Google Data Studio is now Looker Studio: what to expect from the new changes?
Understanding your customer in depth can be a huge differentiator for your business. And these days, there is a lot of data available to companies. But how to manage all this? Some software can help accomplish this work. And one of the most used tools these days is Looker Studio . Capable of collecting and translating much of the information, he is a reference among professionals in the market.
Behind this program is one of the largest technology companies in the world: Google. The company even bought Looker Studio and decided to unify it with its main data software, known as Google Data Studio. As a result, Looker Studio became the company’s main data tool.
To help you understand a little more about this unification, we have separated in this text the main information about it. Here you will find a brief timeline of Google Data Studio, when and why the company acquired Looker Studio, as well as an analysis of the benefits of this merger. Enjoy the article and happy reading!
Google Data Studio: A Brief Timeline
Realizing a market need, in 2016 Google launched Data Studio, a free program capable of creating and producing reports based on a specific data source. One of the main differentials of this platform was its easy integration with the company’s own software, such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google Cloud Platform , among others.
In addition, the tool allowed the integration of other data sources, such as a simple Excel spreadsheet, for example. This type of work emerged with more intensity with the explosion of big data , with the advancement of new technologies and with the evolution of communication through social networks.
Although Goggle Data Studio was a success among Business Intelligence professionals , in 2022 the company decided to end the project and focus only on a single platform. This decision was due to the purchase of Looker Studio by Google. Later on, we will discuss how this acquisition was.
Looker: a replacement for Google Data Studio?
But, after all, why did Google make Looker Studio its main data tool? Despite being a different platform, many features of the old Data Studio are present in Looker. Furthermore, both software have the same objective: connecting data sources, translating them into reports and creating easy-to-view dashboards. So there aren’t many changes in Looker Studio .
Google and the Looker Acquisition
Google announced the purchase of Looker in 2019, in a transaction that reached US$ 2.6 billion. The purchase took place as part of the company’s market strategy. That’s because, with the drop in investment in advertising, the company needed to focus on new business. And the cloud computing market has gained more and more space among large companies in the sector, such as Amazon and Microsoft.
Although this was the company’s first major acquisition focused on this segment, Google’s efforts in cloud storage have been taking place since 2014, when company executives noticed the trend in this technology.
Looker merger + Google BI products
As we said, by making Looker Studio its main data platform, Google also started to integrate several of its services into the tool. The merger allowed solutions such as Google Big Query Monitoring, Google Ads, Google Analytics, among others, to become available to users. And the best: all for free.
What is expected from Looker?
One of Looker’s differentials is that the user can navigate in an easier and calmer way, as the platform has a light and intuitive interface. With it, you can easily create custom reports and dashboards. There are a number of widgets available, which you assemble and make the necessary connections by dragging and dropping.
With this, we can expect from Looker a robust platform that, at the same time, brings practical solutions for assembling reports and dashboards from data introduced in the tool. Below we list some other benefits of using the platform in your daily life.
Looker Studio and its benefits
To further illustrate the benefits of Looker Studio, we separate 3 benefits that make a difference for those who use the platform. See what they are:
Hundreds of Data Sources
The platform allows you to integrate with more than 800 types of data sources. This makes it possible to cross thousands of pieces of information, making your reports and dashboards much richer.
Differentiated Graphics
The easy integration of data is also reflected in the graphics generated by the platform. With several formatting options, the intersection of information becomes clear and accurate images within your reports. Plus, they can be shared in just a few clicks, all online.
Interactive reports
Looker allows reports to be interactive, that is, you can add some actions inside it. With this, whoever is navigating through it, can choose to see or hide certain information. You can even configure the charts to complement each other.
Will the Looker and Google merger really be a win-win?
The merger between the two platforms promises to bring many benefits, especially for professionals working with Business Intelligence. According to Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, data will carry even more weight in work decisions. “It will help all independent analysts introduce the intelligence they need to make data-driven decisions into their workflows and applications,” he told the market.
This vision is also a reflection of new technologies implemented in the tool, as well as the inclusion of artificial intelligence and machine learning within the platform. This makes Looker Studio one of the most powerful tools when it comes to crossing and managing data.