Export Google Analytics Data to BigQuery

Objective

This SOP explains how to export raw event data from Google Analytics to BigQuery for advanced analysis, integration with other business data sets, and real-time querying. By linking your GA4 property to BigQuery, you can unlock deeper customer insights and greater analytical flexibility.

Overview

This SOP covers:

1. What BigQuery is and why it matters
2. Steps to enable and link BigQuery to GA4
3. Export frequency options
4. Practical use cases for BigQuery analysis
5. Considerations for usage limits and data discrepancies

Step 1: Understand What BigQuery Is

BigQuery is Google Cloud’s fully managed, petabyte-scale data warehouse solution. It enables:

• High-speed querying of massive datasets
• Integration with tools like Looker Studio, CRM platforms, and predictive models
• Use of SQL queries to explore raw GA4 data
• Minimal infrastructure maintenance thanks to serverless architecture
  

Step 2: Why Export GA4 Data to BigQuery?

Exporting data to BigQuery gives you:

• Access to raw, unsampled GA4 event data
• Full flexibility for advanced analysis
• Ability to join GA4 data with CRM, offline, or product performance data
• Support for real-time decision making through streaming export

Use cases include:

• Calculating lifetime value (LTV)
• Building predictive models
• Performing cross-channel attribution

Step 3: Enable BigQuery in Google Cloud Console

To get started:

1. Visit the Google Cloud Console
2. Create or select a project
3. Navigate to APIs & Services → Library
4. Search for and Enable the BigQuery API
5. Agree to the Terms of Service, if prompted

Step 4: Link Google Analytics to BigQuery

In GA4:

1. Go to Admin → Product Links → BigQuery Links
2. Click Link
3. Choose a BigQuery project
4. Click Confirm → Next
5. Choose the data set location (e.g., United States)
6. Select data export frequency:
   • Daily: Full data, once per day
   • Streaming: Real-time, partial data
   • (GA360 only) Fresh Daily Export and User Data Export
7. Click Next → Review → Submit

Once linked, data will begin appearing in BigQuery within a few hours.

Step 5: Analyze GA4 Data in BigQuery

Once linked:

• A new BigQuery project dataset is created
• GA4 exports each event in raw, row-by-row format
• Use SQL queries to segment, aggregate, and visualize your data

Example Query:

sql

CopyEdit

SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT user_pseudo_id) AS users

FROM `project.dataset.events_*`

WHERE event_date = ‘20250623’

Use Cases – Meet Jason

Jason runs a sneaker retail business with both online and in-store sales. By exporting GA4 data to BigQuery and combining it with his CRM purchase data, he is able to:

• Understand cross-channel purchasing behaviour
• Attribute sales by channel and location
• Build loyalty-based audience segments
• Customise email and ad messaging using customer preferences

Step 6: Consider Export Options and Limits

Standard Export Options

• Daily Export: Full dataset, 1 million event limit/day (standard GA4)
• Streaming Export: Real-time data without attribution details
• User Data Export: Daily export of changed user data
• Fresh Daily Export: SLA-backed daily data (GA360 only)

BigQuery Sandbox (Free Tier)

• Explore basic functionality at no cost
• Export limits apply—filter events if needed
• For higher volumes, upgrade to GA360 or a paid BigQuery plan

Step 7: Consider Data Differences

BigQuery export differs from GA4’s UI in some ways:

• No Google Signals, modeled, or attributed data
• Some delays in data visibility (especially for streaming exports)
• Event data schema is raw and unaggregated

Use the export to:

• Build custom reports
• Train machine learning models
• Integrate with other data platforms like Salesforce or Looker

Step 8: Deleting a BigQuery Link (If Needed)

To remove the GA4–BigQuery connection:

1. Go to Admin → BigQuery Links
2. Click the row with the link
3. Click More → Delete
4. Confirm the deletion