This skill audits LookML files for Snowflake-specific SQL syntax and proposes BigQuery Standard SQL equivalents, checking them against a bundled syntax transition reference guide using the Looker CLI (looker-cli).
Workflow Instructions
When invoked, execute the following steps precisely:
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Pre-flight Guardrails & Verification: Before requesting details or fetching code, verify that
looker-cliis installed and authenticated:- Verify CLI Installation:
Run:
looker-cli --helpIf the command fails or is not found: Halt immediately and instruct the user:"
looker-cliis not installed or not in your PATH. Please refer to the installation instructions in the Looker CLI documentation: https://github.com/looker-open-source/looker-cli" - Verify Authentication & Looker Configuration:
Run:
looker-cli user meIf unauthenticated or connection fails: Halt immediately and instruct the user:"You are not authenticated to a Looker instance. Please configure and authenticate
looker-cliusing one of the following methods:Method 1: Interactive OAuth (Recommended)
- In Looker, ensure the Looker CLI connector is enabled: Navigate to Admin > Platform > BI Connectors > under Developer Tools, toggle Looker CLI to ON.
- Configure your profile and log in:
looker-cli profile add default --host <your-looker-host> --port 443 looker-cli profile use default looker-cli session login --oauth
Method 2: API Keys (Client ID & Client Secret) If OAuth is not enabled or for headless/service accounts:
looker-cli profile add default --host <your-looker-host> --port 443 --client-id <CLIENT_ID> --client-secret <CLIENT_SECRET> looker-cli profile use defaultOnce configured, please rerun your migration request."
- Verify CLI Installation:
Run:
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Understand Scope & Validate Branch:
- Identify the Looker Instance URL (e.g.,
https://<instance>.looker.comorhttps://<instance-id>.<region>.looker.app), the Looker Project Name (e.g.,my_empty_project), the target branch, and whether the user wants to check the entire project or a single specific LookML file (e.g.,views/snowflake_test.view.lkml). - CRITICAL - Looker Instance URL: If the Looker instance URL is not mentioned, you MUST ask the user to provide it before proceeding.
- CRITICAL: You MUST always ask the user for the project name and branch name before proceeding, unless they explicitly provided them in their request.
- CRITICAL Guardrail - Branch Verification (DO NOT CREATE BRANCHES):
- Ensure the session workspace is in dev mode:
looker-cli session update dev - Check all existing branches:
looker-cli project branch <project_id> --all - DO NOT create a branch if it does not exist. Never use commands or API calls that create branches.
master/mainEquivalence: If the user requestedmasterbut onlymainexists (or vice versa), automatically map to the existing one (mainormaster) and inform the user.- Branch Not Found: If the specified branch (or its
master/mainequivalent) does not exist in the branch list, halt immediately, list the available branches to the user, and ask for clarification.
- Ensure the session workspace is in dev mode:
- Identify the Looker Instance URL (e.g.,
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Retrieve LookML Files via
looker-cli:- Checkout Target Branch:
looker-cli project checkout <project_id> <branch_name>- Conflict Guardrail: If checkout fails due to uncommitted local changes or checkout conflicts in the current dev workspace, halt immediately. Report the conflicting files to the user and ask them to commit or discard their changes in Looker before retrying.
- List Project Files: Retrieve the file listing for the project:
looker-cli project file ls <project_id> - Fetch File Content:
- Single File Mode: If the user explicitly mentioned a single LookML file, verify that it exists in the project file listing and retrieve only that file:
(If the file is not found, halt, list matching project files, and ask for clarification).looker-cli project file cat <project_id> <file_path> - Full Project Mode: If no single file was specified, read the content of each LookML file (
*.model.lkml,*.explore.lkml,*.view.lkml,manifest.lkml, and config files):looker-cli project file cat <project_id> <file_path>
- Single File Mode: If the user explicitly mentioned a single LookML file, verify that it exists in the project file listing and retrieve only that file:
- Checkout Target Branch:
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Identify Snowflake Syntax:
- Perform a comprehensive scan of the retrieved LookML file(s) (
sql,sql_table_name,derived_table,sql_on,sql_always_where,sql_where,sql_trigger_value, etc.) against the Snowflake-to-BigQuery mappings inreferences/syntax_transition.md. - Identify all Snowflake-specific SQL constructs that would fail or behave differently on BigQuery (such as
IFF,NVL,ZEROIFNULL,DIV0,DECODE,DATEADD,DATEDIFF,DATE_TRUNCargument ordering,SPLIT_PART,LEN,CHARINDEX,ILIKE/NOT ILIKE,ILIKE ANY,::casting,:semi-structured path access,LATERAL FLATTEN, and double-quoted column identifiers like${TABLE}."COLUMN_NAME"). - Avoid unnecessary conversions for SQL syntax that is already natively valid in BigQuery Standard SQL (e.g.,
QUALIFY,COALESCE).
- Perform a comprehensive scan of the retrieved LookML file(s) (
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Compile Report: Draft a comprehensive migration report based on your analysis. The report must contain the following sections:
- Summary: A high-level summary naming the Looker instance, project, branch, and target file(s) analyzed, along with a file-by-file status table summarizing which files are already BigQuery-compatible and which require migration.
- Proposed Conversions: A detailed breakdown of required Snowflake-to-BigQuery conversions organized by file. For each conversion point:
- Describe the incompatible Snowflake syntax clearly and explain the proposed BigQuery Standard SQL equivalent.
- Provide concrete Before (Snowflake) and After (BigQuery) LookML/SQL code snippets.
- CRITICAL: Include the exact file path and line number(s) of the syntax (e.g.,
views/snowflake_test.view.lkml:L27-L44). Use the Looker instance URL to construct a direct link to the file in the Looker IDE:<instance_url>/projects/<project_id>/files/<file_path>.
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Print Report: Formulate the report and print it directly in the chat or console as your primary response. Do not save it to a file or an artifact.