What is Google going to delete?
On July 1, 2024, Google will delete all the historical data in your Universal Analytics account.
Some companies have many years of data tracked through their Google Analytics properties, which they use for retrospective analysis and comparing key metrics to historical data.
Here’s what Google said:
“Starting the week of July 1, 2024: You won't be able to access any Universal Analytics properties or the API (not even with read-only access), and all data will be deleted. While the standard sunset took weeks to complete, the full Universal Analytics shutdown will happen within a week. We know your data is important to you, and we recommend that you export your previously processed data before this date.”
Why is Google doing this?
When announcing GA4 Google always planned to delete Universal Analytics. We just didn’t know when. As you can imagine Google Analytics is constantly collecting huge amounts of data every second of every day. While inconvenient for the end-user, Google’s deletion of Universal Analytics data will allow the tech giant to free up a significant amount of server space, streamline operations, and ensure compliance with evolving consumer privacy standards, which were factored into the development of GA4.
How to export your Universal Analytics data
As a data-led decision-making agency, FUZE Agency constantly uses data to inform strategies, review year on year campaign performance trends, and analyse changes in user behaviour over time (pre-and-post COVID). We believe holding onto a copy of this data can be crucial in future planning for your digital marketing strategy.
Manual Export: For youthful websites, or those with minimal traffic, a manual export is a recommended option. For ease of sorting and filtering, export data into Google Sheets or an Excel spreadsheet. Step-by-step help on how to do this can be found here on Google Support here.
Data Warehouses: For mature websites or those that rely on complex data analysis and reporting, relying on the services of a third-party data warehouse is likely the best solution. Data warehouses can store massive amounts of data, either on their own servers or in the cloud. Pricing varies depending on the amount of data being queried and stored, but cloud-based data warehouses are often more affordable than server storage.
In addition to Google’s own cloud-based data warehouse, Google BigQuery, alternatives like Amazon Redshift, Snowflake, and Oracle Analytics Cloud also may be worth exploring.
Connecting to data warehouses can require quite a bit of technical know-how. For organisations without in-house data teams, FUZE Agency can help with recommending a list of companies offering to make warehouse connections and export Analytics data through API integrations or other proprietary solutions.
The final retirement of Universal Analytics marks a significant milestone in the evolution of digital analytics. Google Analytics 4 represents the future of data tracking and analysis, offering businesses a powerful tool to navigate the complexities of the digital ecosystem. By embracing GA4, businesses can gain deeper insights into user behaviour, optimise their marketing efforts, and stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
If you want to secure you Universal Analytics data and are unsure where to start, get in touch with the FUZE Agency team today.
01206 803999
hello@fuzeagency.co.uk
