The Google Analytics platform lets you measure user interactions with your business across various devices and environments at Google speed and scale. With the collection APIs and SDKs - Google-provided libraries that sit on top of the Google Analytics Measurement Protocol - you can measure how users interact with your content and marketing initiatives. Once implemented, you will be able to view user-interaction data within the Google Analytics client interfaces (web/app UI) and continue making configuration changes in the Admin and Google Tag Manager UI. However, there are several features and APIs which allow you to both review reports and apply changes outside of the interface.
Share and Display Reports
Utilizing the features, integrations, and Reporting APIs listed below provide a simple and powerful means to retrieve report data from Google Analytics outside of the web or mobile app. These reporting options allow you to save time with automation, provide access options for report consumers and integration Google Analytics data with your own business data for deeper insights.
Highlights of available options are listed below:
Analytics Report Dashboards
Best Used For: Instant dashboards in Google Analytics UI that can be emailed and sent via PDF
Associated Skill Set: Any Google Analytics User
Benefits:
- Currently available within current Google Analytics reporting interface
- No technical resources needed
- Able to email out on schedule and export via PDF
- Lots of room to expand and add other widgets
- Highest level of support through Google Analytics 360 Support
- Solutions Gallery with pre-built dashboards
Considerations:
- Some reports cannot be added to dashboard but can be recreated in custom report
- Visualization controls somewhat limited
- Applied to only one property within a dashboard
Resources:
Looker Studio Integration
Best Used For: Instant dashboards with more visual control and ability to report alongside outside data
Associated Skill Set: Any Google Analytics User
Benefits:
- Open to all users
- Easy and native connection between Google Analytics and Looker Studio
- Can report on multiple Google Analytics properties within one report (either on one page or multiple pages)
- Can connect to other data sources (BigQuery, Sheets, etc.) to blend with third party data
- Users can optionally control dates, apply any available filtering, and interact to learn more
- Can add text context to widgets and customize with logos, colors, etc.
- Access requirements controllable via Looker Studio Data source ownership and sharing configuration (similar to Google Sheets). Can configure so no login is required.
Considerations:
- Can share with others via URL only (at this time) and reports are viewed on Looker Studio
Resources:
BigQuery Integration
Best Used For: Retrieving raw Google Analytics 360 data, compiling with other outside data, and displaying custom reporting
Associated Skill Set: Technical resources required and familiarity with SQL
Benefits:
- Scheduled batch of raw data eliminates some limitations seen in Google Analytics 360 reports and APIs
- Useful if other visualization tools are already used on internally
- Best solution for joining and linking with outside data
- Google Analytics 360 coupon code for use in BigQuery Projects
Considerations:
- Requires technical resource to configure setup and create queries and/or connection to other visualization tools
- Potential additional costs depending on usage
Resources:
Core Reporting API & Sheets Plugin
Summary: Report access feature to create technical queries to compile report data and display as desired
Best Used For: Retrieving and displaying reports outside of Google Analytics (or Google Marketing Platform) interface
Associated Skill Set: Technical resources required and familiarity with Java, Python, PHP or JavaScript
Benefits:
- Integration with Google Sheets Plugin and other 3rd party tools
- Sheets add-on can auto run reports, leverage visualization components, and embed on websites
- Can compile requests and report on multiple properties into a single created report
Considerations:
- Direct API use requires technical resource to configure API calls and display of reports
- Sheets add-on requires GA authorization to configure but can be shared with Sheets sharing mechanism
Resources:
Embed API
Best Used For: Retrieving and displaying reports outside of Google Analytics (or Google Marketing Platform) interface
Associated Skill Set: Technical resources required familiar with JavaScript
Benefits:
- Accessible way to retrieve Google Analytics report data explicitly designed for embedded website use
- Allows users the ability to manipulate the date range
- Reports can range from very simple to more complicated as desired
Considerations:
- Requires technical resource to pull javascript elements and embed in site HTML
- Will need to complete style changes with CSS Updates (or use visualization library)
- Requires Google Analytics authorization by default but has option to configure server side authorization
Resources:
Make Configuration Changes
Google Analytics also provides programmatic access to configuration data through the Management API.
The developer documentation provides sample code to get started with each API. Working with the APIs involves authenticating and authorizing a user, creating an Analytics Service Object, issuing commands to the API and handling the responses. As such, it is recommended to have a look at these examples to become familiar with the functionality of the APIs.
- Management API: Allows you to automate Google Analytics account setup and configuration changes. This can be beneficial for accounts with several properties and views with a need to bulk add and edit settings such as users, custom dimensions, goals, etc.
- Google Tag Manager API: The Google Tag Manager API provides access to Google Tag Manager configuration data. The API exposes multiple Google Tag Manager configuration entities, organized hierarchically: Each user's Accounts resource can have one or more Containers, each of which can have one or more Macros / Variables, Rules / Triggers, Tags, and Versions. A Permission resource allows you to manage user permissions at the Accounts level.