Introduction

In today's fast-paced business environment, the ability to quickly transform raw data into clear, compelling, and actionable visual reports is essential for all levels of decision-making, making Google Data Studio (now Looker Studio) an invaluable free tool for democratizing access to insights and fostering a data-driven culture. This powerful, cloud-based platform enables users to connect to a multitude of data sources, build interactive dashboards, and share custom reports effortlessly, moving beyond static spreadsheets to dynamic visualizations that reveal critical business trends, campaign performance, and customer behavior. This training course is meticulously designed to equip marketing professionals, sales managers, business analysts, digital strategists, entrepreneurs, and anyone seeking to enhance their reporting capabilities with cutting-edge knowledge and practical skills in connecting diverse data sources, mastering data blending and calculated fields, designing effective charts and graphs, building interactive dashboards for various business functions, and effectively communicating insights to drive strategic growth and operational efficiency. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to harness the power of Google Data Studio to unlock profound business insights and elevate their data storytelling.

Duration

5 days

Target Audience

• Marketing Professionals
• Sales Managers & Analysts
• Business Analysts
• Digital Marketing Specialists
• Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners
• Content Creators
• Reporting Specialists
• Data Enthusiasts
• Anyone needing to visualize data from Google products (Analytics, Ads, Search Console)
• Professionals seeking to create shareable and interactive reports

Objectives

• Understand the core features and interface of Google Data Studio (Looker Studio).
• Master connecting to various data sources, especially Google products.
• Learn to perform basic data transformations and create calculated fields.
• Develop proficiency in designing and customizing various chart types and visualizations.
• Understand how to build interactive and insightful dashboards.
• Explore data blending techniques for holistic reporting.
• Develop skills in sharing and collaborating on Data Studio reports.
• Learn to apply best practices for effective data storytelling and visual communication.

Course Content

Module 1. Getting Started with Google Data Studio (Looker Studio)

• Introduction to Google Data Studio: What it is and its benefits for business insights
• Navigating the Data Studio Interface: Home page, reports, data sources
• Setting up your Data Studio account and workspace
• Understanding the report editor: Canvas, properties panel, toolbar
• Overview of available templates and starting a new report

Module 2. Connecting Data Sources

• Connecting to Google Analytics: Setting up GA4 and Universal Analytics connectors
• Connecting to Google Ads: Analyzing campaign performance
• Connecting to Google Search Console: SEO insights
• Connecting to Google Sheets: Leveraging spreadsheet data
• Exploring other popular connectors: YouTube Analytics, Google BigQuery, CSV uploads

Module 3. Data Transformation and Calculated Fields

• Understanding Dimensions and Metrics: The building blocks of your data
• Basic Data Transformations: Renaming fields, changing data types, aggregation methods
• Creating Calculated Fields: Writing simple formulas for custom metrics (e.g., conversion rate)
• Using basic functions in calculated fields (e.g., SUM, COUNT, DIVIDE)
• Understanding data freshness and refresh settings

Module 4. Designing Effective Visualizations

• Choosing the Right Chart Type: Bar charts, line charts, pie charts, scorecards
• Customizing Chart Properties: Colors, fonts, axes, legends
• Time Series Charts: Visualizing trends over time
• Tables and Scorecards: Presenting key numbers effectively
• Using Geo Maps for location-based insights

Module 5. Building Interactive Dashboards

• Dashboard Design Principles: Layout, flow, hierarchy, consistency
• Adding Controls: Date range selectors, filter controls, data controls
• Creating drill-down capabilities for deeper analysis
• Using text boxes, images, and shapes for enhanced readability
• Organizing multiple pages within a single report

Module 6. Data Blending and Advanced Reporting

• Understanding Data Blending: Combining data from multiple sources in one chart/table
• Use Cases for Data Blending: Cross-channel marketing reports, holistic customer views
• Setting up blend keys and join configurations
• Advanced Calculated Fields: Using case statements, regular expressions (conceptual)
• Conditional Formatting for highlighting key data points

Module 7. Sharing, Collaboration, and Governance

• Sharing Reports: Public links, email scheduling, embedding reports
• Collaboration Features: Granting edit and view access
• Exporting reports to PDF
• Best practices for securing sensitive data in Data Studio
• Version control and report management (conceptual)

Module 8. Real-World Applications and Best Practices

• Building a Marketing Performance Dashboard: Integrating GA, Ads, Search Console data
• Creating a Sales Performance Dashboard: Tracking leads, conversions, revenue
• Website Analytics Dashboard: User behavior, content performance
• Tips for optimizing report performance
• Data storytelling: Crafting a compelling narrative with your data.

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org Tel: +254 702 249 449

Training Venue

The training will be held at our Skills for Africa Training Institute Training Centre. We also offer training for a group at requested location all over the world. The course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, and buffet lunch.

Visa application, travel expenses, airport transfers, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Skills for Africa Training Institute certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org Tel: +254 702 249 449

Terms of Payment: Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 7 working days before commencement of the training.