After 9 years of devoted service, Google Analytics— or Common Analytics—will lastly step down and provides the crown to its successor—Google Analytics 4.
Google Analytics has been round for 15 years, and for the very first time, Google offers the platform an entire makeover. This time we’re not solely speaking a few model new UI however the knowledge mannequin, options, and monitoring may also be totally different.
As we’re getting nearer to the sundown of Common Analytics, there are lots of considerations about Google Analytics 4—or GA4. To this point, we’ve answered the questions:
On this submit, we’ll reply one other most-asked query:
How will you save historic knowledge from Common Analytics?
Be aware: All through the submit, we’ll consult with Google Analytics as Common Analytics and Google Analytics 4 as GA4 to keep away from confusion.
Skip forward
The sundown of Common Analytics and what it means for you
Initially, Common Analytics was constructed round third-party cookies and internet monitoring. Nonetheless, in at present’s digital panorama, moreover web sites, customers can simply discover and purchase merchandise from cellular apps. Moreover, additionally they need higher privateness insurance policies and extra management over their knowledge. In consequence, Google launched GA4 as a brand new measurement method within the post-cookie world.
In keeping with the newest replace from Google, Common Analytics will cease processing new knowledge on July 1, 2023. After this date, your Common Analytics properties received’t gather any knowledge.
When you haven’t began utilizing GA4, now’s the time. The earlier you begin organising your property, the extra historic and consumer knowledge you may accumulate in GA4.
After the sundown, you may nonetheless see your previous knowledge and report in Common Analytics for one more six months. That’s why you must export necessary knowledge and stories if you wish to maintain a document of your web site efficiency over time.
One easy solution to export your Common Analytics knowledge is utilizing Supermetrics and Google BigQuery. Having your historic knowledge in Huge Question helps you:
- Eradicate the dangers of dropping necessary knowledge and stories whereas organising your GA4 property
- Centralize your Common Analytics knowledge with different advertising knowledge
- Feed the info to a BI software like Google Information Studio or Energy BI for knowledge visualization
- Carry out historic and long-term pattern evaluation
- Benchmark the metrics in opposition to the brand new ones in GA4
Attempt Supermetrics without spending a dime
See how straightforward it's to maneuver your Google Analytics 4 and Common Analytics knowledge to Google BigQuery with Supermetrics.
Supermetrics Google Analytics connector for Google BigQuery
When you’re trying to export knowledge from Common Analytics to Google BigQuery, you principally have three choices:
- Export your stories within the following codecs: CSV, TSV, XLSX, Google Sheets, or PDF
- Use the native Google Analytics connectors. Nonetheless, this feature is barely out there for Google Analytics 360 customers
- Use an information pipeline supplier like Supermetrics to export your knowledge by means of the Google Analytics API
Right here’s how one can profit from utilizing Supermetrics.
Multi-account reporting
For the reason that knowledge mixing characteristic in Google Analytics permits you to mix knowledge from solely 5 accounts, multi-account reporting will be troublesome when you’re managing a number of accounts. Nonetheless, with Supermetrics, you may simply add a number of views or segments to your report.
Get in-depth insights
Supermetrics enables you to pull 463 metrics and 618 dimensions instantly from the Google Analytics API. You may simply create customized stories and add totally different segments to get a extra granular view of your web site efficiency.
Moreover, it's also possible to discover extra superior dimensions that aren’t out there within the native Google Analytics stories, resembling product class, web page listing, system, and so on.
Keep away from knowledge sampling
When you accumulate a variety of knowledge in Common Analytics, Google might pattern part of your knowledge to create stories. In consequence, you might miss necessary insights about your web site efficiency.
Supermetrics makes use of knowledge partitioning to keep away from knowledge sampling. This implies when pulling knowledge from the Google Analytics API, we break up the info into small datasets earlier than producing your stories. You will get unsampled knowledge with out breaking a sweat.
Acquire an entire understanding of your advertising efficiency
Apart from Google Analytics, Supermetrics additionally pulls knowledge from 80+ advertising platforms, together with:
- Net analytics: Google Analytics (or Common Analytics), Google Analytics 4, and so on.
- Natural and paid social: Fb, Instagram, TikTok, and so on.
- website positioning: Google Search Console, Semrush, Ahrefs, and so on.
- Gross sales: HubSpot, Salesforce, and so on.
- E-mail: Mailchimp, Klaviyo, and so on.
and plenty of extra!
You may simply mix your internet analytics knowledge with knowledge from different channels to get a holistic view of your advertising efficiency.
Cross-channel knowledge. At your fingertips
See all knowledge sources Supermetrics integrates with.
How one can export your Common Analytics knowledge to Google BigQuery
To get began, be sure you arrange your Google Cloud Platform account.
First, create a BigQuery challenge to retailer the info. Open the BigQuery web page and choose ‘New challenge’.
Fill in your challenge identify, group, and placement. Then click on ‘Create’.
To attach Google Analytics knowledge to your challenge, navigate to ‘Market’ on the left-side menu.
Within the market, seek for a connector known as ‘Google Analytics by Supermetrics’ → ‘Enroll’ → ‘Configure switch.’
Choose ‘Google Analytics by Supermetrics’ because the supply. Then fill within the following fields to attach the Google Analytics API to your BigQuery challenge.
- Show identify
- Schedule choices
- Dataset
- Refresh window (non-obligatory)
- Notification choices (non-obligatory)
When you’re executed, click on ‘Join supply’.
On the pop-up window, authenticate your Google account. Select which schema, accounts, and segments you need to pull knowledge from.
- Schema: select the schema you need to switch. Usually, the ‘Normal’ schema is an effective place to begin if you wish to save your knowledge.
- Accounts: you may select the Common Analytics property from which you need to pull knowledge.
- Segments: add a section if wanted.
Then, click on ’Save’. Click on ‘Schedule backfill’ and select ‘Run for an information vary’ to schedule a backfill with this configuration.
Professional tip: To keep away from surpassing the each day API restrict in Common Analytics, we advocate that you just break up your queries into manageable chunks. Relying on how large your dataset is, you may backfill your knowledge one month or one quarter at a time.
After organising your date vary, click on ‘Okay’. If you refresh the web page, you’ll see the standing of your transfers.
Go to the ‘SQL office’ and choose your challenge to see your knowledge.
For instance, if you wish to see your content material knowledge, click on ‘GA_CONTENT_’. You’ll see the outline of the schema. You may also see the preview of your knowledge, resembling web page title, exit time, web page load time, and so on.
And that’s how one can save your historic knowledge from Common Analytics.
Hold calm and save your historic knowledge
Whereas the concept of switching to a model new platform will be intimidating and uncomfortable, don’t panic. So long as you export your knowledge from Common Analytics to Google BigQuery, it can save you the historic efficiency of your web site and be prepared effectively prepared for GA4.
When you need assistance transferring your internet analytics knowledge to your favourite reportings and analytics instruments, begin a 14-day free Supermetrics trial.
