[Jayden]

You are correct in noticing that Google Analytics 4 (GA4) automatically creates a separate table for each day when exporting data to BigQuery. Unfortunately, there is currently no direct way to change this setup within GA4 to create a single table with data streaming in real-time.

However, there is a solution provided by BigQuery itself, using a feature called “Partitioned Tables”. A partitioned table in BigQuery is essentially a single, large table divided into smaller, manageable pieces called partitions. You can define a partition in various ways, but in your case, you might want to use a time-unit column, such as the timestamp or date. Then you run your queries only on the relevant partitions of data, effectively treating it like one single table.

This approach can offer faster query performance and lower cost, as you’re only using the data you need. You would need to regularly maintain this partitioned table to ensure new data is integrated.

Unfortunately, this does add an extra layer of complexity as BigQuery will need to be managed outside of GA4 for this, but this is currently the best solution available as of this moment for streamlining GA4 data into a single table in BigQuery.

To note, GA4 designs its data export this way (i.e., dividing data into daily tables) to lower costs. Since queries in BigQuery are charged based on the amount of data they process, by querying data from a specific table (which equates to a specific day’s data), you are only charged for the processing of that particular day’s data. So, this approach can be cost-effective if you often need to analyze data on a day-by-day basis.

[Jayden]

Yes, you’re on the right track. As far as I know you’ve got it correct, GA4 listens for the specific properties (like video_title, video_url) on the Data Layer if it corresponds to the GA4 event schema.

In terms of your desired structure, you can include the additional parameters in a nested fashion like you’ve given in your example: dataLayer.push({event:'video_start', video_params:{title:'my title', url:'my-url'}});. However, keep in mind that while this keeps your Data Layer tidy, it adds an extra step in GTM where you need to create separate Data Layer Variables for each nested parameter.

The mapping of GA4 event parameters to Data Layer values is quite straightforward: the name of the ‘parameter’ in GA4 should match the name of the key in the Data Layer object. If you do automatic tracking, Google has certain predefined parameters it looks for (like page_location, page_referrer). Anything else not defined by Google will have to be manually assigned. Unfortunately, official documents from Google on this specific question seem lacking, and it can result in some trial and error.

[Jayden]

There could be several reasons why you’re having trouble viewing data in GA4 after setting up your website. Here’s how you can troubleshoot the installation.

Firstly, check whether the GA4 tag is installed correctly. Use the GA Debugger extension on Google Chrome or Google Tag Assistant and ensure that tag is implemented correctly. They will tell you if your GA tags are firing correctly.

Secondly, make sure you’re looking at the correct Property and Data Stream in GA4 interface. Sometimes, accidentally selecting the wrong property or data stream can lead to an absence of data.

Remember, there can be a delay before the data appears in Google Analytics. While real-time reports are typically up to the minute, the other reports can have a delay of 24 to 48 hours.

Finally, if you’re running any ad blockers, script blockers or privacy extensions in your browser, they may be blocking the GA4 tag from firing. Similarly, some antivirus or firewall filters can block data from sending to Google Analytics as well. Disable these temporarily to see if this resolves the issue.

If you’re still having issues after trying these steps, I would recommend reviewing Google’s own documentation on GA4 setup and troubleshooting, or possibly reaching out to the help community for more specialized assistance.

[Jayden]

In simpler words, that red exclamation mark you noticed in your GA4 account signals that Google has applied a data threshold to your report. What this means is that the data you’re seeing is a sample, not the full shebang. It’s like a taste teaser of your full data! If you want to dig deeper into this, there’s some really handy info in Google’s support articles. Hope that helps!

[Jayden]

I see you’re having some problems with your GA4 data for a specific page and you’re getting a 404 error. It seems like there’s a chance you might have missed a section in the migration guide about how to use the Data API without a client library. It’s really important to follow that properly to avoid errors.

Looking at your code, it seems like the conversion to GA4 might not be complete. For instance, you’re still using a UA metric ga:medium and there’s also a viewId in your code, which shouldn’t be there.

So, you might want to revisit the data API basics. The format for your POST request should look something like this:

`
POST https://analyticsdata.googleapis.com/v1beta/properties/GA4_PROPERTY_ID:runReport
Authorization: Bearer [YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN]
Accept: application/json
Content-Type: application/json
{
“dateRanges”: [{ “startDate”: “2020-09-01”, “endDate”: “2020-09-15” }],
“dimensions”: [{ “name”: “country” }],
“metrics”: [{ “name”: “activeUsers” }]
}
`
Please double-check these points and hopefully, that should solve your problem!