[Looker Studio]How to use filter | Includes examples of frequently used settings, such as how to select date range or specific page.

The filter function in Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio) is a very powerful tool in report creation. This feature allows you to filter specific data from a large volume of data and present the information in a way that is more relevant and understandable to the report viewer.

What is Looker Studio filter?

Looker Studio's filter feature is useful when you want to view data based on specific criteria. For example, when using GA4 data, it is possible to filter the data based on criteria such as source, region and the pages visited.

There are two types of filters: one that can be preconfigured by the report editor, and an interactive type that allows the report viewer to change the criteria at will.

Filter Coverage

• Report: Filter can be applied to the entire report. For example, you can create a GA4 report narrowed down to specific page URLs.
• Page: a filter can be applied to each page in the report. For example, you can filter the first page of the GA4 report to mobile only and the second page to desktop only.
• Graph: Filter can be applied to individual graphs in the report.

How to set up filter in Looker Studio

We will now explain how to actually set up a filter in Looker Studio.

The actual procedure is explained using 88studio's popular template "[4007] GA4 Monthly Report", which is used by over 2,000 clients.

While Looker Studio is a great tool that is free and highly functional, it does require some time to become proficient, but with templates, you can create a high quality report in much less time than creating one from scratch yourself, since you only need to customize the necessary parts based on a pre-made template.

 Templates are available on the web for free or for a fee, but if you are looking for a high quality template, use the GA4 Looker Studio template from 88studio, which is used by over 2,000 companies. With one time purchase, you can create reports for an unlimited number of sites, copy reports in minutes, and customize them as you wish. The templates are supervised by Google Analytics experts and are updated whenever there is a change in the GA4 specifications, so you can use them with peace of mind for years to come.

 

 GA4 Monthly Report Template[4007]

Demo Report

Report detail

How to set up filter for the entire report

In this report, we will narrow the entire GA4 report to "Desktop (PC)" data.

step1

Click "Edit" in the upper right corner of the report.

step2

After selecting "File" > "Report Settings" from the top menu, click "ADD A FILTER" in the Report Settings menu displayed on the right side.

step3

If you see a filter that has already been created, select it.
If there is no filter, click "CREATE A FILTER".

step4

Set each as follows and click "Save" when you are done.

• Name: The name of the filter. It can be reused, so make sure it is a name that can be recognized later. In this case, enter "Desktop".
• Filter condition: You can select either "Include" or "Exclude". Select "Include" this time.
• Dimension: Select the dimension you wish to narrow down. This time, enter "device category.
• Operator: Select "Equal to (=)" this time.
• Equal to
• Contains
• Starts with
• RegExp Match
• RegExp Contains
• In
• Is Null
• Value: In this case, enter "desktop".

 The entire report is now narrowed down to "Desktop (PC)" only data.

Summary report for desktop only

User attribute summary report for desktop only

 Desktop only OS report

How to set filter for each page in the report 

Next, we will explain how to set up filters for each page. In this case, we will filter only the GA4 Overall Summary Report to the "Desktop (PC)" data.

step1

Click "Edit" in the upper right corner of the report.

step2

After selecting "Page" > "Current Page Settings" from the top menu, click "ADD A FILTER" in theCurrent Page Settings menu displayed on the right side.

 

step3

The filters you have already created will be displayed, and if you select the "Desktop" filter you just created, only this page will be narrowed down to "Desktop".

Set filters for individual graphs in the report

Finally, this section explains how to set filters for individual graphs in a report. This is useful if you want to set different filters for different graphs within the same page.

In this case, we will filter only the number of users in GA4 Summary report to the "Desktop (PC)" data.

step1

Click "Edit" in the upper right corner of the report.

step2

With the item to which you want to add a filter selected, click "ADD A FILTER" in the settings menu that appears on the right side.

step3

You will see the filters you have already created, and if you select the "Desktop" filter you just created, only the number of users you selected within this page will be filtered to "Desktop".

Control function that allows viewers to change conditions at will

So far, we have shown how report editors can set up filters in advance to narrow down the data to what they need. On the other hand, there may be cases where you want to allow the viewer to freely change the filter conditions. This is where the "Control" function comes in. This feature allows report viewers to customize the data to their own needs, making the report more interactive and user-friendly.

Type of control

Looker Studio offers a variety of controls. This article will briefly introduce the main functions of each control. Detailed explanations of how to use these controls will be provided in a separate article, so please wait for that article to be published.

Drop-down list

A control that allows the user to refine the data by selecting from a list of values.

Fixed-size list

Displays the control as a fixed-size box.

Input box

A control that allows the user to enter values in an input box to refine the data. It is available for both parameters and filters.

Advanced filter

A control that allows the user to enter values in an input box to refine the data. It is available only as a filter.

Slider

This control allows the user to refine the data by selecting a range of values.

Checkbox

This control allows you to refine the data by selecting "true" or "false" values.

Preset filter

*Under investigation.

Date range control

A control that allows the viewer to change the time period of the report at will.

Date control

This control allows the viewer to change the data source at will.

Button

Controls that allow viewers to filter or navigate to linked content with the click of a button.

Examples of frequently used filters

Added Date range control to reports

step1

After selecting "Insert" > "Date range control" from the top menu, place the component in the desired position. You can also freely set the default date. *Sample is set to last month.

step2

Right click on the component and select "Make report level". This will add date range control to all pages, so that when you move to another page, the date range selected on the previous page will carry over.

Create reports for specific pages only

After completing steps 1-3 of how to set up a filter for the entire report, set up the following. In this case, we have filtered by title name, but of course you can also filter by page URL.

Notes and Frequently Asked Questions

Filters set for the entire report

Filters that are set for the entire report will only apply to graphs that use the report's default data source. If a report has graphs that use different data sources, you will need to create a filter specifically for those graphs.

Filter Restrictions

Up to 75 filter conditions can be set for each component; a single filter can contain up to 10 OR conditions. If you need to set many OR conditions, we recommend using the "Include Next" option, which is more efficient.

Also, metrics and dimensions cannot be mixed within the same OR condition. This is a limitation due to differences in aggregation methods.

Disable Filters

Changing a field in a data source from an metric to a dimension will disable all filters associated with that field.

Related Looker Studio official documentation

Looker Studio Help: About filter properties

Looker Studio Help: Create, edit, and manage filters

Looker Studio Help: About controls

Looker Studio Help: Configure filter conditions

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