Looking for a GA4 migration guide but not sure how to begin? You’re not alone. GA4 is entirely different from Universal Analytics, when it comes to data organization, data collection model, metrics and how they are calculated. This means, you should follow a a proper guide to GA4 migration checklist and plan.
UA to GA4 Migration is a challenging task if you don’t have experience with data migrations. So, how do you begin it? Make a migration plan, prepare checklist and identify steps to implement.
We’ve been busy with GA4 migration from existing UA ensuring that all the historical data is being saved, and we created a guide to GA4 migration checklist with steps that will be useful to anyone looking for a GA4 migration plan of their own.
To get you started, here’s an outline GA4 migration plan.
In July 2023, the default Universal Analytics (UA) will disappear. The GA4 Migration deadline is near and there’s not much time left until Universal Analytics stops gathering data.
So if you still rely on UA, prepare to use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) instead. Our primary concern is that our clients and businesses do not lose access to their Google Analytics historical data in UA properties until that time. Get in touch if we share the same concern.
Looking for a GA4 migration service but not sure how to begin? You’re not alone. GA4 is entirely different from Universal Analytics, when it comes to data organization, data collection model, metrics and how they are calculated. This means, you should follow a a proper guide to GA4 migration checklist and plan.
Get in touch with us for assistance with migrating Google Analytics UA to Google Analytics GA4. The sooner you do the Google Analytics 4 migration, the more Google Analytics historical data you can keep and the more efficiently you can track your customers’ journey. For more information, contact us.
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Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the new version of Google Analytics (GA) that tracks app and web visits in a single GA property rather than separating these platform visits into different GA parts.
No doubt, initially, it was annoying news. Nevertheless, after recognizing the features of GA4, you’ll never regret migrating from universal analytics to GA4. Most of you must consider the significant differences between universal analytics and google analytics 4.
The below table will guide you with the important differences between universal analytics and Google Analytics 4.
You cannot import your Google Analytics historical data from UA to GA4 because the two versions have different data collection models. And it’s unlikely that Google will provide a quick fix for this UA to GA4 migration problem. So you need to plan and act before the GA4 migration deadline approaches.
You can’t move your data to GA4 because the two versions (GA4 and UA) use completely different data models (schema and dimension). Also, the definitions and calculations are done differently in the two property types.
Without using too many technical terms, we’ll guide you on how the data is changed and how the algorithms ensure compatibility.
So we’ve learned that we can’t import Google Analytics historical data/reports to GA4, but the good news is that you can save them. And here are three ways that guide you to save your UA data before you do the UA to GA4 migration plan:
Exporting data is the easiest way to get it from your Google Analytics account.
Open the GA standard report you need – Acquisition > All Traffic > Source/Medium. Customize it accordingly and click EXPORT in the upper right corner and select your preferred file extension (.pdf, .xlsv, .csv)
Remember, however, that there are some limitations – for example, you only have two arrays, limited to a maximum of 5,000 rows.
In this case, the Google Analytics add-on is responsible for exporting data from Google Analytics. You can install the GA add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace.
Here is a guide to the GA4 migration steps to follow
Eg: Here we chose ‘Users’, ‘Sessions’ and ‘Bounce Rate’ as Metrics, and “source” and “medium” as Dimensions. The field for Segments is left empty to extract all users data.
For instance, change the date range following the format YYYY-MM-DD.
Apart from that, you can add filters like country, ga:country==United Arab Emirates.
Change the Limit based on the requirement. The Limit by default is ‘1000′
If there are mistakes, then you need to go back to and address them.
Alternatively, the videos below guide you through how to download and install the Google Analytics Spreadsheet add-on. It also guides you through building a dashboard that’ll automatically update which you can choose to embed on a third-party website.
The advantages of this method include
You can plan and automate exporting historical data from Google Analytics to Google Sheets on a schedule – for example, every day between 4 pm and 5 pm.
The Google Analytics Reporting API v4 provides programmatic access to your GA historical data in Universal Analytics (but not GA4). The application programming interface (API) has several advantages over regular Google Analytics UI. For example, the Core Reporting API provides access to most reporting data in Google Analytics, making it an ideal option for your UA to GA4 migration.
A lack of coding skills can be a significant problem for many users to enjoy this advanced analytics option. However, even tech-savvy users who use API connectors such as JSON Client by Coupler.io can benefit from Google Analytics APIs.
Google Analytics API provides a viable method for archiving large amounts of data from Google Analytics, including real-time and historical data.
There’s no better time than now to start planning, converting, or migrating any Universal Analytics (UA) property you have to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). As of July 1, this year, all standard UA properties are scheduled to stop processing new hits and the same goes for 360 UA as of July 1, next year.
Everyone needs to plan a GA4 migration guide and checklist as soon as possible apart from saving Google analytics historical data for more insights as they switch to GA4.
Here is the Guide to UA to GA4 migration checklist with steps you need to take.
The first step in the UA to GA4 migration checklist is performing an audit to get a deeper understanding of your UA account. We recommend planning a document where you can take note of all observations as your audit is being conducted which you can refer to during the migration.
Here’s a sample of a UA to GA4 migration template that will guide you through the process.
Next in the GA4 migration checklist, you will need to export your historical data to move forward with your GA4 migration plan. You can export your data manually, use the Google Analytics Sheets add-on, or the Google Analytics API v4 as elaborated above.
To import UA to GA4, you need to plan out your account’s structure beforehand:
Now, you can set up your GA4 account by using the GA4 Setup Assistant. Using the Editor role:
Afterwards, you will see “You have successfully connected your properties” at the top of the page.
You can then link GA4 to other tools like Google Ads by using the Editor role:
If you have successfully linked GA4 to this tool, you should see “Your Google Ads links have been imported successfully.”
Looking at Google Analytics UA vs GA4, you can easily manage users with the Administrator role:
Afterwards, “User migration complete” should pop up.
Create or configure filters with the Admin role in GA4, one of the important steps in GA4 migration checklist.
You can choose from the following levels of scope in UA: Hit, Product, Session, and User. However, with GA4, you can create custom dimensions as needed:
Still, there are some things that could be improved regarding the use of API and add-ons to extract your data for Google Analytics 4 migration.
For example, with these methods, you don’t have access to raw data such as client_id (client identifiers), which is generously provided through the native use of BigQuery.
Also, the method discussed in the migration checklist output in a simple format (which more advanced tools can compare to nested data); you must ensure that you combine the available dimensions and metrics into a single query.
We apologize if you’re one of those users who’d like to see a magic “Export All” button to instantly save all the GA historical data. That magic button doesn’t exist. But you’ve three options, which we’ve described above.
The sooner you do the Google Analytics 4 migration, the more Google Analytics historical data you can keep and the more efficiently you can track your customers’ journey. For more information, contact us.
If you are looking for a free GA4 migration service, Connect with GTECH.
Need more information? Check out more resources:
What Will Happen to Universal Analytics Properties After July 1st?
Switch to GA4, or Google will make it for you
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Problems Associated with Migration and How Google Addresses Them
What to Expect as GA4 Becomes Your Primary Measurement Platform?
The Biggest Misconceptions About GA4
Google Analytics 4 Vs Universal Analytics: What’s The Difference
Google Analytics 4: Where can you find the Demographic and Tech details reports
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