Viz Shows Blank in Dashboard but Displays Fine in Explore

[ginandtobby]

Hi Community!

I have a dashboard tile that couldn't load (shows blank) in dashboard most of the times (sometimes it loads), but when clicking into the explore, it can show properly. What can be done to make it load better in dashboards? Thanks.

[a_aleinikov]

Hi @ginandtobby ,
This usually happens due to query timeouts, missing dashboard filters, or rendering limits. But you can try this:

1. Simplify the tile: Reduce dimensions or rows shown.

2. Check applied filters: Make sure required filters aren't missing or conflicting.

3. Add limits: Use LIMIT or set visualization row limits (e.g. 500 rows).

4. Avoid heavy table charts: Try bar or summary visualizations if the data is large.

5. Enable caching: Make sure the dashboard is using Looker’s cache.

If Explore works but Dashboard doesn’t, it’s often performance-related.

[ginandtobby]

Thanks @a_aleinikov. May I check if we can change cache settings? How can we increase the percentage of utilising cache instead of triggering new query runs? Thanks.

[a_aleinikov · Accepted solution]

Hi @ginandtobby ,

Yes, cache behavior in Looker can be influenced, though not fully controlled. A few suggestions:

• Avoid changing filters frequently, as it may bypass cache.

• Use persist_for and persist_with in LookML to define how long results are cached and under what conditions.

• Ensure dashboards reuse queries by keeping filters consistent.

• Custom fields and large queries may not cache well.

• If you're using Looker Admin, check connection settings for cache-related options.