Being a fan of data visualisations, I’m always keen to try out new tools that make it easy and quick to generate and distribute them. You’ve probably noticed I use Tableau Public on this site for those very reasons.
So when Google announced their free public beta for Data Studio to people inside the US (or know how to use a VPN) I was keen to explore what it could do.
Below is my initial creation using this website’s Google Analytics data. Click on the image, or click here, to be taken to the interactive Data Studio dashboard (you’ll need a Google account to access it).
It’s got a few nifty data connectors to Google Analytics, Adwords, Big Query and other popular services, which are easy to set up in seconds. I’m most excited about using Google Sheets as a data source functionality. Being able to connect to a data source that is easy to store, edit and update is great for collaborative and constantly updated data sets (like my Game of Thrones deaths database).
Remember, it’s still in beta so some functionality isn’t there yet. If it’s lacking something, be sure to submit feedback within the interface (like being able to embed dashboards into web pages). Share your own thoughts and creations in the comments below.
4 Responses
What is your take when you compare it to tableau?
Good question but I think it’s a bit too early to tell when comparing this beta to the full versions of Tableau products. I’ll wait a bit before properly answering :)