NOTE: This article is about sharing Shape ADI reports/templates with clients, not in-platform reports. To share in-platform reports with clients, please view this article: Accessing In-Platform Reports (for Non-Shape Users).
When you create a Google Data Studio/Looker Studio report from scratch, you will automatically be granted full permission to edit/share the Data Studio/Looker Studio report with anyone. You may choose to share the report with colleagues or clients.
Sharing a report with a client can be a great way to provide your clients with an easy-to-access performance dashboard (instead of sending out manual reports weekly, monthly, etc.).
Sharing a Report - View Only
You may want to share a report with clients in “View Only” mode to prevent them from editing the format or data in a report.
To share a report with a client in “view only” mode:
Navigate to the “Share” icon (person with + sign) in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. Click the arrow and select "Invite People. Or, click the “Share” menu item under “File” in the top navigation.
Add the email of the person you wish to invite in the “People” field
Set the person’s permissions to “can view”
Click "Notify People" to email them and hit “Send.”
NOTE: Sharing a report with clients in “View Only” will allow them to see the most recently updated report version. Your clients cannot refresh the data themselves unless they have edit access.
Sharing a Report - With Edit Permissions
You can give your clients access to edit your Google Data Studio/Looker Studio reports if you’re comfortable doing so.
To share a report with a client with edit permissions:
Navigate to the “Share” icon (person with + sign) in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. Click the arrow and select "Invite People. Or, click the “Share” menu item under “File” in the top navigation.
Add the email of the person you wish to invite in the “People” field
Set the person’s permissions to “can edit”
Click "Notify People" to email them and hit “Send.”
NOTE: You can also use “Get Report Link” to quickly share the report with others. You'll may need to "adjust your sharing settings."
Depending on your preferences, you’ll want to set your Link Settings to Unlisted, Restricted, or Public, and select the “Editor” access level.
We recommend against this option, though, as it allows clients to share the link with others who may not know how to update the Data Studio/Looker Studio report.