Why Export GA4 Data to BigQuery? — Whiteboard Friday

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Hello and invited to this version of Whiteboard Friday. I'm Dave Westby, and I'm an analytics advisor astatine Piped Out.

So today, I'm going to beryllium speaking astir why you should beryllium exporting your GA4 information to BigQuery if you're not already doing so.

Now the first point to statement present is that your GA4 information successful BigQuery does not backdate. So if you group up that nexus betwixt your GA4 and BigQuery, you'll only commencement collecting that information successful BigQuery from coming moving forward.

So that's the first really important point.

So moving connected to the first cardinal advantage, it's really free to group up this nexus betwixt GA4 and BigQuery. The point that you do need, though, is simply a Google Cloud account, and what you salary for is the retention of this data.

But luckily for you, it's ace cheap. So, arsenic an example, if you person a website pinch 30,000 sessions a month, for example, the retention for this would really beryllium free. So it doesn't costs you dear. 

So, coming connected to the 2nd point, you don't request to activity pinch the GA4 interface erstwhile you're moving pinch the earthy GA4 BigQuery data.

A batch of the limitations that you person pinch the interface are really solved by the truth that you're moving pinch the earthy data. So that's a awesome perk.

So coming connected to the adjacent point, which is information retention. So this is 1 of the biggest advantages of having your earthy information successful BigQuery. So pinch the earthy data, you person that information stored forever. So that's great.

You conscionable person entree to it forever. Whereas pinch the interface, erstwhile you entree immoderate of the modular reports, it will usage all-time data, which is fine. But if you conception it aliases you usage Explorations, your personification and event level data will beryllium constricted to 14 months. So that is simply a limiting facet there.

So that's a immense advantage.

Coming connected to the adjacent point, which is sampling. So if you've worked pinch the GA4 interface astatine all, you'll beryllium utilized to seeing sample data. The aforesaid applies arsenic good for the GA4 Looker Studio connector arsenic well, and that tin beryllium a existent bummer.

And this happens fundamentally erstwhile location are much than 10 cardinal events wrong a azygous request. That's erstwhile your information starts getting sampled. Whereas, obviously, if you're moving pinch your earthy data, past you're not going to beryllium having that problem.

Now moving connected to the adjacent point, which is cardinality. So this is erstwhile things get lumped nether “Other.” Boo, nary 1 likes it. This happens connected the GA4 interface erstwhile you fundamentally deed statement limits. It conscionable starts lumping everything nether “Other.”

But again, erstwhile you're moving pinch the earthy data, you don't person that problem astatine all. So you tin get acold much granular pinch your data.

Then moving connected to the adjacent point, truthful customization. So moving pinch the earthy GA4 BigQuery data, you tin customize your information nevertheless you like.

And this comes successful really handy, for example, if you've sewage spam postulation that you want to remove, you tin easy exclude that. You tin hole humanities conversions that are broken, and you tin make your ain conversions arsenic well. So it's very customizable.

Then coming connected to the adjacent point, which is you tin create your ain sessions and personification properties. Now you tin do this successful the GA4 interface nether Explorations. But location are 2 main limitations here.

The first 1 being that you person to usage Explorations, and the 2nd is that you tin only create dimensions. And erstwhile you've created these arsenic well, these only unrecorded successful your Explorations. You can't person these successful different places, if you want to position them successful dashboards aliases whatever.

But obviously, pinch the earthy GA4 BigQuery data, you tin create these properties, and past you tin usage them wherever.

Then moving connected to the adjacent point, which is attribution.

So erstwhile you're moving pinch the earthy data, you tin build each the attribution metrics nevertheless you like. So you've sewage your first click, your last click, your past non-direct click, linear times, etc. You tin create each of those metrics, and past you've sewage entree to them arsenic well.

So, conscionable to wrap it each up, if location are only 2 things you return distant from today, the first point is that the export to BigQuery is free, and each you're paying for is the storage, which is highly cheap. So it's decidedly worthy doing.

The 2nd point is that the BigQuery information does not backfill. So if you group it up today, you'll only commencement collecting that information from coming onwards. So do it.

That's each from me. Yeah, dream you enjoyed it. Catch you soon.