03-03-2016 12:03 PM - edited 08-03-2021 09:23 AM
Here is an overview of the new GA tool in Alteryx Designer 11.0:
Connecting to Google Analytics is becoming more and more popular and
There are a fewthings you need in order to use the Google Analytics macro:
Step 1: Set up a Google Analytics account
Step 2: Now it is time to set upthe Client ID, Client Secret, and Refresh Token needed for the Google Analytics Macro:
Step 3: Generate your Client ID and Client Secret
Acquire your Refresh Token
Step 4: Lets move to Alteryx!
Tips and Tricks
Click on Spoilerto see all error messages and troubleshooting tips!
Common Issues (Prior to Version 3)
The Refresh token lasts about 1 hour so please remember to refresh the token as this will prompt errors.
‘The Field ‘id’ is not contained in the record…’(Upgrade to the latest GA tool)
This error message can allude to a number of issues. However, to limit trial and errorI have prioritizedthe solutions below based on prior troubleshooting experience(I know im awesome).
1)
2)
3)
‘Tool #349: Tool #4 Error Transferring data: Failure when receiving data from the peer’(Upgrade to the latest GA tool)
‘Tool #574: Tool #522: Error creating the file "C:\Program Files|Alteryx\bin\RuntimeData\Macros\Supporting_Macros|GoogleAnalytics.DIMENSIONS.xml": Access is denied.’(Upgrade to the latest GA tool)
‘Tool #574: Tool #706: Error creating the file "C:\Program Files|Alteryx\bin\RuntimeData\Macros\Supporting_Macros|GoogleAnalytics.PROFILES.xml": Access is denied.’(Upgrade to the latest GA tool)
‘You have set up the Google Analytics Connector Tool and want to know the # of records is produced in the data output? ‘(Upgrade to the latest GA tool)
‘You have got a Client ID, Client Secret and a Refresh Token however you do not return any results. ‘(Upgrade to the latest GA tool)
‘Receiving a createRecord: A record was created with no field’s error.’(Upgrade to the latest GA tool)
‘Unknown Variable’(Upgrade to the latest GA tool)
Could not find file…’(Upgrade to the latest GA tool)
CONGRATS you have now made it through the worlds longest but most informative Google Analytics Article (in my opinion).
Now go free and play with your Google Analytics Data in Alteryx!
However, if you continue to have problems with the Google Analytics connector please reach out toAlteryx Support
Best,
Jordan Barker
Client Service Representative
@JordanM - Thanks for taking the time to write this out and for maintaining it well over time.
Today a client asked about an error that matched word-for-word to one of the "Common Issues" you recently added. This article solved the issue in 5 minutes flat. Cheers, mate!
This was a great guide and I was able to follow it clearly step by step even though some of the Google Developer Console screens have changed slightly.
My organization blocks any user from writing to anything in the C:\Program Files\ directory. Thus this tool doesn't work with our admin-version of Alteryx, only the non-admin version. It would be incredibly helpful if a future release of this macro sought to write to something a C:\Users\ directory in all cases for the temp data it needs to store. That would make the macro more universially useful as blocking access to C:\Program Files is fairly typical for larger enterprises.
Hi @dataMack,
This has been spoken about internally and would be an improvement to this great connector. Thanks for raising this concern again!
I will also look to update the article screenshots.
Best,
Jordan Barker
Solutions Consultant
When I check the "reset to default" to write the 4 missing xml files it doesn't work. The xml files are still not there.
Any thoughts
Hi @JordanB
I updated the permissions and place the 4 xml files into the location as per guide. When I run the macro now, it deletes the 4 xml files and I'm back to the error as per below and your guide. Any further thoughts?
Hi @scott54
Insert the new files again and leave it in update mode, don't click the 'reset to default' option as the files are already defaulted. This should then update those files when you run the module.
Best,
Jordan Barker
Solutions Consultant
Hi Thouhgt i would post a tip for anyone using this, based on recent experience i had with the analytics connector.
The error scott54 posted was something i got today.
For some reason the credentials i used seemed to have expired (or that's what i think happened).
The solution was to reset the secret and get a new token. Easy enough when you have just one connector.
I had over 50 in one workflow.
So if you are setting up mulitple connectors, use the text interface tool and action tool to enter the credentials you need. Then it's real easy to replace should this ever happen. I just wasted an entire morning conneting 400 wires across 2 workflows...
arrgghhh
Hi @JordanB
I'm getting the following error when I run the connector, it is also only returning 4 profiles whereas there should be 20+
Any ideas?
Hi @JonWright
There is currently a bug in the tool which is being taken a look at by the products team. To remove this error if you go the metrics xml file (Admin alteryx - C:\Program Files\Alteryx\bin\RuntimeData\Macros\Supporting_Macros)
Go to line 48 there should be some syntax which looks different to the remainder of the XML schema. If you delete this parent and child values and save the file you should now see the metrics section.
This tool currently only return 4 profiles, so if you want to choose more profiles you can specify them in the manual entry section and use a batch macro to process them all at one time.
The products team currently have a whole team working on this tool aiming at release as soon as possile. This tool will show all your avaliable profiles.
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Best,
Jordan Barker
Hi Jordan,
I am having the same problem as JonWright - the hexademical error, and unable to view metrics.
If I go to the GoogleAnalytics.METRICS file, line 48 does not appear to be any different than the rest of the schema. Is this the right line to delete?
Hi @Pete
Yes. You will need to remove the parent values as well.
If you save the file after the metrics shouel now appear.
Best,
Jordan
Hi Jordan,
I am attempting to retrieve data specific to an account, property & view.
When I run the GA macro, I recieve the following error:
So, my question is two fold:
1) How do I resolve the above?
2) Once resolved, do you have any tips on how to retrieve data specific to an account >> property >> view
Cheers!
Alex
Hi @alex_reevoo
The steps are outlined above below the post from JonWright. The new XML files are avaliable in my reply to Jon.
Best,
Jordan
Hi Jordan.
Ahh yes, sorry about that!!
I encountered a similar error when attempting to select my segments (see below) - would this be resolved using a similar method (delete parent / child values at the associated lines?
Thanks for your continued help!
Alex
Hi Jordan,
I have the same problem and although I followed the instructions, I could not get it to run the macro. This appeared:
Do I have to delete all these values?:
I have done it and it does not work for me!
Thanks for your supporting.
We seem to have an issue with the Google Analytics connector (version 6). When we try to add a filter, it does not retrieve all the data. We noticed that a large percentage of the data it’s missing. We installed the latest Google Analytics connector (version 7) that was released two weeks ago. The new connector doesn’t give you the ability to filter or to specify a site by Profile ID/View ID. We need to add a filter to look at US data only. We need the ability of specify a Profile/View ID because the connector doesn’t show all the sites in the drop-down. Any Suggestions?
How many Profile ID/View ID do you have within GA? I am struggling to replicate the behavior you mentioned above.
Regarding the US data what are you currently filtering on? Could you use Country within Dimensions?
Best,
Jordan Barker
Many thanks @JordanB - very useful article & responses (eg post of XML files)!! and to scott54 who had already posted the error i had so i could try the fixes.
Thanks to GavinAttard who, like me, continued to have problems and who said he got new credentials. Even though i did not get the errors Gavin did & there was no clear message indicating a problem with credentials, I retrieved another Client ID, Secret & Refresh Token & this made it work.
I have got a new Refresh Token in the past when things didn't work as expected and this fixed it, but I never had to get a new ID and Secret.
Does anyone know what drives the need to retrieve new ID & Secret &/or Token?
If you schedule a flow to pull GA data I guess at some point it will fail cos it needs some/all new credentials - anyone had this happen?
Susan
Hi
I haven't come across the reason as to why, and so far it has only happened once.
However because I am pulling from over 50 properties I have now connected 2 text boxes to the api tool to feed in the credentials. They are hidden from the interface screen so other users cannot see them.
Gavin Attard
Digital Analyst
@JordanB
I am getting the same error:
And have followed your recommendation to delete the three rows highlighted below that enclose line 48. However, the problem persists. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Vivian
Hi @vwang
Please download the latest Google Analytics Macro this will avoid this error.
Best,
Jordan Barker
Solutions Consultant
Hi @JordanB,
I've been having an error this morning with the new tool. I have downloaded and am using version 7.
I've connected to my account via the "offline" credential process.
My Available Accounts populates with the one account I need, however "Available WebProperties" and "Available Profiles" both return [null].
There isn't anything to select, so I can't move on from this screen to try and pull any data. Any idea on what might be required to get past this step? Do I perhaps not have enough access or permission within my instance of GA?
Any help you could provide would be great, thanks!
Hi @Matt_Curtis
Have you tired to login using online to see if you can see the views as well. This should help us narrow down the reason for this.
Best,
Jordan
Apologies! I meant to say Online mode. I am connected via Online mode.
HI @Matt_Curtis
Do you have access to the Google Analytics webpage? Can you see the following screen?
Best,
Jordan
Yes, I do have access and can see that screen. I have one account, a half dozen properties, and 4 views.
Hello @JordanB,
Again very helpful. The new Google Analytics Connector is easier as I found the "online sign in" simpler to setup during installation.
Did I miss it or it doesn't say how to obtain a refresh token for the "Offline" login?
Hi @Angela_Cheng,
I have added the information back into the article.
Best,
Jordan Barker
Solutions Consultant
Thank you it's perfect!
Great write up!
Hi Jordan,
A couple of questions about the GA connector:
Many thanks
Pete
Hi @Pete
We are constantly looking at innovating the GA tool so feel free to suggest this on the ideas page to increase visibility.
When you run the GA tool in the message tab within the results window this will show you when the data is sampled and at what rate.
Best,
Jordan
Hi Jordan,
The new GA connector is great and a lot more 'stable' than the old one. I just have one little issue. Due to the volume of data, I'm using a workflow that takes the last 7 days of data from our GA account and adds it to the previous output I ran to have an incremental update of the data. This works great, but the preset date range always reverts back to custom which equals the last 7 days of the previous time a ran the workflow, which makes the tool not very usable when running it on a schedule. Is there anything that can be done about this?
Thanks
Robin
Hi Jordan,
Would you be able to help me with the query I posted above?
Many thanks
Robin
fixed my issues
Happy 2018 everybody. I'm having the same issue as @Matt_Curtis
I was able to procure a client ID, secret, and refresh token. I downloaded 'Google Analytics' macro ( the most recent one) and chose 'Offline'.
However, I'm not seeing any accounts in the drop down for any of the 3 options:
Would anyone here happen to know why? Thanks in advance.
Hi @JordanB,
I currently downloaded Google API latest version v7.
Using offline mode, and going forward, I am not able to go ahead after selecting the account. Is there any bug in this version?
Please see the below screenshot: If you see that the 'Next" option is disabled.
I have cross-verified with other credentials as well, but in-vain.
Your thoughts?
Thanks
Harsh
Hi,
I love the new version of the tool. The Online option is so easy to use - I'm very happy to refresh every 60 mins. (Despite great support at Inspire London, I struggled with the Google interface for refresh tokens etc and hadn't pursued it further.)
On my first run I get an error Tool #318:Iteration #2:Tool #15: The filed scheme for the output "Finished" changed between interactions. I removed both Browse tools so only the GA tool is on the canvas. I get the same error.
Have you seen this before?
Regards,
Helen
Hi @HelenL
I have never seen this error before. In the runtime settings (click on the white canvas>configuration panel>runtime) can you turn on all macro messages at the bottom and run the workflow.
Can you let me know which macro the error is happening within? (Within the GA macro there are 4 other macro's)
If you can screenshot that would be great.
Best,
Jordan
Hi Jordan,
Thanks for picking this up.
I had a great support call on Tuesday with Sophia Fraticelli.
After running few scenarios, Sophia decided that the problem was that the query exceeded the allowable number of data records. The error message certainly did not make this clear. So she was going to report it.
I'm just about to start working on the task again. I'm finding it very confusing to select the right combination of dimensions and metrics but that's a GA API issue.
Regards,
Helen
Hi Helen
PM if you would like to discuss your dimension metrics selection. Been doing this a fair amount, so might be able to help you expedite your process.
Kr
Gavin Attard
Digital Analytics Manager
Hi Gavin,
Jordan,
I said I loved the Online option and was happy to refresh every 60 mins! After playing for a few hours and making my selections over and over, I realised I'd have to set it up for Offline.
It was such a pain to negotiate the Google Developers interface when I did it years ago (with the help of tech support at Inspire London). However, your instructions above are brilliant. Thanks so much.
Helen
Hi all!
:::: Alteryx Desktop x64 11.7::::
I've successfully set up my google analytics connector but the catch is that I can only extract summarised data into reports but I'd like to be able to set a date range for variables to look at and work with the full extracted data set.
For instance, I'd like to look at the transaction/e-commerce data broken down into age and gender from Year 'A' to Year 'D'
as opposed to getting this:
Year 'A' to Year 'D'--> [Sum of all rows]
When I'd like to get this:
Year 'A'
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Etc.
Year 'B'
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Etc.
Year 'C'
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Etc.
Year 'D'
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Month : Date : Time : Age : Gender : Transaction --> $#.##
Etc.
Is there a way to extract and blend reports or am I only limited to receiving processed reports?