Looker lets you copy and share URLs so that others can view your queries, Looks, and dashboards. You can share query and dashboard links with other Looker users or publish a Look with a public URL to send data outside your instance.
Sharing a query's URL
After you've run a query, you can share the query's URL with another Looker user. They will arrive at the same query and visualization. The URL will point the user to the same query and visualization.
When sharing URLs, keep the following things in mind:
- When you share a URL with someone, you are sharing the query, not the actual data. This means that the data could change between the time you pull a query and the time your colleague runs a query. For example, if you set up a query to look at "today," the data might change if the user accesses the URL the day after you send it.
- The URLs never expire and can't be revoked. However, since the link works only for someone who has access to your Looker instance and that data, sending a link shouldn't cause a security concern.
Browser URL
To share a URL from a dashboard, a Look, or an Explore, copy the URL from your browser's address bar.
Short URL
Sometimes it's preferable to share a shorter URL when you want to share an Explore query. To share an Explore query as a shorter URL, follow these steps:
Click the Save or share button.
If you're using a classic Explore, click the Explore Actions menu.
Select the Share URLs option to open the Share URLs menu.
If you're using a classic Explore, click Share to open the Share URLs menu.
Copy the URL that appears in the Short URL field.
The Short URL contains the Explore slug. A slug is a randomly chosen short string that takes the place of the content ID value in a URL. For example, in this short URL, https://docserver.cloud.looker.com/x/79WcoBSRqh8YVglvYe6mHL, the string 79WcoBSRqh8YVglvYe6mHL is the slug.
Expanded URL
The Share URLs menu also provides the Expanded URL option. An expanded URL shows all of the details for the query, including fields and filters. This information can be useful for developers who want to modify a parameterized URL. This is often useful in a custom LookML field or an external tool.
Sharing a dashboard URL
Selecting the Get link option from the dashboard's three-dot menu reveals a dialog that contains a link to the dashboard, which can be copied and shared.
By default, the Include current filter values in URL switch is enabled, and the link contains the URL parameters for the filter values as they appear on the dashboard. This means that if you have temporarily changed the filter values away from the default values, the link displays the dashboard with the changed filter values. If you have not temporarily changed any filter values, the link displays the dashboard with default filter values. The link also displays any cross-filters that are applied to the dashboard, if cross-filtering is enabled.
You can also view the dashboard slug by selecting Get link. The slug is a randomly chosen short string that takes the place of the content ID value in a URL. For example, in this dashboard URL, https://docserver.cloud.looker.com/dashboards/CQ1fu99Z9Y1ggq2wcHDfMm, the string CQ1fu99Z9Y1ggq2wcHDfMm is the slug.
If you disable the Include current filter values in URL switch, the dialog contains a shorter link, which displays the dashboard with default filter values and no cross-filters applied.
To view the dashboard, anyone with the link must have access to the Looker instance on which the dashboard is saved, as well as access to the dashboard and models that the tiles are based on.