GA4 Attribution Dimensions to BigQuery Mapping

By mapping GA4 attribution dimensions to BigQuery fields, you can see the various touchpoints (e.g., organic search, social media ads, email marketing) that led users to a conversion event (e.g., purchase, sign-up).

This breakdown allows you to identify the most effective channels and campaigns to drive conversions.

Here’s a breakdown of GA4 Attribution Dimensions and their corresponding BigQuery fields:

GA4 Attribution DimensionWhat it isBigQuery Field Name (Formula)
Campaign / Campaign IDRepresents the name and ID of a promotion or marketing campaign that led to a key event.traffic_source.campaign AS campaign_name, traffic_source.campaign_id AS campaign_id
Default channel groupChannel groupings are rule-based definitions of your traffic sources.traffic_source.medium AS default_channel_group (Note: This is a simplification and might not accurately reflect actual channel grouping logic.)
Manual campaign IDDisplays the ID of a specific campaign or promotion from the click URL or campaign_details event.traffic_source.manual_campaign_id AS manual_campaign_id
Manual campaign nameShows the specific campaign or promotion name from the click URL or campaign_details event.traffic_source.manual_campaign_name AS manual_campaign_name
Manual ad contentIndicates the creative content used from the click URL or campaign_details event.traffic_source.manual_ad_content AS manual_ad_content
Manual mediumRepresents the marketing medium from the click URL or campaign_details event.traffic_source.manual_medium AS manual_medium
Manual sourceIdentifies the referrer from the click URL or campaign_details event.traffic_source.manual_source AS manual_source
Manual source / mediumCombines the source and medium from the click URL or campaign_details event.CONCAT(traffic_source.manual_source, ' / ', traffic_source.manual_medium) AS manual_source_medium
Manual source platformShows the source platform, noted as ‘Manual’, from the click URL or campaign_details event.traffic_source.manual_source AS manual_source_platform (Note: This might not accurately represent a platform.)
Manual termDisplays the paid keyword from the click URL or campaign_details event.traffic_source.manual_term AS manual_term
MediumDescribes the method of acquiring users.traffic_source.medium AS medium
SourceA representation of where traffic originates.traffic_source.source AS source
Source / mediumDetails the source and medium that led a user to your website or application.CONCAT(traffic_source.source, ' / ', traffic_source.medium) AS source_medium
Source platformIdentifies the platform managing buying activity.traffic_source.source AS source_platform (Note: This might not accurately represent a platform.)

Some fields, such as ‘Manual source platform’ and ‘Source platform’, do not have a direct corresponding field in the BigQuery export schema.

These dimensions are typically derived from other fields or a combination of fields. 

The ‘Default channel group’ is not a direct field but can be derived from ‘traffic_source.medium’ and other traffic source fields based on the rules defined for channel groupings.

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Himanshu Sharma

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