Google Data Studio lets you turn complicated data into beautiful reports and informative dashboards. Everything created in Data Studio is fully customizable, allowing your brand to share compelling stories that have supporting facts and statistics. The best part is, you don’t have to do any fancy computing. Data Studio takes raw data and makes sense of it. This way, you and your team can make informed decisions to better your business.

One part of Data Studio is Community Connectors, which enable direct connections from Data Studio to any internet accessible data source. Data sources include social media platforms, CRM databases, open data sets, and private company data. Let’s learn more about Community Connectors and how you can use this feature to create reports and databases for your team to review.

How Do Community Connectors Work?

When developing a Community Connector, use Google Apps Script and follow the Data Studio Connector specifications. If you need insight, view the Community Connector Gallery. Here, you will find hundreds of connectors that have been developed by partners such as Amazon, Bing, and Facebook.

Here is what the lifecycle of a Community Connector looks like.

  • Build a connector

  • Test the connector

  • Deploy the connector

  • Publish the connector

Once the connector is created, you are able to share it with any user you choose. You may also submit it to the Connector Gallery so that other users can find and use it.

Why Build a Community Connector?

If you’re already using Google Data Studio, you’re aware of the benefits of taking raw metrics, dimensions, and calculations and turning them into stunning reports. With connectors, you can take advantage of APIs and additional services such as caching, translation, and storage. Plus, with the Google Apps Script tool, building connections is easy, and you can share your connector with others.

If you do choose to share your connector, you may promote it in the Community Connector Gallery so that it can be viewed by all users. This allows people from around the world to access open data in a free and simple manner.

If you want to influence how data about your company is used by researchers, customers, and other companies, it’s worth considering a Community Connector of your own!

Pete Schauer
Marketing Director

Pete Schauer is the Marketing Director with an MBA in Communications from William Paterson University. Leading client development and implementation of Brand strategy, he diligently works to ensure the delivery of a fully integrated and multi-solution approach. Schauer is married and has two dogs. In his free time, you can find him outdoors, scouting a new brewery, or playing trivia.