External Data

According to Google, the most common way to get data into Google Analytics is through your tracking code, but you can also add data from other sources. By adding data into Google Analytics, you can give more context to your analysis. There are two ways to add data into your Google Analytics account without using the tracking code: through account linking and through Data Import.

Also, according to Google, the Measurement Protocol lets you send data to Google Analytics from any web-connected device. Recall that the Google Analytics JavaScript and mobile SDKs automatically build hits to send data to Google Analytics. However, when you want to collect data from a different device, you must manually build the data collection hits. The Measurement Protocol defines how to construct the hits and how to send them to Google Analytics.

According to Google, you can add data to Google Analytics using the Data Import feature. This might include advertising data, customer data, product data, or any other data. Specifically, with Dimension Widening, you can import just about any data into Google Analytics. For example, if you’re a publisher you might want to segment your data based on the author and topic of your online articles. While this data is not normally collected by Google Analytics, you might have it stored in an internal system.

Also, according to Google, the Measurement Protocol lets you send data to Google Analytics from any web-connected device. Recall that the Google Analytics JavaScript and mobile SDKs automatically build hits to send data to Google Analytics. However, when you want to collect data from a different device, you must manually build the data collection hits. The Measurement Protocol defines how to construct the hits and how to send them to Google Analytics.

According to Google, like the JavaScript and mobile SDKs which include a tracking ID with each hit, you must also add a tracking ID to every hit you send to Google Analytics through the Measurement Protocol. This will ensure that the data appears in your specific Analytics account and property.

According to Google, you can link various Google products directly to Google Analytics via your account settings. This includes:

• Google AdWords
• Google AdSense
• Google Webmaster Tools

When you link a product, data from that product flows into your Analytics account. For example, if you link AdWords to Google Analytics, you’ll see your AdWords click, impression and cost data in your Analytics reports.

Also, with Dimension Widening, you can import just about any data into Google Analytics. For example, if you’re a publisher you might want to segment your data based on the author and topic of your online articles. While this data is not normally collected by Google Analytics, you might have it stored in an internal system.

With Dimension Widening, you could import author and topic as new dimensions for your content pages. You could use each article’s page URL as the “key” that links the new data to your existing Google Analytics data. Once added, author and topic would be treated just like any other dimensions in Google Analytics — you could add these dimensions to custom reports, dashboards or segments.

You can add data using Dimension Widening either by uploading a file or by using the Google Analytics APIs. Uploading a file, like a spreadsheet or .CSV, is easy, but it can be time consuming if you need add data often.

Also, you can use the data import that is called Cost Data Import. You use this feature specifically to add data that shows the amount of money you spent on your non-Google advertising. Importing cost data lets Google Analytics calculate the return-on-investment of your non-Google ads. This is helpful when you want to compare the performance of your advertising campaigns.

According to Google, to import data into Google Analytics there must a “key” that exists both in the data that Google Analytics collects and in the data you want to import. The key is the common element that connects the two sets of data.

According to Google, you can add data using Dimension Widening either by uploading a file or by using the Google Analytics APIs. Uploading a file, like a spreadsheet or .CSV, is easy, but it can be time consuming if you need add data often. To save time, you can build a program that uses the APIs to automatically send data into Google Analytics on a regular basis.