Near Data Import

Go a unified view of your information

Data Import lets you lot upload information from external sources and combine it with data you lot collect via Analytics. You can so use Analytics to organize and analyze all of your information in ways that better reflect your business.

In this commodity :

  • Why use Data Import
  • Types of information you lot can import
  • Where is Data Import?
  • How Information Import works
  • Next steps
  • Related resources

Why apply Data Import?

If you use a variety of systems and tools to run your business, you tin utilise Analytics to join and analyze that data in 1 place. For example, you tin plough split CRM data, ecommerce data, and Analytics data into a single comprehensive view of your business organisation.

Each concern system you use generates its ain data store. Your CRM might contain information like customer-loyalty rating, lifetime value and production preferences. If you lot are a web publisher, your content management tool probably stores data dimensions such as writer and article category. If you are an ecommerce business, you lot might create catalogs that describe your products according to prices, style, size, etc. And (since you're reading this), you near likely use Analytics to rails traffic and performance for your websites, mobile apps or appliances. Typically, this information exists in its own "information silo," unaffected and uninformed past the data in other silos.

Information Import lets you join the data generated by your offline business organization systems with the online information collected past Analytics. This tin can aid you lot organize, analyze and human action upon this unified information view in ways that are meliorate aligned with your specific and unique business needs. For example, equally a web publisher, you could bring together hits nerveless by Analytics with data dimensions exported from your CMS and CRM systems to analyze the relative contributions of authors to your site.

Types of data you tin import

Information Import lets you lot upload and integrate information with your Analytics account at 3 different points in the data collection and processing chain.

Hit-data import

Striking-data import lets you transport hitting information directly into Analytics. This provides an alternative to using the tracking code, Collection API, the Mobile SDKs, or the Measurement Protocol. Imported hits are added to your Analytics belongings prior to any processing; therefore, your imported data may exist affected past processing-fourth dimension deportment, such as filters. Considering y'all are importing hits, this data can be seen past all reporting views for that belongings (unless you specifically filter them from selected views).

This type of import supports uploading the following types of data:

  • Refund Data—marshal your internal ecommerce reporting with Analytics by importing ecommerce refund information.

Extended-information import

Extended-information import adds to (extends) the data already collected and processed, or existence processed, for the selected reporting views. Typically, this extended data is stored in a custom dimension or metric, though in some cases you might want to overwrite the default information already gathered (for instance, importing a campaign's Source or Medium dimension).

You tin upload the following data types:

  • User Information—create segments and remarketing lists that incorporate imported user metadata, such as a loyalty rating or lifetime customer value.
  • Campaign Information—expand and reuse your existing non-Google campaign codes by importing ad campaign-related dimensions, such every bit source.
  • Geographical Information—create custom geographical regions, allowing you to written report on and analyze Analytics data in means that are better aligned with your business' organization.
  • Content Data—group content using imported content metadata, such as author, date published, and commodity category.
  • Production Data—proceeds better merchandising insights by importing product metadata, such as size, color, way, or other product-related dimensions.
  • Custom Data—provides support for importing custom information sets.

Summary-data import

Summary-data import lets yous sum uploaded metrics. Imported summary data is applied to the selected reporting views later on all processing and assemblage of collected data. This can exist useful when you receive data in batches some time following striking drove, as summary data import lets y'all add to or update your information as it becomes available.

Currently, summary data import supports the following import type:

  • Price Information—include third political party (non-Google) ad network clicks, cost and impression data to gain a more complete picture of your advertising spend.

Where is Data Import?

Data import steps: select your account, then property, then click Data Import.
Accessing Data Import.

To access Information Import:

  1. Sign in to Google Analytics.
  2. Click Admin, and navigate to the property to which yous want to upload the data.
  3. In the PROPERTY cavalcade, click Information Import. This displays the Data Sets folio.
  4. Select an existing Data Set or create a new one to hold your imported data.

How Data Import works

Data Import works by uploading text files containing external data to an Analytics property. This information is typically exported from an offline business concern tool (for example, your CRM or CMS organisation). For smaller amounts of information, you might create the upload file manually, using a text editor or spreadsheet.

Information Import joins the offline data you've uploaded with the default hit information being collected past Analytics from your websites, mobile apps or other devices. Imported data tin be used to enhance your reports, segments and remarketing audiences in means that reflect your own concern needs and organization. The issue is a much fuller, more consummate picture of your users' on- and offline activity.

How you upload data

You tin can upload data by 1 of two methods:

  • From the Analytics user interface, using the Admin > (Holding) > Data Import option
  • Using the Analytics Management API

The uploaded information is added to or modifies data already collected for that Property past the Javascript tracking code, mobile SDK or measurement protocol.

How Data Import joins on- and offline information

When you configure Information Import, you create a Data Fix, which defines 1 or more dimensions to utilise every bit a key. Data Import uses this key to lucifer values in the uploaded information to values in your collected striking data. The rest of your imported data you upload is stored in the dimensions or metrics you define in the Data Ready. Imported information can use either default or custom dimensions and metrics. Imported data tin can exist used in reports, remarketing audiences and other Analytics tools alongside standard data collected by the website tracking code, mobile SDK or Measurement Protocol.

Import vs. collection

Expand the section below to learn some reasons why you lot might want to import data rather than rely on collecting hitting data. Advantages of Data Import over hit drove

Analytics has essentially ii ways of gathering information:

  • past sending hits collected by the JavaScript tracking code, mobile SDK or the Measurement protocol,
  • using Data Import.

While yous can augment the hit information with custom information past passing parameters in the page URL or using the Analytics API, there are a number of reasons why this may not exist the all-time approach, such equally:

  • Augmenting hit data requires a knowledgable developer to write custom code.
  • The information is sensitive, e.g., user data, so you don't want to transport information technology in clear text.
  • The amount of data is large so you don't want to suspend information technology to each striking.
  • The data might not be available when the striking occurs.

Importing data in asynchronous batches resolves these issues.

Next steps

  • Learn more than about Information Sets.
  • Learn well-nigh the types of data y'all can import.
  • Fix upward Data Import.
  • See the upload examples for step past step import instructions.
  • View the limits of Data Import.
  • google-developers-svg Data Import - Developer Guide

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