Vertica QuickStart for Looker

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The Vertica QuickStart for Looker is a sample application implemented as a set of Looker dashboards powered by the Vertica Analytic Database. The dashboards present sample retail data for analysis. The QuickStart shows how retail companies could use Vertica and Looker to quickly explore, visualize, and gain insight into their data stored in Vertica.

To download the Vertica QuickStart for Looker, go to the following page:

https://www.vertica.com/quickstart/vertica-quickstart-looker/

About the Vertica QuickStarts

The Vertica QuickStarts are free, sample applications created using front-end products from Vertica technology partners. For an overview, watch this short video:

The QuickStarts are posted for download on the Vertica QuickStart Examples page.

Note The Vertica QuickStarts are freely available for demonstration and educational purposes. They are not governed by any license or support agreements and are not suitable for deployment in production environments.

About Looker

Looker is a business intelligence software and big data analytics platform that helps you explore, analyze and share real-time business analytics. For detailed product information about Looker, visit the Looker website.

Requirements

The Vertica QuickStart for Looker a Vertica database server with a standard installation of the VMart example database, a Vertica client, and a Looker instance.

Install the Software

To install the software that is required for running the QuickStart, follow these steps:

  1. Install the Vertica Database Server
  2. Install the VMart Example Database
  3. Install Looker
  4. Install the JDBC Client Driver

Install the Vertica Database Server

If you do not already have Vertica, you can download the Community Edition free of charge:

  1. Navigate to Vertica Community Edition.
  2. Log in or click Register Now to create an account
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the Vertica Community Edition.

Install the VMart Example Database

The Vertica QuickStart for Lookerassumes a default installation of the Vertica VMart example database.

To install VMart, follow the instructions in the Vertica documentation:

For details, see VMart Example Database Schema, Tables, and Scripts.

Install Looker

Looker is a web-based application that runs on Linux platforms. A Looker instance can be deployed for either on-premise or cloud-based access.

If you do not have Looker, you can download and install it as follows:

  1. Go to the Looker website.
  2. Click Get Started.
  3. Provide your contact information and click Request a Trial to request a free trial of Looker.

Install the JDBC Client Driver

Looker uses the Vertica JDBC driver to connect to your Vertica database. To install the JDBC driver:

  1. Navigate to the Vertica Client Drivers page.
  2. Download the JDBC driver package and extract the contents.

    Note Vertica drivers are forward compatible. You can use an older driver version to connect to a newer server version. For more information about client and server compatibility, see the Vertica documentation.

  3. Place the JDBC .jar file in the directory that contains the external Java libraries for Looker.

    Note If you upgrade your Vertica client, you must repeat these steps to replace the .jar file.

Deploy the QuickStart

Follow these instructions to access the Vertica VMart LookML project that is shared publicly on GitHub, move a copy of the project into your own GitHub repositorym, and load it into your Looker instance.

Pre-requisites:

  • A GitHub account
  • A Looker account with developer or administrative privileges

To deploy the Vertica QuickStart for Looker, use the following instructions.

Copy the GitHub SSL Clone URL

In GitHub, you need to generate an SSL clone URL that Looker uses to import the VMart_Quick_Start files:

  1. In a browser, navigate to the GitHub page for the VMart QuickStart: https://github.com/vertica/VerticaQuickStartforLooker.
  1. Create a fork of this directory in your own repository. In the upper right-hand corner, click Fork.

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  2. In the left-hand pane, to generate the SSH clone URL, click SSH. Copy the SSH clone URL to your clipboard. 

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Create a New Looker Project

Open Looker and create a new project.

  1. Log in to Looker and select LookML > Manage Projects.

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  2. Name your project and disable Generate Model & Views.

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  3. Click Create Project.  

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  4. Click Configure Git.
  5. Paste the SSL clone URL for your repository that you copied to the clipboard and click Continue.

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  6. Copy the deploy key that Looker creates to your clipboard.

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Return to GitHub and Add the Deploy Key

Reopen GitHub to add the deploy key that Looker generated.

  1. Return to your GitHub repository page.
  2. On the right-hand pane, click Settings.

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  3. On the Settings page, click Deploy keys.

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  4. Paste the deploy key that Looker provides and check Allow write access.

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  5. Click Add key.
  6. If prompted, enter your GitHub password and press Enter.

          GitHub added the deploy key successfully:

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 Return to Looker and Import Project Files from GitHub

 Now you can import the VMart_Quick_Start files into Looker:

  1. Return to Looker and click Continue Setup.
  2. To import the project model files from GitHub into your Looker instance, click Sync Developer Mode.

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  3. When Looker completes the sync operation, you can see the contents of the VMart_Quick_Start project in Looker.

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  4. The database connection name in Looker and in the model file must be the same. To view the database connection name, click Admin and then Connections.

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  5. If this value does not match the database connection name in the model file, double-click the model file, make the change, and click Save.

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  6. To view one of the VMart dashboards, double-click the dashboard name. When the code opens, next to the dashboard name, select View Dashboard from the drop-down list.

About the QuickStart Dashboards

The QuickStart dashboards present sample business and operational data that a large retail chain might track over time. The chain operates brick-and-mortar stores and an online marketplace. It sells a wide variety of products that it purchases from different vendors.

Note The data in your dashboards will not match the data in the screen shots in this document. This is because the VMart data generator generates data randomly. 

Executive Dashboard

The Executive Dashboard presents a high-level view of the business data that is shown in greater detail in the other dashboards. You can use this dashboard to analyze the overall functioning of the business over time.

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Online Sales Dashboard

This dashboard presents information that you can use to analyze the performance of the chain’s online sales over time.

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Store Sales Dashboard

This dashboard presents information that you can use to analyze the performance of the chain’s store sales over time.

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Customer Dashboard

This dashboard presents information that you can use to discover patterns of customer behavior over time.

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Call Center and Employee Dashboard

This dashboard presents information that you can use to analyze the performance of the chain’s sales personnel, both in stores and in online call centers.

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Product Dashboard

This dashboard presents information that you can use to analyze products sold online and in stores over time.

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Vendor Dashboard

This dashboard presents information that you can use to analyze the chain’s interaction with different vendors over time.

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Inventory Dashboard

This dashboard presents information that you can use to analyze the chain’s inventory over time.

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