LookML Dashboard Best Practices

This skill distills the key characteristics of high-quality dashboards. For a deep dive into technical details, see the Dashboard Parameter Reference, Table Calculation Reference, and the Boilerplate Template.

1. Dashboard Layout and Structure

• Layout Method: Standardize on layout: newspaper. It provides a 24-column grid for flexible element positioning.
• Sectioning: Use type: text elements as section headers to create a visual narrative.
  • Width: Use width: 24 to span the full dashboard.
  • Visual Hierarchy: Place high-level KPIs at the top row, followed by trend visualizations, and detailed breakdowns/tables at the bottom.
• Element Sizing:
  • KPIs: Typically width: 4 to 6 and height: 3 to 4.
  • Trends (Area/Line): Typically width: 12 to 24 and height: 6 to 8.

2. Tabs Implementation

Tabs are critical for organizing complex dashboards into logical sections (e.g., "Overview", "Deep Dive").