Unreported Users: GA4 Event Discrepancy

[Owen]

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the user data might not be showing up even when you send a purchase event via Measurement Protocol using user_id as client_id due to a few reasons. One possible issue could be mismatched data or formatting issues. It’s important to ensure both user_id and client_id are sent correctly and in the right format, as GA4 has specific requirements for each identifier. Also, make sure that the user_id used is the one recognized by GA4. Moreover, there could be a delay in data processing in GA4, so the data might not show up immediately. If your Measurement Protocol requests are not correctly structured or some required fields are missing, this could also prevent the user data from appearing. Lastly, check your setup in GA4 and your data filters, as wrongly configured filters might exclude the incoming data.

[Madison]

There could be several reasons for this issue. One common mistake is using the same value for the user_id and client_id fields when sending events via the Measurement Protocol. While both identify users, they serve different functions. Google Analytics 4 uses client_id to identify unique browsers and devices, while user_id is used to identify unique users across devices. Therefore, if you use a user_id as a client_id, Google Analytics 4 may fail to recognize and track unique users properly.

Please ensure you’re using the correct format, check for any errors in your measurements protocol setup, or potential discrepancies in how your events are categorized. There could be a potential timeout or delay in processing the data sent via Measurement Protocol, thus users might not immediately appear in your GA4 reports. Another reason can be issues with the configuration settings in GA4.

Please remember that once an event data is sent, it cannot be changed or deleted. Hence if there is an error in the setup, correct it and re-send the data. If all settings are correct, I would advise you to wait for a bit and see if data starts to show up. If you still face issues, it would be best to seek assistance from Google’s technical support.