View Mode in Google Data Studio

Use view mode to interact with a report in a "read-only" configuration. If you only have view access to the report, the Edit toggle will be disabled. View mode example below

View Mode in Google Data Studio
View Mode in Google Data Studio

As a viewer, you can do the following in Google Data Studio

  • Default features for all viewers and can't be disabled.

  • Navigate through the report or use the page navigation feature.

  • Use report filters

  • Present (Similar to a presentation mode in PowerPoint)

Optional access level which a report owner can disable for viewers

View mode dashboard example and all the above features enabled for this report. So play around and download it as a PDF or make a copy.

Edit Mode in Google Data Studio

Use edit mode to create or make changes in your current report, e.g. apply new conditional formatting to your Pivot Table. Edit will provide access to the report editor.

💡 You must have edit right to access the edit mode setting, and the Edit toggle is disabled for all viewer
View Mode in Google Data Studio
View Mode in Google Data Studio

Standard data analytics terms

Metrics

In simple terms, metrics refer to the numeric value. E.g., If Someone asks, "How many products have we sold in Germany?". The number of units sold will be Metric here and the product name Dimension.

Dimension

In simple terms, Dimension refers to the text value. In the above example, the product name is Dimension.

Aggregation

Use this to summarize data for each individual chart available in Data Studio.

In Data Studio, the following aggregation methods can be applied to fields.

  • Average
  • Count
  • Count Distinct
  • Max
  • Min
  • Sum, default aggregation
  • Auto
  • None: Auto is applied by Data Studio; the default aggregation in reports is Sum.

Charts

Charts are the way to visualize the raw data.

Connector

This allows google data studio to access a particular data platform. Or in other words, it creates a data pipeline between the data platform and Data Studio.

Data Source

Data sources refer to particular data set from a connector. For example, if you use Supermetircs to visualize the Facebook ads data in Google Data Studio. Supermetircs will be connectors in this example a Facebook Ads a Data Source.

Page

Same as Powerpoint Slide, you can set the custom size on a page label or for the entire report from a minimum of 10px by 10px to a maximum of 2000 px wide by 10,000px high.

Report layout

Use this to customize the layout for the whole report or set a custom design.

To Edit Report layout

  • In the toolbar, click Theme and layout.

  • On the right panel, select LAYOUT.

  • Click the Customize

View mode settings

View mode settings control how the reports look in view mode.

Header visibility

The header visibility settings control the behaviour of the report header in view mode.

  • Always show — header is always visible.

  • Auto hide — header appears briefly, then is hidden. To redisplay, hover your mouse over the header.

  • Initially hidden — header is hidden until you hover your mouse over the header area.

Navigation type

The navigation type settings control how the pagination controls appear in view mode.

  • Left: Pages appear on the left side.

  • Tab: Pages appear as tabbed links at the top of the report.

  • Top Left: Pages appear in a drop-down menu on the top left.

  • Hidden: No page navigation is displayed.

Navigation type example below with the header visibility Always Show

Navigation type example below with the header visibility Always Show
Navigation type example below with the header visibility Always Show

Refresh Data in Google Data Studio

Only Report editors can refresh data and it's located on the top right corner under the ellipsis (⋮) or three dots

Refresh Data in Google Data Studio
Refresh Data in Google Data Studio

Enjoy reading the guide? I have explained every chart available in the new Data Studio Book here. Visual explanations for graphs configurations, style, format, and recommendations. So you can also see how the final result will look and why one design is better than others for the same chart.