Streamlining Looker Studio Reports: How to Show Only Comparison Numbers and Use Dropdown Filters

Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) is an incredibly versatile tool for creating comprehensive data reports and dashboards. However, users often encounter challenges, such as displaying only comparison values for metrics and adding dynamic filters using dropdown lists. In this blog, we’ll address these issues and provide detailed solutions to enhance your Looker Studio experience.

Issue 1: Displaying Only Comparison Numbers

The Challenge

When creating custom reports in Looker Studio, you might want to display month-over-month (MoM) or year-over-year (YoY) comparison values (like percentage changes) without showing the actual metric numbers. By default, Looker Studio displays both the metric value and the comparison, which can clutter your dashboard if you’re only interested in the comparison values.

The Solution

Although Looker Studio doesn’t natively support hiding the primary metric while displaying only the comparison value, you can use a workaround with calculated fields and custom styling. Here’s a step-by-step guide to achieve this:

1. Create a New Scorecard:

   - Add a scorecard to your dashboard.

2. Configure Your Metric:

   - Select the metric you want to display the comparison for (e.g., Sessions, Revenue).

3. Add Comparison Metrics:

   - To show MoM comparison:

     - Set the default date range to 'last 30 days'.

     - In the "Comparison date range" section, choose "Previous period" to compare with the previous month.

   - To show YoY comparison:

     - Create a new scorecard.

     - Choose the same metric.

     - Set the "Comparison date range" to "Previous year."

4. Customize the Scorecard to Show Only Comparison:

   - Use calculated fields to create a new field that displays only the comparison percentage.

   - Format the original metric text color to match the background color, making it invisible.

   - Position the scorecards side by side to show the MoM and YoY comparisons.

   - Use text boxes to label each scorecard appropriately.

By following these steps, you can focus on the comparison values, providing a cleaner and more streamlined view of your data trends.

Issue 2: Adding Dynamic Filters with Dropdown Lists

The Challenge

Another common challenge in Looker Studio is adding interactive filters using dropdown lists. Users often want to filter their dashboard to show data specific to their selection, such as viewing data for different products or categories. Achieving this dynamic filtering can enhance the user experience and make the dashboard more interactive.

The Solution

To create dynamic filters with dropdown lists in Looker Studio, follow these steps:

1. Create a Pivot Table:

   - Add a Pivot Table and include "Product Name" in the Column Dimension.

2. Add a Dropdown List:

   - Select "Add a control" > "Dropdown List" from the top header and place it on your dashboard.

3. Configure the Dropdown List:

   - Set the Dropdown List Dimension to "Product Name."

4. Create and Apply a Filter:

   - Create a filter to include only the products you want (e.g., "Product A" and "Product B")

   - Apply this filter to both the Dropdown List and the Pivot Table.

5. Test the Setup:

   - Select a product from the Dropdown List and ensure that the Pivot Table updates accordingly.

By implementing these steps, you can create a dynamic and interactive dashboard that allows users to filter data based on their selection, enhancing the usability and flexibility of your reports.

Conclusion

Looker Studio offers powerful features for creating detailed and interactive data reports. However, users often face challenges like displaying only comparison numbers and adding dynamic filters. By understanding and applying the solutions provided in this blog, you can overcome these challenges and make the most out of Looker Studio's capabilities.

Whether you need to highlight key performance indicators with clean comparison values or provide an interactive experience with dynamic filters, these tips will help you enhance your Looker Studio dashboards, making them more effective and user-friendly.