Bye Bye Univeral Analytics

Google just email blasted you, your clients and your bosses with a little bit of a heater a few days ago.  In that email, they reminded us that it will cease all Universal Analytics (UA) services and APIs starting July 1. The transition to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) properties means that from July onwards, accessing UA properties via the Google Analytics interface and APIs will be discontinued.  Duh.  But yeah.

Google is urging everyone to migrate to GA4 and if you haven't already - then you have really bungled something serious somewhere. 

Why This Matters: Failing to download or export your UA data before the service is completely phased out will result in the permanent deletion of that data by Google, making recovery impossible. This loss could significantly affect the performance of your campaigns and get you in hot water with your clients and your upper management.

Exporting Your Data: To maintain your UA data, follow the export guidelines available in the Google Analytics Help Center. Users of Universal Analytics 360 who wish to export historical data via BigQuery are advised to begin that process without delay to avoid data loss.  You can use tools like Windsor.io and other platforms to export your data from UA into a digestable format as well as just your regular ole spreadsheet export.

Implications of the Change: With the discontinuation of Universal Analytics services, several functionalities will be affected:

• The tracking of new conversions, including goals and ecommerce transactions, will come to a halt. This cessation also applies to conversions within linked advertising accounts, potentially diminishing ad campaign effectiveness, particularly for those utilizing Smart Bidding strategies.
• Universal Analytics audience lists will be deactivated, possibly impacting ad campaigns that depend on these lists for targeting purposes.
• API requests for Universal Analytics properties will no longer be successful. This includes deletion requests via the User Deletion API, affecting tools like Looker Studio, which will be unable to display Universal Analytics data.
• The opportunity to request BigQuery exports and backfill historical data from Universal Analytics 360 properties is available only until June 30. Data previously exported to BigQuery will remain accessible.
• Google Analytics' Attribution Projects in beta will also be discontinued and deleted.

This transition marks a pivotal shift in how data analytics will be managed, emphasizing the importance of preparing and adapting to Google Analytics 4 as the new standard.