This entry was created out of curiosity about the upcoming and still happening changes in Google Analytics 4. The entry will cover advanced topics, but I will do my best to describe it in the most understandable way possible. So here we go as we begin the adventure of learning together about Measurement Protocol and the intricacies of this fascinating tool. Enjoy your reading!
What is the Measurement Protocol used for?
In the simplest terms, the data measurement protocol, is responsible for collecting various sales information and presenting it to us in a simple and clear form. However, in order to tell the system that is Google Analytics 4 exactly what data we provide and where it comes from, we need to describe the entire process in detail. I encourage you to watch a short video from Google in which they explain what such measurement is used for.
What to measure in this way?
Although the implementation itself requires programming expertise, just planning what to measure and how to measure it can be written down by anyone.
Sample data:
- send all events from the application
- custom sales (kiosks, watches)
- offline conversions
- cross-device measurement
- combine Client ID with User ID
- transfer data directly to server
The image chart below shows where your data sources can come from. On the right are the applications that contact the server thanks to Firebase. At the same time, the web page sends the data, and the server passes the data on to the appropriate place: to GA, to API or to Big Query.
Where to look for knowledge?
If you are a developer and are looking for reliable sources, take a look at Google’s documentation:
- https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6086079
- https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/protocol/ga4 (GA4)
- https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/protocol/v1/ (UA)
Summary
This entry was intended to give a little insight into Measurement Protocol for GA4. I hope you found the entry interesting and encouraged you to continue learning and gaining knowledge so that someday the above advice can be put into practice. In any case, there’s never enough knowledge and if you think the same, I’d be glad if you share my post on your socials or let me know if it’s useful to you.
Read you soon!