[Adam]

Definitely! There are several methods one can consider to link Google Analytics 4 (GA4) with PowerBI outside of traditional methods like Windsor.Ai. A popular alternative involves using intermediary data pipeline platforms such as Supermetrics, Funnel.io, and Stitch. These platforms act as middlemen to draw data from GA4 and dispatch it to PowerBI. They have out-of-the-box integration capabilities plus the advantage of pulling data from multiple different sources. Or you could consider using Google’s BigQuery. Once your GA4 data is in BigQuery, you can easily connect it to PowerBI. Remember, the method you choose ought to be based on your team’s specific needs and comfort level with the tools involved.

[Adam]

Yes, you are on the right track. In GA4, the tracking model is event-based and no longer relies on sessions and pageviews like in Universal Analytics. There are no scoped dimensions in GA4, instead, all the data you want to track must be sent as an event parameter. It can be tedious to set up, but to track the dataLayer values as custom dimensions, you would indeed need to set up a GA4 event to trigger on every single pageview. You might consider streamlining this process if the dataLayer values are the same across multiple pages by setting up an event that sends the dataLayer value only when it changes. This way, you get the same data but reduce the number of events you trigger.

[Adam]

When dealing with nested data in BigQuery, un-nesting data and then using grouping is often required. Un-nesting flattens the data, but can replicate rows, which is why grouping is then used to produce original level metrics. This is likely why your KPIs are getting inflated. You could try using different types of joins, subqueries, or common table expressions (CTEs) to limit the un-nested data so it doesn’t inflate your KPIs. A possible approach could be to create subqueries for the basic KPIs and another one for the custom event data, and join them in the main query. Remember that SQL can be difficult when you’re dealing with complex data structures, but with a bit of patience and trial and error, you should be able to find a solution that works for your specific case.

[Adam]

Absolutely, the ecommerce data you track should ideally include details of transactions and products related to them. Google provides a comprehensive guide to this process, but to get started with GA4 implementation, you first need to load the gtag.js library into your website. Next up, you need to set up data layers for your site. This essentially means feeding gtag.js with the info it needs to understand what’s going on your site. Like, when product is added to a cart, or a purchase is completed.

Let me take an example, to record a purchase, you use ‘event’ method and the ‘purchase’ event name. Then you’ll include information relating to the purchase such as transaction_id, affiliation, value, tax, shipping, and items involved. Items is an interesting because it’s an array holding individual items, each represented as a map of properties, like item id, item name, price, etc.

It’s key to note that GA4 is flexible but also complex due to this flexibility. So, each implementation process can be slightly different depending on your site and your tracking needs and goals. Therefore, it’s important to plan your data tracking strategy carefully before you start the physical implementation to ensure you’re tracking the right data in the right way.

[Adam]

Yes, you are correct that you need to include the gclid parameter in your data object so Google Ads can track conversions. This parameter should be stored when the user lands on your website from a Google Ads click and then included in the event data that you send to Google Analytics 4. You could add gclid as a new property in your events object. Ensure to store and retrieve the gclid parameter correctly. When the user visits your website from a Google Ads click, the gclid will be in the URL. You have to capture it and store it locally (for example in a cookie or local storage), and whenever a conversion is made, retrieve the gclid and include it in your event tracking data. Additional reference material can be found in the Google Ads cookie matching guide. It could help provide more context on how to perform these actions.