Reporting in More Than One Currency in Data Studio

• Data Studio doesn’t convert currency for you
• Keep a rate table
• Convert before the chart
• Show both where it matters
• Explain the gaps

Clients selling in several countries often ask why their Data Studio (formerly Looker Studio) revenue total looks too high. Usually it is adding rupees, dollars and pounds together as if they were the same thing. I’m Harsh Khubchandani, an independent Data Studio consultant in New Delhi, and this is how I handle multi-currency reporting.

§Data Studio doesn’t convert currency for you

Setting a field’s type to a currency only changes how the number is displayed. It does not convert values. The conversion has to happen in the data.

§Keep a rate table

I keep a small table of exchange rates, usually one row per currency per month, in a Google Sheet or BigQuery. The client decides the rate source and the rule (monthly average or month-end rate) and we write it down in the report’s definitions page.

§Convert before the chart

In BigQuery, I join orders to the rate table in a view and output both the original amount and a reporting-currency amount. With Google Sheets sources, I do the same with a lookup column in the sheet. I avoid doing the conversion through a blend if the data is large, because blends get slow and are harder to audit.

§Show both where it matters

• Country pages show local currency, which is what local managers recognise.
• Summary and executive pages show one reporting currency only.
• Every currency field is labelled with its currency code.

§Explain the gaps

Converted totals will not match finance exactly unless the same rates are used. I add a short note on the summary page stating the rate rule, so nobody is surprised.

If your revenue numbers mix currencies, I offer a free 30-minute review. Details at datastudioconsultant.com.