Skip to main content

Looker Data Source

Nexla's bi-directional connectors allow data to flow both to and from any location, making it simple to create a FlexFlow, DB-CDC, Spark ETL, or Replication data flow that ingests data from a Looker source.
looker.png

Looker

Follow the instructions below to create a new data flow that ingests data from a Looker source in Nexla.

Create a New Data Flow​

  1. To create a new data flow, navigate to the Integrate section, and click the New Data Flow button. Then, select the desired flow type from the list, and click the Create button.

  2. Select the Looker connector tile from the list of available connectors. Then, select the credential that will be used to connect to the Looker account, and click Next; or, create a new Looker credential for use in this flow.

  3. In Nexla, Looker data sources can be created using pre-built endpoint templates, which expedite source setup for common Looker endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding Looker endpoint, making source configuration easy and efficient.
    • To configure this source using a template, follow the instructions in Configure Using a Template.

    Looker sources can also be configured manually, allowing you to ingest data from Looker endpoints not included in the pre-built templates or apply further customizations to exactly suit your needs.
    • To configure this source manually, follow the instructions in Configure Manually.

Configure Using a Template​

Nexla provides pre-built templates that can be used to rapidly configure data sources to ingest data from common Looker endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding Looker endpoint, making data source setup easy and efficient.

Endpoint Settings​

  • Select the endpoint from which this source will fetch data from the Endpoint pulldown menu. Available endpoint templates are listed in the expandable boxes below. Click on an endpoint to see more information about it and how to configure your data source for this endpoint.

    Get Users

    Get Users

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves a list of all users from your Looker account. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting this endpoint template. Check the API documentation URL for more details about the endpoint and response format.
    • The endpoint uses GET requests to {api_host_url}/api/3.1/users where {api_host_url} is your Looker API Host URL. The endpoint URL is automatically constructed based on your credential configuration.
    • The endpoint uses pagination (iteration.type: paging.incrementing) to retrieve all users. Pagination starts from page 1 and uses the page query parameter to navigate through pages. The endpoint will automatically fetch all pages until all users are retrieved.
    • The response data path is $[*], which extracts all user objects from the response array in the API response.

    This endpoint retrieves a list of all users from your Looker account. The endpoint requires token-based authentication with an access token, which is handled automatically by your credential configuration. The access token is sent in the Authorization: Bearer {access_token} header for all API requests. The endpoint supports pagination through the page parameter, which allows you to retrieve large lists of users efficiently. For detailed information about fetching users, pagination, and API response formats, see the Looker API documentation.

    Get Looks

    Get Looks

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves a list of all Looks from your Looker account. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting this endpoint template. Check the API documentation URL for more details about the endpoint and response format.
    • The endpoint uses GET requests to {api_host_url}/api/3.1/looks where {api_host_url} is your Looker API Host URL. The endpoint URL is automatically constructed based on your credential configuration.
    • The endpoint does not use pagination (iteration.type: static.url), so it will fetch all Looks in a single request. The response data path is $[*], which extracts all Look objects from the response array in the API response.

    This endpoint retrieves a list of all Looks from your Looker account. The endpoint requires token-based authentication with an access token, which is handled automatically by your credential configuration. The access token is sent in the Authorization: Bearer {access_token} header for all API requests. Looks are saved queries in Looker that can be used to retrieve data. For detailed information about fetching Looks, see the Looker API documentation.

    Run Saved Query

    Run Saved Query

    • Enter the Query ID in the Query ID field. This is the unique identifier for a saved query in your Looker account. You can use a query that was generated in the Looker UI or one that you have explicitly created using the API. You can also use a query_id from a Look. You can obtain Query IDs from the "Get Looks" endpoint or from your Looker account dashboard.
    • Enter the row limit in the Row Limit field. This is the maximum number of rows to return from the query. The default value is "1000". This may override the limit in the saved query if the saved query has a different limit.
    • The endpoint uses GET requests to {api_host_url}/api/3.1/queries/{query_id}/run/json?limit={row_limit} where {api_host_url} is your Looker API Host URL, {query_id} is the Query ID you specified, and {row_limit} is the Row Limit you configured. The endpoint URL is automatically constructed based on your configuration.
    • The endpoint does not use pagination (iteration.type: static.url), so it will fetch all query results up to the specified row limit in a single request. The response data path is $, which extracts the entire response object containing the query results.

    This endpoint runs a previously saved query from your Looker account. The endpoint requires token-based authentication with an access token, which is handled automatically by your credential configuration. The access token is sent in the Authorization: Bearer {access_token} header for all API requests. The Query ID identifies which saved query to run, and the Row Limit determines the maximum number of rows to return. You can use a query that was generated in the Looker UI, one that you have explicitly created using the API, or a query_id from a Look. The endpoint returns query results in JSON format. For detailed information about running saved queries, see the Looker API documentation.

Configure Manually​

Looker data sources can be manually configured to ingest data from any valid Looker API endpoint. Manual configuration provides maximum flexibility for accessing endpoints not covered by pre-built templates or when you need custom API configurations.

With manual configuration, you can also create more complex Looker sources, such as sources that use custom query parameters, different HTTP methods, or custom data transformations.

Content Format​

  1. Select the format in which the data from the Looker API will be received from the Content Format pulldown menu. Nexla will automatically parse the data in the selected format. The Looker API typically returns data in JSON format.

API Endpoint URL​

  1. Enter the URL of the Looker API endpoint from which this source will fetch data in the Set API URL field. This should be the complete URL including the protocol (https://), your Looker API Host URL, and any required path parameters. Looker API endpoints typically follow the pattern {api_host_url}/api/3.1/{endpoint_path} where {api_host_url} is your Looker API Host URL (e.g., https://{instance-name}.api.looker.com).

Ensure the API endpoint URL is correct and accessible with your current credentials. You can test the endpoint using the Test button after configuring the URL. The endpoint requires token-based authentication with an access token, which is handled automatically by your credential configuration. The access token is sent in the Authorization: Bearer {access_token} header for all API requests. The API Host URL is automatically retrieved from your credential configuration. For detailed information about Looker API endpoints, authentication, and available APIs, see the Looker API documentation.