Google Analytics Integration
Google Analytics is a read-only GA4 Native Integration. It connects directly to Google Analytics 4 through Google’s APIs and syncs curated GA4 Reporting Datasets into Resplendent Data.
This integration does not support Universal Analytics. It also does not import raw events, BigQuery export data, realtime reports, user-level records, or arbitrary report-builder definitions.
Before you connect
Section titled “Before you connect”You’ll need:
- A Google account that can sign in to Google Analytics.
- GA4 Viewer Access or equivalent read access for the GA4 Property you want to connect.
- The correct GA4 Property identified in Google Analytics before setup, especially if your Google account can access multiple Google Analytics Accounts.
Setup instructions
Section titled “Setup instructions”Step 1: Start the connection
Section titled “Step 1: Start the connection”- Go to Settings → Integrations.
- Find Google Analytics and click Connect.
- Click Sign in with Google.
- Sign in with a Google account that has GA4 Viewer Access or equivalent read access.
- Approve the requested read-only Google Analytics access.
Allow popups if the browser blocks the Google sign-in window.
Step 2: Select a GA4 Property
Section titled “Step 2: Select a GA4 Property”After authorization, Resplendent Data lists the GA4 Properties your Google account can read.
Choose the GA4 Property you want this connection to target. Each option shows the Google Analytics Account name and Property ID so you can tell similar property names apart.
Each Google Analytics connection targets exactly one GA4 Property. To sync another GA4 Property, create another Google Analytics connection.
Step 3: Save and test
Section titled “Step 3: Save and test”Select a GA4 Property, then click Save & Test. The connection test checks that it can read a small GA4 report for that property.
If validation fails, confirm the signed-in Google account still has GA4 Viewer Access or equivalent read access. You may need to reconnect with another Google account, restore access in Google Analytics, or create a separate connection for a different GA4 Property.
GA4 Reporting Datasets
Section titled “GA4 Reporting Datasets”The GA4 Dataset Catalog includes curated GA4 Reporting Datasets in a fixed product-owned order. Each dataset uses a GA4 Fixed Dataset Schema: a product-defined set of GA4 Available Columns rather than property-discovered fields or arbitrary report-builder definitions.
| Dataset | Availability | What it covers | GA4 Required Columns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Website Overview | Always | Top-level website performance indicators for the selected GA4 Property. | GA4 Report Date and Active users. |
| Traffic Trends | Always | Traffic-volume trends over time for the selected GA4 Property. | GA4 Report Date and Active users. |
| Traffic Acquisition | Always | How sessions arrive at the selected GA4 Property. | GA4 Report Date and Sessions. |
| First-User Acquisition | Always | How first-time users originally arrive at the selected GA4 Property. | GA4 Report Date and New users. |
| Campaign Performance | Always | Session-scoped marketing campaign performance. | GA4 Report Date and Sessions. |
| Landing-Page Performance | Always | Session-entry landing page performance. | GA4 Report Date and Sessions. |
| Page and Screen Performance | Always | Content performance across pages and app screens. | GA4 Report Date and Views. |
| Event Activity | Always | Broad GA4 event activity. | GA4 Report Date and Event count. |
| Key-Event Performance | Always | GA4 event activity marked as key events in Google Analytics. | GA4 Report Date and Key events. |
| Geographic Performance | Always | Country and region performance for the selected GA4 Property. | GA4 Report Date and Active users. |
| Device and Technology Performance | Always | Common device and technology segments for the selected GA4 Property. | GA4 Report Date and Active users. |
| New Versus Returning Users | Always | New and returning user status for the selected GA4 Property. | GA4 Report Date and Active users. |
| Ecommerce Sales Summary | Conditional | Date-grain ecommerce sales activity when the property has completed sales data. | GA4 Report Date and Purchase revenue. |
| Lead-Generation Performance | Conditional | Date-grain generate_lead activity when the property reports lead activity. |
GA4 Report Date and Event count. |
Every GA4 Available Column starts selected by default. GA4 Required Columns stay locked because they keep the synced Dataset valid and useful. Optional columns, including optional dimensions and GA4 Property context columns where present, can be removed during normal dataset setup.
Each GA4 Reporting Dataset includes GA4 Report Date. GA4 Report Date is the calendar date for a GA4 Report Row in the connected GA4 Property’s reporting timezone.
Ecommerce Sales Summary appears during new dataset setup only when the selected GA4 Property has GA4 Ecommerce Sales Activity over the GA4 Reporting Window. It is date-grain aggregate sales reporting, not product-level, transaction-level, browse, cart, or checkout-only reporting.
Lead-Generation Performance appears during new dataset setup only when the selected GA4 Property has GA4 Lead-Generation Activity for GA4’s recommended generate_lead event over the GA4 Reporting Window. It does not infer leads from arbitrary key events, lead-like event names, CRM lead records, or user-configurable lead-event mapping.
If Resplendent Data cannot determine conditional dataset availability because Google returns quota, authorization, or API errors, setup surfaces the Google Analytics context instead of silently hiding the conditional dataset.
Selecting GA4 columns
Section titled “Selecting GA4 columns”When you preview or save a GA4 Reporting Dataset, Resplendent Data lets you choose from that dataset’s product-defined GA4 Available Columns. Resplendent Data does not scan the selected GA4 Property for metadata-derived columns, compatible custom GA4 dimensions, compatible custom GA4 metrics, or property-wide report fields.
You may remove optional columns you do not need. GA4 Required Columns cannot be removed.
Selected optional GA4 dimensions determine the report grain. Removing optional dimensions makes the Dataset less granular by collapsing rows to the remaining selected dimensions. Metrics and GA4 Property context columns do not define row identity.
How the data is shaped
Section titled “How the data is shaped”GA4 Reporting Datasets contain Aggregated GA4 Reporting Data. A GA4 Report Row represents report-grain data grouped by GA4 Report Date and the dataset’s dimensions.
This means the rows are not:
- Raw GA4 events
- Session logs
- User-level records
- BigQuery export rows
- Universal Analytics rows
Sync behavior
Section titled “Sync behavior”GA4 Reporting Datasets use Full Sync, not Incremental Sync. Incremental Sync needs a reliable ordering column that can act as a cursor, such as an updated-at column. GA4 Report Date is not a reliable cursor because recent dates can change after Google finishes processing.
The first sync and later Full Syncs refresh the same fixed 13-month GA4 Reporting Window. That window is the historical backfill on the first sync and the recurring refresh range afterward.
A Full Sync fails if the selected date range and dimensions would return more than 250,000 GA4 report rows. Narrow the selected dimensions, or contact support. The connector does not paginate past that limit yet.
When you change selected dimensions on a saved GA4 Reporting Dataset, the next sync refreshes rows at the new report grain. Old-grain rows are not kept in the same dataset. Changing selected metrics without changing selected dimensions does not change row identity.
GA4 Data Quality Warnings
Section titled “GA4 Data Quality Warnings”Google Analytics can report limitations on a response, such as thresholding, sampling, grouped low-volume rows, or schema restrictions. When Google reports one of these limitations, Resplendent Data surfaces a GA4 Data Quality Warning where the dataset preview or sync warning surfaces can show it.
These warnings mean the returned GA4 Reporting Data may differ from what you expect in the Google Analytics UI. Resplendent Data does not promise exact parity with Google Analytics UI totals because Google may apply reporting behavior that depends on privacy thresholds, sampling, attribution, selected dimensions, or other GA4 reporting rules.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”- Sign-in window does not open: Allow popups, then click Sign in with Google again.
- No GA4 Properties appear: Confirm the signed-in Google account has GA4 Viewer Access or equivalent read access to at least one GA4 Property.
- Connection test fails: Restore read access in Google Analytics, reconnect with a Google account that can read the selected GA4 Property, or create a separate connection for a different property.
- Cannot change the GA4 Property on a saved connection: Create a new Google Analytics connection for the other property. Existing datasets stay tied to the original property.
- Google Sheets is connected but Google Analytics is not: Authorize Google Analytics separately. Google Sheets authorization does not grant GA4 Read-Only Access.
- Sync fails because the report is too large: The selected dimensions produced more than 250,000 rows for the 13-month window. Remove optional dimensions to reduce grain, then sync again.
- A dataset returns zero rows: A valid zero-row GA4 response is treated as an empty dataset, not as a connection failure.
- Totals differ from the Google Analytics UI: Check for GA4 Data Quality Warnings and confirm that the dataset grain, date range, dimensions, and metrics match the comparison you are making.