On the 1st of July 2024, Universal Analytics will be officially retired, marking the end of an era in web analytics. 

Since its introduction in 2012, Universal Analytics has been the cornerstone for many businesses, providing invaluable insights into user behaviour and website performance. As we approach this significant milestone, it is crucial to understand the implications and take necessary actions to ensure continued access to your historical Universal Analytics data.

The importance of historical Universal Analytics data

Over the years, businesses have amassed a wealth of historical data within the Universal Analytics platform.

This data holds the key to understanding trends, auditing past performance, contextualising marketing activities, and extracting insights from previous campaigns. Such historical data is also integral to dashboards and data visualisation tools that drive strategic decisions.

Post 1st July 2024, access to historical data through the Universal Analytics interface and API will be discontinued. This means that if no action is taken, businesses will lose access to a rich Universal Analytics dataset that has been instrumental in shaping marketing strategies and understanding consumer behaviour. 

The loss of this historical data could significantly impact future marketing decisions, making it imperative for businesses to act swiftly.

Take these steps to preserve your historical Universal Analytics data

To avoid losing access to your historical Universal Analytics data, you must export and securely store it outside the Universal Analytics platform. Here are two options you should consider now to preserve your historical data:

1. Manual export: Use the Universal Analytics interface to manually export data in CSV or PDF formats. This method is straightforward but can be time-consuming and difficult to access if you have a large volume of historical Universal Analytics data.
   
2. API export: For a more efficient and scalable solution, use the Universal Analytics API to programmatically export historical data. This approach is particularly beneficial for larger datasets and can be integrated with cloud storage solutions like BigQuery.

Both options are only available until 1st July 2024, after which data won’t be available via the Universal Analytics interface or API.

If a manual export or using the API seems time consuming or daunting to you, our Universal Analytics data backfill solution will manage a lot of the heavy lifting for you.

RocketMill’s Universal Analytics data backfill solution

RocketMill’s analytics team has developed a Universal Analytics data backfill solution which programmatically exports a core subset of your historical Universal Analytics data to the cloud, ensuring that your data is:

• Securely stored: Data is stored in a secure cloud platform instance, giving you peace of mind for your data security.
  
• Easier to manage and integrate: Streamline the process of data management and integration with other analytics tools and platforms by having your Universal Analytics data stored in a platform such as BigQuery.
  
• Accessible for future analysis: Ensure that your historical Universal Analytics data remains available for analysis and strategic decision-making beyond the Universal Analytics retirement date of 1st July 2024.

Act now – time is running out!

The clock is ticking, and the 1st of July 2024 deadline is fast approaching. 

It is crucial to start the process of exporting your historical Universal Analytics data now to prevent any disruption to your analytics capabilities. By taking prompt action, you can ensure that your historical Universal Analytics data continues to inform and drive your business decisions in a new Google Analytics 4 era.

RocketMill is here to help you navigate this transition smoothly. If you need assistance or advice on exporting your historical Universal Analytics data, or are interested in finding out more about our Universal Analytics data backfill solution, speak to us today.