Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics 4 lets you analyze data about customer engagement with your website or application.
Google Analytics 4 only allows us to connect to the reporting layer of their API, so we can't access all the raw data like we can for many of our other connectors. Instead, Google requires that it must be queried through a pre-defined report. Each time you go through the setup form, you'll be creating at least one new report.
Features
| Feature Name | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Capture deletes | ||
| History mode | ||
| Custom data | ||
| Data blocking | check | |
| Column hashing | check | |
| Re-sync | check | |
| API configurable | check | API configuration |
| Priority-first sync | check | |
| Fivetran data models | ||
| Private networking | ||
| Authorization via API | check |
Setup guide
Follow our step-by-step Google Analytics 4 setup guide to connect Google Analytics 4 with your destination using Fivetran connectors.
Sync overview
API version
The connector uses the Google Analytics Data API to access the source.
The connector also syncs metadata from the Google Analytics Admin API:
2-day incremental sync
During every sync, we process data from the last 2 days. Due to Google Analytics processing latency, a report may take over 24 hours to process depending on its size.
Rollback sync
Once a day, we perform a rollback sync where we sync all data from a certain time window for each report. In your connector setup form, you can choose a rollback sync window size between 2 and 90 days (the default value is 30) for each report by specifying the value in the Rollback window field. (For example, with a rollback window of 30 days, the connector syncs all data from the past 30 days for that report.)
Empty reports skip
When we have not fetched any data during the syncs for 30 consecutive days for a report associated with a particular property, we start skipping this report for a period of 7 to 14 days. After that, we try to fetch data for this report and if we still can't fetch data again, we start skipping this report during the syncs for another 7 to 14 days. This is a repeatable behavior.
Data threshold
The report can have data missing due to the data thresholding applied by Google Analytics.
Not set/other and null
When Analytics Data API returns values (not set) or (other) and these values can't be inserted as is to the destination, they are inserted as null.
Custom dimensions/metrics
To sync a custom dimension/metric, you need to ensure that the dimension/metric is linked to all properties selected in the setup form. No custom dimensions or metrics appear in your connector schema if you select Sync All Accounts as your sync mode. Learn more in the Google Analytics 4 setup guide.
Rate limit per property
Each API request by a connector consumes the relevant property's quota .
Re-sync on column change
The report is automatically re-synced if there are any changes in its columns.
50 connectors per account
There is currently a limit of 100 refresh tokens per Google Account per OAuth 2.0 client ID. If the limit is reached, creating a new refresh token automatically invalidates the oldest refresh token without warning. As a result, some connectors may fail with the Refresh token is invalid, expired, or revoked authorization error. We do not recommend authorizing many connectors using a single account.
Limitation on number of dimensions/metrics
Each report can have up to 9 dimensions and 10 metrics.
Rows with null values for one or more dimensions
For standard dimensions, it is not possible to receive rows with null values for one or more dimensions. For custom dimensions, you may want to try the solution proposed on Stackoverflow.com.
Schema information
We provide the following types of reports:
- Prebuilt reports, which sync a pre-defined set of metrics. For prebuilt reports, we have predefined tables in the Schema tab that you can enable or disable.
- Custom reports, which require you to select the Aggregate, Rollback Window, filtering, Dimensions, and Metrics you want to sync in the connector setup form.
- Metadata reports
Fivetran will deliver tables with the date, property, and _fivetran_id fields for prebuilt and custom reports. A prebuilt report syncs a pre-defined set of fields. For a custom report, the date dimension is required for reports with a non-empty metrics list. You can add up to eight additional dimension fields and ten additional metric fields.
| column | type | notes |
|---|---|---|
| date | DATE | standard field |
| property | STRING | standard field |
| _fivetran_id | STRING | standard field |
| dimension* | custom field | |
| metric* | custom field |
Each Metadata and Prebuilt report contains a pre-defined set of fields which are shown in ERD.
To zoom, open the ERD in a new window.Data discrepancies
We recommend using the GA4 Query Explorer provided by Google to compare your source and destination values. This tool uses the Analytics Data API, which better imitates connector reports. For an accurate comparison, specify the same dates, dimensions, metrics, and filters in the Query Explorer as you did in your Fivetran connector setup form.
See Data Discrepancies Between Google Analytics 4 Data and the Destination to learn more.
Updating data
Because the Google Analytics 4 data is delivered in a cube, changing the way that the cube is formatted is difficult; adding in (or removing) fields changes the way the data is aggregated and synced. This would require that we alter the data in your existing destination to ensure consistency.
To ensure that the data you're receiving is reliable, we require that you create an entirely new connector for the updated version of your Google Analytics 4 report. You must either:
- Name this new/modified report something different than the previous version. Or
- Keep the name of the new/modified report and sync it into a different schema.
Limits on queries
The date dimension is required because the reports are synced by day.
For custom reports without metrics and without a date dimension, we update data the same way as for reports with metrics - dimension data will contain information since the selected timeframe offset and will be updated with a rollback/incremental sync.
Not all dimensions and metrics can be queried together. Only certain dimensions and metrics can be used together to create valid combinations. Our connector setup form will ensure combinations are valid. However, checking yourself beforehand will avoid any surprises.
Use these Google resources to pick your metrics and dimensions:
Review dimension or metric description with GA4 Dimensions & Metrics Explorer.
Use the GA4 Query Explorer to review the report yielded by a given combination of dimensions and metrics.