When might you want to use the "-" syntax in an Explore?

Using the "-" syntax in an Explore is a powerful tool for excluding certain fields from the results returned by a query. When designing Explores in Looker, you can control which fields are visible and available for users to select when building their reports. By prefixing a field with "-", you are specifically instructing Looker to ignore that field when generating queries.

This is particularly useful in situations where you want to simplify the user experience by removing fields that may be irrelevant or could create confusion. For instance, if an Explore contains a large number of fields and some are only pertinent in limited contexts, using the exclusion syntax helps declutter the interface and focuses users on the most relevant data points.

The need to manage field visibility effectively contributes to a more efficient data exploration process, enabling users to build more targeted and meaningful analyses without being overwhelmed by unnecessary options.