Looker (now part of Google Cloud) is a modern BI platform built around LookML — a semantic modelling layer that defines metrics, dimensions, and joins in version-controlled code. This makes it the BI tool of choice for engineering-mature data teams that want a single source of truth.
Product Overview
Looker's LookML model sits between the database and the business user, ensuring that 'revenue' and 'active customer' mean the same thing across every dashboard. Business users can self-serve from governed data without knowing SQL. Looker Studio (the free version) offers basic dashboards connected to Google's data ecosystem.
Key Features
- LookML Semantic Layer: Code-defined metrics and dimensions that ensure consistent definitions across all reports.
- Self-service Exploration: Business users explore governed data with point-and-click query building.
- Embedded Analytics: Embed Looker reports directly into other applications and portals.
- Looker Studio: Free data visualisation tool connected to Google Sheets, BigQuery, and Google Ads.
- Git Integration: Version control for LookML models — treat your data model like code.
Best For
Data engineering teams that want a governed, code-first BI layer over a cloud data warehouse, particularly those in Google Cloud environments.
Pricing
Full Looker: custom enterprise pricing (typically $3,000–$5,000/month+). Looker Studio: free.
Key Integrations
BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, Databricks, Salesforce, Google Sheets, dbt
Pros
- Best-in-class semantic layer
- Excellent for self-service on governed data
- Strong Google Cloud integration
Cons
- Requires LookML expertise to set up
- Expensive
- Slower UI than Tableau for ad-hoc exploration
