How to import JSON into Google Looker Studio

With the help of a 3rd party connector, you can easily add any JSON source into your Google Looker Studio reports and graphs.

Google Looker Studio – formerly known as Google Data Studio – allows you to seriously level up your Analytics.

The tool lets you combine data from multiple sources and display them in graphs, tables and an array of other ways on your own personal analytics dashboard.

Better still, you can overlay information from these different sources onto one graph, so you can start to discover trends between your visitor data and, for example, sales, social media follows, and so on.

Connecting a JSON data source to Google Looker Studio with a Connector

While you can add data from a CSV or spreadsheet into Looker Studio for free, there isn’t yet a built-in way to add a JSON data source to your Looker Studio report, so you’ll need to use a 3rd party Connector.

Importing a CSV is fine if you’re working with data that isn’t updated on a regular basis (as you’ll have to manually update your CSV or spreadsheet in Google Drive each time your figures change), but if you’re working with a dynamic and regularly updated data source, you’ll probably want to connect directly into a JSON feed.

Supermetrics has a number of Looker Studio connectors, including a very simple and effective JSON data connector. You can use it to add any JSON data source directly into your Looker Studio report, whether it’s publicly accessible or needs HTTP authentication.

1) Sign up to Supermetrics

First, sign up to Supermetrics here. They’ve got a 14-day trial which gets you access to all of their connectors, so you can try it out and see if it’s worth the investment.

2) Log into Google Looker Studio and connect your data

Once you’re all signed up, sign into your Google Looker Studio account and start a blank report.

Click into the ‘Connect to Data’ tab if you’re not already in it, and search for ‘json’.

Under Partner Connectors, you should see ‘JSON/CSV/XML by Supermetrics‘.

3) Connect Looker Studio to Supermetrics

Click ‘JSON/CSV/XML by Supermetrics’ and you’ll get to an Authorisation screen, and a title reading “Looker Studio requires authorisation to use this community connector.”

Click the blue ‘AUTHORISE’ button and follow the instructions, which grant Supermetrics permission to access your Google account.

Authorization screen to allow access to the Custom JSON / CSV / ML connector

Once done, a second Authorisation box should appear to the right of the first one, this time reading “Custom JSON/CSV/XML requires authorization to connect to data.”

Click ‘AUTHORISE’ again. This time you’ll be prompted to sign into your Supermetrics account.

4) Add your JSON data source

Now you can add the JSON source by entering its URL.

If the JSON source is protected by HTTP authentication, you can add the necessary username and password.

Once done, it’ll show up as a data source which you can then use in your charts, or combine with other data sources via a blend.

The data sources screen showing Custom JSON on Google Data Studio

5) Refresh your JSON data source

The data feed will automatically refresh every 12 hours.

If you want to manually refresh the data, just edit the Data Source by going to Resource > Manage added data sources > Edit, and clicking the ‘REFRESH FIELDS’ button at the bottom left.

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We have more guides on using Supermetrics to pull data into Google Looker Studio here.