Now Live: New Looker Bootcamp on CTA

Dear Service Provider,

We are excited to announce the launch of the all-new Looker Bootcamp!

The Looker Bootcamp is designed to empower both new and experienced users to use Looker more easily and effectively. Looker is the Homeless Management Information 

System (HMIS)’s business intelligence tool that can be used to explore data, develop new reports, and gain insights into clients and service operations. In the fall of 2024, LAHSA made Looker available to every HMIS user. Effective April 24, 2025, the Looker Bootcamp will be available on LAHSA’s Centralized Training Academy (CTA) for all service providers. This launch is part of our continuous effort to provide tools to increase data transparency. 

The Looker Bootcamp will cover everything from the basics of reading and modifying existing Looker reports to creating personalized program roster and demographics reports from scratch, to utilizing table calculations and custom measures/dimensions!

Users can select from one of three training series, based on their needs (a complete description and breakdown is in the table further below):

• Looker Bootcamp: Complete
• Looker Bootcamp: Accelerated
• Looker Resources Only

Upon completion of any one of the three Looker training series, you'll gain access to the Looker Community Resources channel, which houses a collection of amazing new Looker resources covered in the training series, such as:

• Looker Model Guide & Cheat Sheet
• Looker Field Map
• HMIS-to-Looker Field Lookup
• Looker Data Dictionaries for both core fields and custom fields
• Looker Troubleshooting/FAQ 

Breakdown of the Three Looker Training Series

Which series should I take?

• If you are uncertain, we recommend taking the Looker Bootcamp: Complete. This series includes all Looker training courses and allows you to bypass the Looker: Basics course if you can get 80% on its pre-test.
• If you are an intermediate user with experience in creating Looker reports, take the Looker Bootcamp: Accelerated series.
• If you are an advanced user and just need to get oriented to the new Looker resources and gain access to them, the Looker Resources Only series is the most direct route.

How do I enroll in the Looker training series?

Once you have decided on the training series to take, please follow this guide to enroll in the Looker training series in the Centralized Training Academy.

Please note:

• The Looker Bootcamp is an interactive, hands-on training program that is equivalent to a multi-day intensive workshop typically held during dedicated professional development days. To fully benefit from the Looker Bootcamp, please set aside specific days and times to work on it without interruptions.
• A benefit of these trainings is that they are self-service. You can take what you need from them and are not required to complete the entire series.
• For example, if you just need to know how to read, interpret, and modify reports that already exist, you could stop after the Looker: Basics course within the Looker Bootcamp: Complete series.

Special thanks!

We would like to thank the following individuals who provided valuable insights that helped us to better design these Looker trainings and resources:

• Angela Rai
• April Wesolowski
• Beth Neilson
• Jessica Salazar
• Michelle Sinani
• Patti Halpin
• Sam Matonik

LAHSA is a joint powers authority of the City and County of Los Angeles, created in 1993 to address the problem of homelessness in Los Angeles County. LAHSA is the lead agency in the HUD-funded Los Angeles Continuum of Care, and coordinates and manages federal, state, county, and city funds for programs providing shelter, housing, and services to people experiencing homelessness.