How To Again-Up And Report On Common Analytics Historic Information With GA4?

As a product supervisor who has labored with a number of enterprise firms, I personally imagine Google’s shift from Common Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has been one of many worst I’ve ever seen. There are a number of explanation why…however listed below are the largest gaffs:

1. Historic Information – Google Analytics Common was retired in July 2023, and you may solely entry your UA information till July 1, 2024. After that date, your UA information will likely be deleted. Poof… gone!
2. Historic Evaluation – None of your historic information from UA is obtainable in GA4 by default. Whereas I perceive the methodology and information construction for the 2 platforms have considerably modified, it’s merely unacceptable that firms received’t have the ability to do easy month-over-month or month-over-year reporting with present information and information that was in UA by default.
3. GA4 Information Retention – Many firms don’t notice that GA4 launched with information retention set to 2 months. You need to modify the information settings to 14 months manually. You must do this in each property you might have at the moment!
4. Information Limitations – There are additionally limitations on the quantity of knowledge that may be saved in GA4. For instance, there’s a restrict of fifty event-scoped customized dimensions and 50 event-scoped customized metrics per property.

Given these unimaginable roadblocks and limitations, there’s just one selection that each firm must make to keep up historic information and to have the ability to put it to use shifting ahead:

What To Do About Your Common Analytics Information

If you want to have the ability to make the most of historic information from UA, you must:

1. Again up your UA information.
2. Normalize the information to be used with GA4 information.
3. Join it to a BI resolution the place you may simply question and report on the information.

If that sounds easy, it’s something BUT. I’m, once more, going to throw my opinion in right here. Whereas Google speaks largely on the GA4 launch as a response to regulatory points and privateness, I personally imagine they couldn’t stand that that they had a product that was vital to the typical enterprise that Google made no revenue on. Certain, some enterprise firms utilized Google 360 however the 5-digit licensing was not within the price range for many companies.

And shifting ahead, with GA4 solely having a most of 14 months of knowledge, firms will likely be compelled to include a database and reporting interface shifting ahead. Conveniently (sarcasm), Google’s BigQuery and Looker are prepared for firms to undertake. And, after all, it will permit Google to monetize using GA4 shifting ahead.

To compound issues, we’re even seeing that GA4’s free interface has huge delays in exercise… whereas synchronized options to BigQuery are working in nearly real-time. Merely put… they need you to pay for Analytics shifting ahead… a technique or one other.

The GA4, BigQuery, and Looker Resolution

Whereas you could find different options, the native connectivity between GA4 and Google’s platforms is already there and can solely get stronger shifting ahead. It’s possible going to be the perfect resolution… however let’s throw one other large roadblock in… how a lot will you spend on BigQuery and Looker for backing up, processing, and reporting on information. Let’s first break down their pricing:

BigQuery Prices

BigQuery prices for each storage and processing.

• Storage: BigQuery prices a flat fee of $0.02 per GB per 30 days for all saved information. This consists of each lively and inactive information.
• Processing: BigQuery prices for the quantity of knowledge that’s processed by your queries. This consists of the information that’s learn, scanned, and written. The processing prices are primarily based on the next components:
  • The quantity of knowledge that’s processed
  • The kind of information that’s processed
  • The complexity of the question

Looker Prices

Looker prices for the variety of customers, the quantity of knowledge saved, and the variety of queries run.

• Customers: Looker prices a month-to-month price for every consumer. The price relies on the consumer’s function, akin to admin, editor, or viewer.
• Information: Looker prices for the quantity of knowledge saved in your Looker occasion. The price relies on the dimensions of the information, the kind of information, and the frequency of entry.
• Queries: Looker prices for the variety of queries run in your Looker occasion. The price relies on the complexity of the question and the quantity of knowledge processed.

So… How A lot Are You Going to Spend?

If your organization has no expertise in backing up, processing, and reporting on this information using Google’s options, you can simply spend tens of 1000’s of {dollars} on getting this built-in resolution up and operating. Why?

• You don’t want ALL your information! Chances are you’ll solely want a fraction of your information to investigate historic information. Deliberate successfully, you may again up abstract information by a interval for channels, campaigns, occasions, and different components.
• You don’t must PROCESS all information! For those who plan successfully, you may considerably decrease the prices that may come out of Looker for the reporting you want shifting ahead.

We suggest working with a consulting agency with the instruments and understanding of the information that may interview your small business and make sure the proper resolution shifting ahead. We’d suggest doing that with an ongoing engagement relatively than a one-time push.

Why? As a result of each month you’re working inside these options, constructing stories, and processing information, you danger driving up your prices with none return on funding.

Martech Zone’s sponsor, Highbridge, can help you together with your GA4 backup and reporting by their partnership with a number one Analytics agency and their resolution. They developed a easy framework and course of to assist entrepreneurs, analysts, and enterprise homeowners make it straightforward to again up their Common Analytics information.

Google has mentioned that they won’t create a Common Analytics backup resolution after completely shifting everybody over to GA4. And due to this, firms want methods to entry that outdated information.

Tim Flint

Utilizing A Managed Service To Again Up Your UA Information

This can be a managed service that makes it straightforward so that you can again up your GA information. It’s a easy 3 step course of:

1. Decide what you need to be backed up. Common Analytics has a lot information; sadly, Google doesn’t make it straightforward to seize all of it. So select both predetermined stories that we offer, or work with our workforce to create customized stories to make sure you get each consumer, customized metric, customized dimension, occasion, and extra out of the system.
2. Decide the place you need it backed up. Select between Google Sheets, Excel, CSV, or – our favourite – BigQuery to ship your information to. BigQuery is your best option for flexibility. Creating an countless time collection graph with UA & GA4 mixed makes it a lot simpler. Don’t know find out how to arrange BigQuery? Don’t fear. We’ll deal with that for you and provide you with 100% management.
3. Decide the way you current your information. The way you entry and discover this outdated information is necessary. Since this information goes to be in advanced tables and never easy-to-use graphs, you might have a number of choices, together with connecting your information on to Looker, which lets you discover and visualize information. You too can make stories utilizing pivot tables in Excel, Google Sheets, or every other visualizer you want.

A number of days in the past we had been working with a shopper and had been attempting to know why a sure time interval had been their most profitable. We wished to have the ability to replicate that success. If we don’t have a backup of that information, we wouldn’t have the ability to ask the shoppers deeper questions to assist us discover a resolution to enhance their advertising and marketing.

Tim Flint

There are such a lot of explanation why firms must again up their information. And most revolve round guaranteeing that you simply don’t make the identical errors twice. So right here is our record of why you have to get began on backing up that Common Analytics information earlier than it’s too late.

Why it’s necessary to maintain historic Google Analytics information

• Your CEO will ask for historic information to assist them make choices and have a look at traits. Historic information is required that will help you perceive your advertising and marketing progress.
• Historic information lets you perceive seasonality. For instance, need to know if operating that Mom’s Day sale is sensible?
• Historic information helps you already know the success or failure of previous checks so that you don’t need to take the identical check twice or waste cash on failed tasks.
• Information helps your workforce get onboarded extra simply and perceive web site historical past, saving useful coaching time.
• Historic information helps your third-party companions, akin to companies, shortly know what to do.
• Robust information might help your analysts do higher analysis tasks and discover correlations that may very well be useful to your small business.

Backside line: What is going to you say when your CEO asks for historic information to check when issues are going poorly? Will you might have the information? You solely have till July 1st of 2024. The method isn’t easy and we might help – schedule a free session with us at the moment!