How to archive your Universal Analytics data

If you didn’t know already, last year Google announced that they were ditching universal analytics in favour of Google Analytics 4. This means that as of July 1st 2023, all standard Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits, (2024 for anyone with the premium version, Google Analytics 360). You can find out more about this in our previous blog.

Having access to older comparable data is necessary for future planning. It lets you benchmark your previous work, spot trends and assess how your customers react to your content. Whether you’re a marketer who needs to know where traffic is coming from, or a web designer who needs to see which pages on the site are most popular—having access to this historical data informs your decision making.

While universal analytics will stop collecting data this year, it’s unclear how long the data will be available following this. Google will need to remove this data for a number of reasons including user privacy, data storage, memory, and more. 

Google has previously said it could be available for up to six months, but it’s possible that this timeline could change. Regardless, we know that our current data will not be accessible or downloadable from the platform at some point in the future. That’s why you need to implement an archiving strategy. 

Downloading your older data is a great way to ensure that you still have access to your records so that you can make informed decisions. Unfortunately, you can’t just transfer data from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 as the two platforms have different methodologies for collecting and storing data. That means you need to decide which archiving option works for you. 

Export Manually to Excel or CSV

Universal analytics allows you to export your data manually. While this is a simple and cost effective resolution, it’s also the most time consuming. You’d need to decide exactly what data you want to keep, export each individual page (Analytics exports the report as it is currently displayed on your screen, so make sure that you've applied your desired date range and report settings), and then manually save to your drive. 

This could work if you only have a small range of data you want to keep, but the storing and categorising of larger amounts will likely make this method a lot less practical. 

Export to Google Sheets

Did you know that Google analytics has an add-on connecting you to Google sheets? This lets you save all your data to your Google drive and is slightly less time consuming as you can automate exporting historical data from Google Analytics to Google Sheets on a schedule. You just need to make sure you have the Google Analytics spreadsheet add-on.

Watch the tutorial below for an introduction or check out Google's full guide to the add-on. 

Despite both options being viable depending on your situation, you should still be aware of the various limitations they present. For example, with these methods, you won't be able to access raw data such as client_id.

Google Analytics Reporting API (V4)

This API gives you programmatic access to your historical data in Universal Analytics, letting you archive large amounts of data. The Core Reporting API provides access to most reporting data in Google Analytics, making it a great option for your migration to GA4.

Depending on the amount and detail of your analytics, you may need some basic coding knowledge. So, this option might not be suitable for you.

Data Warehouse Specialist

Another option would be utilising a data warehouse specialist. They’re responsible for developing processes and procedures for data management across an organisation’s multiple data sources and creating software applications or computer programs that accomplish the tasks necessary for data storage and management. While this is a more costly option, the data will be usable along with GA4 data as the data specialists will be able to organise all historic data appropriately for your exact needs.

Hire an agency

Our Digital Marketing experts have helped so many of our clients prepare for the move to Google Analytics 4. With the help of our experienced developers, we can handle the time-consuming task easily, allowing your team to manage their regular workload— stress free. 

Additionally, we’ll be able to show you around the new and improved GA4, providing training and support to help with your reporting and future work where needed.

Want to talk about your options in depth or start your move today? Get in touch.