Last Updated: December 10, 2022

Note: Google Data Studio is now known as Looker Studio.

While editing a data source schema, you get the option to share the data source (aka data source schema) with other users:

Follow the steps below to share your data source schema with other users:

Step-1: Click on the ‘+ Share’ button on the top-right hand side of your data source editor:

You will now see a dialog box like the one below:

Step-2: Enter the email address of one or more people with whom you want to share your data source schema:

Step-3: Select the access level (‘can edit’ , ‘can view’) from the drop-down menu:

Sharing a data source schema with view permission (‘can view’) allows the viewer to see the schema (structure) of the data source, but not change it.

Sharing a data source schema with edit permission (‘can edit’) allows editors to change the schema.

Step-5: Click on the ‘Send’ button.

The user with whom you shared the data source schema can access it by clicking on the ‘Shared with me‘ link in his Looker Studio account:

Similarly, if any Looker studio report or data source schema is shared with you, then you can access it by navigating to the ‘Shared with me’ section in your Looker studio account. 

Note(1): Sharing a data source schema never grants access to the connected data source.

Note(2): A Google login is required to view or edit a data source schema.

Note(3): Sharing a data source schema does not grant access to all the reports which use the data source schema. The shared users only get access to the data source schema.

Note(4): You don’t need to share a report’s data source schema for other people to view the report. Viewers of a report can see the data they are authorized to see whether or not the data source schema is shared with them. 

Note(5): Only the data source schema owner can edit the data source connection.

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Managing user access to a data source schema

If you want to change the permission of a data source user then follow the steps below:

Step-1: Open the data source schema editor and then click on the ‘+Share’ button:

Step-2: Click on the ‘Manage Access’ tab:

Step-3: Click on the access level drop-down menu next to the user who data source schema access you want to manage:

Step-4: Change the access level to ‘Can edit’, ‘Remove’ or ‘Make Owner’:

The ‘Can edit’ permission will allow the user to change the data source schema.

The ‘Make Owner’ permission will make the user the new owner of the data source schema. As soon you as you make a user a new owner, your role will be changed to editor (as there can be only one owner at a time).

If you select ‘Remove’ then the user will be marked to be removed from sharing the data source schema.

Step-5: Click on the ‘Save’ button:

Link sharing

If you want to share your data source schema with a large number of users then instead of adding their email address one by one, you can just share the link of your data source schema.

To do that follow the steps below:

Step-1: Click on the link sharing drop-down menu:

Step-2: Select one of the link sharing option. Let’s select ‘anyone with the link can view’:

Step-3: Click on the ‘Copy’ button to copy the link to the data source schema:

Step-5: Click on the ‘Save’ button.

Step-6: Share the link of the data source schema with other users via email or instant messenger. Now any user who has access to the link will be able to view the data source schema.

Note(1): If you want to stop data source schema editors (users with ‘can edit’ permission) from changing access and adding new people to access the data source schema then click on the checkbox ‘Prevent editors from changing access and adding new people‘:

Note(2): If you want to stop data source schema viewers (users with ‘can view’ permission) to download, print or copy the data source schema then click on the checkbox ‘Disable downloading, printing and copying for viewers‘:

My step-by-step blueprint for using Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio)

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Added Reports

If you want to see the list of all the Looker studio reports who have access to your data source schema then click on the ‘Added Reports’ tab:

Now if you want to remove one or more reports from using your data source schema then just click on the ‘Remove’ button next to it:

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