Guide: Using Google Analytics 4 with Databox

Google Analytics 4 is a next-generation approach to ''privacy-first'' tracking, x-channel measurement, and Analytics Innovation (AI)-based predictive data all at once. The new Google Analytics property type includes expanded predictive insights, deeper integration with Google Ads, cross-device measurement capabilities, and more granular data controls. Learn more here.

Pro Tip:  You can differentiate between Universal Properties vs Google Analytics 4 Properties by the ID in Google Analytics. Universal Properties have "UA" before the ID number, while Google Analytics 4 IDs are numbers only.   

Read more about the Google Analytics Universal Property vs Google Analytics 4 Property here

HOW TO

How to connect Google Analytics 4 to Databox

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How to connect Google Analytics 4 to Databox

To connect a Google Analytics 4 Account in Databox, go to  Data Manager > + New connection. Type Google Analytics 4 in the search bar and click on the green Connect button. 

This will open the  Authorization window, which is where you will be prompted to enter your Google login credentials and authorize the Databox app. 

If you have multiple properties within your Google Analytics Account, you will be prompted to select the property you want to connect with Databox. This will determine the App and Web data that will be synced in Databox. Learn more about the Google Analytics Property 4 here

Pro Tip: Each Google Analytics Property 4 must be connected as a separate Data Source in Databox (1 Property = 1 Data Source). 

Can I connect a Property created with Firebase? 

Firebase apps that have been created as a Google Analytics 4 Property or have been upgraded to one can be connected to Databox.

Pro Tip: Learn more how to upgrade your Firebase project to a Google Analytics 4 Property here

This will allow you to take advantage of the latest updates without changing your existing Google Analytics for Firebase implementation and report on Firebase app performance in Databox.

What's the maximum amount of historical data initially available when you use a new Google Analytics 4 Metric in Databox?

Data is synced for the Metrics used in your Account, so when you first use a new Google Analytics 4 Metric, the maximum amount of historical data available is for 36 months.

Less historical data might be accessible if you upgraded your Google Analytics Universal Property to a 4 Property. Learn more here.

Pro Tip:  In order to start syncing data for a Metric, you can add it to your Metrics screen, use it in a Scorecard, set a Goal around it, create an Alert for it, or add it to a Databoard. Learn more  here .  

The amount of historical data you're able to access in Databox is dependent on your Databox plan. Learn more here

What time zone does Google Analytics 4 data sync in?

Google Analytics 4 data is synced in the time zone set in the Google Analytics Account. For example, if your Google Analytics Account time zone is set as EST, your Google Analytics 4 data will sync with Databox in EST. 

How to access pre-built Google Analytics 4 Templates

 

  1. Navigate to Databoards > Public Templates
  2. In the Data Source drop-down list, select Google Analytics 4
  3. To view a preview of the Template populated with dummy data, click Preview
  4. To pull the Template into your Account and re-populate it with your own Google data, click Use Template
  5. Select the appropriate Google Analytics 4 Data Source from the drop-down list to complete the process. The Databoard will be re-populated with data from the selected Google Analytics Account and can be found on the  Databoards page

Pro Tip: Once the Databoard is available on the Databoards page, it is completely disconnected from the public Template. Therefore, you can further customize this Databoard to meet your specific needs using the Designer.

Popular Google Analytics 4 Templates

Google Analytics 4 Acquisition Overview Google Analytics 4 Audience Overview
This dashboard dives deeper into your traffic sources, monitor user behavior, and keep an eye on how it all impacts your revenue.
This dashboard reports on a top-level overview of your website and app users for insights on visitor location, engagement, and common devices.

How to build a Databoard using Google Analytics 4 data

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Popular Use Cases

Learn more about popular Google Analytics use cases here.

Popular Google Analytics 4 Metrics

New Users

Sessions by Channel

Total Revenue

View a full list of Google Analytics 4 Metrics available in Databox here.

How to build a Databoard

 

  1. Navigate to  Databoards > + New Databoard > Start Blank
  2. Click on the Metric  Library icon on the lefthand side of the Designer
  3. Select the appropriate Google Analytics Account from the Data Source drop-down list in the Metric  Library
  4. View the list of pre-built Google Analytics 4 Datablocks in the Metric  Library. Drag and drop your selected Datablock onto your Databoard   
  5. If a pre-built Datablock isn't available for your use case, click on the  Visualization Types icon under the Metric Library icon
  6. View the list of Visualizations available in Databox. Drag and drop your selected Visualization onto your Databoard
  7. Click on the Datablock on the Databoard to open the corresponding Datablock Settings on the righthand side of the Designer
  8. Select the appropriate Google Analytics 4 Data Source and Metric in the Datablock Settings. This will update the Datablock, and it will populate the Datablock with the corresponding data
  9. Complete steps 4-8 until your Databoard is complete

How to use the Metric Builder for Google Analytics 4

With the Metric Builder for Google Analytics 4, you can create Custom Google Analytics 4 Metrics using a combination of Metrics, Dimensions, and Filters. 

Some popular use cases for the Metric Builder for Google Analytics 4 include creating content-specific Metrics, reporting on Events, etc.

Learn more about the Metric Builder for Google Analytics 4 here.

Additional Information

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Metric Considerations

  • For all Basic and Custom Metrics, a maximum of 100 thousand results are synced from Google Analytics.
    • Due to technical limitations, the Date Range ''All Time'' will return a maximum of 36 months of historical data.
    • Non-Aggregatable Metrics cannot be compared with each other because of the "number of uniques" property that they have. This includes comparing the same metric with different Granularities, Dimensions, Dimension sums. Summing them will result in expected discrepancies.
  • All Revenue Metrics (e.g., "Total Revenue," "Event Revenue per User," etc.) are synced without the corresponding unit (currency). The unit must be set in Databox. Learn more here.

Granularity Restrictions

  • Due to API limitations, hourly granularity is not supported. This may affect visualization options for Charts in Databox.

    For example, if a Google Analytics 4 Metric is used on a Line or Bar Chart with ''Yesterday'' Date Range selected, hourly data won't be displayed on the Chart.
    However, the big number above the Chart will accurately reflect the Metric value for the selected Date Range.

    Learn more about Granularity here

API Limitations

  • If you upgrade your Google Analytics Universal Property to a Google Analytics 4 Property, your historical data will not be transferred. Your Google Analytics 4 Property will start to accumulate data in your Google Analytics account from the upgrade date on. Learn more here.

    To access more historical data from your Google Analytics account, you can create a Calculated Metric by using Data Calculation feature, where you sum the Metric values from Google Analytics Universal Property and 4 Property.

    For Google Analytics Universal Property Metric in the calculation, set up a Date Range based on historical data that you'd like to pull into the Calculated Metric by navigating to Advanced Settings and select the Retain metric settings for all date range checkbox. Save the settings for the selected Metric.