Note: Google Data Studio is now known as Looker Studio.
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) gives you insight into website performance, how users come to your website, and their behaviour.
You can use Looker Studio to visualize the same data available in Google Analytics for more in-depth and detailed insights.
In this article, I will discuss how you can connect Looker Studio to your GA4 property and a few basic reporting configurations.
Please note that connecting your Google Analytics 4 property to Looker Studio is still in beta version and is a lab feature; hence, many new improvements and features will be expected soon.
Step-4: Click on ‘Create’ and then click on ‘Data Source’:
Step-5: Select ‘Google Analytics’ from the available data sources:
Step-6: An overlay will appear like below. It contains the list of Google Analytics accounts to which you have access. Now select the account which has Google Analytics 4 property:
Step-7: Now select your GA4 property from the new overlay that appears on the right-hand side of the clicked account:
Step-8: Now click on ‘Connect’. It will connect the data source with the data source schema:
Step-9: You will get the below screen where you can modify or define new schemas:
You get all the dimensions and metrics from the Google Analytics 4 property in the fields option. The ‘Type’ field describes the data type of the metric/dimension. You also get an option aggregation method for all the metrics and dimensions.
Step-10: Now click on ‘Create report’.
Congratulations!! You have successfully connected your Looker Studio account to your Google Analytics 4 Property.
You can now start building your dashboard for the GA4 property.
Google is actively working to introduce new features to Looker Studio for GA4 properties.
Since GA4 analytics properties are very different from the earlier legacy version of Google Analytics (Universal Analytics), it isn’t easy to accommodate all the new features of GA4 in the current Looker Studio available options.
Even though you can connect the GA4 property with Looker Studio, it does have some limitations:
No data control option
Currently, you cannot use a data control option for Google Analytics properties. A data control option allows you to select the account, property, and view that provides the data to the report in Looker Studio.
This makes it easy for you to share reports with colleges who want to use that report with their own data or another account or view. Using a data control eliminates the need to create separate reports and data sources for your various accounts. I guess soon there will be another type of data control option.
No segment options
Since segments are not a part of Google Analytics 4 properties, you won’t get this functionality in Looker Studio as well. Now the segments are replaced by ‘Audiences’ in GA4, where you can define the conditions to filter the users. However, you won’t see the same functionality to select the audience available in Looker Studio.
Adding Custom Dimensions and Metrics
In GA4, you can create custom dimensions (Event scoped and user scoped) and custom metrics. These custom dimensions are available to use in Looker Studio.
You cannot add custom created metrics in Looker Studio
Earlier in Looker Studio, you couldn’t add the custom dimension you created in Google Analytics 4, but now Looker studio supports all the custom dimensions of GA4.
You can add custom created metrics in Looker Studio
Earlier in Looker Studio, you couldn’t add the custom metrics you created in Google Analytics 4, but now Looker studio supports all the custom metrics of GA4.
There is also a way to have all your reporting needs, and you can connect both your Google Analytics properties (Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4) to the Looker Studio report. This way, you will benefit from both versions in one place.
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