Download un-sampled google analytics data and store it in a personal or corporate database. This gives you a full range of options for best-in-class tools that convert raw data into business intelligence.
- Microsoft,
- Tableau,
- Qliktech,
- IBM,
- SAP, and
- many other business intelligence tools.
You probably have your favourites, or tools that you already own and are trained in. Maybe these are even the same thing :).
BI tools definitely connect to databases, so let’s get going on showing you how easy it is to put your data into a database!
DOWNLOAD GOOGLE ANALYTICS DATA TO DATABASE — PROOF OF CONCEPT
If you don’t already have a database, then take ten minutes and follow the steps in this article: https://nextanalytics.com/takes-just-ten-minutes-setup-personal-database-using-free-mysql/
NEXT Analytics is a free software package that runs on your own computer. It lets you download data from Google Analytics, PIWIK, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Bing, Adwords, Facebook Ads, and others.
NEXT Analytics also provides free scripts that automatically download un-sampled Google Analytics data. They do need a minor modification to connect to your database. The “Connection String” is what needs to be changed, if you’re somewhat database savvy.
After that, they automatically download all the metrics and dimensions you might want into database tables.
You can automate it, run it each day, and download the previous day’s data.
After you have installed NEXT Analytics, you will have the necessary scripts on your computer. Get in touch with support and ask how to modify the Google Analytics samples to incorporate your Connection Strings.
It takes just a couple of minutes in Excel, and you’ll have a fully populated MYSQL database, on your own computer.
WORKING WITH BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE TOOLS — KEY BENEFITS
BI tools produce great dashboards, visualizations, and reports.
BI platforms deliver information to business using workflows that probably already exist in your organization. They’re robust and secure and the organization will more readily accept the solution you develop.
Databases make things easier to Integrate. Once web and social data is in a database, it is easier to integrate with other systems such as CRM or operational business systems or databases.
Broader range of expertise. And it’s easy to find people trained in BI.
No Risk, No Cost. By downloading data, you’re not giving up anything. It’s easy, fast, and costs nothing to try and only a little to operate.
More Scalable. You won’t run into volume of data issues. For example, you can store Google Analytics data this way, and never have to worry about Google Analytics Data Sampling. For advice on how to ensure your data isn’t sampled, please visit this article: https://nextanalytics.com/avoid-google-data-sampling-free/
Avoid proprietary Siloes. Google wants you to upload your data into Google and use their immature “Studio” and authoring and distribution tools to work with it there. There are privacy issues, as well that their Terms of Service restricts what you can actually do. Plus, developing solutions based on data uploaded to Google are slow, expensive, and high risk.