In the rapidly evolving world of data-driven decision-making, business intelligence (BI) tools like Looker have become indispensable. At the center of this technological revolution are Looker Developers, the skilled professionals responsible for transforming raw data into actionable insights. These developers are integral to the success of many businesses, helping them understand their data, optimize processes, and drive strategic decisions.
This article takes you through a detailed journey of what a typical day looks like for a Looker Developer, covering their responsibilities, challenges, and the tools they use to perform their tasks. From data modeling to collaboration with cross-functional teams, a Looker Developer’s daily life is filled with tasks that require both technical expertise and business acumen.
Morning Routine: Getting Ready for a Data-Powered Day
8:00 AM – Reviewing Emails and Prioritizing Tasks
Like most professionals, a Looker Developer’s day often begins by catching up on emails. These emails may include requests for new reports, feedback on existing dashboards, notifications about data quality issues, or updates from team members working on related projects. Looker Developers typically work in teams that include data analysts, data engineers, and business stakeholders, and it’s crucial to stay updated on any new requirements or urgent tasks.
After responding to urgent emails, the developer spends time reviewing their to-do list, prioritizing tasks based on deadlines, business impact, and complexity. The work can range from fixing bugs in existing LookML models to building entirely new dashboards for a business unit.
9:00 AM – Morning Stand-Up Meeting
Most Looker Developers work within agile environments, where daily stand-up meetings are a core part of the workflow. These meetings are usually short, lasting around 15 to 20 minutes, and serve as a way to sync up with the team.
During the stand-up, the Looker Developer shares:
- What they worked on the previous day (e.g., refining a dashboard for marketing).
- What they plan to do today (e.g., building a new data model for the sales team).
- Any roadblocks or issues (e.g., delays in data pipelines or challenges with a complex SQL query).
This collaborative time helps the developer align with their team and get assistance on any blockers.
Mid-Morning: Deep Dive into Data Models and Dashboards
9:30 AM – Building New LookML Models
A large part of a Looker Developer’s day involves working with LookML (Looker’s modeling language). LookML is used to define how Looker interacts with a company’s underlying databases and how data is transformed into metrics that can be easily understood by non-technical users.
Today’s task might involve creating a new LookML model for a particular business unit, such as the marketing department. The marketing team might need to track website traffic, campaign performance, or conversion rates. The Looker Developer writes LookML to define the dimensions (e.g., date, region, campaign ID) and measures (e.g., total clicks, average session duration, conversion rate) for this dataset.
This part of the day can be quite technical, as it requires:
- Writing SQL queries to retrieve the necessary data from the data warehouse.
- Optimizing data joins and ensuring that the resulting model is efficient and scalable.
- Defining calculated fields and ensuring data accuracy.
This is one of the most focused and challenging parts of the day, as LookML models need to be carefully crafted to ensure performance and accuracy. One mistake here could lead to incorrect reporting across the entire organization, so the developer takes the time to thoroughly test their code before moving on.
11:00 AM – Optimizing Existing Dashboards
Performance optimization is a regular task for Looker Developers. As new users and reports are added to the system, some dashboards can become slow or unresponsive due to complex queries, large datasets, or inefficient joins in LookML models.
Today’s challenge is optimizing a sales performance dashboard that has started to lag due to a spike in data volume. The Looker Developer:
- Reviews the SQL queries generated by LookML to identify bottlenecks.
- Uses Persistent Derived Tables (PDTs) to pre-compute frequently queried data, reducing load times.
- Optimizes data joins and filter logic to ensure the dashboard runs smoothly.
This involves careful testing to ensure the changes improve performance without affecting data accuracy or breaking existing visualizations.
12:00 PM – Data Validation and Troubleshooting
Another critical task in the morning is data validation. A Looker Developer is responsible for ensuring that the data visualized in dashboards is both accurate and up to date. Sometimes, data discrepancies arise due to delays in data pipelines, changes in source systems, or issues with LookML models.
Today, a user reports that the numbers in the financial dashboard don’t match the numbers in the source database. The Looker Developer’s task is to:
- Investigate the issue, comparing the LookML model to the source data.
- Trace back the SQL queries and check for any discrepancies in data filtering or aggregation.
- Collaborate with the data engineering team to ensure the ETL pipeline is functioning correctly and that no data has been lost or corrupted during extraction or transformation.
After identifying the issue (an outdated data source was being queried), the Looker Developer corrects the LookML model and reruns the dashboard to ensure accuracy.
Lunch Break: A Quick Breather
12:30 PM – Lunch and Mental Recharge
After a busy morning filled with technical challenges and problem-solving, it’s time for a well-deserved break. Lunch is an opportunity to recharge and step away from the screen for a bit. Whether it’s grabbing a quick bite with colleagues, going for a walk, or catching up on industry news, this downtime is crucial for maintaining focus and energy for the rest of the day.
Afternoon: Collaboration and Strategy
1:30 PM – Meeting with Business Stakeholders
After lunch, the Looker Developer joins a meeting with the marketing team to discuss their data needs for an upcoming campaign. Collaboration is a key part of a Looker Developer’s job, as they need to understand the business context and objectives behind the data requests they receive.
In this meeting, the Looker Developer:
- Gathers requirements for a new marketing dashboard that tracks key performance indicators (KPIs) such as lead generation, conversion rates, and campaign ROI.
- Discusses the specific metrics the marketing team wants to monitor, ensuring that the data can be sourced from existing systems and transformed into actionable insights.
- Sets expectations around data availability and the timeline for delivery, while managing any technical constraints (e.g., limitations of the existing data infrastructure).
This interaction helps the developer gain a deeper understanding of how the data will be used, which is critical for designing effective and user-friendly dashboards.
2:30 PM – Developing a Custom Dashboard
After the meeting, it’s time to get back to building. Based on the marketing team’s requirements, the Looker Developer starts creating a custom dashboard using Looker’s drag-and-drop interface and LookML code.
The dashboard includes:
- Visualizations such as bar charts, line graphs, and pie charts that provide a clear view of campaign performance.
- Filters that allow the marketing team to segment data by region, product, or time frame.
- Drill-down capabilities that let users explore specific data points in more detail.
This is where creativity comes into play. The Looker Developer not only focuses on technical accuracy but also on making the dashboard intuitive and easy to use. The goal is to empower non-technical users to explore the data independently and make data-driven decisions.
Late Afternoon: Testing, Feedback, and Iteration
3:30 PM – Testing and Refinement
Once the initial version of the dashboard is complete, it’s time to test it. The Looker Developer:
- Reviews the data accuracy, ensuring that the metrics displayed in the dashboard match the underlying data sources.
- Tests the performance of the dashboard by running queries with different filters and ensuring it loads quickly.
- Solicits feedback from a few key stakeholders in the marketing team, asking them to review the dashboard and provide input on usability and design.
This phase of testing and refinement is critical, as it ensures that the final product meets the business needs and provides valuable insights.
4:30 PM – Documentation and Knowledge Sharing
Documentation is an essential but often overlooked part of a Looker Developer’s daily routine. As the day winds down, the developer spends time documenting the new LookML models, dashboards, and changes made during the day. This documentation is important for:
- Ensuring that other team members can understand and maintain the LookML models in the future.
- Providing a reference for stakeholders who need to understand how the data models work.
- Streamlining future iterations or updates to the dashboard.
The Looker Developer may also participate in knowledge-sharing sessions with their team, discussing challenges encountered during the day and sharing best practices for improving efficiency or troubleshooting issues.
End of the Day: Wrapping Up and Preparing for Tomorrow
5:00 PM – Final Check and Closing Out
As the workday comes to an end, the Looker Developer takes a final look at the day’s tasks, ensuring that everything is on track for upcoming deadlines. Any incomplete tasks are reprioritized for the following day, and a quick note is made for the next morning’s stand-up meeting.
After a productive day of problem-solving, collaboration, and data exploration, the developer logs off, satisfied with the progress made in helping the organization make better data-driven decisions.
Challenges and Rewards of a Looker Developer’s Day-to-Day Life
Like any job, being a Looker Developer comes with its share of challenges:
- Data Complexity: Dealing with large, complex datasets and ensuring accuracy can be challenging. Developers must be highly detail-oriented and have strong analytical skills.
- Performance Optimization: Ensuring that dashboards and reports run efficiently, even as data grows, is a constant challenge.
- Collaborating Across Teams: Balancing technical work with communication across multiple teams (business, data engineers, analysts) requires strong interpersonal skills.
However, these challenges are balanced by several rewards:
- Impactful Work: Looker Developers play a crucial role in empowering businesses to make data-driven decisions. Their work directly impacts strategy and performance.
- Continuous Learning: The ever-evolving landscape of data analytics and BI tools ensures that Looker Developers are constantly learning and adapting to new challenges.
- Creativity in Problem-Solving: Looker development requires both technical and creative thinking. Developers not only build functional models but also craft intuitive dashboards that tell compelling data stories.
Conclusion
The day-to-day life of a Looker Developer is fast-paced, challenging, and highly rewarding. From crafting data models and dashboards to collaborating with stakeholders and ensuring data accuracy, each task contributes to the larger goal of driving informed decision-making within an organization. By balancing technical expertise with creativity and collaboration, Looker Developers play a pivotal role in unlocking the full potential of business intelligence tools like Looker. Whether you’re interested in data modeling, performance optimization, or dashboard creation, a career as a Looker Developer offers endless opportunities for growth and impact in the world of data analytics.