"Default date range" option missing in table setup, despite valid date dimension (Google Sheets)

[tuliocastagna]

Hello everyone,

I'm facing a persistent issue in Looker Studio and would like to know if anyone has experienced this or has any suggestions.

Goal:
I want to create a table that compares data between two user-selectable periods (Period 1 vs Period 2), showing values for each period and the percentage difference. To do this, I need to use the "Default date range" and "Comparison date range" sections in the table settings.

Problem:
The "Default date range" section simply does not appear in my table's setup panel, preventing me from configuring the date range comparison.

Setup Details:

Data Source: Google Sheets spreadsheet with separate tabs for Sales, Stock, and Lead Times.
Connection: Each tab was connected as a separate data source in Looker Studio.
Blend: The three sources were blended (LEFT OUTER JOIN) to create a single data source ("Combined Data Sales-Stock-LeadTimes").
Date Field: Both the original "Sales" source and the blended source have a field `Data de emissão` (Issue Date), which Looker Studio recognizes as type "Date & Time" (calendar icon).
Table: The table in question uses the blended data source.

Troubleshooting Steps Already Taken (Without Success):

1. Data Type Check: Confirmed that the `Data de emissão` field is formatted as Date/Time in Google Sheets and is recognized as Date/Time in the data sources (original and blended) within Looker Studio.
2. Dimension in Table: Ensured that the `Data de emissão` field (or a calculated date field) is added as a Dimension in the table setup.
3. Test with Original Source: Created a table using only the original "Sales" data source (unblended) with the `Data de emissão` dimension. The "Default date range" option did not appear.
4. Test in New Report: Created a completely new report, added only the original "Sales" source, and created a simple table with the `Data de emissão` dimension. The "Default date range" option remained missing.
5. Calculated Date Field: Created a new calculated field in the original "Sales" source using PARSE_DATETIME and TODATE to force date interpretation. Used this new field as the dimension in the table. The "Default date range" option did not appear.
6. Refresh/Recreate Connection: Used the "Refresh fields" option in the data source settings and also tried removing and re-adding the data source.
7. Refresh Page: Refreshed the browser page multiple times.
8. Redo Process: Carefully redid the entire process from the beginning (connection, blend, table creation).
9. Inconsistency Noted: In some tests, the "Date range dimension" section became visible in the table settings (allowing selection of the date field), but the "Default date range" section remained missing right below it, which is contradictory and suggests a UI bug.

Expected Behavior:
The "Default date range" section should appear in the table's "Setup" panel (below Metrics and above Sorting) when a valid date dimension is present.

Question:
Has anyone seen this specific behavior where the "Date range dimension" is visible, but "Default date range" is not? Any ideas on what else could be tried, or if this is a known bug?

Link for my dashboard: https://lookerstudio.google.com/reporting/fe14d215-c906-49ef-9a74-2b07f0bd3091

[a_aleinikov]

Hi @tuliocastagna ,

Yes — this looks like a known limitation or bug in Looker Studio, especially when using blended data sources or certain Google Sheets connections.

A few tips:

• Try setting the date range dimension only from one original (unblended) source.

• Check if the table style you’re using supports date ranges — some visualizations don’t expose the “Default date range.”

• As a test, recreate using BigQuery or Extracted Data instead of Google Sheets to see if the issue persists.

If none of these work, I recommend reporting it via Looker Studio feedback — this helps the product team track the issue.