Edit

Share via

Tutorial: Microsoft Entra SSO integration with Looker Analytics Platform

  • Article

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to integrate Looker Analytics Platform with Microsoft Entra ID. When you integrate Looker Analytics Platform with Microsoft Entra ID, you can:

  • Control in Microsoft Entra ID who has access to Looker Analytics Platform.
  • Enable your users to be automatically signed-in to Looker Analytics Platform with their Microsoft Entra accounts.
  • Manage your accounts in one central location.

Prerequisites

To get started, you need the following items:

  • A Microsoft Entra subscription. If you don't have a subscription, you can get a free account.
  • Looker Analytics Platform single sign-on (SSO) enabled subscription.

Note

This integration is also available to use from Microsoft Entra US Government Cloud environment. You can find this application in the Microsoft Entra US Government Cloud Application Gallery and configure it in the same way as you do from public cloud.

Scenario description

In this tutorial, you configure and test Microsoft Entra SSO in a test environment.

  • Looker Analytics Platform supports SP and IDP initiated SSO
  • Looker Analytics Platform supports Just In Time user provisioning

To configure the integration of Looker Analytics Platform into Microsoft Entra ID, you need to add Looker Analytics Platform from the gallery to your list of managed SaaS apps.

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center as at least a Cloud Application Administrator.
  2. Browse to Identity > Applications > Enterprise applications > New application.
  3. In the Add from the gallery section, type Looker Analytics Platform in the search box.
  4. Select Looker Analytics Platform from results panel and then add the app. Wait a few seconds while the app is added to your tenant.

Alternatively, you can also use the Enterprise App Configuration Wizard. In this wizard, you can add an application to your tenant, add users/groups to the app, assign roles, as well as walk through the SSO configuration as well. Learn more about Microsoft 365 wizards.

Configure and test Microsoft Entra SSO for Looker Analytics Platform

Configure and test Microsoft Entra SSO with Looker Analytics Platform using a test user called B.Simon. For SSO to work, you need to establish a link relationship between a Microsoft Entra user and the related user in Looker Analytics Platform.

To configure and test Microsoft Entra SSO with Looker Analytics Platform, perform the following steps:

  1. Configure Microsoft Entra SSO - to enable your users to use this feature.
    1. Create a Microsoft Entra test user - to test Microsoft Entra single sign-on with B.Simon.
    2. Assign the Microsoft Entra test user - to enable B.Simon to use Microsoft Entra single sign-on.
  2. Configure Looker Analytics Platform SSO - to configure the single sign-on settings on application side.
    1. Create Looker Analytics Platform test user - to have a counterpart of B.Simon in Looker Analytics Platform that is linked to the Microsoft Entra representation of user.
  3. Test SSO - to verify whether the configuration works.

Configure Microsoft Entra SSO

Follow these steps to enable Microsoft Entra SSO.

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center as at least a Cloud Application Administrator.

  2. Browse to Identity > Applications > Enterprise applications > Looker Analytics Platform > Single sign-on.

  3. On the Select a single sign-on method page, select SAML.

  4. On the Set up single sign-on with SAML page, click the edit/pen icon for Basic SAML Configuration to edit the settings.

    Edit Basic SAML Configuration

  5. On the Basic SAML Configuration section, if you wish to configure the application in IDP initiated mode, enter the values for the following fields:

    a. In the SP Entity/IdP Audience text box, type a URL using the following pattern: <SPN>_looker

    b. In the Reply URL text box, type a URL using the following pattern: https://<SUBDOMAIN>.looker.com/samlcallback

  6. Click Set additional URLs and perform the following step if you wish to configure the application in SP initiated mode:

    In the Sign-on URL text box, type a URL using the following pattern: https://<SUBDOMAIN>.looker.com

    Note

    These values are not real. Update these values with the actual Identifier, Reply URL and Sign-on URL. Contact Looker Analytics Platform Client support team to get these values. You can also refer to the patterns shown in the Basic SAML Configuration section.

  7. On the Set up single sign-on with SAML page, in the SAML Signing Certificate section, find Federation Metadata XML and select Download to download the certificate and save it on your computer.

    The Certificate download link

  8. On the Set up Looker Analytics Platform section, copy the appropriate URL(s) based on your requirement.

    Copy configuration URLs

Create a Microsoft Entra test user

In this section, you'll create a test user called B.Simon.

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center as at least a User Administrator.
  2. Browse to Identity > Users > All users.
  3. Select New user > Create new user, at the top of the screen.
  4. In the User properties, follow these steps:
    1. In the Display name field, enter B.Simon.
    2. In the User principal name field, enter the username@companydomain.extension. For example, B.Simon@contoso.com.
    3. Select the Show password check box, and then write down the value that's displayed in the Password box.
    4. Select Review + create.
  5. Select Create.

Assign the Microsoft Entra test user

In this section, you'll enable B.Simon to use single sign-on by granting access to Looker Analytics Platform.

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center as at least a Cloud Application Administrator.
  2. Browse to Identity > Applications > Enterprise applications > Looker Analytics Platform.
  3. In the app's overview page, select Users and groups.
  4. Select Add user/group, then select Users and groups in the Add Assignment dialog.
    1. In the Users and groups dialog, select B.Simon from the Users list, then click the Select button at the bottom of the screen.
    2. If you are expecting a role to be assigned to the users, you can select it from the Select a role dropdown. If no role has been set up for this app, you see "Default Access" role selected.
    3. In the Add Assignment dialog, click the Assign button.

Configure Looker Analytics Platform SSO

  1. In a different web browser window, sign into Looker Analytics Platform website as an administrator.

  2. Go to the Admin -> Authentication -> SAML

    screenshot for SAML option

  3. Paste the Federation Metadata information that you copied in to the IDP Metadata textbox and click on Load.

    screenshot for metadata upload

  4. Perform the following steps in the User Attribute Settings section.

    screenshot for User Attribute Settings

    a. Add the following value in the Email Attr field: http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2005/05/identity/claims/emailaddress

    b. Add the following value to the Fname Attr field: http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2005/05/identity/claims/givenname

    c. Add the following value to the Lname Attr field: http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2005/05/identity/claims/surname

    d. In the Test User Authentication, click on Test SAML Authentication. If the page that loads say “Server Response Successfully Validated”, you have successfully set up the instance for SAML integration.

    e. In Save and Apply Settings, Check the box I have confirmed the configuration above and want to enable applying it globally.

    f. Click the Update Settings button.

Create Looker Analytics Platform test user

In this section, a user called Britta Simon is created in Looker Analytics Platform. Looker Analytics Platform supports just-in-time user provisioning, which is enabled by default. There is no action item for you in this section. If a user doesn't already exist in Looker Analytics Platform, a new one is created after authentication.

Test SSO

In this section, you test your Microsoft Entra single sign-on configuration with following options.

SP initiated:

  • Click on Test this application, this will redirect to Looker Analytics Platform Sign-on URL where you can initiate the login flow.

  • Go to Looker Analytics Platform Sign on URL directly and initiate the login flow from there.

IDP initiated:

  • Click on Test this application, and you should be automatically signed in to the Looker Analytics Platform for which you set up the SSO

You can also use Microsoft Access Panel to test the application in any mode. When you click the Looker Analytics Platform tile in the Access Panel, if configured in SP mode you would be redirected to the application sign-on page for initiating the login flow and if configured in IDP mode, you should be automatically signed in to the Looker Analytics Platform for which you set up the SSO. For more information about the Access Panel, see Introduction to the Access Panel.

Next steps

Once you configure Looker Analytics Platform you can enforce session control, which protects exfiltration and infiltration of your organization’s sensitive data in real time. Session control extends from Conditional Access. Learn how to enforce session control with Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps.