Looker Studio Function : MINUTE
Category: DATE function
The MINUTE function extracts the minute (0–59) from a time or datetime value, enabling granular time-based insights. It supports detailed Data Distribution Analysis, Customer Segmentation, and Decision-Making by breaking down events by minute intervals with precision.
Purpose of the MINUTE Function
1. Data Distribution Analysis :
The MINUTE function helps examine how events or values are distributed across minutes, revealing peak activity periods within an hour for precise performance tuning and reporting.
2. Customer Segmentation :
By isolating minute-level timestamps, businesses can group customers based on the exact minute of engagement—e.g., early vs. late-minute purchasers—enabling more personalized marketing or service approaches.
3. Decision Making :
Minute-level insights support quick, informed decisions. Identifying high-traffic and low-traffic minute intervals aids operational choices, resource allocation, and real-time intervention strategies.
Type of Calculation & Practical Use Cases
✅ Performance Benchmarking
Compare minute-by-minute page load or API response times against benchmarks.
✅ Customer Segmentation
Group users by minute-of-day usage for tailored messaging campaigns.
✅ Time Series Analysis
Chart user activity or transactions across minute intervals to detect trends.
MINUTE(timestamp_expression)
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
timestamp_expression | DATETIME | A valid time or datetime field. |
How Does the MINUTE Function Work?
The MINUTE function extracts the minute portion from a time or datetime input. It runs on fields formatted as time/datetime and returns an integer between 0 and 59. Use it when you need dense, minute-level granularity.
Example of MINUTE with Result
| Order ID | Order Timestamp |
|---|---|
| 001 | 2025-06-19 08:15:45 |
| 002 | 2025-06-19 10:30:12 |
| 003 | 2025-06-19 14:45:59 |
| 004 | 2025-06-19 18:00:00 |
MINUTE(Order Timestamp)
| Order ID | Order Timestamp | Order Minute |
|---|---|---|
| 001 | 2025-06-19 08:15:45 | 15 |
| 002 | 2025-06-19 10:30:12 | 30 |
| 003 | 2025-06-19 14:45:59 | 45 |
| 004 | 2025-06-19 18:00:00 | 0 |
Example 1: Combining with Other Functions
CONCAT(MINUTE(ts), ' min')– adds labels.CASE WHEN MINUTE(ts) BETWEEN 0 AND 5 THEN 'early' ELSE 'late' END– categorizes minutes.AVG(MINUTE(ts))– calculates average engagement minute.
Tips and Tricks
Normalize to zero seconds using
TIMESTAMP_TRUNC(event_time, MINUTE).Use with time-series functions (e.g.,
LAG,LEAD) to build minute-level trend reports.Combine with filters like
WHERE MINUTE(event_time) = 30for conditional insights
The MINUTE function extracts the minute (0–59) from a time or datetime field, allowing you to analyze data on a minute-level scale for more granular insights.
MINUTE works with DATETIME, TIMESTAMP, or TIME fields. These must be properly formatted in your data source for accurate extraction of the minute portion.
Yes, you can group or filter data by minute using MINUTE. This is useful for trend analysis, segmenting user behavior, or visualizing traffic patterns within each hour.
No, MINUTE only returns the integer value of the minute portion. It does not consider or round based on seconds or milliseconds in the timestamp.
Use MINUTE when you need detailed time-based insights—like analyzing user activity peaks, performance benchmarks, or customer interactions—at minute-level precision in dashboards or reports.