Tools · Measurement & data
Data Studio (formerly Looker Studio)
Every platform in one view, counted the same way.
Data Studio, called Looker Studio from 2022 until April 2026, is Google's free dashboard tool. It turns sources like GA4, BigQuery and Google Sheets into live reports you can share. Donut Analytics builds client dashboards in it on top of BigQuery, so every ad platform's spend and revenue sits in one view, counted the same way.
How we use it
How we use Data Studio
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Every platform side by side
We build dashboards that put each ad platform's spend and revenue in one view, on a BigQuery table that counts revenue the same way for each.
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Clean tables underneath
Charts read tables we've already combined and checked in BigQuery, so the dashboard, budget pacing and the model start from the same data.
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Modeled numbers, labeled
When a dashboard number is modeled rather than reported by a platform, the dashboard says so and explains how it's calculated.
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More than ad results
A dashboard can show anything GA4 records, like custom events and dimensions, filtered so one event's chart isn't buried under every other event.
In practice
Dashboards we've built
Real work, kept anonymous.
- 01
Google, Meta and Microsoft in one view
For a manufacturer that sells online, one dashboard shows Google, Meta and Microsoft Ads side by side, with revenue counted the same way for each. It started with paid media and grew to revenue from every channel.
- 02
How visitors answer the cookie banner
One client's dashboard has a tab for cookie-banner answers, read from a custom GA4 dimension and filtered to the consent event. People who decline analytics never appear there by design, so we read the share of traffic we can't measure from GA4's consent settings.
What it can’t tell you
What a dashboard can't tell you
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What your marketing added
A dashboard shows what happened. It can't say what your ads added on top of sales you'd have had anyway. That takes a lift test or a media mix model, and the dashboard is where those answers live.
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Whether the data under it is right
If a platform's feed duplicates rows or skips a day, the chart shows the mistake faithfully. We check warehouse totals against the ad platforms before trusting a dashboard.
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The last few days, final
Ad platforms keep updating recent days, and some conversions, like Google's store visits, keep arriving for weeks. Recent numbers on any dashboard can still move.
FAQ
Questions about Data Studio
- Is Looker Studio the same as Data Studio?
- Yes. Google renamed Looker Studio back to its original name, Data Studio, in April 2026. Existing reports keep working, and lookerstudio.google.com links redirect to the new address.
- Is Data Studio free?
- Yes. Data Studio is free. Data Studio Pro is a paid tier for teams, with AI features and Google Cloud security and admin controls.
- What's the difference between Looker and Data Studio?
- Looker is Google's enterprise business intelligence platform, built on a central, governed data model. Data Studio is the free tool for building and sharing reports and dashboards. Donut Analytics builds its dashboards in Data Studio.
- Can one dashboard combine Google Ads, Meta and GA4?
- Yes. We load each platform into BigQuery first and build one media table, so the dashboard reads a single source where revenue is counted the same way for every platform.
- Do I need BigQuery behind a dashboard?
- Not for a simple report on one source. Once you combine platforms, correct bad data or add modeled numbers, a warehouse underneath keeps every chart consistent.
- Can Data Studio show media mix model results?
- Yes. Google's Meridian media mix model supports budget planning in Data Studio, so model results kept in BigQuery can feed a report that shows what happens to sales when a channel's budget moves.
Pairs with
See every channel in one place.
Tell us what you’re working on. We’ll build a measurement-first plan for your brand. Email hello@donutanalytics.com or call (407) 394-9720.