Looker – Security & Privacy

Governed Data Access & Compliance

Security is built into the core architecture of Looker. Unlike traditional BI tools that extract and store data, Looker queries your database directly, ensuring that your data remains in your secure warehouse. Digitl helps enterprises configure this architecture to meet strict compliance standards, implementing granular access controls and robust authentication protocols.

In-Database Architecture

Looker does not store your data. It connects directly to your SQL database and runs queries in real-time. This minimizes the risk of data leaks because the 'source of truth' never leaves your controlled data warehouse environment.

Row-Level Security

We configure 'User Attributes' in LookML to enforce row-level security. This ensures that users only see the data they are authorized to view (e.g., a Sales Manager only sees data for their specific region) without needing separate reports.

Authentication (SSO)

Looker integrates seamlessly with enterprise identity providers. We help you set up Single Sign-On (SSO) using SAML, LDAP, or OpenID Connect (OIDC) to streamline user access and enforce multi-factor authentication policies.

Compliance Ready

Looker is designed to support HIPAA, GDPR, and SOC 2 compliance. Digitl assists in configuring the platform to meet these regulatory requirements, ensuring that your data handling practices pass the strictest audits.

See how Looker ensures enterprise security:

Secure Connectivity

Establishing a secure link between Looker and your database is critical. Digitl configures encrypted connections using SSH tunnels or IP allow-listing. This ensures that traffic between the Looker instance and your data warehouse is encrypted and restricted to authorized pathways only.

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Governance & Version Control

Changes to business logic can be a security risk. Looker uses Git for version control, meaning every change to the data model is tracked, reviewed, and approved before going to production. We set up these workflows to ensure that no unauthorized metric definitions or permission changes slip through.

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Audit & Activity Logs

Visibility is the key to security. Looker's 'System Activity' explores provide a comprehensive audit trail of every action taken in the platform. Administrators can see exactly who ran a query, what data they accessed, and when they exported a report. Digitl sets up alerts to flag suspicious behavior immediately.

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Digitl Security Review

Security is not a one-time setup. Digitl conducts periodic security reviews of your Looker instance. We audit permission sets, review inactive user accounts, and verify that public sharing links are disabled or properly managed to prevent accidental data exposure.

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Frequently Asked Questions

No. Looker is an 'in-database' platform. It generates SQL queries and sends them to your database, then displays the results. It may temporarily cache query results for performance, but it does not replicate or permanently store your database tables.

Looker is ideal for embedded analytics. We can configure specific permissions for external users (like customers or partners) ensuring they only access their own data. This is handled via 'SSO Embedding' which passes user attributes securely to filter the data dynamically.

Yes. We can use LookML to mask or hide specific columns containing PII (like email addresses or phone numbers) from certain user groups. We can also hash sensitive data before it is displayed to ensure analysts can count unique users without seeing their identity.

Digitl assists in configuring secure access through firewalls. Looker provides a set of static IP addresses that can be whitelisted on your firewall. Alternatively, we can set up an SSH tunnel to establish an encrypted connection without exposing your database port to the public internet.