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

As a product supervisor who has labored with a number of enterprise corporations, I personally consider 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 the reason why…however listed below are the most important gaffs:

1. Historic Knowledge – Google Analytics Common was retired in July 2023, and you’ll solely entry your UA knowledge till July 1, 2024. After that date, your UA knowledge shall be deleted. Poof… gone!
2. Historic Evaluation – None of your historic knowledge from UA is obtainable in GA4 by default. Whereas I perceive the methodology and knowledge construction for the 2 platforms have considerably modified, it’s merely unacceptable that corporations gained’t be capable of do easy month-over-month or month-over-year reporting with present knowledge and knowledge that was in UA by default.
3. GA4 Knowledge Retention – Many corporations don’t notice that GA4 launched with knowledge retention set to 2 months. It’s a must to modify the information settings to 14 months manually. You must do this in each property you will have at this time!
4. Knowledge Limitations – There are additionally limitations on the quantity of information 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 unbelievable roadblocks and limitations, there’s just one selection that each firm must make to keep up historic knowledge and to have the ability to put it to use transferring ahead:

What To Do About Your Common Analytics Knowledge

If you want to have the ability to make the most of historic knowledge from UA, it’s important to:

1. Again up your UA knowledge.
2. Normalize the information to be used with GA4 knowledge.
3. Join it to a BI answer the place you possibly can 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 consider they couldn’t stand that they’d a product that was crucial to the typical enterprise that Google made no revenue on. Certain, some enterprise corporations utilized Google 360 however the 5-digit licensing was not within the price range for many companies.

And transferring ahead, with GA4 solely having a most of 14 months of information, corporations shall be compelled to include a database and reporting interface transferring ahead. Conveniently (sarcasm), Google’s BigQuery and Looker are prepared for corporations to undertake. And, in fact, this can permit Google to monetize using GA4 transferring 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 transferring ahead… a technique or one other.

The GA4, BigQuery, and Looker Resolution

Whereas yow will discover different options, the native connectivity between GA4 and Google’s platforms is already there and can solely get stronger transferring ahead. It’s seemingly going to be the perfect answer… 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 knowledge. Let’s first break down their pricing:

BigQuery Prices

BigQuery fees for each storage and processing.

• Storage: BigQuery fees a flat price of $0.02 per GB per thirty days for all saved knowledge. This consists of each energetic and inactive knowledge.
• Processing: BigQuery fees for the quantity of information 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 elements:
  • The quantity of information that’s processed
  • The kind of knowledge that’s processed
  • The complexity of the question

Looker Prices

Looker fees for the variety of customers, the quantity of information saved, and the variety of queries run.

• Customers: Looker fees a month-to-month price for every person. The price is predicated on the person’s function, reminiscent of admin, editor, or viewer.
• Knowledge: Looker fees for the quantity of information saved in your Looker occasion. The price is predicated on the dimensions of the information, the kind of knowledge, and the frequency of entry.
• Queries: Looker fees for the variety of queries run in your Looker occasion. The price is predicated on the complexity of the question and the quantity of information processed.

So… How A lot Are You Going to Spend?

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

• You don’t want ALL your knowledge! You might solely want a fraction of your knowledge to investigate historic knowledge. Deliberate successfully, you possibly can again up abstract knowledge by a interval for channels, campaigns, occasions, and different parts.
• You don’t have to PROCESS all knowledge! In the event you plan successfully, you possibly can considerably decrease the prices that may come out of Looker for the reporting you want transferring ahead.

We suggest working with a consulting agency with the instruments and understanding of the information that may interview your corporation and make sure the proper answer transferring ahead. We’d suggest doing that with an ongoing engagement quite than a one-time push.

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

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

Google has stated that they won’t create a Common Analytics backup answer after completely transferring everybody over to GA4. And due to this, corporations want methods to entry that previous knowledge.

Tim Flint

Utilizing A Managed Service To Again Up Your UA Knowledge

It is a managed service that makes it simple so that you can again up your GA knowledge. It’s a easy 3 step course of:

1. Decide what you wish to be backed up. Common Analytics has a lot knowledge; sadly, Google doesn’t make it simple to seize all of it. So select both predetermined experiences that we offer, or work with our workforce to create customized experiences to make sure you get each person, 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 knowledge 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 easy methods 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 knowledge. The way you entry and discover this previous knowledge is essential. Since this knowledge goes to be in complicated tables and never easy-to-use graphs, you will have a number of choices, together with connecting your knowledge on to Looker, which lets you discover and visualize knowledge. You can too make experiences utilizing pivot tables in Excel, Google Sheets, or another visualizer you want.

A couple of days in the past we have been working with a shopper and have 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 knowledge, we wouldn’t be capable of ask the purchasers deeper questions to assist us discover a answer to enhance their advertising.

Tim Flint

There are such a lot of the reason why corporations have to again up their knowledge. And most revolve round guaranteeing that you just don’t make the identical errors twice. So right here is our listing of why you’ll want to get began on backing up that Common Analytics knowledge earlier than it’s too late.

Why it’s essential to maintain historic Google Analytics knowledge

• Your CEO will ask for historic knowledge to assist them make choices and have a look at developments. Historic knowledge is required that will help you perceive your advertising progress.
• Historic knowledge allows you to perceive seasonality. For instance, wish to know if working that Mom’s Day sale is sensible?
• Historic knowledge helps you already know the success or failure of previous checks so that you don’t must take the identical take a look at twice or waste cash on failed tasks.
• Knowledge helps your workforce get onboarded extra simply and perceive web site historical past, saving priceless coaching time.
• Historic knowledge helps your third-party companions, reminiscent of businesses, rapidly know what to do.
• Sturdy knowledge may help your analysts do higher analysis tasks and discover correlations that could possibly be useful to your corporation.

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