Linking Looker (Google Cloud) as a source
This source is currently in alpha. The interface and available tables may change.
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Skip the manual setup — run this in your project and the wizard auto-detects your databases and APIs and connects them to PostHog.
Note: This connector is in alpha. It's functional but may change based on feedback.
The Looker (Google Cloud) connector syncs users, Looks, dashboards, projects, folders, and LookML models into the PostHog data warehouse, so you can analyze your Looker metadata alongside your product data.
Prerequisites
You need:
- A Looker (Google Cloud) instance accessible over the public internet
- API credentials (client ID and client secret) from a Looker user with access to the tables you want to sync
- The API instance URL for your Looker instance (including port if non-standard, e.g.
https://example.looker.com:19999) - HTTPS with a trusted TLS certificate on the instance URL
We recommend using a dedicated service account with the minimum permissions required to read the data you need. Create API credentials in Admin > Users by selecting the user and generating API keys.
Adding a data source
- In PostHog, go to the Sources tab of the data pipeline section.
- Click + New source and click Link next to this source.
- Enter your credentials (see Configuration below) and click Next.
- Select the tables you want to sync, choose a sync method and frequency, then click Import.
Once the syncs are complete, you can start querying this data in PostHog.
You'll be asked for:
API instance URL - The hostname (and optional port) of your Looker instance, e.g.
https://example.looker.com:19999. Must use HTTPS with a trusted TLS certificate.Client ID - The API client ID from your Looker user's API credentials.
Client secret - The API client secret from your Looker user's API credentials.
PostHog exchanges these credentials for a short-lived access token through Looker's /api/4.0/login endpoint. Your client secret is stored securely and never exposed after setup.
Sync modes
Each table can be synced in one of several modes, depending on what the source supports:
- Webhook (when available) – the source pushes changes to PostHog in real time. Fastest freshness, lowest ongoing cost, and the only mode that reliably captures updates and deletes.
- Incremental – only new or updated rows are synced on each run, using a cursor field (such as an
updated_attimestamp). Cheaper than a full refresh, but deletes aren't captured. - Append only – new rows are appended using a cursor field; existing rows are never updated. Ideal for immutable, append-only tables like event logs.
- Full refresh – the whole table is reloaded on every sync. Use it when a table has no reliable cursor or when you need deletions reflected.
See sync methods for a full explanation of how each mode works and how to choose between them.
All Looker tables use full refresh. Each sync replaces the contents of the table. This is because the Looker API endpoints don't expose creation or update filters that would support incremental syncing.
Configuration
| Option | Type | Required |
|---|---|---|
API instance URL | text | Yes |
Client ID | text | Yes |
Client secret | password | Yes |
Supported tables
| Table | Description | Sync method | Incremental field | Primary key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
users | Looker users, their profile fields, and their group and role IDs. Credentials and sessions are excluded. | Full refresh | — | id |
looks | Active saved Looks that the API user can access. | Full refresh | — | id |
dashboards | Active dashboards created by users. LookML dashboards are excluded from the search endpoint. | Full refresh | — | id |
projects | LookML projects visible to the API user in the production workspace. | Full refresh | — | id |
folders | Folders visible to the API user, including their parent folder and creator IDs. | Full refresh | — | id |
lookml_models | LookML models and their Explore metadata visible to the API user. | Full refresh | — | name |
users - Looker users, their profile fields, and their group and role IDs. Credential and session objects are excluded for security.
looks - Active saved Looks that the API user can access.
dashboards - Active dashboards created by users. LookML dashboards and deleted dashboards are excluded.
projects - LookML projects visible to the API user in the production workspace.
folders - Folders visible to the API user, including their parent folder and creator IDs.
lookml_models - LookML models and their Explore metadata visible to the API user.
Note: Saved queries aren't available because the Looker API 4.0 has no endpoint to list them.
Troubleshooting
- If the connection fails with a login error, your client ID or client secret is wrong. Regenerate your API credentials in Admin > Users and reconnect.
- If a table syncs with a 403 error, the Looker user doesn't have permission to read that resource. Check the user's roles and permissions.
- If PostHog can't connect, verify the instance URL uses HTTPS with a valid TLS certificate and is reachable over the public internet.
If your sync is failing or data looks wrong, see the Data warehouse troubleshooting guide. If that doesn't help, contact support – we're happy to help.