How to Connect Multiple Data Sources in a Marketing Dashboard (Step-by-Step)
- Matz Analytics
- Oct 15, 2025
- 4 min read
If you’re trying to build a single dashboard that connect multiple data sources... you already know it’s not easy as 1, 2, 3...
You want:
Total ad spend across platforms (e.g., Meta, Google, TikTok)
Combined ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) or CPL (Cost per Lead)
One dashboard your client can read without needing a PhD in spreadsheets
In this post, we’ll walk you through how to connect all your paid media data sources into one clean dashboard.
Nothing extra. Just simple, step-by-step instructions anyone can follow.
If you’d rather not do it yourself, we build and manage dashboards like this for several marketing agencies. Click here to learn more.
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Tools You’ll Need
To follow this setup, you’ll use:
Looker Studio (free from Google)
Porter Metrics (our recommended connector - easier and cheaper than Supermetrics)
If you're not sure which dashboard tool is right for you, check out our breakdown: 9 Best Marketing Dashboard Tools for Agencies
Step 1: Create Your Looker Studio Dashboard
Go to Looker Studio
Click Blank Report
Name it something like "Cross-Platform Ads Dashboard"
Step 2: Connect Multiple Data Sources with Porter Metrics
Go to Porter Metrics
Create an account (free trial is available)
Choose Meta Ads, Google Ads, and TikTok Ads as your data sources
Authorize access to each platform (this takes 30 seconds per platform)
Porter will now give you connectors to use inside Looker
Inside Looker Studio:
Click Add Data
Search for Porter Metrics
Choose the platform (e.g., Meta Ads)
Repeat this for Google Ads and TikTok Ads
You should now have 3 data sources live in your dashboard.
Step 3: Build Your Dashboard Layout
Before you start dragging in charts and metrics, decide what you want to show.
Start with the Overview Page:
We want to give a quick, high-level summary of ad performance across all channels.
Add the following to your Overview page:
Total Ad Spend
Add a Scorecard to the page
Select your Meta Ads data source
Choose the metric: Amount Spent
Repeat this process for Google Ads and TikTok Ads
Blended Total Spend (All Platforms Combined)
We’ll build this in Step 4. For now, just leave room for it.
Conversions
Add Scorecards for each platform’s conversion metric (e.g., Purchases or Leads)
Bar Chart by Platform
Add a bar chart showing spend per platform
Use “Platform Name” or a custom label as the dimension
Use “Amount Spent” as the metric
Why this layout? It gives clients one screen where they can see:
How much was spent
What they got from it
Which platform is driving results
Don’t overwhelm them. Keep this page clean.
Add Tabs for Each Platform (Optional)
If you want to break down each channel further:
Duplicate the Overview page
Rename it “Meta Ads” or “Google Ads”
Swap out the data source and adjust metrics accordingly
Each page gives a deeper dive into platform-specific performance.
If this still feels like too much, we can build it for you. Click here to get a done-for-you dashboard.
Step 4: Create Blended Metrics (like Total Spend and Blended ROAS)
Here’s where you total up spend and create calculated metrics across platforms.
This is what makes your dashboard valuable... not just a bunch of disconnected data.
To blend total spend:
In Looker Studio, click Resource > Manage blended data
Click Add a Blend
Select Meta Ads as the first data source
Click Join Another Table, and add Google Ads
Click Join Another Table again, and add TikTok Ads
Join the tables on the field Date (this syncs the data by day)
Tip: Make sure each source is using the same Date format (e.g., daily)
From each data source, add the Amount Spent field
Click Create Field
Name it: Total Spend
Formula: Meta_Amount_Spent + Google_Amount_Spent + TikTok_Amount_Spent
Click Save. Now you can use this new field anywhere in your dashboard.
Repeat this process to build:
Total Conversions
Blended ROAS = Total Revenue / Total Spend
Blended CPL = Total Spend / Total Leads
If any of this gets confusing, no worries. This is what we help with every day. Reach out if you want help blending data correctly.
Step 5: Style Your Dashboard for Clients
A messy dashboard = confused clients = churn.
Here’s how to clean it up:
Use big scorecards for your KPIs
Keep them top-left, front and center
Use consistent colors for each platform
Blue = Meta, Red = Google, Purple = TikTok
Add section headers (text boxes)
Group metrics logically (spend, conversions, etc.)
Add notes and targets where needed
Example: “Goal CPL = $45”
Make it skimmable. Clients should understand it in under 60 seconds.
Step 6: Automate Dashboard Sharing
No one wants to dig through email threads or logins.
Here’s how to make sure clients get the report every week or month:
In Looker Studio, click the top-right Share button
Choose Schedule email delivery
Set the time and frequency (e.g., Mondays at 9 AM)
Add client emails
Add a short message (e.g., “Here’s your weekly ads summary”)
Now it runs on autopilot.
Bonus: Read These Next
Want to go deeper?
That article goes into the strategy behind dashboards, not just how to build them, but how to use them to close deals and reduce churn.
Recap: What You Just Learned
✅ How to use Porter to connect Meta, Google, and TikTok Ads into Looker Studio
✅ How to blend spend and create cross-platform KPIs
✅ How to make it client-friendly so they actually use it
✅ How to send it automatically
Dashboards are a pain to build... but they don’t have to be. We’ll build and manage them for you. Click here if you want help.
Your dashboards should make clients stay, not tune out.