What tool can connect the data from your offline business systems with that of Google Analytics collected online?
- Data Import
- User ID
- AdWords Linking
- Goal tracking
Here’s why:
Integrate your digital and physical worlds with Data Import: join the data from your offline business operations to Analytics’ online records. It allows you to understand, process, and act on this consolidated view in ways that meet your organization’s individual needs. For example, if you are a web publisher, combine hits collected by Analytics with CMS or CRM system details – allowing you to track how much each author contributes to the success of your website!
Data types that can be imported
There are three points in the data collecting and processing pipeline where you can use Data Import to upload and integrate data with your Analytics account.
Hit-data import
The ability to import hit data into Analytics is a powerful tool. It can be used as an alternate method to the measurement protocol, mobile SDKs, and collection API. While imported hits are added to your Analytics property before processing, actions taken during processing, such as filters, may alter your imported data. When you import hits, all reporting views for a given property will have access to those numbers (unless you specifically filter them from selected views).
The following file formats can be imported using this method:
- Refund Data—By importing e-commerce refund data, you may harmonize your internal e-commerce reporting with Analytics.
Extended-data import
Importing extended data supplements (extends) the information that has been or is being gathered and processed for the chosen reporting perspectives. In most circumstances, this additional information is saved in a custom dimension or metric; nevertheless, there are times when it is necessary to replace the standard data (as when importing a campaign’s Source or Medium dimension).
The following file formats are supported during uploads:
- dUser Data—Use imported user metadata (such as loyalty score or LTV) to inform your segmentation and remarketing efforts.
- Campaign Data—You can import ad campaign-related dimensions, such as source, to expand and reuse your current non-Google campaign codes.
- Geographical Data—You may tailor your Analytics reporting and analysis by creating geographic zones reflecting your company’s structure.
- Content Data—categorize material based on imported metadata such as author, publication date, and article kind.
- Product Data—Importing product metadata like size, color, style, and other dimensions will help you acquire better retail insights.
- Custom Data—allows for user-supplied data to be imported.
Summary-data import
Summary data import will enable you to add or update information as it becomes available, which is helpful when data is received in chunks sometime after hit collection. Metrics can be summed up when importing summary data. After data has been processed and aggregated, the imported summary data is applied to the chosen reporting views.
At present, the following import formats are available for use with summary data:
- Cost Data—Add data on clicks, costs, and impressions from non-Google ad networks to get a fuller picture of your advertising budget.
Accessing Data Import.
To access Data Import:
- Launch Google Analytics by logging in.
- Choose Admin, then the location where you wish to save the file.
- Choose Data Import under PROPERTY.
- The Data Sets index is shown.
- To import data, choose an existing data set or make a new one.
The Process of Importing Data
To use Data Import, you must first upload text files containing data from outside of Analytics. Often, this data is imported from an offline enterprise application (for example, your CRM or CMS system). If the amount of data you must upload is minimal, you can do it manually in a text editor or spreadsheet.
Your reports, segments, and remarketing audiences can all be improved by importing data to suit your business. Using Data Import, you may combine the information you’ve collected offline with the standard hit data Analytics collected from your websites, mobile apps, or other devices. Your users’ online and offline behavior can be more accurately reflected.
Uploading Data
There are two ways to upload information:
- Go to Analytics > Admin > (Property) > Data Import from the main menu.
- Using the Analytics Administration API
Data collected for that Property via Javascript tracking code, mobile SDK, or measurement protocol is supplemented or altered by the submitted data.
Importing Data: How It’s Done Online and Offline
Data Sets are created during the configuration of Data Import, and each Data Set defines one or more dimensions to be used as a key. Data Import employs this key to correlate uploaded data with your hit data. The remainder of your data import is kept in the dimensions and metrics you define in the Data Set. In addition to the typical data acquired by the website tracking code, mobile SDK, or Measurement Protocol, imported data can be used in reports, remarketing audiences, and other Analytics tools. The dimensions and metrics of the imported data might be either standard or user-defined.