Google Analytics, GA4 and BigQuery

GA4 and BigQuery: Advanced Analysis with Raw Data Access

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) combined with BigQuery unlocks a level of analysis that is impossible within the GA4 interface alone. BigQuery is Google's fully managed data warehouse that stores your raw, unsampled GA4 data. By exporting GA4 data to BigQuery, you gain the ability to write custom SQL queries, join analytics data with other business data and build analyses tailored to your specific questions.

Why Export GA4 Data to BigQuery?

The GA4 interface is powerful for standard reporting but has significant limitations for advanced analysis. Data in the interface is sampled when volumes are high, custom dimensions and metrics have limits, and cross-referencing with external data sources is not possible. BigQuery eliminates these constraints.

With BigQuery, you can access every single event with all its parameters, unsampled and unfiltered. You can join GA4 data with CRM data, transaction data, product catalogs and any other data source your business uses. You can build custom attribution models, cohort analyses and predictive models that go far beyond what the GA4 interface supports.

Setting Up the GA4 to BigQuery Export

The setup process is straightforward. In GA4, navigate to Admin, then BigQuery Linking. Select or create a Google Cloud project and authorize the connection. Choose between daily export (free) and streaming export (which incurs BigQuery costs but provides near-real-time data). For most use cases, daily export provides sufficient freshness at no additional cost.

Once connected, GA4 automatically creates tables in BigQuery containing all your event data. Each day's data lands in a separate table, with events, user properties and event parameters fully denormalized. Ensure your tracking setup captures all the events and parameters you need before enabling the export, as gaps in tracking become gaps in your BigQuery data.

Essential BigQuery Queries for Growth

Start with these foundational queries to unlock value from your BigQuery data:

• Funnel analysis: Build custom funnels with exact event sequences and timing between steps, something the GA4 interface cannot do with the same precision.
• User journey analysis: Query the complete sequence of events for individual users or user segments to understand actual navigation patterns.
• Cohort analysis: Group users by acquisition date, first purchase date or any custom dimension and track their behavior over time.
• Custom attribution: Build your own attribution models by analyzing the touchpoints that precede conversions, weighted however you choose.
• Revenue analysis: Join GA4 event data with your backend transaction data to reconcile analytics revenue with actual revenue and identify discrepancies.

Connecting BigQuery to Visualization Tools

Raw SQL results are useful for analysts but not for stakeholders. Connect BigQuery to visualization tools like Looker Studio, Tableau or Power BI to create dashboards that make your advanced analyses accessible to the broader team. Looker Studio's native BigQuery connector makes this particularly seamless within the Google ecosystem.

Create materialized views or scheduled queries in BigQuery to pre-compute complex calculations. This improves dashboard performance and reduces query costs. Consider building a data model layer between raw BigQuery tables and your dashboards for consistency and maintainability.

Cost Management

BigQuery charges based on data storage and query processing. The daily GA4 export is free, but querying the data incurs costs based on the volume of data scanned. To manage costs, use partitioned tables, limit the date ranges in your queries, and use the BigQuery cost estimator before running large queries. For most small to medium websites, BigQuery costs remain minimal.

Combining GA4 with BigQuery is a cornerstone of a mature data strategy. It enables the kind of deep analysis that drives competitive advantage and supports data-driven decision-making across the entire organization.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the GA4 to BigQuery export free?

The daily export is free. You only pay for BigQuery storage and query processing. Streaming export incurs additional costs. For most businesses, the daily export combined with standard BigQuery pricing results in very manageable costs, typically under $50 per month.

Do I need SQL skills to use BigQuery?

Yes, BigQuery is queried using SQL. However, many common analyses can be accomplished with basic SQL knowledge. There are also numerous templates and query libraries available for GA4 BigQuery data. Invest in SQL training for your analytics team, as it is one of the highest-return skills in measurement and analytics.

How far back does the BigQuery export go?

BigQuery only stores data from the date the export was enabled. It does not backfill historical data. This is why enabling the export as early as possible is recommended, even if you do not plan to query the data immediately.