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

While editing a data source schema, you get the option to change the data source schema credentials settings:

Use the data source schema credentials setting to determine how data from this data source schema can be viewed by others. 

The default value of data source schema credentials is the ‘Name’ of the user who created the data source (owner of data source) but you can change it to ‘Viewer’ by clicking on it and then selecting ‘viewer’s credentials’ from the dialog box:

The Owner’s Credentials

This is the default data source schema credentials setting. 

When you use this schema setting before creating a report and then later share the report with other users, the users open the shared report using your owner’s (name of the data source owner) credentials. 

As a result, they are able to see the data in the shared report even when they don’t directly have access to the data source itself.

For example, lets us suppose you created a data source schema with the owner’s (name of the data source owner) credentials. This data source schema is connected to your Google Analytics reporting view. 

You created a new report from your data source schema and then shared the report with other users.

Now the users who open the shared report will be able to see the data from your GA reporting view even when they do not directly have access to the GA view.

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The Viewer’s Credentials

When you use this schema setting before creating a report and then later share the report with other users, the users open the shared report using your viewer’s credentials. 

As a result, they are able to see the data in the shared report only when they directly have access to the data source itself. Otherwise, they see the following error message:

For example, lets us suppose you created a data source schema with viewer’s credentials. This data source schema is connected to your Google Analytics reporting view. 

You created a new report from your data source schema and then shared the report with other users.

Now the users who open the shared report will be able to see the data from your GA reporting view only when they also have direct access to the GA view. You also get an alert when you change the data credentials from Owners to Viewer’s credentials, like in the image below.

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