Data Dictionary.md

Creating a Data Dictionary

Step 1: Build out LookML Model

Within your LookML Model, define Fields with descriptions, labels, and other parameters that you might to pull into your data dictionary.

Step 2: Use API call to pull in LookML Metadata

Connect to our API and call the following Method (lookML_model_explore) to pull in the appropriate fields that you would want to identify within your Data Dictionary.

Sample Ruby code can be found below.

# Get Data Dictionary 

require 'looker-sdk'

module ApplicationHelper

	def self.api_auth
		sdk = LookerSDK::Client.new(
			# Looker/API Credentials
			:client_id => ENV['API_CLIENT_ID'],
			:client_secret => ENV['API_SECRET'],
			:api_endpoint => ENV['API_ENDPOINT'],
			:connection_options => {:ssl => {:verify => false}}
		)
		return sdk
	end

	def self.get_field_values(model_name, explore_name)

		sdk = self.api_auth()
		fields = {:fields => 'id, name, description, fields'}

		#API Call to pull in metadata about fields in a particular explore
		fields = sdk.lookml_model_explore(model_name, explore_name, fields)


		my_fields = []

		#Iterate through the field definitions and pull in the description, sql, and other looker tags you might want to include in  your data dictionary. 
		fields[:fields][:dimensions].to_a.each do |x|
			dimension = {
				:field_type => 'Dimension',
				:view_name => x[:view_label].to_s,
				:field_name => x[:label_short].to_s, 
				:type => x[:type].to_s,
				:description => x[:description].to_s,
				:sql => x[:sql].to_s
			}
			my_fields << dimension
		end

		fields[:fields][:measures].to_a.each do |x|
			measure = {
				:field_type => 'Measure',
				:view_name => x[:view_label].to_s,
				:field_name => x[:label_short].to_s, 
				:type => x[:type].to_s,
				:description => x[:description].to_s,
				:sql => x[:sql].to_s
			}

			my_fields << measure
		end

		return my_fields
	end

end

Step 3:

Format the results from the lookML_model_explore call using custom CSS and HTML. Consider using JS Plugins to allow for Search and Sort functionality to make the dictionary more accessible. In this Block, we use the DataTable JS Plugin.