How to Preserve Your Universal Analytics Data
By advertience | June 13, 2023 | Google Analytics 4
Unfortunately, data migration to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is not currently possible, and it is unlikely to become available soon due to the significant differences in data models between UA and Google Analytics 4 (GA4). However, there’s some good news. Although you cannot directly migrate historical data, you and your digital marketing agencies can still preserve…
Unfortunately, data migration to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is not currently possible, and it is unlikely to become available soon due to the significant differences in data models between UA and Google Analytics 4 (GA4). However, there’s some good news. Although you cannot directly migrate historical data, you and your digital marketing agencies can still preserve it by following these steps to create a backup of your Universal Analytics data. It is recommended to initiate backup procedures once Universal Analytics ceases data processing before July 1, 2023.
How to Preserve Your Universal Data:
01
Select the dimensions and metrics that are important to you.
Below is a list of the tracking items highly recommended by Advertience for both your organization and other digital marketing agencies. While you may have additional items to include, these commonly suggested ones should be incorporated into your list.
- Events
- Goals (Conversions)
- Sessions
- Source/Medium
- Users
- Pageview
- Audiences
- City
- Device Category
02
Open the Universal Analytics standard report that you want to save. For example Acquisition > All Traffic > Channels.
03
Set the customization you want, such as selecting the date range for exporting historical data, choosing a secondary dimension for source/medium, or choosing a segment for a specific language.
04
Click the ‘EXPORT’ button, and select the file format from the drop-down menu.
Now, you have the data on how your website traffic evolved over the years.
By adhering to these instructions, you and digital marketing agencies can effortlessly export historical data from Universal Analytics. However, it is important to note that this method can be arduous and susceptible to errors, particularly when handling substantial volumes of data.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Exporting Data from the Google Analytics Web Interface:
Advantages:
- Accessible to anyone – no technical skills necessary.
- Predefined queries are readily available, requiring only date modifications and exporting.
- Custom query builder aids in creating accurate queries.
Disadvantages:
- Manual and time-consuming, particularly when dealing with numerous queries or extensive data.
- Sampling issues may occur when querying data over a prolonged time period.
- Reports have limitations on dimensions and metrics that can be included.
- Export is restricted to 5000 rows per export.
- Data files contain multiple header rows and summary rows, which can complicate data combinations.
In addition, it is worth mentioning that you and digital marketing agencies cannot include all the metrics you want in a single report. This limitation exists because Google Analytics 4 (GA4) only allows the selection of one primary dimension and one secondary dimension simultaneously. It is recommended to make it a corporate task to be performed monthly, quarterly, or annually.
Furthermore, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) maintains a data retention period of up to 14 months. To facilitate year-over-year comparisons, it’s vital to download website data from GA4 consistently. Advertience provides a consulting service for backing up user-based data every 6 months, ensuring data preservation. Along with this, a regular Google Analytics 4 (GA4) audit and consulting is recommended. It verifies the setup, aligns with business goals, and maximizes the efficiency of data collection. With the guidance of GA4 consultants, this combination safeguards against potential loss and enhances the value of GA4 insights.
Advertience is a specialized Google Analytics 4 (GA4) audit and consulting agency based in Vancouver and Toronto. We deliver worldwide in-depth GA4 audits and consultant services, ensuring organizations have a reliable data foundation for making informed business decisions.
