Domo Google Analytics 4 Migration: Four Connection Options and 2 Complimentary Features

In thinking through your Domo Google Analytics 4 (GA4) migration from Google Analytics 3, the key point to understand is that this update is more than a few bug fixes or changes in the setup – it’s an entirely new event-based system, built from the ground up, with new capabilities to enhance your website tracking options.

Domo is a modern analytics and data apps platform with over 1,000 prebuilt connectors, low-code and advanced ETL options, industry-leading capabilities around embedded analytics, and so much more. Domo is the optimal platform on the market for processing not only Google Analytics data, but all data across your organization’s systems.

Domo Google Analytics 4: What is the Urgency to Migrate?

Google Analytics 3 will begin deprecation on July 1, 2023. No new data will be collected from that point on, and users will only have access to GA3 for 6 months after that, according to the latest from Google. So if your team hasn’t already begun preparing for the change, the sooner the better to have any history to use.

Critical Differences in the Google Analytics 4 Update

Some of the most important differences between GA3’s session/page-view model and GA4’s event-based model are the enhanced data privacy features, more granular tracking of user interactions, and entirely new metrics and dimensions as well as built-in machine-learning for automated insights. With the help of ChatGPT, (read more on ChatGPT for Analytics) I’ve generated a few examples of those improved metrics and dimensions below:

Metrics:

• Engaged Sessions: A metric that counts the number of sessions during which a user engaged with the website or app, such as by spending a significant amount of time on the site or by completing a desired action.
• Revenue per User: A metric that calculates the revenue generated per user over a given time period.
• Lifetime Value (LTV): A metric that calculates the estimated monetary value of a user based on their behavior and engagement over time.
• Acquisition Channel: A metric that shows the user acquisition channel, this is, the source of the user.

Dimensions:

• User ID: A dimension that allows you to track users across different devices and platforms using a unique identifier.
• User Properties: A dimension that allows you to track user-level information, such as demographics or preferences.
• Audience: A dimension that allows you to segment users based on their behavior and engagement, such as by creating custom audiences based on specific events or actions.
• Custom Events: A dimension that allows you to track and analyze custom events, such as button clicks or form submissions, that are not automatically tracked by GA4.
• App Version: A dimension that allows you to track the version of the app that the user is using.

Four Options for Connecting Domo to GA4

With Google Analytics 4 providing more as well as further enhanced data – there are several connection options now to consider when working with these large DataSets in Domo.

Let’s examine four robust options for connecting to this new event-based engagement data:

1. DOMO Google Analytics Connector for GA4

The product team at Domo thrives at generating easy-to-use prebuilt connectors in a timely manner. In preparation for the full GA4 release, Domo has already built and documented a Domo Google Analytics connector for GA4 (See documentaation).

Things to consider:

• Speed of connection – this Domo Google Analytics connector for GA4 allows you to quickly access your data by providing your Google Analytics credentials and selecting from no code options
• Although it is easy to access, this connector may provide sampled data rather than the full datasets

2. Google BigQuery Connector – Synced with Google analytics 4 in Google ecosystem

Google BigQuery is a cloud-based, serverless, and fully-managed data warehousing and analytics platform provided by Google Cloud. In as little as one working session, Graphable can help your team sync your Google Analytics 4 data into BigQuery.

Things to consider:

• With your data in Google BigQuery you can access unsampled data through Domo’s prebuilt BigQuery connector.
• This approach takes some additional steps / time to setup – but allows for more granular data

3. Multi-cloud Storage & Connection

While this is not a typical first option, some large enterprises will already have established connections to Google Analytics 4 and will have extracted key datasets in other cloud databases, such as Snowflake.

Things to consider:

• Domo likely has pre-built connectors for your cloud-based data warehouse
• This enables you to re-use queries already established in another data system
• Depending on your database, this likely gives you increased flexibility around computing power

4. Federated Data Options

Domo’s Federated Data allows you to create cards in Domo using a direct connection to your data living outside Domo. This means that you could power cards based on data and queries that are calculated in the environment where they’re stored.

Things to consider:

• This enables you to run the queries powering your cards within their native platform, for example – Google BigQuery.
• Increased flexibility on computing power means real-time insights from big data
• Federated queries by nature can often have performance implications, so it based on the quantity and location fo your data it will be worth testing this ahead of time to see iff it can meet your needs.

Domo Google Analytics 3 to 4 Migration: DataFlows, Cards, and Pages

These updates and new connections are just the beginning of your successful Domo Google Analytics 4 migration. As you can imagine, you’ll now need to update DataFlows to continue using your current dashboards with the updated Google Analytics 4 datasets.

In some cases, the Google Analytics 3 to 4 update will require entirely new cards and pages based on new metrics available- or even to retire or significantly update some existing dashboards that may no longer fit as well with the new GA4 paradigm. Consider a few of the following tips and tricks during your migration:

Change Cards data source in bulk

If you have multiple cards powered by the same dataset, you can migrate those cards to instead be powered by a different dataset, in bulk, by navigating to the cards tab of a DataSet and selecting “Switch cards to a different DataSet”:

Use Save as on cards or pages

Additionally, if you have a past card or page that you’d like to use as a template and power it with a new data, you can use the Save As option on your pages or cards to create separate duplicates to start from:

If you’re doing this at the Page level – be sure to check the box for “Duplicate all Cards.”

Additional Domo Capabilities for Maximizing GA4 Data

In addition to options for connecting to your GA4 data, there are at least two additional Domo platform capabilities to consider leveraging when working with big data from Google Analytics.

Adrenaline Dataflows

Adrenaline DataFlows are Domo’s specific ETL option for bigger data. These DataFlows enable your data team to handle massive datasets at lightning speeds, delivering critical business insights in minutes instead of hours.

DataSet Views

Another Domo capability to consider when working with bigger data is DataSet Views. This gives you the opportunity to create tailored views in Domo without running up your data storage (row count).

Conclusion

Google Analytics 3 to 4 represents a significant upgrade from the previous version with its event-based tracking system, providing more comprehensive website tracking options. While it is not trivial to upgrade, it is worth it for the latest metrics and analytics, and really there is no alternative with it being fully deprecated by the end of 2023.

Navigating the change management around this Google Analytics 3 to 4 update in your Domo instance will require careful thought and expertise. Please don’t hesitate to Contact Us at the Graphable team for help with your Domo Google Analytics 4 migration. Read here to understand in detail how to find a best-fit business intelligence consultant partner.

Domo offers a modern Data Apps platform that allows businesses to process and analyze all types of data from different systems in one place. With over 1000 prebuilt connectors, low-code and advanced ETL options, and industry-leading embedded analytics capabilities (a.k.a. Domo everywhere), Domo is the ideal solution for businesses looking to unlock the full potential of their data.

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