Universal Analytics will be discontinued on July 1, 2024. How to prepare?

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Exporting data from Universal Analytics
To continue accessing your Universal Analytics property data, you must download or export it now. If you do not do so using one of the methods outlined in the Google Analytics Help Center , your data will be permanently deleted by Google and cannot be recovered. If you want to continue using the BigQuery integration to export historical data from your Universal Analytics 360 property, we strongly recommend that you begin the process immediately .

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Product Integrations
Any Universal Analytics data and settings you access or use through an advertiser, gmx email database list publisher, or other integration will no longer be available when the services are discontinued. For example:

Universal Analytics eCommerce goals and transactions will no longer measure conversions, even across linked ad accounts. This could impact the performance of ad campaigns if those conversions are used in conjunction with Smart Bidding.

Universal Analytics remarketing lists will be closed, which may impact the performance and media activation of advertising campaigns.

Requests to APIs for Universal Analytics properties will not be executed, including requests to delete Universal Analytics data via the User Deletion API. This also means that tools that rely on an API, such as Looker Studio, will not display Universal Analytics data.

BigQuery export and backfill of Universal Analytics 360 property data history will only be available until June 30, 2024. Data that has already been exported will continue to be available in BigQuery.

Projects in Google Analytics Attribution beta will be removed.

How to prepare for the end of Universal Analytics?
As we've discussed, you'll need to migrate all your data to Google Analytics 4. The sooner the better. Google Analytics 4 has replaced Universal Analytics. Here are some steps you can take to navigate this change:

Understand the Differences and Improvements in GA4 : Google Analytics 4 is the new default version of Google’s free web analytics tool, with massive changes to the interface and data model compared to Universal Analytics (UA), as well as cross-device reporting and the addition of Firebase features to unify measurement across multiple apps and websites. GA4 offers user-centric measurement, is not solely dependent on cookies, and works across all platforms, delivering an analytics experience more in line with the digital future.

Setting Up Properties in GA4: If you already use Universal Analytics, you can add a GA4 property to your current setup. This is done via the GA4 Setup Wizard in the Google Analytics interface, which will allow you to collect data in parallel with Universal Analytics without modifying your existing setup.

Data and Settings Migration : While Universal Analytics will no longer process new data, previously collected data will remain accessible for at least six months after the termination date. It is essential to begin moving your data and settings to GA4 as soon as possible to ensure a smooth transition.

Installing GA4 : You can install GA4 on your website in a number of ways, including direct integration into platforms like Wix or Squarespace if they support GA4, or by using the Google Analytics gtag.js tracking code. Another recommended option is through Google Tag Manager, by copying the GA4 measurement ID and setting up a new tag for GA4 within Tag Manager.

Verifying and Publishing Changes: It is crucial to test and verify that the GA4 tag is working correctly on your website before publishing changes. This can be done through the preview in Google Tag Manager and by watching the events in the DebugView section of GA4.

Remember that this transition is an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the new features and improvements offered by GA4, designed for more advanced and privacy-friendly web analytics. Starting early will allow you to better adapt to these new developments and take full advantage of GA4's capabilities for your data analysis.