Google Analytics 4 Integration for Nodus
1. Introduction to the Google Analytics 4 Integration
What Is This Integration?
The Google Analytics 4 (GA4) integration connects your Google Analytics data with Nodus, allowing you to extract, analyze, and transform web analytics metrics, user behavior data, and conversion information. This integration functions as a source connector, bringing your GA4 data into the Nodus ecosystem for advanced analytics and business intelligence.
Prerequisites:
- A Google Analytics 4 property with data collection implemented
- Google Analytics 4 Property ID
- Authorization via Google Single Sign-On (SSO)
- Appropriate read permissions for the GA4 property
Connection Overview:
The integration leverages the Google Analytics Data API (GA4) to extract web analytics data. Authentication is handled through OAuth 2.0 with the Google identity platform, and the connector allows you to build custom queries with dimensions and metrics specific to your reporting needs.
2. Platform Setup Documentation (Setup Form for Google Analytics 4)
Purpose & Scope
This section covers how to set up the initial connection between Nodus and Google Analytics 4 by providing the necessary authentication credentials and property details.
Field-by-Field Breakdown:
Integration Name
- Field Name & Label: Integration Name
- Description & Purpose: A descriptive name to identify this Google Analytics 4 integration within your Nodus account.
- Validation Rules & Format: Text string, required field.
- Examples: "GA4 - Main Website", "Mobile App Analytics"
- Troubleshooting Tips: Use a descriptive name that clearly identifies the specific GA4 property or purpose.
Google Analytics 4 Property ID
- Field Name & Label: Google Analytics 4 Property ID
- Description & Purpose: The unique identifier for your Google Analytics 4 property, used to access analytics data.
- Validation Rules & Format: Numeric string, required field.
- Examples: "123456789"
- Troubleshooting Tips: You can find your Property ID in the Google Analytics Admin section under Property Settings. Make sure you're using a GA4 property ID, not a Universal Analytics (UA) property ID which would start with "UA-".
External Link
- Link Label: "Locate Your Property ID"
- URL: https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/reporting/data/v1/property-id
- Purpose: Helps users locate their Google Analytics 4 Property ID in the Google Analytics interface.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Log in to Google Analytics
- Navigate to Admin > Property Settings to locate your GA4 Property ID
- Enter your Property ID and a meaningful Integration Name in the Nodus setup form
- Click Authorize to launch the Google SSO authorization flow
- Grant permissions when prompted by Google
- Verify connection and save the configuration
Reference Links:
3. Extraction/Query Configuration (Extraction Form for Google Analytics 4)
Purpose & Overview
This section explains how to configure data extraction from Google Analytics 4. Unlike traditional template-based extractions, GA4 allows you to build custom queries by selecting specific dimensions and metrics for your reporting needs.
Template & Field Documentation:
Dimensions Selection
- Field Name & Label: Dimensions
- Description & Purpose: Select the dimensions to include in your GA4 report
- Validation Rules & Format: Multi-select component, at least one dimension required
- Available Options:
- Date dimensions (date, week, month, year)
- User dimensions (deviceCategory, browser, operatingSystem)
- Session dimensions (sessionSource, sessionMedium, sessionCampaign)
- Traffic dimensions (landingPage, pageTitle, pagePath)
- Event dimensions (eventName, customEvent)
- E-commerce dimensions (itemId, itemName, itemCategory)
- Troubleshooting Tips: Different dimensions can be combined, but some combinations may lead to sparse data. Select dimensions that logically group together.
Metrics Selection
- Field Name & Label: Metrics
- Description & Purpose: Select the metrics to include in your GA4 report
- Validation Rules & Format: Multi-select component, at least one metric required
- Available Options:
- Engagement metrics (activeUsers, sessions, screenPageViews)
- Event metrics (eventCount, conversions, totalUsers)
- E-commerce metrics (purchaseRevenue, itemsPurchased, cartToViewRate)
- Ad metrics (adImpressions, adClicks, adRevenue)
- Troubleshooting Tips: Some metrics may only be relevant when combined with specific dimensions. Consult the GA4 dimensions and metrics explorer for compatibility.
Lookback Range
- Field Name & Label: Lookback Range
- Description & Purpose: Specifies how many days back to extract data
- Validation Rules & Format: Dropdown selection, required field
- Available Options:
- 3-day Range
- 7-day Range
- 28-day Range (recommended)
- 90-day Range
- Troubleshooting Tips: GA4 data has processing latency of 24-48 hours. Recent data may be incomplete, so consider this when selecting your lookback range.
Historic Date Selection
- Field Name & Label: Historic Date
- Description & Purpose: For historical data extraction, specifies a custom date range
- Validation Rules & Format: Date picker, required field
- Troubleshooting Tips: GA4 data is available from the date the property was created. Data older than 14 months may be subject to GA4's data retention policies.
Workflow & Examples:
- Select the appropriate dimensions (e.g., "date", "sessionSource", "deviceCategory")
- Select the metrics you want to analyze (e.g., "activeUsers", "sessions", "conversions")
- Choose a lookback period or specific historic date range
- Preview the query to confirm configuration
- Execute extraction
Example Use Cases:
Traffic Analysis:
- Dimensions: date, sessionSource, sessionMedium
- Metrics: sessions, newUsers, bounceRate
- Lookback: 28-day Range
Content Performance:
- Dimensions: pagePath, pageTitle
- Metrics: screenPageViews, averageSessionDuration, conversions
- Lookback: 90-day Range
E-commerce Performance:
- Dimensions: date, itemName, itemCategory
- Metrics: purchaseRevenue, itemsPurchased, cartToViewRate
- Historic Date: Custom range for specific campaign periods
4. Common Dimensions & Metrics
GA4 Report Schema
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| date | The date of the report row |
| dimensionValues | Array of dimension values for this row |
| metricValues | Array of metric values for this row |
The schema is dynamically generated based on the selected dimensions and metrics, where each dimension and metric becomes a column in the resulting dataset.
Common Dimensions
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| date | The date when the activity occurred |
| deviceCategory | The device category (mobile, tablet, desktop) |
| sessionSource | The source of the session (e.g., google, direct) |
| sessionMedium | The medium of the session (e.g., organic, cpc) |
| sessionCampaign | The campaign that drove the session |
| pagePath | The path portion of the page URL |
| pageTitle | The title of the page |
| eventName | The name of the event |
| country | The country from which sessions originated |
| browser | The browser used (e.g., Chrome, Safari) |
| operatingSystem | The operating system used |
Common Metrics
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| activeUsers | The number of distinct users who engaged with your site |
| sessions | The number of sessions |
| screenPageViews | The number of app screens or web pages viewed |
| conversions | The total number of conversions |
| totalUsers | The total number of users |
| newUsers | The number of first-time users |
| engagementRate | The percentage of engaged sessions |
| eventCount | The total number of events |
| purchaseRevenue | The revenue from purchases |
| itemsPurchased | The number of items purchased |
5. Troubleshooting & FAQs for Google Analytics 4
Common Issues & Error Messages
Authentication Failures
- Error: "Invalid access token" or "Token expired"
- Solution: Re-authorize the integration through Google SSO. Google access tokens have limited lifetimes and may need to be refreshed.
Property Access Issues
- Error: "User does not have sufficient permissions for this property"
- Solution: Verify that the authenticated user has Viewer or Editor access to the GA4 property. Permissions are managed in the Google Analytics Admin section.
Dimension & Metric Compatibility
- Error: "Incompatible dimensions and metrics"
- Solution: Not all dimensions and metrics can be queried together. Consult the GA4 Dimensions & Metrics Explorer to verify compatibility for your specific combinations.
Data Sampling
- Issue: Report data differs from Google Analytics UI
- Solution: When querying large amounts of data, GA4 may apply sampling. To reduce sampling, use smaller date ranges or fewer dimensions in your queries.
Data Latency
- Issue: Recent data appears incomplete
- Solution: GA4 has a processing latency of 24-48 hours for some metrics. For the most recent data, set appropriate expectations or schedule extractions after allowing sufficient processing time.
Contact & Support Information
- Nodus Support: support@nodus.com
Data Retention & Limitations
- GA4 standard retention is 14 months; this can be modified in GA4 property settings
- The API has a daily quota of 50,000 requests per project
- Some dimensions and metrics may not be available depending on how your GA4 property is configured
- Custom dimensions and metrics require proper configuration in the GA4 property
- There is a maximum of 9 dimensions and 10 metrics per request