Deploy Looker Blocks

This page describes the steps for installing a prebuilt Looker block for Cortex Framework located in a public GitHub repository, such as:

For deploying the Looker Dashboard for Dun & Bradstreet, see Looker Studio Dashboard for Dun & Bradstreet.

Prerequisites

To access and use these pre built dashboards, you need to priorly do the following:

  1. Deploy Cortex Framework: Ensure you have Cortex Framework set up and configured with your data sources. For more information, see Cortex Framework prerequisites for deployment.
  2. Access Looker: Access Looker and get familiar with the platform.
  3. Explore available dashboards: Explore the prebuilt dashboards and the available insights in the dashboard you would like to deploy. For more information, see Available Looker Blocks.

After completing the prerequisites, you are ready to install your Looker Block.

Installation

Looker Blocks use LookML (Looker Modeling Language) to define the semantic model for the Looker dashboards. To install the LookML Model that corresponds to your Cortex data source, use one of the following options:

  • Option A: Install through Looker Marketplace from a Git URL.
  • Option B: Install by forking the repository.

The following sections describe the steps for each option.

Option A: Install through Looker Marketplace from a Git URL

The Looker Marketplace is a central location within Looker for finding, deploying, and managing Looker Blocks, applications, visualizations, and plug-ins. To install through Looker Marketplace from a Git URL, follow these steps:

  1. Go to your Looker instance.
  2. Click the Marketplace button on the Looker menu bar .
  3. From the Marketplace menu, select the Manage option.
  4. On the Manage page, select the three-dot Options menu .
  5. Select Install via Git URL button.
  6. Enter the URL and commit SHA of the chosen repository:
  7. Click Install.
  8. Agree and Continue at the terms and conditions dialog.
  9. Enter the required parameters that corresponds to your data:
    • Connection Name
    • Project ID
    • Reporting Dataset
  10. Click Install.

For more information, see the Looker documentation for Installing a Tool from a Git URL.

Option B: Install by forking the repository

To install Looker blocks by forking the repository, follow these steps:

  1. Fork the GitHub repository:

    1. Navigate to the GitHub repository for the chosen Looker Block:
    2. Click Fork in the top-right corner of the repository.
    3. Create a fork with your username. This creates a copy of the repository in your GitHub account.

  2. Create a blank LookML project:

    1. Verify that you are in Development Mode.
    2. Select Projects from the Develop menu.

    3. From the top left of the LookML Projects page, select Configure New Model to open the Configure a Model page.

    4. On the Configure a Model page, specify the options for your model:

      1. Model: Name your model with the same name of the model.lkml file in the repository. For example, name the model cortex-<datasource>.

      2. Project: Name your project. Either name it the same as the model or specify a different name.

      3. Allowed Connections: Specify which database connections can be used by the model, or specify that the model is allowed to use any current or future connections.

    5. Click Save to save the project as a Pending Project.

    6. From the LookML Projects page, locate the new project under the Pending Projects section.

    7. Click Add LookML to open the New Project page.

    8. On the New Project page, specify the options for your project:

      1. Project Name: Already populated with value specified in prior step.
      2. Starting Point: Select Blank Project.

    9. Select Create Project. Looker creates the project and opens it in the Looker IDE.

    For more information, see the original Looker documentation for Generating a LookML model.

  3. Connect the new LookML project to the forked repository: Follow the steps in the Looker documentation, Setting up and testing a Git connection.

  4. Update the values of constants in the manifest.lkml file:

    1. Open the manifest.lkml file in your forked repository in Looker.
    2. Locate the constants section and update the values as described in the Required parameters section.

  5. Commit and deploy changes to production. With the Looker project based on your forked repository, you can customize the LookML to fit your unique business needs. Follow the steps in Getting your changes to production.

Required parameters

These required values are configured during the Marketplace Installation process or if this Block was installed from a forked Git repository, you need to update the values for these constants in the manifest.lkml file for the project.

Parameter Value Description Looker Blocks
Connection Name Name of the connection The BigQuery connection name allowing Looker to query the Cortex REPORTING dataset. must be enabled. All
Project ID Project ID The Google Cloud project where the reporting dataset resides in BigQuery. For more information, see Identifying projects. All
Reporting Dataset Name of the dataset for reporting The deployed Cortex Data Foundation REPORTING dataset where the data source dataset views reside within the Google Cloud BigQuery project. Depending on the deployment settings for the Cortex Data Foundation, this dataset name would typically be of the pattern ending with _REPORTING. All
Client SAP Client number (mandt) The SAP Client number (mandt) to use for Reporting. SAP
Sign Change Yes or No For Profit and Loss/Income Statement reporting, revenue is generally displayed in general ledger as a negative number, which indicates a credit. By setting Sign Change value to Yes, it's displayed as a positive number in income statement reports. SAP

Additional block-specific requirements

Some blocks have specific requirements for its deployment. For more information, see the block-specific deployment:

Block Link to Additional Requirements
SAP Additional specifications for Cortex Framework Looker Block for SAP.
Oracle EBS Additional specifications for Cortex Framework Looker Block for Oracle EBS.

Extra Resources

For more information about LookML, see the following documentation and training: