The simplicity of Google Looker Studio has enabled countless businesses to visualize their data without the need for a database or writing SQL code.
While direct API connections remain a popular way to pull data into reports, they come with limitations — especially as agencies and brands scale their analytics efforts.
If you've ever struggled with API limits, slow-loading dashboards, maintaining historical data, or simply managing the time it takes to make manual updates, it's time to consider adding a dedicated data warehouse like Google BigQuery to your analytics stack.
Advantages of Connecting Looker Studio to BigQuery Versus Using Native APIs
Transitioning from using direct API connections to BigQuery as your Looker Studio data source will unlock new capabilities that can help improve performance, scalability, and long-term data strategy.
Below are four advantages of using BigQuery instead of relying on native API connections.
1. Gemini-Powered AI Assistant Integration
With BigQuery as your data source, you can integrate Google's AI Assistant, Gemini, for AI-powered analysis via chat functionality. The Gemini/Looker Studio Pro integration enables instant data analysis through conversational queries.
Using this Gemini integration, you can query your data with Conversational Analytics, enabling you to chat with your data directly in Looker.
To access Gemini in Looker, you will need a Looker Studio Pro subscription and your data needs to be stored in Google BigQuery
2. Data Ownership and Scalability
Many applications limit the amount of historical data that can be retrieved through their APIs. Google Campaign Manager, for example, only allows you to export Floodlight report data for 60 days and Standard Report data is limited to two years.
By loading data into BigQuery daily, you can maintain a record of your historic data past the limit of what the API is allowed to return.
Related Article: How To Analyze More Than 60 Days Of Floodlight Reporting Data And Visualize in Looker Studio
3. Reporting Flexibility and Long-Term Viability
Managing multiple Looker Studio reports with direct API connections can become a time-consuming, manual task. Updating a direct query data source across ~25 Looker Studio reports isn't generally a big project, but as you continue to scale and reach hundreds of reports, the amount of effort compounds if there isn't a good way to make the same update globally.
By consolidating your data into a centralized BigQuery table, you maintain consistent taxonomies and schemas across all reports. This simplifies updates, reduces inconsistencies, and ensures long-term scalability.
4. Business Intelligence Beyond Performance Reports
Many agencies use live API connections to deliver performance metrics to clients, and while this solves the customer requirement, it doesn't provide a solution for other data uses like campaign monitoring, billing, budget pacing, case studies, and market insights.
While direct API connections seem like a quick and easy way to pull data into Looker Studio, they come with limitations that can slow you down as your reporting needs change.
BigQuery offers a more scalable, flexible, and future-proof solution for storing and managing your data, giving you complete control, enabling AI-driven insights, and ensuring your reports remain reliable over time.
Using Launchpad to Load Data into BigQuery
If you're struggling with native API issues, but aren't sure where to start, we can help!
Google BigQuery offers native integrations for some applications, but many key marketing and analytics platforms don't connect natively to GCP. That's where Launchpad comes in.
The Launchpad platform makes it easy to extract, transfer, and load data from a variety of sources directly into your BigQuery data warehouse.
If you don't yet have a data warehouse, the first step is selecting a cloud-based storage provider like Google Cloud Console and setting up your BigQuery account. From there, Launchpad simplifies the data transfer process.
You can find Launchpad and start your free trial in the Google BigQuery Partner Center:
- Navigate to the ETL & Data Integration section.
- Click on Launchpad ETL by Calibrate Analytics.
- Follow the signup wizard to start your free trial (or, save time and click here)!
As a bonus, the Launchpad ETL platform is Google Cloud Ready - BigQuery certified, meaning Google has tested and validated its seamless integration with BigQuery. That gives Launchpad users confidence that their data pipelines are reliable and built to scale.
Get Started with Launchpad for Free!
Switching from direct API connections to BigQuery is a strategic move that enhances data reliability, scalability, and accessibility across your organization. Using the Launchpad ETL makes the transition easier than ever.
Start your free 2 week trial today — no credit card needed!
