Data Studio with MotherDuck

Data Studio, formerly Looker Studio, is Google's free reporting and dashboarding tool. It connects to MotherDuck through Google's built-in PostgreSQL connector using MotherDuck's Postgres endpoint.

Data Studio (formerly Looker Studio) connects to MotherDuck through the Postgres endpoint using Google's built-in PostgreSQL connector. This is a different product from Looker, which uses a different connector and its own setup.

Before you start

You'll need:

• A Data Studio account
• A MotherDuck access token. A read scaling token is recommended for reporting workloads
• Your Postgres host, which you can find at MotherDuck Postgres settings (for example, pg.us-east-1-aws.motherduck.com)
• The ISRG Root X1 certificate, saved locally. The Postgres endpoint only accepts encrypted connections, and Data Studio needs the certificate to verify the server

Connect to MotherDuck

1. Go to Data Studio and select the PostgreSQL connector.

   

2. On the BASIC tab, fill in the connection details, check Enable SSL, and upload the ISRG Root X1 certificate as the Server certificate. Leave Enable client authentication unchecked.

   

3. Click Authenticate, then select a table or write a custom query. See Query your data below.

4. Click Connect. Data Studio lists the fields in your data source.

   

5. Click Create Report to build charts from your MotherDuck data.

   

Connection parameters

Parameter	Value
Host Name or IP	pg.<region>-aws.motherduck.com (find yours at Postgres settings or with md_user_info())
Port	5432 (find yours at Postgres settings)
Database	Your database name
Username	postgres
Password	Your MotherDuck access token
Enable SSL	Checked, with ISRG Root X1 as the server certificate
Enable client authentication	Unchecked

Query your data

Data Studio's TABLES list is populated from a schema named public. MotherDuck creates tables in the main schema, so the list is empty unless a public schema exists in your database. Choose one of the two approaches below.

Use a custom query

Select CUSTOM QUERY and write a query using the fully qualified table name:

SELECT * FROM my_db.main.events

Each data source is backed by one query. Use this when you want to shape the data in SQL, or to join across schemas and databases.

Browse tables from the table list

To use the TABLES list instead, create a view in a public schema for each table you want to browse:

CREATE SCHEMA IF NOT EXISTS public;
CREATE VIEW public.events AS SELECT * FROM main.events;

Give the view the same name as the table it selects from. Data Studio reads the field list from public.events, but the queries it generates for charts are unqualified, so they resolve against main. If the names differ, charts fail with Catalog Error: Table with name <name> does not exist.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Resolution
There are no tables available in this database	Expected when your database has no public schema. Use a custom query, or create views in a public schema.
Charts fail with Catalog Error: Table with name <name> does not exist	The view in public has a different name from the table in main. Recreate it with matching names.
Connecting takes a long time, or the table list does not load	Check Enable SSL and upload the ISRG Root X1 certificate. The Postgres endpoint only accepts encrypted connections.
The field list is stale after changing a table	Click REFRESH FIELDS on the data source, or create a new data source.

Additional information

• Postgres endpoint reference for connection parameters, SSL options, and limitations
• Connect through the Postgres endpoint for a general how-to guide
• Looker with MotherDuck for the other Looker product
• Data Studio documentation: PostgreSQL connector