Looker, now part of Google Cloud, combines traditional business intelligence with modern data application development tools. Its unique LookML modeling layer maintains single-source-of-truth definitions for metrics across large organizations. Data teams create reusable semantic models that power both self-service dashboards and embedded analytics in customer-facing applications. Key strengths include real-time data exploration, sophisticated access controls, and integration with BigQuery and other Google Cloud services. Retailers use Looker for omnichannel analytics, while SaaS companies embed its visualizations in their products. The platform suits complex environments needing consistent metrics across hundreds of reports while supporting thousands of concurrent users with sub-second query performance.