Unraveling the Transition from GAU to GA4: A Complete Guide
Check out DP6’s exclusive analysis of GAU’s discontinued features and their GA4 equivalents
Google Analytics 4, better known as GA4, is Google’s next-generation metrics solution that has replaced its old version: Google Analytics Universal (GAU).
In July last year (2023) the GAU properties stopped processing new data and as of July 1st this year, users will lose access to its interface and API. Therefore, in order to keep measuring your site’s metrics, you need a GA4 property.
But we already knew this, we’ve even talked about it at length here on the DP6 blog, but let’s break down what has happened so far regarding the migration from GAU to GA4.
- March 2023: if you haven’t manually migrated your active GAU standard property and you haven’t disabled the automatic generation of properties, google has created a GA4 property for you, and the GA4 properties automatically generated by Google reuse the tags on your site (this whenever possible).
- July 2023: Standard GAU properties stopped processing hits.
Now the next steps in the timeline for the move from GAU to GA4 are that, as of the week of July 1 this year, it will no longer be possible to access GAU properties or the API (not even with read-only access), and all data will be deleted. Although the standard deactivation took weeks, the complete shutdown of Universal Analytics will take place within a week. It is therefore recommended that you export the data you have already processed before that date!
If you are a Google Analytics Universal 360 customer, migration to GA4 is necessary because the regulatory and technological ecosystem is constantly changing. As Google reallocates resources to focus on GA4 development, it is not possible to guarantee that all Universal Analytics 360 features will continue to function normally, so it is recommended that Universal Analytics 360 users migrate to Google Analytics 4 and complete the export of historical data by March 2024. This will ease the transition to GA4, allowing users 3 months to validate the data and settings.
Some GAU features are already being turned off and are no longer supported by Google, so migration to GA4 is extremely necessary. See which features are being discontinued and their schedule:
January 29, 2024
Advertising features:
- Realtime reports
Measurement features:
- Lifetime Value report
- Model Explorer
- Cohort Analysis
- iTunes Conversion Tracking
- Conversion Probability report
- GDN Impression Beta
March 2024
Advertising features:
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Deprecated for traffic in the European Economic Area (EEA): these features will continue to be available for traffic outside of the EEA.
- Remarketing, conversion export and bidding optimization
- Daily BigQuery Export of data provided by linked Google advertising products: Google Ads, Search Ads 360, Display Video 360, Campaign Manager 360, Google AdSense, and Google Ad Manager
- Drop of ad-click identifiers such as GCLID and DCLID can impact conversion to ad click attribution from Google Ads, Publisher, and GMP Media integrations. There may be an increase in direct/none or google/organic traffic unless UTM parameters are present in the URL.
Deprecated for all traffic: these features will no longer be supported inside or outside the EEA.
- Demographic and Interest reports
- Publisher reporting
- Phone Analytics
- Event and Salesforce Data Import
- Realtime BigQuery Export
Measurement features:
Deprecated for all traffic: these features will no longer be supported inside or outside the EEA.
- Universal Analytics property creation
- App Views in Universal Analytics that receive data via the UA SDK or Measurement Protocol.
- Unsampled reports. All queries above 1 million sessions will now be subject to sampling.
- Custom Tables
- Annotations
Migrating to GA4 with the help of DP6 not only ensures continuity of operations, but also takes advantage of the new platform’s more advanced functionalities. We are committed to providing a smooth transition and maximizing the potential of your data to drive the success of your digital strategy. Contact us to start your journey to Google Analytics 4 with confidence and effectiveness.
Check out DP6’s other content on GA4 below:
- Migration to GA4: Everything you need to know — DP6 Infographic
- 5 things they didn’t tell you about migrating to GA4
References:
Profile of the Author: Bianca Lopomo | Passionate about the world of data-driven marketing. Graduated in Marketing from the University of São Paulo (USP). Currently Marketing Analyst at DP6.
