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Looker Zapier integrationAutomate Looker with Zapier.

The Looker Zapier integration gives you 3 triggers, 9 actions and 2 searches. It covers two jobs: watching your Looks and SQL queries for new records, and running user admin in Looker (accounts, roles, groups) from your other tools.

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Overview

What the Looker Zapier integration actually does

Looker is a business intelligence platform: it is where your company keeps its reports and questions its data. The Zapier integration lets a Zap (an automation you build once: a starting event in one app, then the steps that follow) react to new rows in your reports and manage Looker users without opening the admin panel. It reads from Looker and writes into it.

Three results stand out. First, onboarding without the checklist: when New User spots a fresh account, Add User to Group and Add Role(s) to User give that person the right access, and Send Password Reset or Account Setup Email sends the setup email. Second, data that leaves the dashboard: New Record Created in Look or New Record Created in SQL Query passes each new row to the tool where your team acts on it. Third, reports that travel as files: Create Render Task turns a Dashboard, a Look or a Query into an image or a PDF, and Get Render Task Results fetches the finished document for the next step.

Now what it does not do. None of the three triggers is instant: Zapier checks Looker on a timer, so a new row or user is never picked up the moment it appears. Looker is also a premium app, so nothing here works on the free plan. And there is no action to edit a Look, a dashboard or a model: Zapier runs and reads them, it does not build them.

Before you commit, read our Zapier review and the comparison n8n vs Zapier. We have no dedicated n8n or Make page for Looker yet.

Vocabulary

Zapier words in one minute

Eight terms come back on this page. Here is each one in plain words.

Zap
The automation you build on Zapier: one starting event, then one or more steps that run every time that event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts the Zap; once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it. Looker offers three, all about new records or users.
Action
What the Zap does once it has started: the step that writes, sends or moves something for you, like creating a Looker user.
Task
The unit Zapier bills: one action your Zap completes successfully. The number attached to your plan counts exactly those.
Polling trigger
A trigger Zapier checks on a timer: it asks the app for new items at a fixed interval and keeps only what it has not seen.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap go on only when what arrived meets a condition you set, and stops it there otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something that already exists, such as a Looker user, so the steps after it can use what it found.
Premium app
An app Zapier keeps for paid plans and free trials. Looker is one, which shapes everything in the cost section below.
Cost

What it really costs

Looker is a premium app: it only works on a paid plan or during the free trial. Inside that plan, you pay in tasks, and only actions spend them.

  • Premium appYes (paid plan or trial)
  • Task per successful action1
  • Cost of a trigger check0 tasks
  • Instant triggers0 of 3

Each Looker action that goes through counts as one task, and so does each action in your other apps. A failed action counts for nothing; the trigger and the regular checks Zapier runs cost nothing either. An onboarding Zap that adds a group, a role and sends the setup email spends three tasks per new user, three times a one-action Zap. A search or a filter makes the Zap multi-step, which paid plans allow. The free plan, with its 100 tasks a month, cannot use Looker at all. All three triggers are polling ones, so the grid below sets how often Zapier checks on each plan; the Free row is there for reference only, since Looker needs a paid plan.

Connect

Connect your account in three steps

  1. 01

    Find the app

    In your Zapier account, open Apps and click + Add connection. Type Looker in the search box of the dialog and pick it. You need an existing Looker account and a paid Zapier plan or trial, since Looker is premium.

  2. 02

    Sign in to Looker

    Click Add connection. A tab opens on the Looker side: sign in with the account whose Looks, queries and users the Zaps will touch. For user admin actions, that account needs the rights to manage users, roles and groups.

  3. 03

    Grant access

    Allow Zapier to act on the account. The connection then sits on your Apps page, and every Zap using a Looker trigger, action or search reuses it instead of asking you to sign in again.

First Zap

Your first Zap: onboard every new Looker user

GoalEach time a new user appears in Looker, add them to the right group, but only when the account matches the condition you set.

  1. 01

    Pick the trigger

    Create a Zap, choose Looker as the trigger app and New User as the event. Select your Looker connection. Each new account Zapier finds on its next check will start a run.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent users of the connected account, so you can pick a real one and map the user ID from actual data.

  3. 03

    Add a filter

    Click the plus icon and add Filter. Fill the three boxes: the field to look at, the rule, and the value to compare with. Users who fail the check stop here.

  4. 04

    Add Add User to Group

    Add an action, choose Looker, then Add User to Group. Map the user ID from the trigger into User ID, then pick the group in Group ID. Both fields are mandatory.

  5. 05

    Test, then publish

    Test the action and open Looker to check that the user now sits in the group. When it looks right, click Publish to switch the Zap on.

Triggers

The three Looker triggers

3 events start a Zap when something happens in Looker. Zapier checks for them at the interval your plan allows.

1

New Record Created in Look

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new record is created in a Look.”

Watches one Look, a saved report in Looker, and starts your Zap for every new row that shows up in it. Each row reaches the next steps as data you can map, so a figure in your report can become a message or a row elsewhere, with no manual export.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your paid plan: every 2 minutes on Professional, every minute on Team and Enterprise
When to use it
a report already lists the items your team must act on, and you want each new one pushed out as it appears.
Watch out
you must pick the Look to monitor in Look ID; without it the trigger has nothing to watch.
2

New Record Created in SQL Query

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new record is created in a Looker SQL Query.”

Starts your Zap for every new record returned by a SQL query in Looker, either a query you type into the trigger or one already saved in Looker. It suits data that no Look covers yet, since you write exactly the question you want Zapier to keep asking.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your paid plan: every 2 minutes on Professional, every minute on Team and Enterprise
When to use it
your analysts already have a query that spots the rows that matter, and you want those rows to drive a workflow.
Watch out
the first setting asks whether to reuse an existing SQL Runner query; answer no and you must write the query yourself.
3

New User

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new user is created in Looker.”

Fires when Zapier, on its next check, finds a new user created in Looker, and passes that account's details to the steps that follow. It is the natural starting point for onboarding: groups, roles, a welcome note in another tool, or a line in your access log.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your paid plan: every 2 minutes on Professional, every minute on Team and Enterprise
When to use it
accounts get created in Looker by several people, and you want every new one handled the same way.
Watch out
only users created after the Zap is switched on come through; existing accounts are not replayed.
Actions

The nine Looker actions

Looker gives you 9 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Add Role(s) to User

Action

In Zapier“Sets one or more roles for a user in Looker.”

Sets one or more roles on a Looker user in one step, which decides what that person may do in the platform.

When to use it
new users should start with a standard set of roles, without an admin clicking through each account.
Watch out
it sets the roles you list, so review the selection carefully before you publish.
2

Add User to Group

Action

In Zapier“Adds a user to a group in Looker.”

Puts an existing Looker user into a group, so they inherit whatever that group can see and do.

When to use it
a team or department change recorded elsewhere should move the person's Looker access too.
Watch out
Group ID and User ID are both mandatory; your connected account must be able to see the group.
3

Create Credentials - Email

Action

In Zapier“Creates email credentials for a user in Looker.”

Attaches an email login to an existing Looker user, so that person can sign in with that address.

When to use it
right after Create User, to give the new account the address it will log in with.
Watch out
it needs both the User ID and the Email; map the ID returned by the step that created the user.
4

Create Render Task

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new task to render a Dashboard, Look, or Query to an image or PDF.”

Asks Looker to turn a Dashboard, a Look or a Query into an image or a PDF, and starts that rendering job.

When to use it
a report should go out as a file, attached to an email or dropped in a shared folder.
Watch out
this step only starts the job; pair it with Get Render Task Results to fetch the file.
5

Create User

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new user in Looker.”

Opens a new account in Looker from a first and last name sent by an earlier step, ready to receive credentials, roles and groups.

When to use it
a hire recorded in another tool should get a Looker seat without a ticket to the admin.
Watch out
First Name and Last Name are both mandatory, so a source with a single full-name field will not do.
6

Delete User

Action

In Zapier“Deletes a user in Looker.”

Removes a user from Looker, identified by User ID, when another tool says that person has left.

When to use it
offboarding, so access closes without waiting for an admin to remember it.
Watch out
the step acts on whatever User ID it receives; put a filter in front so only confirmed departures get through.
7

Execute SQL Query

Action

In Zapier“Executes a SQL query in Looker.”

Runs a SQL query in Looker in the middle of a Zap, either a query saved in SQL Runner or one you write in the step itself.

When to use it
a step needs a precise figure that no Look covers, computed at the moment the Zap runs.
Watch out
the first setting decides between an existing query and a new one; answer it before anything else.
8

Run Look

Action

In Zapier“Runs a selected Look.”

Runs a saved Look on demand from inside a Zap, instead of someone opening it in Looker and pressing run.

When to use it
an event in another tool should be the moment a given report gets run, with no one watching the clock.
Watch out
Look ID is mandatory, and the Look must be visible to your connected account.
9

Send Password Reset or Account Setup Email

Action

In Zapier“This will send a password reset email to the user. If the user has not yet set up their account, it will send a setup email to the user.”

Emails a Looker user a link to reset their password or, if they never finished signing up, to set up their account.

When to use it
closing an onboarding Zap, or giving support a way to send the link from a simple form.
Watch out
it only knows the person by User ID, so a search step is often needed first.
Searches

The two Looker searches

2 search steps look for data that already exists in Looker, so a later step can use it.

A search step looks up something that already exists in Looker and passes it on. Searches sit at the bottom of the action list, under SEARCH. Three settings decide what happens when the result is not what you expected.

1

Find User

Search

In Zapier“Finds a user in Looker based on search criteria.”

Looks up an existing Looker user from the details you give it and passes that account, with its User ID, to the next steps.

When to use it
almost every user action wants a User ID, and your other tools only know an email or a name.
Watch out
whether it wants an exact match or accepts something close is decided by Looker, so test with real values.
2

Get Render Task Results

Search

In Zapier“Gets the document, image, or PDF produced by a completed render task.”

Fetches the document, image or PDF produced by a render task that has finished, so a later step can send or store it.

When to use it
right after Create Render Task, to pick up the file and attach it to an email or upload it.
Watch out
it needs the Render Task ID and only returns a completed task, not one still running.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap there and the steps that needed it are skipped. Switched on, the Zap carries on with nothing in hand.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    Ticking this box turns a search into find-or-create. Neither Looker search offers that variant on Zapier, so you will not see this box here.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Three ways out when several items match: keep the first one, which is the default, stop the Zap, or hand all of them on at once.
When it breaks

When it breaks

Zapier links two help articles to Looker: one announcing that Looker is available on Zapier, one on getting started with it. The risks below are the general ones that hit any Zap, read through Looker's admin and reporting actions.

Most failures come from missing IDs, missing rights or timing, not from Looker being down. When a run fails, see our Zapier troubleshooting page.

  • Old rows and users are not replayed

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after you switch it on. Rows already in a Look and users already in Looker never start it; moving them is a separate job.

  • A Zap that keeps setting itself off

    If a Zap creates users and also starts on New User, each run can trigger the next one. That loop burns through your task count fast.

  • A big batch gets held back

    When a Look or query suddenly returns a huge batch of new rows, after a bulk load or a migration, Zapier's flood protection can hold that batch.

  • The same row will not fire twice

    On a polling trigger Zapier remembers what it has already seen. That blocks duplicates, but a row that changes later will not start the Zap again.
Need help

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FAQ

Questions people ask

01Is the Looker Zapier integration free?
No. Looker is a premium app on Zapier, reserved for paid plans and the free trial. The free plan, with its 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps, cannot use it at all. On a paid plan the integration itself costs nothing extra: you pay in tasks, like any other app. That also means multi-step Zaps, filters and searches are open to you, which matters because most Looker user actions work best after a Find User step.
02How many tasks does it use?
One task per action that goes through, in Looker or in any other app of the Zap. The triggers cost nothing, and neither do the regular checks Zapier runs to find new rows or users. An action that fails is not counted. Watch the chains: an onboarding Zap that adds a group, sets roles and sends the setup email spends three tasks for every new user, so plan your volume per action rather than per Zap.
03Is it real time?
No. All three Looker triggers are polling triggers: Zapier asks Looker for anything new at a fixed interval, then keeps only what it has not seen. On Professional that means every 2 minutes, on Team and Enterprise every minute. On paid plans you can change how often a trigger checks, or run a check by hand from the editor. The type is set by the app itself, so no setting turns these into instant triggers.
04What does it take to connect the account?
An existing Looker account, a paid Zapier plan or trial, and enough rights in Looker for what your Zaps will do. Watching a Look requires access to that Look; creating users, setting roles or adding to groups requires the rights to manage users. The connection is made from the Apps page of your Zapier account: add a connection, pick Looker, sign in on the tab that opens, then grant access. Every Zap then reuses it.
05Why does a Looker user action keep failing?
Usually because the User ID is missing. Add User to Group, Add Role(s) to User, Create Credentials - Email, Delete User and the password reset email all identify the person by that ID, and most other tools only know an email or a name. Put a Find User search step in front, map its User ID into the action, and decide what happens when nobody is found. Also check that your connected account can see the group or the roles you select.
06What if the operation you need is not there?
Then the editor really does not offer it. Zapier lists three triggers, nine actions and two searches for Looker, and nothing beyond them: no step to build or edit a Look, a dashboard or a model. When a figure is missing, Execute SQL Query can often compute it on the spot, since you write the query. For anything outside data and users, plan to do it inside Looker itself and keep Zapier for the steps listed on this page.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Looker?
Decide on criteria, not on reputation. On Zapier the facts are clear: premium app on paid plans only, three polling triggers, nine actions covering users, Looks, queries and rendering, billing per successful action. Before picking Make or n8n, check whether they offer a Looker connector and which of these operations it covers. Then weigh how often you need fresh data, how many steps your Zaps chain, and how your team prefers to build.
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