Fix “Unknown data source” error in Looker Studio

Overview

The error “Unknown data source” in Looker Studio means the report can no longer access the underlying data. In most cases, this happens because the Looker Studio data source is no longer properly connected to Catchr (source or account missing, disconnected, or not receiving queries).

Step 1: Check your Catchr source

Go to: https://app.catchr.io/sources

• Make sure the Source still exists

• Verify that the account linked to the Looker Studio data source still exists in this source.

If the account was removed or disconnected, refresh the Catchr Source authorization.

Step 2: Check extraction logs

Go to: https://app.catchr.io/logs/extractions

• Look at the table at the bottom of the page

• Check if there are errors for your source/account

Possible cases:

• Errors appear → review the error message for details

• No errors and no queries → Looker Studio is not sending requests

Step 3: Identify a Looker Studio disconnection

If:

• Your Catchr source and account are correctly set up

• There are no errors in the logs

• But the report still shows “Unknown data source.”

Then the issue comes from Looker Studio: the data source is disconnected.

Why this happens

Common reasons include:

• The Looker Studio data source was removed from the report

• The Looker Studio data source was removed from specific charts

• The report template was copied without properly connecting the account

• Looker Studio randomly disconnected the data source (rare, but it can happen)

• Someone accidentally deleted or modified the data source

Step 4: Fix the issue in Looker Studio

Option 1: Reconnect the data source

• Open your report

• Go to Resource → Manage added data sources

• Edit the data source, then click Edit connection at the top left

• Verify that an account is correctly selected in the selector (if not, select one).

• Reconnect the Catchr data source

Option 2: Recreate the data source (if needed)

If reconnection doesn’t work:

1. Create a new Looker Studio data source

2. Add it to your report

3. Replace the old data source in your charts

Tip (bulk update):

• Right-click a chart

• Click Select → Select all charts with this data source on page

• In the right panel, change the data source for all selected charts

Summary

This error usually means Looker Studio lost the connection to Catchr.
Start by checking your Catchr source and logs, then reconnect or recreate the data source in Looker Studio if needed.