Looker 101 Chapter 1

How to connect BigQuery to Looker

In this chapter, we are going to learn how to connect the Google Cloud Platform (GCP)  to our looker account. 
Let’s start!
1. Go to the Google Cloud Platform home page. From APIs & Services, Select Credentials

2. From CREATE CREDENTIALS, Select Service account

3. Fill in the Service account details
– Select a name for the Service account.
– Select Service account.
-Add description (optional).
– Press CREATE AND CONTINUE. 

4. In Grant this service account access to project -> Select a role-> BigQuery Admin. Select Continue.
5. Grant users access to this service account– optional. You will be able to add users later on if needed
Select  DONE

6. Go to the Credentials tab, under Service Accounts, and click on the account you’ve just created (in this example “Evya-1”)

7. In the keys tab, from Add Key, select Create new key.

8. Select Create. (A JSON file that contains the key will be downloaded to your PC)

9. Go to Looker homepage, choose Develop

10. Select Projects

11. Choose Admin ->Connections-> Add Connection

12. In connection Setting:
-Choose a Name.
-In the Dialect setting, Choose Google BigQuery Standard SQL.

In Project ID: 
            Get the project’s name of the BigQuery project that contains the dataset you want to work with.

            – Go to the Google Cloud Platform home page

            – From BigQuery, Select SQL workspace

            – Copy the name of the project you want  

            – Return to Looker and Enter it in the Project ID

In Dataset:            
       -Go to the Big Query homepage   and copy the dataset name you want to use.
       -Enter this name in the Dataset pane on the looker page.

In Service Account Email:
You will need the email address of the service account you created earlier on the Google Cloud Platform. 
-Go to the Google Cloud Platform homepage. 
Menu-> IAM & Admin -> Service Accounts.

-Find the account name and copy its Email address.
-Enter the email in the Service Account Email pane

In Service Account JSON/P12 File -> insert the JSON file you’ve downloaded earlier (Choose File-> select the file )
Click Add Connection

13. Let’s test it – 
Find your connection on the list and press the Test button.

Every test should become green – connect, kill and query

You are all set! 

Hope to see you in the next chapter- Creating a Project and Getting to know LookML

If you have Questions regarding looker, feel free to contact us through the website or via Linkedin

Leave a Reply