Google Analytics 4 and Google BigQuery: Why Work With Raw Data and How to Set Up Its Export
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2025 10:06 am
One of the main advantages of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the ability to work with raw, i.e., unprocessed, data. GA4 makes it easy to transfer this data to Google BigQuery, perform an in-depth analysis, and use the results for marketing strategy.
In this article, I'll explain what raw data is and why it's so important, how to properly connect GA4 with BigQuery, and how this integration can help improve your analytics.
What is raw data?
Most of the time, marketers work with aggregated data paraguay number dataset has already been processed. These include sums, averages, percentages of the total, and so on.
Это суммы, средние значения, проценты от общего и так далее.
Raw data is the data collected from a source before processing, and it comprises records of what users do on the site or in the application. This data includes information about each user action: clicks, page views, purchases, etc.
Here are some of the things you can do with raw data:
Choose which information to include and which not to include to calculate the metrics you want.
Decide which summarization or averaging methods to use.
Select parameters and metrics for calculation, including those not available in the tool interface.
Generate reports that include data from other sources, such as a Meta Ads account or your own CRM.
Essentially, raw data allows you to dig deeper into user behavior on a website or app and create analytics reports tailored to your business.
Why is it important to work with raw data?
Aggregated data is convenient, but it has its drawbacks. Here are the most common ones.
1. Sampling
When there is too much information to analyze, the system selects only a portion of the data to process. This is like trying to find out what people worldwide like to eat for breakfast by surveying people from only a few countries. You run the risk of missing important details and getting inaccurate results.
Из-за этого есть риск упустить важные детали и получить неточные результаты.
By default, custom reports in GA4 are sampled when you analyze more than 10 million events.
2. Data thresholds
GA4 uses data thresholds to protect user privacy. For example, GA4 hides demographics or interests when the number of users for an event is too small.
In this article, I'll explain what raw data is and why it's so important, how to properly connect GA4 with BigQuery, and how this integration can help improve your analytics.
What is raw data?
Most of the time, marketers work with aggregated data paraguay number dataset has already been processed. These include sums, averages, percentages of the total, and so on.
Это суммы, средние значения, проценты от общего и так далее.
Raw data is the data collected from a source before processing, and it comprises records of what users do on the site or in the application. This data includes information about each user action: clicks, page views, purchases, etc.
Here are some of the things you can do with raw data:
Choose which information to include and which not to include to calculate the metrics you want.
Decide which summarization or averaging methods to use.
Select parameters and metrics for calculation, including those not available in the tool interface.
Generate reports that include data from other sources, such as a Meta Ads account or your own CRM.
Essentially, raw data allows you to dig deeper into user behavior on a website or app and create analytics reports tailored to your business.
Why is it important to work with raw data?
Aggregated data is convenient, but it has its drawbacks. Here are the most common ones.
1. Sampling
When there is too much information to analyze, the system selects only a portion of the data to process. This is like trying to find out what people worldwide like to eat for breakfast by surveying people from only a few countries. You run the risk of missing important details and getting inaccurate results.
Из-за этого есть риск упустить важные детали и получить неточные результаты.
By default, custom reports in GA4 are sampled when you analyze more than 10 million events.
2. Data thresholds
GA4 uses data thresholds to protect user privacy. For example, GA4 hides demographics or interests when the number of users for an event is too small.