Google is bringing sexy back…to your data

I’ve spent the last few months experimenting with Google Data Studio.
I’m absolutely stunned by the results.

This report and others like it are available from https://www.datastudiopro.com/.

I was the kind of kid that dreamed of having my own command center.

Big bright charts, data streams, giant maps with targets all over them.

I was totally enthralled whenever one of these big NORAD style rooms showed up in a movie.

The moment I could afford an external monitor, I started making my own little war rooms in my workspace. I’d spin up a custom google analytics report, pull up social screens, and DIY my own little mission control center.

Eventually I co-founded a media monitoring company and got to work as a product manager building these systems for a handful of fortune 500 companies. In short, it was a ton of fun.

But, I learned that it’s HARD to make these. Like really really hard. If you want data from multiple sources, calculated and in real-time you’re going to pay BIG bucks (easily $100k+). You’re also going to need a team of developers and have to pay maintenance fees to keep it up and running.

But for the rest of us, there’s this thing called GDS…

The sun sets in Japan and Josh starts making dashboards. Side note: I tripped and fell down a flight of stairs at this temple.

After my media monitoring startup was acquired I found myself doing some long-term travel in Asia while I made wedding plans with my fiancé. The whole time we travelled, I couldn’t stop myself from making dashboards. So late at night in our little hotel in Tokyo I’d pull out my laptop and think up new designs. Designs were great, but I wanted to build them myself (and I’m not a coder), so I started testing out this free tool that Google recently released called Data Studio.

It’s part of the Google Suite (in beta, I believe). The #1 factor that drew me in: it’s free. Second: it’s incredibly easy to use even without knowing how to code. Third: if you’re willing to get creative, it’s insanely powerful.

So what happened when I started?

I was able to build super sexy reports with near real-time data. But more importantly I could build the bad ass command centers of my dreams.

If you’re using Google Suite already, you seriously need to try out Google Data Studio for your visualizations. If you’ve got any of these, you’re ready to start:

• Google Analytics
• Adwords
• Search Console
• Data in Google Sheets
• Youtube videos

You can also integrate almost any other data source via 3rd party connectors, or build your own connector for almost anything with an API.

Basically, if the data is digital you can get it into GDS.

So what are my results so far? Here are some samples. Try them out. Play around. I’m amazed at how much I could embed into a medium article.

With some sample data from SFO I was able to really get creative with the GDS’s design features.

With Google Analytics sample data I could build out a concept I’ve had bouncing around my head for months. The Acquisition EEG.

I did all of this without any coding. The designs are all made using the built-in features from GDS and the data is all managed in a nice convenient GUI. The learning curve was insanely easy compared to all the alternative programs I’ve tried. It would take me months to do this in the other visualization systems out there (and I’d probably need to learn to write CSS to make it look this sleek).

In short, use GDS if you need: tons of design flexibility, little to no cost, extremely easy integration of google suites data and an even easier learning curve.

If you’re looking for actionable Google Data Studio reports send an email to cottrell (at) hey (dot) com. I’d be happy to help you get started. Check out https://www.datastudiopro.com/