Calculating Total Users in GA4 BigQuery

GA4 BigQuery

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Here is how you can calculate the total number of users in GA4 BigQuery.

GA4 defines ‘Total users’ as the total number of unique users who have logged an event.

The ‘Users’ metric is not available as the default field in the GA4 BigQuery export schema.

It needs to be calculated manually.

To calculate the total number of users, use ‘Common Table Expressions (CTEs)’ and count the unique values of the ‘user_pseudo_id’ event parameter:

‘user pseudo id event parameter

The ‘user_pseudo_id’ is an event parameter which is extracted as a string value. It is a unique identifier for a user. 

Let us suppose you want to query the data which meets the following requirements:

  1. You want to query data from a particular date range, say Jan 1 to Jan 31, 2024.
  2. You want to calculate the ‘Total users’ metric.

You can use the following SQL code:

WITH total_users_cte AS (

  SELECT

    COUNT(DISTINCT CAST(user_pseudo_id AS STRING)) AS total_users

  FROM

    `dbrt-ga4.analytics_207472454.events_*`

  WHERE

    _TABLE_SUFFIX BETWEEN ‘20240101’ AND ‘20240131’

)

SELECT

  total_users

FROM

  total_users_cte

Note: Make sure to use your own Table ID. Otherwise, the SQL won’t work.

Copy-paste the SQL code into the SQL editor of your GA4 BigQuery project and then click on the ‘Run’ button. 

You should now see the query result like the one below:

query results total users ga4 bigquery

That’s how you can calculate ‘total users’ in GA4 BigQuery.

Other articles on GA4 BigQuery

#1 BigQuery Introduction

  1. How to create a new Google Cloud Platform account.
  2. How to create a new BigQuery project.
  3. What is Google BigQuery Sandbox and how to use it.
  4. Understanding the BigQuery User Interface.
  5. What is BigQuery Data Transfer Service & how it works.
  6. How to create data transfer in BigQuery.
  7. Connect and transfer data from Google Sheets to BigQuery.
  8. How to access BigQuery Public Data Sets.
  9. Best Supermetrics Alternative – Dataddo.

#2 GA4 BigQuery Introduction

  1. Google Analytics 4 BigQuery Tutorial for Beginners to Advanced.
  2. GA4 Bigquery Export Schema Tutorial.
  3. GA4 BigQuery – Connect Google Analytics 4 with BigQuery.
  4. events_ & events_intraday_ tables in BigQuery for GA4 (Google Analytics 4).
  5. pseudonymous_users_ & users_ data tables in BigQuery for GA4 (Google Analytics 4).
  6. How to access GA4 Sample Data in BigQuery.
  7. Advantages of using Google BigQuery for Google Analytics 4.
  8. Impact of Google Advanced Consent Mode on BigQuery & GDPR.

#3 GA4 BigQuery Data Transfer

  1. How to Connect and Export Data from GA4 to BigQuery
  2. How to backfill GA4 data in BigQuery.
  3. How to overcome GA4 BigQuery Export limit.
  4. How to Send Custom GA4 Data to BigQuery.
  5. How to backup Universal Analytics data to BigQuery.
  6. How to send data from Google Ads to BigQuery.
  7. How to send data from Google Search Console to BigQuery.
  8. Sending data from Google Analytics to BigQuery without 360.
  9. How to send data from Facebook ads to BigQuery.
  10. How to pull custom data from Google Analytics to BigQuery.

#4 BigQuery Cost Optimization

  1. Guide to BigQuery Cost Optimization.
  2. Using Google Cloud pricing calculator for BigQuery.
  3. Cost of using BigQuery for Google Analytics 4.

#5 Query GA4 BigQuery Data

  1. How to query Google Analytics data in BigQuery.
  2. Query GA4 data in BigQuery without understanding SQL.
  3. Using GA4 BigQuery SQL generator to create SQL queries.
  4. New vs Returning users in GA4 BigQuery data table.
  5. GA4 BigQuery Composer Tutorial for ChatGPT.
  6. How to track GA4 BigQuery Schema Change.
  7. Calculating Sessions and Engaged Sessions in GA4 BigQuery.
  8. Calculating Total Users in GA4 BigQuery.

#6 GA4 to BigQuery Dimension/Metric Mapping.

  1. GA4 to BigQuery Mapping Tutorial.
  2. GA4 Attribution Dimensions to BigQuery Mapping.
  3. GA4 Google Ads Dimensions to BigQuery Mapping.
  4. GA4 Demographic Dimensions to BigQuery Mapping.
  5. GA4 Ecommerce Dimensions to BigQuery Mapping.
  6. GA4 Event-Scoped Ecommerce Metrics to BigQuery Mapping.
  7. GA4 Item-Scoped Ecommerce Metrics to BigQuery Mapping.
  8. GA4 Revenue Metrics to BigQuery Mapping.
  9. GA4 Event Dimensions to BigQuery Mapping.
  10. GA4 Event Metrics to BigQuery Mapping.
  11. GA4 Geography Dimensions to BigQuery Mapping.
  12. GA4 Link Dimensions to BigQuery Mapping.
  13. GA4 Page/Screen Dimensions to BigQuery Mapping.
  14. GA4 Page/Screen Metrics to BigQuery Mapping.
  15. GA4 Platform/Device Dimensions to BigQuery Mapping.
  16. GA4 User-Scoped Traffic Dimensions to BigQuery Mapping.
  17. GA4 Session-Scoped Traffic Dimensions to BigQuery Mapping.
  18. GA4 Session Metrics to BigQuery Mapping.
  19. GA4 User Dimensions to BigQuery Mapping.
  20. GA4 User Metrics to BigQuery Mapping.
  21. GA4 Advertising Metrics to BigQuery Mapping.

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