1 to indicate a percentage, and the label size will be set to that percentage between the minimum and maximum size.

labelScale: '0.5'

Label parameters

Most of the parameters described in this section correspond to the options in the Labels section of the visualization editor for funnel charts.

labelPosition

Specify where your data labels will appear on the chart. You can specify the following values for the labelPosition parameter:

• left: Data labels are on the left side of the chart.
• inline: Data labels are in the center of the chart, inside the chart bars.
• right: Data labels are on the right side of the chart.
• hidden: Data labels are not shown.

labelPosition: left | inline | right | hidden

percentType

Specify whether each bar in the chart is assigned a percentage value. The percentType parameter sets whether each bar is assigned a percentage by comparing the bar's value to the largest value in the chart (total), or by comparing the bar's value to the previous bar in the chart (prior).

percentType: total | prior

percentPosition

Specify where bar percentages will appear on the chart. You can specify the following values for the percentPosition parameter:

• left: Percentages are on the left side of the chart.
• inline: Percentage labels are in the center of the chart, inside the chart bars.
• right: Percentage labels are on the right side of the chart.
• hidden: Percentage labels are not shown.

valuePosition

Specify where your data values will appear on the chart. You can specify the following values for the valuePosition parameter:

• left: Data values are on the left side of the chart.
• inline: Data values are in the center of the chart, inside the chart bars.
• right: Data values are on the right side of the chart.
• Hidden: Data values are not shown.

labelColorEnabled

The labelColorEnabled parameter lets you set a custom color for labels and percentages in the chart.

labelColorEnabled: true | false

labelColor

If labelColorEnabled is set to true, use the labelColor parameter to specify a custom color for the label and percentages. Labels where labelPosition is set to inline will appear in the color chosen, and labels on either side of the chart will appear about 40% darker than the chosen color.

labelColor: "#4FBC89"