GA4 and BigQuery: The Dynamic Duo

2 years ago 298
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GA4 and BigQuery: Now Accessible for All

Gone are the days erstwhile lone GA360 users had entree to the autochthonal BigQuery integration. Even users connected the escaped mentation tin easy link their GA4 information to BigQuery now. 

So earlier we get excessively acold up of ourselves, let’s recap immoderate of the biggest benefits of connecting GA information to BigQuery for those that person ne'er had oregon taken vantage of the opportunity:

  • Advanced querying – BigQuery allows you to tally much blase analyses than what you are capable to easy bash wrong the GA interface. You tin portion and dice the earthy information successful countless antithetic ways. 
  • Connecting GA information with different information sources – Depending connected your analytics setup, you tin link your GA information with different information sources similar a customized narration absorption (CRM) oregon endeavor assets readying (ERP) solution.
  • Easy exporting options – BigQuery has autochthonal integrations with galore of the astir fashionable information visualization tools. 

These benefits are existent for some Universal Analytics oregon GA4, truthful you’re astir apt wondering wherefore it is truthful overmuch much important for the 2 to enactment unneurotic now. Let’s dive successful to get you started with GA4 and BigQuery.

Missing Data from the GA4 Interface

Full Event Parameters Report

Instead of having lawsuit categories, actions, and labels GA4 has lawsuit parameters. This is breathtaking due to the fact that you tin append up to 25 lawsuit parameters to each lawsuit connected the escaped mentation and up to 100 connected New GA360.

The fig of opportunities this opens up is incredible. The downfall is that these parameters are not accessible astatine standard wrong the interface. 

The lawsuit study conscionable shows the associated metrics with each event:

If you click into a circumstantial lawsuit specified arsenic scroll, you tin lone spot the parameters for the events that happened wrong the past 30 minutes:

The different enactment that you person to analyse lawsuit parameters is to presumption them successful the real-time report:

Now you whitethorn beryllium reasoning that you volition conscionable propulsion the lawsuit parameters into an exploration. However, that lone works if you person created a customized magnitude from the parameter.

For users connected the escaped mentation you tin lone person 25 customized dimensions. Not each of your lawsuit parameters tin beryllium customized dimensions, and for those utilizing New GA360 who person much customized dimensions available, you apt volition not adhd each lawsuit parameter arsenic a customized dimension.

As you tin tell, determination isn’t a bully mode to behaviour analyses connected events wrong the interface. This is 1 of the biggest reasons wherefore the BigQuery integration is important aft you migrate to GA4.

Data Expiration

GA4 has overmuch stricter information expiration limits. Previously successful Google Analytics, you could acceptable your information to ne'er expire.

In GA4 however, your options are much constricted for user-level data, particularly connected the escaped version. For escaped GA4 you tin acceptable user-level information to expire aft 2 months oregon 14 months. For New GA360 users, you tin widen that retired to 26, 38, oregon 50 months.

💡 Google deletes the information retired of the GA interface, but you volition ever beryllium capable to entree it done BigQuery if you usage the autochthonal integration.

Keep successful caput that this information deletion does not interaction aggregated reports. The effect of this volition beryllium felt successful the research section. 

For users connected the escaped version, this means that afloat year-over-year comparisons (January – December of past twelvemonth compared to January – December of this year) volition not beryllium imaginable wrong the interface. In bid to tally that benignant of analysis, you volition request to bash truthful successful BigQuery. 

This is besides applicable if you export information from Google Analytics straight to a information visualization instrumentality specified arsenic Data Studio. The lone mode to bash immoderate afloat year-over-year comparisons connected the escaped mentation volition beryllium to store the information successful BigQuery and import it to Data Studio.

Sampling wrong GA4

One of the astir communal reasons we spot users import their information to BigQuery present is that they person reached their deed limits wrong the Google Analytics interface.

Fortunately, successful GA4 modular reports volition ne'er beryllium subjected to sampling adjacent erstwhile secondary dimensions oregon segments are applied. This is an betterment implicit UA. However, the precocious reports successful GA4 volition inactive beryllium taxable to sampling aft 10 cardinal hits per query connected the escaped mentation oregon 1 cardinal hits per query connected New GA 360. 

The Schema

As you astir apt person already gathered, GA4 is radically antithetic from Universal Analytics. Below are conscionable a mates of examples of however things are shifting:

Therefore, it lone makes consciousness that the GA4 schema volition beryllium overmuch antithetic than the current schema.

What It Means For the BigQuery Schema

The modulation from a session-based tracking doctrine to hit-based tracking doctrine really makes querying accusation successful BigQuery overmuch easier. With Universal Analytics, each clip you behaviour a query with a hit-based magnitude oregon metric, you person to unnest it from its corresponding session.

💡Ensuring that you are querying information wrong the aforesaid scope is simply a precise captious measurement successful moving palmy queries.

However, since everything is hit-based successful GA4 — nary unnesting is required, truthful identifying dimension/metric scope becomes overmuch easier. 

Let’s Recap

The information collected successful GA4 volition let for immoderate overmuch much blase tracking and analyses to beryllium conducted. However, users volition lone beryllium capable to unlock the afloat imaginable of the instrumentality if it is paired with BigQuery. 

The bully quality is that Google is making this easier than ever before. It is disposable to each GA users now, not conscionable those who are connected the 360 version. Querying information erstwhile it is successful BigQuery volition beryllium overmuch much straightforward since you volition not person to unnest idiosyncratic hits from sessions.

If your concern hasn’t taken vantage of BigQuery successful the past, commencement making plans to incorporated into your integer analytics strategy. It volition beryllium important to see the limits and costs associated with utilizing BigQuery (they are minimal for astir organizations).

Make definite that you person the resources successful spot to beryllium capable to negociate a BigQuery lawsuit and tally immoderate of the SQL queries that you volition need. This whitethorn necessitate a grooming programme to get your analysts up to velocity oregon possibly you request to see outsourcing immoderate of this enactment to an agency. 

BigQuery and GA4 are genuinely a dynamic duo and should beryllium paired together.

Need assistance migrating to GA4 oregon implementing a caller reporting strategy? Contact Seer to larn much astir our GA4 services.


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