Looker Studio updates enhance Data Visualization

Google this month announced updates to Looker Studio, its data visualization tool. These updates focus on improved data presentation and user experience.

Grouping Minor Data Points

Group Others: Looker Studio now offers a "Group Others" option for various chart types. This feature aggregates data points that fall outside of user-defined thresholds into a single "Others" category. This allows for easier comparison of significant data points within the context of the overall dataset.

Supported chart types for "Group Others" include:

• Table charts
• Time series charts
• Bar and column charts
• Pie charts
• Line and combo charts
• Area charts
• Pivot table charts
• Treemap charts

Enhanced Data Label Customization

Looker Studio offers expanded customization options for data labels within the "Style" tab. Users can now control:

• Font type
• Font color
• Font size
• Font style (bold, italic, etc.)
• Background color
• Opacity
• Border radius

These options are currently available for the following chart types:

• Area charts
• Bar and column charts
• Line and combo charts
• Time series charts

New Calculated Field Type: Bin

The new "Bin" calculated field type simplifies the creation of custom tiers for numeric data. This eliminates the need for complex "CASE WHEN" expressions or SQL logic within calculated fields.

Color by Tooltip for Timeline Charts

Timeline charts now offer a "Color by tooltip" option. This allows users to customize the color of timeline data points based on the corresponding tooltip dimension value.

These updates aim to empower Looker Studio users with greater control over data visualization. "Group Others" simplifies data presentation by consolidating less significant data points. Enhanced data label customization allows for clearer and more visually appealing reports. The "Bin" calculated field type streamlines the creation of custom data tiers. Finally, "Color by tooltip" expands formatting options for timeline charts. Overall, these features can potentially improve data analysis and communication through Looker Studio.