Finding content in Looker

Content in Looker can take the form of either a Look, which is a saved snapshot of the data that results from a query, or a dashboard, which is a collection of tiles that show visualized query results.

All navigation occurs within the left navigation panel. To open or hide the panel, click the Main menu icon .

You can also search for content and navigate to content directly from your homepage.

Using the left navigation panel

You can navigate to saved content from the left navigation panel. Depending on your permissions, the left navigation panel may include the following options:

  • Create button: Depending on your permissions, lets you create the following items:

  • Explore: Opens the Explore panel, from which you can search for, select, and view Explores.

  • Develop: Opens the Develop panel, from which you can access LookML projects and develop in LookML.

  • Admin: Opens the Admin panel, from which you can administer Looker.

  • Home: Shows your homepage, if your Looker admin has enabled the prebuilt homepage or another homepage option. If your admin has set a board as your homepage, the name of the board appears instead of the text Home.

  • Overview: Shows the organization-wide default homepage, if your admin has configured a different default homepage for you or a group that you belong to. If your admin has set a board as your organization-wide homepage, the name of the board appears instead of Overview.

  • Recently Viewed: Lists your most recently viewed Looks and dashboards.

  • Favorites: Shows a list of Looks or dashboards that you've marked as favorites.

  • Boards: Lists boards that you have created or added to your list of boards.

  • Folders: Lists folders that you have access to, including the following folders:

    • All folders, a top-level directory with entry points to additional folders
    • Your personal folder
    • Your default folder, if you have configured one
    • People, which contains all the personal folders for other users that you have access to
    • Shared folders, which contains folders, Looks, and user-created dashboards that are typically used company-wide or within departments
    • LookML dashboards, a folder that contains dashboards that developers have created using LookML

Navigating to content in folders

In Looker, content is saved into folders. A folder can include Looks, dashboards, or even subfolders. You can only see folders that you have access to view.

Within a folder, dashboards and Looks are listed under the Dashboards and Looks headings. Folders display the following information and options for Looks and dashboards:

  • Checkbox: Select the checkbox to move, delete, or copy an item. When you select an item, Looker will display buttons for the actions that you can take.
  • Tile, description, and metadata: Includes a visual preview of the dashboard or Look. If a description was added to the dashboard or Look, the description is displayed under the dashboard or Look title. Metadata, or information about how many views the dashboard or Look has and who created it, is also displayed under the title.
  • Favorite icon : Click the favorite icon to add or remove the Look or the dashboard from your favorites.
  • Dashboard or Look three-dot menu : Provides options for configuring the content and for delivering its data.

Looks have the following additional information and options:

  • Last Updated column: Shows when the Look was last edited.
  • Explore From Here: A link to explore from that Look.
  • Model column: Shows the name of the model that is associated with the Look.

Dashboards and Looks may also display the following information, depending on their settings:

  • On dashboard icon : For Looks, the presence of the On dashboard dial icon indicates that the Look is used in a dashboard. Hold the pointer over over the icon to see the list of dashboards. If the Look isn't used in a dashboard, it won't have a dashboard icon.
  • Calendar icon : The presence of the calendar icon indicates that the Look or the dashboard is scheduled for content delivery. Click the icon to open the content's Schedule dialog, where you can see and edit the content's delivery options. Clicking the calendar icon for a dashboard opens the legacy Scheduler.

Sorting lists of content

You can sort lists of subfolders, Looks, and dashboards within folders in the following ways:

  • By using the Sort by drop-down menu in section headers to select a sort option
  • By using the Order ascending arrow and descending arrow at the top of the section headers to change the sort order of the content by name

You can also sort Looks and dashboards by name by clicking the Name column header. Click the header multiple times to switch between ascending and descending sort order.

Using list view and grid view

Folders display dashboards and Looks using thumbnails that give you a preview of their appearance— without revealing the actual data. You can switch between two views within a folder:

  • List view (default): Dashboards and Looks are shown in a detailed list.
  • Grid view: Dashboards and Looks are shown as thumbnails. Hold the pointer over over a thumbnail to see the following details:
    • Description and metadata
    • Checkbox for selecting the item to copy, move, or move to trash
    • On dashboard icon (for Looks)
    • Favorites icon
    • Three-dot options menu

Click the Show items in a grid icon to switch to grid view. Click the Show items in a list icon to switch back to list view.

Navigating to content on boards

Boards let you organize existing dashboards and Looks without changing their locations in folders.

To view a board and its contents, you must have at least the View access level for that board. If you have the Manage Access, Edit access level, you can make changes to the board, such as adding and removing content.

Finding a board

You can find boards in several ways:

  • Search: Use the search bar to find boards by name.

  • Left navigation panel:

    • The Boards section lists boards that you have created or that you have added to your list of boards.
    • Click the Create or find a board icon , and then select Browse all boards. Looker displays the Find boards at your organization window, which lists all boards that you have created or that you can access.

    You can filter to show only boards that you have created or added, and you can sort the list of boards by name, creator, creation date, or popularity.

Viewing the content on a board

Boards are organized into sections that users with the Manage Access, Edit access level can create and arrange.

Dashboards and Looks are displayed in the Orders and Customers sections on the sample board Order Information.

When you navigate to a board, you'll see any Looks or dashboards that have been added to that board and that you have access to view. The content that you can see on a board depends on the following factors:

To open the information section of a board, click the Board Information icon . The information section of a board displays the following information:

  • About this board: The number of people who have added the board.
  • Description: Board contributors can add a description that contains text and Markdown links to a board. If a description has been added to the board, that description is displayed in this section.
  • Created: Displays information about who created the board and when the board was created.
  • Contributors: Lists the number of contributors in parentheses. Beneath the Contributors heading is a list of contributors. A board's contributors include the creator of the board and users who have made changes to the board.

Searching for saved content

As an alternative to browsing folders, you can use specific words or phrases to search your Looker instance for saved content.

To perform a search, follow these steps:

  1. Select the Search icon in the top navigation bar.
  2. Enter your search term.
  3. You'll see a list of search results that includes folders, boards, Looks, dashboards, and other content to which you have access.
  4. Select a search result to view that content.

There are three types of search experiences:

  • Improved search:

    • Includes improved ranking that automatically includes both curated and non-curated results without your needing to choose which result set you want to see. This is why the Curated Search switch is not available when improved search is enabled.
    • Faster search results. To increase search performance, improved search does not return LookML files. You can still search for LookML files within a LookML project.

  • Legacy search: If improved search is not enabled on your instance, you will see Looker's legacy search.

  • Curated search:

    • When the Curated Search feature is enabled, search results will include content from shared folders, your personal folder, and boards. Content that is saved in other users' personal folders will be included in the results only if such content is also pinned to a board. The search results will exclude content that exists only in the personal folders of other users.
    • To include content from other users' personal folders, turn off the Curated Search switch in the search results dialog box.

Viewing content on your homepage

To navigate to your homepage, select the Looker logo in the header or select Home from the left navigation panel. If your Looker admin has set a board or a different Looker page (such as Favorites) as your homepage, the name of the board or the page will appear instead of Home.

Depending on the settings that your admin has specified, you might see one of the following when you navigate to your homepage or log in to Looker:

  • Prebuilt Looker homepage: If your admin has chosen the prebuilt Looker homepage option, your homepage will display visually representative thumbnails for dashboards and Looks. Content is organized on this page in the following sections:

    • Your Favorite Dashboards and Looks shows the Looks or dashboards that you have marked as favorites by clicking their heart icons, which you can do from your homepage as well as on the folder or page you want to favorite.
    • Recently Viewed Dashboards and Looks shows content that has been most recently viewed, both by you and by a selected user group. If your Looker admin has configured multiple groups, you can use the drop-down list in the Recently viewed by Others section to show the most viewed content for a specific user group.
    • Discover sidebar appears on your personalized homepage if your Looker admin has set the prebuilt Looker homepage as your homepage and you haven't previously closed it. This sidebar contains links to documentation that can help you get started using Looker and modeling with LookML. To close it, click the Close icon in the sidebar. Closing the Discover sidebar reveals the announcement sidebar, if your admin has set it up. To re-open the Discover sidebar, click the Help icon in the header and select the Discover option.
    • Announcement sidebar appears on your personalized homepage if your Looker admin has set the prebuilt Looker homepage as your homepage and added content to the sidebar. The sidebar may include text, links, and images from your admin. You can hold the pointer over over the sidebar to see additional information and links, if your admin has included them.

  • A Looker page: Your admin may set your homepage to another page within Looker. For example, if your homepage has been set to the Favorites or Recently Viewed page, you will see that page when you log in to Looker. The Home option in the left navigation panel will also be replaced by a reference to that page.

  • A folder: Your admin may have set your homepage to the Shared folder or to another folder in your organization. For example, if your homepage has been set to the Shared folders folder, you will see the Your organization's folders page when you log in to Looker.

  • A board: If your admin has set a board as your homepage, the name of the board will appear in the left navigation panel.

  • A Markdown page (or another URL within Looker): An admin may set the homepage to point to a URL-based folder, boards, or another page in Looker, such as a Markdown file or a specific dashboard.

    If your admin has set your homepage to a URL other than a folder or board, you can navigate to your homepage by selecting the Looker icon in the top left of the application.

Next steps

You now know how to find existing dashboards and Looks that were created by someone else. Next, learn how to view and use dashboards.