How to archive your Universal Analytics historical data

One other Google Analytics 4 migration undertaking deadline is quick approaching, and this deadline is difficult set. On July 1, Google will delete all historical data from Common Analytics properties. This deadline additionally impacts Analytics 360 clients.

With little greater than a month till the deadline, if in case you have not carried out so by now, your group must prioritize archiving your historic knowledge. There are three primary phases I like to recommend for approaching this undertaking.

Section 1: Make a plan

Earlier than archiving knowledge, it’s necessary to resolve:

What particular knowledge is necessary to you? 

• Prioritize downloading knowledge that you simply commonly discuss with, resembling conversion and gross sales knowledge.
• Make a full record of the info it is advisable to archive.

What number of years of information do you need to maintain?

• Many people have been utilizing Google Analytics because the mid-2000s – does your group must archive knowledge from practically 20 years in the past? 
• Determine how far again you need to archive knowledge from. I like to recommend, at minimal, to think about archiving again to 2018 or so to make sure you have pre-pandemic knowledge because the pandemic actually introduced knowledge anomalies for a lot of corporations.

At what cadence do you overview knowledge?

• Think about how usually you sometimes report in your knowledge. Is it weekly? Month-to-month? 
• Relying on the archiving technique you select in Section 2, it’s possible you’ll want to prepare the info into particular time increments.

Section 2: Select an archiving technique

There are 4 primary choices accessible for archiving your Common Analytics knowledge. Every has its personal professionals and cons, so select a technique based mostly in your group’s sources and expertise.

Possibility 1: Handbook file downloads

• Execs: Straightforward for nearly all customers to do, free
• Cons: Time-consuming, cumbersome, troublesome to entry knowledge for reporting later, restricted to 5000 rows

Whereas that is the best course of to grasp, additionally it is time consuming.

Following your plan for years, cadence and knowledge factors, you’ll want to enter every report within the Google Common Analytics interface, set the date, dimension and metric settings as wanted.

Additionally, keep in mind to vary the variety of rows from the default of 10 to the utmost of 5,000 rows to make sure you seize as a lot knowledge as doable.

Click on the export button and export knowledge to a Google Sheet, Excel or CSV. Repeat this course of till you might have downloaded all the knowledge recognized in your archive plan.

Possibility 2: Obtain knowledge to Google Sheets utilizing the Google Analytics add-on (most suitable choice for tech novices)

• Execs: Pretty easy to implement for many customers with spreadsheet expertise, free, quick to obtain.
• Cons: Restrictive to a set timeframe (e.g., month-to-month), every sheet has whole knowledge limitations, usually encounters sampling points.

This feature is pretty easy for many customers to carry out. Create a brand new Google Sheet and add the Google Analytics spreadsheetadd-on.

The add-on primarily makes use of the Google Analytics API to obtain knowledge to Google Sheets however doesn’t require API programming information to function. Google has compiled a primary overview of this strategy on this help document.

The primary time you employ the add-on, you’ll construct a report utilizing the add-on’s interface. However after the primary report has been run, you may also merely replace the Report Configuration tab and create further studies immediately in columns of that sheet.

It’s also possible to conveniently use formulation within the Report Configuration sheet. Use the Dimensions and Metrics Explorer to seek out the right API code to enter into every subject. 

One downside of the Google Sheets technique is that you could be encounter sampling should you pull an excessive amount of knowledge directly (e.g., your total 20-year dataset for classes) or your report is just too detailed (too many dimensions pulled collectively for a excessive stage of granularity). 

If you run a report, you’ll see the sampling stage on the report’s knowledge tab in cell B6. In case your report comprises sampled knowledge, it’s possible you’ll need to contemplate lowering the quantity of information on this explicit pull, for instance, you may cut up the pull into two time frames.

Nevertheless, should you simply can’t keep away from sampling, test the info pattern proportion on the report. Then, on the Report Configuration tab, unhide rows 14-17 and the sampling dimension on row 15 to this stage in order that your knowledge stays constant.

Tip: The add-on defaults to 1,000 strains of information in a report. Merely delete the 1,000 beneath the road labeled “Restrict” (sometimes row 11).

One other downside of the Google Sheets possibility is that every file is restricted to 10,000,000 cells. Sometimes, every sheet begins out with 26 columns (A to Z) and 1,000 default rows (or 26,000 cells).

In case your downloaded knowledge exceeds the ten,000,000 cell limitation (which may very probably occur), then it’s possible you’ll must have a number of Google Sheets to obtain all the knowledge.

Possibility 3: Obtain knowledge utilizing the Google Analytics API

• Execs: Pulls knowledge rapidly as soon as arrange
• Cons: Requires net improvement information and sources, doesn’t remedy the info sampling subject, API quota limitations

When you have net improvement sources that may work on the archiving undertaking, they’ll pull the info detailed in your plan utilizing the Google Analytics API immediately. 

This works equally to the aforementioned Google Sheets add-on possibility, however it’s a extra handbook course of in programming the API calls.

To find out about how one can use the API for this undertaking, go to Google’s archiving information page and overview the second bullet, which particulars a number of sources and issues for utilizing the API for this knowledge export undertaking.

Possibility 4: Obtain knowledge to BigQuery (most suitable choice general)

• Execs: Easy to entry knowledge later for reporting, elevated knowledge insights, most versatile for knowledge
• Cons: Sophisticated for novices to arrange initially, can contain charges for BiqQuery, could require technical sources to arrange, must contain an extra software

The primary good thing about archiving your Common Analytics knowledge to BigQuery is that BigQuery is a knowledge warehouse that lets you ask questions of the info set via SQL queries to get your knowledge in a short time. That is particularly helpful in accessing this knowledge for reporting later. 

Analytics 360 customers

If you’re an Analytics 360 person, Google gives a local export to BigQuery. I like to recommend this technique. See instructions from Google.

Everybody else

When you’re not an Analytics 360 person, you then’ll must strategy the BigQuery backup in another way as a result of Google doesn’t present innate BigQuery backup choices in Common Analytics for non-360 customers. 

Listed below are the steps you’ll need to comply with:

• Step 1: Create a Google API Console undertaking and allow BigQuery.
  • Log in to the Google APIs Console.
  • Create a Google APIs Console undertaking.
  • Navigate to the APIs desk.
  • Activate BigQuery.
• Step 2: Put together your undertaking for BigQuery export.
  • Guarantee Billing is enabled to your undertaking. Chances are you’ll not must pay something, however it is going to fluctuate relying on the utilization and knowledge you might have.
  • If prompted, create a billing account.
  • Settle for the free trial if it’s accessible.
  • Validate Billing enablement. Open your undertaking at https://console.cloud.google.com/bigquery, and attempt to create a knowledge set within the undertaking. Click on the blue arrow subsequent to the undertaking identify, then click on Create knowledge set. When you can create the info set, billing is setup accurately. If there are any errors, be sure billing is enabled.
  • Add the service account to your undertaking. Add [email protected] as a member of the undertaking, and make sure that permission on the undertaking stage is about to Editor (versus BigQuery Knowledge Editor). The Editor position is required with a view to export knowledge from Analytics to BigQuery.
  • If you’re within the EU, please additionally review additional requirements.
• Step 3: Arrange a free trial of Supermetrics. Just like the Google Sheets add-on in possibility 2 above, Supermetrics is a software that helps non-technical customers interface with and use APIs. They provide a free 14-day trial, which is probably going all you’ll want for this undertaking because you’re solely downloading the Common Analytics knowledge as soon as (not commonly).
  • Join the BigQuery knowledge supply within the Supermetrics dashboard. 
• Step 4: In BigQuery, set up the connection to Supermetrics.
  • Navigate to BigQuery, then to Knowledge transfers.
  • Click on + Create switch.
  • Choose your Google Analytics by Supermetrics as your supply and click on Enroll. 
  • Fill within the switch particulars. See detailed instructions on how to set up a transfer.
  • Below Third-party connection, click on Join supply.
  • Settle for the settlement.
  • Click on Authorize along with your Google knowledge supply.
  • Click on Sign up with Google.
  • Sign up with the Google Account you employ with this knowledge supply. This doesn’t must be the identical because the Google Account you employ with Supermetrics.
  • Click on Permit.
  • Choose the accounts you’d like to incorporate in your reporting and outline the switch settings.
  • Click on Submit.
  • Click on Save.

Since you solely must switch the Common Analytics knowledge one time, you may also change the schedule on the switch to On demand after which run the switch now. 

Section 3: Make sure you’ve captured all of it

Earlier than you contemplate the undertaking full, make sure to double-check your archived knowledge to make sure you’ve captured every little thing you deliberate to archive.

On July 1, you’ll now not have the ability to entry Common Analytics knowledge, both by API or via the interface.