Introduction to Qwiklabs

Qwiklabs is Google Cloud’s solution for self-paced, hands-on labs. As part of the Google Data Analytics Certificate program, you will complete multiple labs hosted in the Qwiklabs environment.

Before starting your first Qwiklab, we want to make sure you are familiar with the platform. Soon, you will watch a couple of videos, but you don't need to follow along, and aren't expected to use Qwiklabs while watching. You will have plenty of opportunities to use Qwiklabs soon!

As a heads up, the upcoming videos are slightly different from how Qwiklabs will appear when you use it:

• The Open Tool button is always grayed out in a Qwiklabs launch page. To enable the Open Tool button so you can access the Qwiklab, check the "I agree to use this tool responsibly" box. The video refers to an "I understand" box for the honor code. These boxes are slightly different, but serve the same purpose.
• The Qwiklabs shown in the videos are displayed with a "Graded External Tool" naming convention. The Qwiklabs that you will complete in this program aren't graded, so they will be displayed with an Ungraded External Tool naming convention instead.
• The chat bubble shown at the bottom of the Qwiklabs page in a video is not available. Instead, you can chat with Qwiklabs Support by clicking the Help icon (question mark) in the upper-right corner of your page and selecting Chat support.

Step-by-step instructions for accessing Qwiklabs

Qwiklabs is Google Cloud’s solution for self-paced, hands-on labs. As part of the Google Data Analytics Certificate program, you will complete multiple labs hosted in the Qwiklabs environment.

Important note: Qwiklabs are designed to be completed using a laptop or desktop computer with a reliable Internet connection, not a mobile device. Complete these lab activities when you are able to log in to Coursera from a computer.

This reading provides important details you need to know about using Qwiklabs.

Step-by-step instructions

Accessing Qwiklabs for the first time can be a bit tricky. Here are some tips for your first experience with Qwiklabs:

• Click the link below to open the step-by-step instructions in a new tab, and leave this tab open. When you are ready to begin the Intro to Qwiklabs activity, refer to these steps to guide you:
• Step-by-step instructions for the Ungraded External Tool: Intro to Qwiklabs activity
• The step-by-step instructions describe how to accept the terms of service and check a box to confirm your understanding of the honor code. You will simply check an "I agree to use this tool responsibly" box to enable the Open Tool option.
• The video and step-by-step instructions recommend that you start Qwiklabs in an incognito browser window. If you are using Chrome, after you click Start Lab (green button), right-click Open Google Console (blue button) and select Open link in incognito window.

Since you can't display an incognito browser tab alongside a regular browser tab, resize and adjust your regular and incognito windows to view them side by side as shown below.

After you complete the sign in process by copying credentials from the regular window to the incognito window, you will see the BigQuery console in the incognito window. If this were an actual lab, you would complete the required tasks in the incognito window and then return to the regular window to end the lab. Completing labs in incognito windows ensures that you never incur charges for using Google Cloud. In the upcoming Intro to Qwiklabs activity, you don't need to complete a specific data analysis task in the BigQuery console. Just make sure that you made it there from the sign in.

When you click End Lab (red button) in your regular browser window, you will be logged out of the Google Console, and Coursera will mark the lab activity as complete. You can also close your incognito browser window.

Best of luck!

If you have trouble with Qwiklabs

For any technical issues or questions you may have while working on a lab, you can reach out to Qwiklabs Support in the Help menu. At the top right, click the Help icon (question mark) in the banner and select Email support or Chat support. When you chat with or email Qwiklabs Support, you will receive an automated email to create a Zendesk account. This account is optional. You can create an account to submit additional details or track the status of your issue, if desired. But you can also continue to email and chat with Qwiklabs Support without creating an account.

Refer to Evan's video What to do when you're stuck in a Qwiklab for additional guidance. The video refers to a Chat bubble instead of a Chat support menu option, but the features are the same.

Other common problems and solutions

Check out these other common problems and workarounds:

• You see a different Qwiklabs login screen: If Qwiklabs prompts you to sign in using your own Google account, this may be because you have an existing account on Qwiklabs from using the platform previously in another course. To access the lab, please sign in to your existing Qwiklabs account (resetting the password, if necessary) and then try opening the lab again. You should not need to take this step more than once in a given course. You can also avoid this altogether by signing in from an incognito browser window.
• You experience issues with lab instructions or activity tracking: You are welcome to post questions about the lab to the forum, but please remember that Qwiklabs is a third-party tool. Our forum moderators aren't able to directly address issues with progress tracking within the labs themselves. We recommend using the Help options in Qwiklabs to help you resolve these issues.