Universal Analytics Property Migration To GA4

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It’s official now. Google has stated that the previous version of Google Analytics, known as Universal Analytics or GA3. It will be phased down on July 1, 2023, implying that it is time to transition to the next generation of Google Analytics, known as Google Analytics 4 or GA4.

This decision may come as a surprise to many and it will undoubtedly have an impact on the almost 30 million websites that now use Google Analytics. The only solace we have is knowing that we’re all in this together.

We have a little more than a year to complete the changeover and become acquainted with GA4’s new interface. This move will necessitate new ways of thinking; it will necessitate that we all modify our internal procedures. Learn new technologies, and become more mindful of how and why we acquire consumer data.

Why Is Google Discontinuing Universal Analytics At This Time?

Google Analytics 4 was released to the market in October 2020. We all assumed that Universal Analytics would remain there for at least three to five years longer. Because no specific end-of-life date had been established; unfortunately, this is no longer the case.

There are a few external variables motivating Google’s decision to accelerate the migration to GA4. And phase down Universal Analytics earlier than expected.

While Google hasn’t explicitly stated one way or the other. We believe the most pressing external factor is the recent scrutiny of Universal Analytics. In terms of data privacy laws and regulations, such as the Austrian Data Protection Authority’s determination. That Universal Analytics likely violates GDPR. Rather than rewriting Universal Analytics to be compliant, Google has chosen to accelerate the transition to GA4, which is more compatible.

In Universal Analytics, for example, data privacy protections are opt-in, which most websites would choose not to use. Privacy restrictions are enabled by default in GA4. In GA4, for example, IP address anonymization is always active and cannot be disabled.

What Will Happen To The Data I Collected Using Universal Analytics?

To be clear, between now and June 30, 2023, you will be able to use and gather additional data in your Universal Analytics properties.

However, on July 1, 2023, all normal Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits. After this date, you will only be able to see historical reports. It is of previously processed data in Universal Analytics for a period of up to six months. These sites will stop processing new hits on October 1, 2023, if you are using the premium version of Google Analytics (known as Google Analytics 360).

Google has not yet announced a specific date when users would no longer be able to use the Universal Analytics interface. But our advice is to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. We anticipate that Google will cease operations entirely by the end of 2023. This implies you have a little more than a year to say farewell to your Universal Analytics assets.

At a minimum, you should 1) migrate to GA4 by July 2023 and 2) export your historical data from Universal Analytics before December 2023. This will guarantee that your reporting procedures are disrupted as little as possible.

While this gives you some breathing room, we do not advocate waiting until these deadlines to act. Keep in mind that data in Google Analytics 4 is not retroactive. Thus data collecting begins at the time of creation. The sooner you can install GA4 for your online and mobile app data streams. The sooner you can start collecting data in GA4 for future historical reports.

Is It Possible To Transfer Data From Universal Analytics To GA4?

As Google Analytics transitions from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), many users are understandably concerned about how this change will affect their historical data. One of the most common questions that arise during this transition is whether it is possible to transfer data directly from Universal Analytics to GA4. Unfortunately, the answer is no—GA4 does not have the ability to import or transfer data from Universal Analytics. However, there are several important considerations to understand when navigating this change and strategies for managing your historical and new data.

Why Can’t Data Be Transferred Directly from UA to GA4?

The main reason why it is not possible to directly transfer data from Universal Analytics to GA4 lies in the fundamental differences in how both platforms are built and function. GA4 is designed with a completely different data structure, measurement model, and tracking capabilities compared to Universal Analytics.

Data Model Differences: Universal Analytics uses a session-based model for tracking users, while GA4 relies on an event-based model. In UA, user interactions are tracked as sessions, with pageviews, events, and eCommerce transactions recorded as part of these sessions. In GA4, everything is tracked as an event, which allows for more granular control over what is tracked and how it is defined. These structural differences mean that data collected by UA cannot be mapped directly into the GA4 framework without modification.
Measurement Protocols: The protocols used by GA4 to track and process data are different from those used by Universal Analytics. As a result, historical data cannot simply be ported over from one to the other. Even though both systems are built by Google, the infrastructure, features, and data storage methods are incompatible, preventing any direct transfer.
No Built-In Data Migration Tools: Google has not developed any tools that allow for automatic migration of data from Universal Analytics to GA4. This absence of a native transfer method further complicates the process for businesses looking to retain access to their past data.

How Can You Manage Historical Data?

While you cannot transfer data from Universal Analytics to GA4, there are several ways to manage your historical data and ensure you don’t lose valuable insights as you switch to GA4.

Exporting Data from Universal Analytics: If you wish to retain your historical data for analysis, you will need to export it from Universal Analytics before it stops processing new data. Google Analytics allows you to export data in various formats, including CSV, Excel, and PDF. You can export your reports for various time periods and keep a backup of your data for future reference.
Using Data Studio or Tableau for Data Aggregation: Once you’ve exported your historical data from Universal Analytics, you can integrate it with your GA4 data into a more advanced data visualization or reporting tool like Google Data Studio or Tableau. These tools allow you to create custom dashboards and reports that combine data from both platforms. While GA4 will be your new source for real-time data, combining it with Universal Analytics data gives you a more complete view of your website’s performance over time.
- Google Data Studio: Google Data Studio is a free tool that connects directly to both Universal Analytics and GA4, allowing you to create unified reports. You can export Universal Analytics data into Google Sheets and then pull that into Data Studio, or use the Data Studio connectors for GA4 to visualize the data side by side. This approach is especially useful for businesses that want to compare metrics like traffic, conversions, and user engagement from both platforms.
- Tableau: Tableau, another powerful data visualization tool, offers advanced analytics capabilities and can connect to a variety of data sources, including Universal Analytics and GA4. By exporting your UA data into a format that Tableau supports, such as Excel or CSV, you can create a detailed, custom reporting structure that combines your past data with the new insights from GA4.
Data Retention Period in Universal Analytics: Google has made it clear that Universal Analytics will stop processing new data on July 1, 2023, for most users, but it will still retain the ability to access historical data for some time after that. However, it is important to note that Universal Analytics will only retain this historical data for a limited period, typically six months to one year after the cutoff date. As a result, it is essential to export your data as soon as possible to avoid losing it.
Consider Using a Third-Party Tool: For businesses that need to retain large amounts of historical data or integrate multiple data sources, third-party tools like Supermetrics, Dataddo, or Fivetran can assist with data export, aggregation, and migration. These tools help to automate the process of moving data between platforms and can streamline the integration of Universal Analytics data with GA4. However, it is important to remember that even with third-party tools, the data will not be seamlessly integrated into GA4 but can be visualized or analyzed separately.

The Benefits of GA4 Over Universal Analytics

While the transition from Universal Analytics to GA4 may seem challenging, it is important to focus on the benefits that GA4 offers over its predecessor. GA4 brings a range of advanced features and capabilities that are designed to provide more granular insights into user behavior and enhance your ability to measure and track performance across multiple platforms.

Event-Based Tracking: As mentioned earlier, GA4 uses an event-based model, which allows you to track a broader range of user interactions beyond just pageviews and sessions. This model provides greater flexibility, as it enables you to customize what data is tracked based on specific user actions or engagement metrics.
Cross-Platform Tracking: GA4 is designed to provide a more comprehensive view of user behavior across different platforms and devices. With Universal Analytics, tracking across websites and apps was somewhat disconnected. In GA4, you can track users across both web and mobile applications within a single property, allowing for better insights into cross-platform journeys.
Improved Predictive Metrics: GA4 leverages machine learning to offer predictive analytics and insights. It can predict user behaviors, such as the likelihood of a user making a purchase or the probability of churn, helping businesses make more informed decisions based on data.
Better Integration with Google BigQuery: GA4 offers enhanced integration with Google BigQuery, which is a powerful data analysis tool for large datasets. If your business requires more advanced analysis of large-scale data, GA4 offers seamless integration with BigQuery, allowing you to run custom queries and gain deeper insights.
More Granular Data Privacy Controls: With growing concerns over data privacy, GA4 offers better control over user data and enhanced features to help businesses comply with privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA. The ability to configure data retention settings and opt-out features helps businesses better manage their data compliance.

How Should I Compare GA4 To Universal Analytics?

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so do the tools that help us understand and measure user interactions on our websites and apps. Google Analytics has long been the go-to platform for website tracking, with Universal Analytics (UA) serving as its standard version for many years. However, Google has now introduced Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a new version with a host of innovative features that significantly differ from its predecessor. While the transition from Universal Analytics to GA4 is necessary for the future of website analytics, it’s important to understand that these two platforms are very different in terms of design, functionality, and measurement models.

If you expect a seamless, apples-to-apples migration from Universal Analytics to GA4, you might be disappointed. The two tools are distinct products, and the shift to GA4 requires a complete rethinking of how data is gathered, processed, and analyzed. Understanding these differences and preparing accordingly will help you get the most out of GA4 and ensure a smooth transition.

Universal Analytics vs. GA4: Fundamental Differences

At a high level, Universal Analytics is an all-in-one solution that combines data collection, processing, and reporting into a single user interface. This integration has made UA popular among users who want an easy-to-use platform that covers all the basics of web analytics. In contrast, Google Analytics 4 is designed to be a more flexible, customizable platform that focuses on ad hoc data analysis. GA4 was built with the future in mind, focusing on cross-platform tracking, event-based data collection, and deeper integration with Google’s broader suite of tools.

One of the key distinctions between Universal Analytics and GA4 is that GA4 is not an all-in-one solution. To fully utilize GA4, you need to use it in conjunction with other Google tools. This means integrating GA4 with:

Google Tag Manager for efficient and customizable data collection,

Google BigQuery for cloud-based data warehousing, and

Google Data Studio for advanced data visualization and reporting.

As GA4 is designed to handle more complex and flexible use cases, users transitioning from Universal Analytics must get familiar with these additional tools to make the most of their data.

Measurement Models: Shifting from Sessions to Events

One of the most significant changes between Universal Analytics and GA4 is the way data is measured. Universal Analytics follows a user-, session-, pageview-, and hit-based model, where each interaction is categorized into a session and tied to a specific user. For example, pageviews, events, and transactions are all tracked as part of a session.

However, GA4 moves away from this session-based model and adopts an event-based measurement model. In GA4, every interaction on your site or app is treated as an event. This includes not just pageviews and transactions but also clicks, scrolls, video plays, form submissions, and even custom events that you define. This shift allows for much greater flexibility in tracking and analysis, as you can capture a broader range of user interactions, all under the same event framework.

To illustrate, in Universal Analytics, a user viewing a page is considered a pageview hit, which is a part of a session. In GA4, this pageview is treated as a specific event, giving you the ability to track additional properties about that event, such as the type of page viewed, the time spent on the page, or even whether the page was scrolled down.

This shift in measurement models means you must reconsider how you set up tracking on your site. The events in GA4 are highly customizable, and you’ll need to rethink your tracking strategy to align with this new way of collecting and analyzing data.

GA4’s Focus on Ad Hoc Data Analysis

GA4 is designed to enable more flexible, in-depth analysis, focusing on ad hoc reporting rather than predefined, rigid reports. Universal Analytics provides a comprehensive reporting interface, with pre-built reports for pageviews, sessions, bounce rates, and eCommerce metrics. While these reports are useful, they can be limiting when you need to analyze specific user behaviors or interactions in more detail.

In GA4, the focus shifts towards empowering users to create custom reports and delve deeper into data through its event-based model. GA4 doesn’t rely as much on predefined reports, which can feel like a departure from Universal Analytics for users who are accustomed to accessing those reports quickly.

With GA4, you can use the Explorations feature to create custom, detailed reports that give you more granular insights into user behaviors. These reports can be easily adjusted and modified as new data comes in, allowing for real-time insights. This flexibility makes GA4 a powerful tool for those who need to conduct more sophisticated analyses without relying on rigid, out-of-the-box reports.

The Need for Complementary Tools

Given that GA4 is not an all-in-one solution like Universal Analytics, there is a strong emphasis on integrating it with other Google products to maximize its potential. As mentioned earlier, tools like Google Tag Manager, Google BigQuery, and Google Data Studio play crucial roles in ensuring GA4 is used effectively.

Google Tag Manager: This tool allows for advanced, customized tracking across your website and apps. It lets you set up tags to track specific events, interactions, and conversions without having to modify your website’s code directly. It’s essential for implementing GA4’s event-based tracking efficiently.

Google BigQuery: For businesses with large datasets or those that need deeper, more complex analysis, BigQuery is a powerful cloud data warehouse tool that integrates seamlessly with GA4. BigQuery allows for SQL-based querying of your raw data, enabling you to run advanced analysis and pull insights that are not possible within the standard GA4 interface.

Google Data Studio: While GA4 provides the data, Google Data Studio allows you to visualize it in a more meaningful way. With Data Studio, you can create custom dashboards that pull in data from multiple sources, including GA4, and display it in a way that makes it easier to understand and act on.

These tools collectively complement GA4’s capabilities, making it more versatile and suited to a broader range of use cases. However, it also means that users transitioning from Universal Analytics must be prepared to learn and integrate these additional tools into their analytics workflows.

Preparing for the Transition to GA4

The transition from Universal Analytics to GA4 can be a challenging process, especially for those who are deeply familiar with UA’s structure and reports. Since GA4 is fundamentally different in its approach to tracking and reporting, it’s important to give yourself enough time to familiarize yourself with its features.

Set Up GA4 Parallel to Universal Analytics: One of the best practices for transitioning smoothly is to set up GA4 alongside your existing Universal Analytics property. This allows you to run both platforms in parallel, giving you time to get used to GA4’s interface and data collection methods without losing valuable insights from Universal Analytics. Keep in mind that GA4 does not automatically import data from Universal Analytics, so you need to collect data in both platforms during the transition period.

Reevaluate Your Tracking Setup: Since GA4 uses an event-based tracking system, it’s essential to revisit how you’re tracking user interactions on your site. This may require setting up new tags in Google Tag Manager and updating your tracking strategies to account for the event-based model.

Educate Your Team: Since GA4 is a more complex tool with a steeper learning curve, it’s crucial to educate your team on how to use it effectively. This includes understanding how to create custom reports, configure events, and use complementary tools like BigQuery and Data Studio for advanced analysis.

Monitor and Adjust: GA4 is continually evolving, and new features are being rolled out regularly. As you begin using GA4, monitor your data and adjust your configurations as needed to optimize your tracking and reporting. Over time, you’ll become more comfortable with its capabilities, and you’ll be able to unlock its full potential. page views, clicks, transactions, searches, and so on.

How Should I Approach A Full GA4 Migration?

If you are presently using Universal Analytics, you should begin preparing a migration to GA4 as soon as feasible so that you can perform an orderly migration rather than a frenzied dash in the spring and summer of 2023.

There are a few measures you can take right now to guarantee a seamless transition to GA4:

Make a list of all the Universal Analytics measures you already have. Make a list of the measurements you want to keep track of in GA4.
Create a design reference for GA4 solutions. Consider how to effectively arrange your GA4 account so that it can grow with your company in the future.
In GA4, create properties and data streams. It’s worth noting that you can now collect and analyse multiple web and mobile app data streams within a single property, so this will necessitate some careful planning.
Use the configuration tag in Google Tag Manager to activate your GA4 analytics tracking code on your site.
Establish a data-gathering system.
Allow for improved measurement events such as page views, scroll depth, file downloads, on-site search results, and video interaction (if applicable).
Create a tag management strategy and implement bespoke event tracking using Google Tag Manager’s event tag. Check that they correspond to any Universal Analytics custom events you want to collect in GA4.
Export raw event data from your GA4 properties to Google BigQuery for long-term storage without having to worry about GA4 data retention constraints.
Flow BigQuery data into your prefered Business Intelligence (BI) application (e.g., Data Studio or Tableau) for data visualisation and reporting.
Set a reminder for July 2023 to export your history data in Universal Analytics to guarantee you never lose access.

Universal Analytics Is Being Phased Out.

We understand that this process might be intimidating. Especially for those of us who have relied extensively on Universal Analytics over the previous decade. It’s easy to forget how much time we spent customizing metrics, and gathering data. And reporting figures to our liking—all from a single, handy interface. Not to mention that the Google Analytics community has spent the previous decade developing best practices. Templates, and tutorials to help its customers navigate the learning curve.

But now we must restart in GA4.

As we prepare to say our final goodbyes to Universal Analytics, which we have all come to know, love. And occasionally despise, we have the incredible chance to usher in and embrace the next generation of Google Analytics—a tool developed specifically for the future of digital analytics. We are making history as a group.

Tuhin Banik

Thatware | Founder & CEO

Tuhin is recognized across the globe for his vision to revolutionize digital transformation industry with the help of cutting-edge technology. He won bronze for India at the Stevie Awards USA as well as winning the India Business Awards, India Technology Award, Top 100 influential tech leaders from Analytics Insights, Clutch Global Front runner in digital marketing, founder of the fastest growing company in Asia by The CEO Magazine and is a TEDx speaker and BrightonSEO speaker.