Why Use BigQuery Linked with GA4 for Enhanced Reporting: A Guide for Flexible, Real-Time Data Analysis

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is widely used for tracking website and app interactions, but its built-in reporting has some limitations, particularly for real-time data and custom reporting needs. Integrating GA4 with BigQuery allows businesses to store raw GA4 data in BigQuery tables, making it possible to write SQL queries and create views that deliver detailed, customized reports that GA4 alone can’t support. This guide explains how BigQuery can enhance GA4’s reporting capabilities and why its Streaming feature is valuable for real-time, detailed analysis and debugging.

The Limitations of GA4's Native Reporting for Advanced Transaction Data

GA4 is designed for general analytics, but its schema has some constraints when it comes to combining certain data points. For example, in GA4, it’s not possible to create reports that combine transaction IDs and SKU data in the same view, limiting the ability to get product-specific insights. By linking GA4 with BigQuery, however, raw event data from GA4 is available directly in BigQuery tables, where it can be explored using SQL.

This setup provides businesses with the flexibility to combine metrics and data points that GA4’s native interface doesn’t support, enabling more detailed and precise reporting tailored to specific business needs.

Access to Additional Metrics in BigQuery Not Available in GA4

One of the significant advantages of linking GA4 to BigQuery is the expanded range of metrics available for analysis. Some metrics that are stored in the GA4 schema are not accessible directly in the GA4 interface, limiting their usability for businesses relying solely on GA4’s reporting features.

For instance, total time on site, a metric that can be invaluable for understanding user engagement. However, GA4’s interface only provides the average session duration, leaving out a complete view of how much time users spend on the site overall. In BigQuery, you can use SQL to calculate total time on site for all users, allowing for a more comprehensive measure of user engagement across sessions.

You can face similar limitations if you need to report on the total engagement duration.

With access to this level of detail in BigQuery, you can extract and create new metrics that are otherwise unavailable in GA4’s standard interface, enabling deeper insights into user behavior and engagement.

Using SQL and Views in BigQuery to Shape and Merge Data

With BigQuery’s SQL-based environment, you can go beyond GA4’s standard reporting capabilities. Custom SQL queries allow you to filter, analyze, and organize data based on unique business requirements. Additionally, views in BigQuery add a powerful layer for shaping and merging data.

• Custom SQL Queries: Using SQL, you can create highly specific queries to pull precisely the data you need. For instance, you can combine transaction IDs with SKU data, track revenue by individual product, or filter user interactions by region or device type.
• Views for Data Shaping and Merging: BigQuery views act as virtual tables that let you shape and merge data across different datasets. This allows you to integrate GA4 data with external sources, such as CRM data or inventory systems, for a comprehensive view of your business metrics. Views also enable streamlined reporting, automatically updating as new data arrives, and can be shared across teams for consistency in analysis.

The combination of SQL queries and views in BigQuery helps create a flexible, robust data environment where GA4’s raw data can be analyzed to match your exact needs.

Real-Time Data Analysis with BigQuery Streaming

GA4’s real-time reporting is limited in its scope and flexibility. The GA4 real-time view only displays users who had interactions in the past 30 minutes and has restrictions on metric combinations, making it challenging to conduct thorough real-time analysis.

With BigQuery Streaming, however, GA4 data is continuously collected in a BigQuery table throughout the current day, providing access to all raw event data without a delay. Here’s how BigQuery Streaming adds value beyond GA4’s real-time reports:

• Comprehensive Real-Time Data: Streaming in BigQuery captures all event parameters for the current day, making it possible to analyze all interactions, not just those in the last 30 minutes. This is particularly useful for businesses that require accurate reporting for current-day data.
• Enhanced Debugging Capabilities: Because streamed data includes all event parameters, it’s a powerful tool for debugging. You can verify that event parameters are correctly tracked and troubleshoot any issues with data collection in real time.
• Reliable Same-Day Metrics: While GA4’s standard reports for the current day can be unreliable due to processing delays, BigQuery Streaming allows for immediate access to today’s events, supporting business needs for up-to-date data analysis and rapid decision-making.

To enable BigQuery Streaming, ensure that your Google Cloud Platform (GCP) account has billing activated. This will allow you to set up streaming tables that automatically update with real-time GA4 data, creating a highly responsive data source for today’s insights.

Misconceptions About Data Transfer and Processing Delays

Some users may believe that server-side tagging platforms, like stape.io, can improve GA4’s data transfer speeds. However, these tools only impact the reliability of data transmission, not GA4’s processing time. Whether client-side or server-side, data is sent to GA4 in real-time; it’s the processing delay that affects when data is available in GA4’s interface.

By linking GA4 with BigQuery and enabling streaming, you avoid these delays and gain immediate access to all current-day events, reducing reliance on GA4’s delayed processing. This setup eliminates the need for external data transfer solutions for real-time reporting purposes.

Setting Up BigQuery for GA4 Reporting

To leverage BigQuery’s full potential with GA4, follow these steps:

1. Link GA4 to BigQuery: In GA4, navigate to “BigQuery Linking” under property settings and follow the steps to link your data to BigQuery.
2. Enable Real-Time Streaming (Optional): If your business requires current-day insights, enable streaming by linking a payment method in GCP. This setup will create a BigQuery table that continuously updates with GA4 data.
3. Use SQL Queries and Views: Write custom SQL queries to answer specific business questions, and create views to merge GA4 data with other data sources, providing a holistic view of performance.
4. Visualize Data in Looker Studio: Connect BigQuery to Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio) or other BI tools to visualize and explore your data with interactive, customized dashboards.

Conclusion

For companies needing advanced reporting beyond GA4’s capabilities, linking GA4 with BigQuery is a powerful solution. With access to raw event data, custom SQL queries, and views, BigQuery offers a flexible approach to reporting, supporting the creation of tailored, in-depth insights. BigQuery’s Streaming feature also provides a reliable view of all current-day interactions, surpassing GA4’s real-time reports and enabling detailed, up-to-the-minute analysis and debugging.

Whether your business needs daily metrics for fast-paced decision-making, comprehensive real-time analysis, or the flexibility to merge multiple data sources, BigQuery linked with GA4 opens up new possibilities for analytics and reporting, helping you make the most of your GA4 data.