There are two broad categories of data source fields in Looker Studio:
Regular fields
Calculated fields
Regular fields
It is a field that doesn’t perform an action(s) on another field(s) in your data source schema or chart.
Calculated fields
It isa field that performs certain action(s) on another field(s) in your data source schema or chart via a formula. These actions could be:
Arithmetic and math operations
Manipulating text, date and geographic information
Using branching logic to evaluate data
Through calculated fields, you can create new metrics and dimensions.
Regular fields can be further categorized into:
Data Source Schema specific fields
Chart Specific (or chart level) fields
Data Source Schema specific field
It refers to the regular field of a data source schema. The data source schema field is available in any report that uses that data source schema.
Chart Specific (or chart level) field
It refers to the regular field of a specific chart in a report. The chart specific field is not available to other charts of the same or other Looker studio reports.
Data source schema specific fields can be further categorized into:
Data source schema specific dimensions
Data source schema specific metrics
Data source schema specific dimension
It refers to the regular dimension of a data source schema.
The regular dimension is the field that is used to describe or categorize your data. In the context of Google Analytics, dimension is one of the attributes of your website visitors.
The data source schema specific dimension is available in any report that uses that data source schema.
Data source schema specific metric
It refers to the regular metric of a data source schema.
The regular metricis the field that is used to measure one of the characteristics of a dimension. In the context of Google Analytics, metrics is a numeric field which is used to measure one of the characteristics of a GA dimension.
The data source schema specific metric is available in any report that uses that data source schema.
Chart specific (or chart level) fields can be further categorized into:
Chart specific (or chart level) dimensions
Chart specific (or chart level) metrics
Chart specific (or chart level) dimension
It refers to the regular dimension of a specific chart in a report.
The chart specific dimension is not available to the charts of the same or other Looker Studio reports.
Chart specific (or chart level) metric
It refers to the regular metric of a specific chart in a report.
The chart specific metric is not available to the charts of the same or other Looker Studio reports.
Following is the visual summary:
Calculated fields can be further categorized into:
Data Source Schema specific calculated fields
Chart Specific (or chart level) calculated fields
Data Source schema specific calculated field
It is the calculated field created in a data source schema.
When you create a calculated field in a data source schema, the calculated field is available in any report that uses that data source schema.
A Looker studio report which uses multiple data source schemas is based on multiple data sources:
Note: You can’t use a data source specific calculated field with blended data (more about blended data later).
Chart specific (or chart level) calculated field
It is the calculated field created in a specific chart in a report.
When you create a calculated field in a chart, the calculated field is available only in the chart in which you create it.
However, you can use a chart specific calculated field with blended data.
Note: When using a chart specific calculated field, you can not reference other chart-specific calculated fields in your formula, even if those fields are defined in the same chart. If you want to reference other calculated fields, use a data source schema specific calculated field.
Data source schema specific calculated fields can be further categorized into:
Data source schema specific calculated dimensions
Data source schema specific calculated metrics
Data source schema specific calculated dimension
It is the dimension that performs certain action(s) on another field(s) in your data source schema via a formula.
When you create a calculated dimension in a data source schema, the calculated dimension is available in any report that uses that data source schema.
Note: All calculated dimensions appear in the data source schema with an ‘fx’ symbol.
Data source schema specific calculated metric
It is the metric that performs certain action(s) on another field(s) in your data source schema via a formula.
When you create a calculated metric in a data source schema, the calculated metric is available in any report that uses that data source schema.
Note: All calculated metrics appear in the data source schema with an ‘fx’ symbol.
Chart specific calculated fields can be further categorized into:
Chart specific calculated dimensions
Chart specific calculated metrics
Chart specific calculated dimension
It is the dimension that performs certain action(s) on another field(s) in your chart via a formula.
When you create a calculated dimension in a chart, the dimension is available only in the chart in which you create it.
However, you can use a chart specific calculated dimension with blended data.
Chart specific calculated metric
It is the metric that performs certain action(s) on another field(s) in your chart via a formula.
When you create a calculated metric in a chart, the metric is available only in the chart in which you create it.
However, you can use a chart specific calculated metric with blended data.
Following is the visual summary:
The parameter field
While editing a data source schema, you get the option to add one or more parameter fields:
A parameter is a data source schema field whose value is supplied by a report user. It is used in calculated fields and report components just like a dimension or a metric.
Through parameters, you can pass user-supplied data to calculated fields and connectors. So if you want your report to display results based on user input then you use the parameter field.
You will find parameters at the bottom of the list of the available fields in your data source schema or report editor:
My best selling books on Digital Analytics and Conversion Optimization
Maths and Stats for Web Analytics and Conversion Optimization
This expert guide will teach you how to leverage the knowledge of maths and statistics in order to accurately interpret data and take actions, which can quickly improve the bottom-line of your online business.
Master the Essentials of Email Marketing Analytics
This book focuses solely on the ‘analytics’ that power your email marketing optimization program and will help you dramatically reduce your cost per acquisition and increase marketing ROI by tracking the performance of the various KPIs and metrics used for email marketing.
Attribution Modelling in Google Analytics and BeyondSECOND EDITION OUT NOW!
Attribution modelling is the process of determining the most effective marketing channels for investment. This book has been written to help you implement attribution modelling. It will teach you how to leverage the knowledge of attribution modelling in order to allocate marketing budget and understand buying behaviour.
Attribution Modelling in Google Ads and Facebook
This book has been written to help you implement attribution modelling in Google Ads (Google AdWords) and Facebook. It will teach you, how to leverage the knowledge of attribution modelling in order to understand the customer purchasing journey and determine the most effective marketing channels for investment.
About the Author
Himanshu Sharma
Founder, OptimizeSmart.com
Over 15 years of experience in digital analytics and marketing
Author of four best-selling books on digital analytics and conversion optimization
Nominated for Digital Analytics Association Awards for Excellence
Runs one of the most popular blogs in the world on digital analytics
Consultant to countless small and big businesses over the decade
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.