What’s the Difference?
Look-linked tiles are saved queries that are generated from an Explore. Looks have to be saved to a space, in order to be added to a dashboard as a tile, which must also be in the space.
Tiles are visualizations added from an Explore or a Look to a dashboard. Tiles can be Look-linked or query-based. Query tiles differ from Look-linked tiles because they are only stored on dashboards.
The Benefits of Each:
A benefit of using Look-linked tiles is that they are saved in more than one location. This is handy if the tile based on that Look is deleted from the dashboard. Another reason to use Look-linked tiles is to have a single Look appear on multiple dashboards or appear on a dashboard multiple times. Since all of the tiles reference the same Look, any update to the Look will be reflected on all tiles that reference it.
Query tiles are beneficial because they don’t have to be stored in two places. It’s easier to save the query visualization result from an Explore directly to a dashboard. This prevents spaces from being overrun with tons of Looks that are only used on dashboards.
How Do I Tell Which One I Have?
A Look-linked tile is identifiable by clicking the vertical ellipsis and selecting the option View Original Look. A query tile is identifiable because it lacks the options : View Original Look, it only shows Explore from Here option. See images below:
How Do I Convert One to Another?
To convert a Look-based tile to a query tile, choose Edit on the dashboard and click on the vertical ellipsis. Choose Convert Look to Tile.
To convert a query tile to a Look-linked tile, choose the Explore from Here option on the settings of the Query Tile. Go to the settings of the Explore and save it as a Look. Then, add the new Look to your dashboard and delete the old query-based tile.
Related Links: Creating User-Defined Dashboards: Adding Tiles to a Dashboard