Data source credentials

In order to establish a connection to a data set, you must, naturally enough, have permission to access that data set. But what about the people who will view your reports or use the data source to build their own reports?

Data Studio provides 2 types of data source access control: owner's credentials access and viewer's credentials access.

Quick Tips: Owner's vs Viewer's Credentials

Configure data source credentials

To specify the type of access to the data set:
  1. Navigate to the DATA SOURCES Home page.
  2. Locate the data source you want to configure, then click it to edit.
  3. Click the current credentials (either "USING OWNER'S CREDENTIALS" or "USING VIEWER'S CREDENTIALS")
  4. Select the new credential type.

Owner's credentials access

This option uses the credentials of the data source owner to authorize access to the data set. (You are the owner if you created the data source). Select this option if you want to let other people view or create reports that use this data without requiring them to have their own access to the data set.

Using the owner's credentials option does not grant other people the right to access the data set directly. The owner's credentials are never displayed or transmitted "in the clear."

Example

You've created a Google Analytics data source connecting to your company's All Website Traffic view. You selected owner's credentials in the data source Configuration tab. You've shared this data source with Nikhil and Betsy. Nikhil has his own Google Analytics login and permission to access the All Website Traffic view. Betsy does not have access to this view. However, both Nikhil and Betsy can view reports based on this data source, because it uses your credentials, not theirs.

Viewer's credentials access

This option requires each user of the data source (or reports built using the data source) to provide their own credentials to access the data set. If they do not have access to the data set, they won't be able view the data in reports, or edit the data source fields.

Example

It's the same scenario as above, only this time you've selected the viewer's credential option. You've shared a report built using this data source with the same people, but only Nikhil, who has his own credentials to the All Website Traffic view in Google Analytics will be able to see the data. When Betsy views the report, she will see not see this data.

Revoke data source credentials

A data source with Owner’s credentials access continue to retrieve data using your credentials until you choose otherwise. If you no longer want that data source to access the data on your behalf, you can revoke your credentials.

For example, if you create a data source for your company and then leave that company, you can stop that data source from retrieving data. You can do this for an individual data source, or you can revoke your credentials from all data sources to which you no longer have access.

Revoke credentials from a single data source

  1. Sign in to Data Studio.
  2. At the top, select Data Sources.
  3. Browse or search for the file you want to stop sharing, then on the right, click More More menu.
  4. Click Revoke data source.

Revoke credentials from all data sources you no longer own

  1. Sign in to Data Studio.
  2. At the top right, click Settings Settings.
  3. Select Revoke Data Source.
  4. A list of all data sources you created but no longer own appears.
  5. Click Revoke all.

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