How to Connect Google BigQuery

Connect Google BigQuery to import Google Analytics 4 (GA4) data and analyze traffic, sessions, conversions, and user behavior for your app.

What You'll Get

Once connected, Ranksy shows:

• Traffic Sources: Where visitors come from
• Pageviews: How many people view your app listing
• Sessions: Complete user journeys
• Geographic Data: User locations
• Device Data: Mobile vs desktop traffic
• Click Events: User interactions
• Conversion Tracking: From view to install
• Attribution: Which channels drive customers

Prerequisites

You MUST have these before connecting:

✅ Google Analytics 4 (GA4) tracking your app ✅ GA4 linked to BigQuery ✅ BigQuery Data Export enabled ✅ At least 24 hours of exported data

Don't have BigQuery export? See Setting Up BigQuery Export below.

Step 1: Connect Your Google Account

In Ranksy Settings

1. Go to My Apps → Your app → Settings
2. Find the "Google BigQuery" section
3. Click "Connect Google Account"
4. A Google sign-in window opens

Grant Permissions

1. Choose your Google account (the one that owns the BigQuery project)
2. Review the permissions:
   • Read your BigQuery datasets
   • View your Google Cloud projects
   • That's it - we can't modify or delete anything!
3. Click "Allow"

Step 2: Select Your Project and Dataset

After connecting your account:

Select Project

1. A dropdown appears with your Google Cloud projects
2. Select the project where GA4 exports data
3. This is usually named after your company or app

Select Dataset

1. Another dropdown appears
2. Choose the analytics_XXXXXXXXX dataset
3. This is where GA4 exports your data
4. The X's are your GA4 property ID

Configure Import Settings

1. Import Historical Data?: Yes (recommended)
2. Date Range: Choose how far back to import
   • Last 7 days (quickest)
   • Last 30 days (recommended)
   • Last 365 days (complete history)
   • Custom range
3. Include Intraday Tables?: Yes (for near-realtime data)

Step 3: Test and Save

Test the Connection

1. Click "Test Import"
2. Ranksy reads a sample of your data
3. You should see: ✅ "Found X events from [date]"
4. If you see an error, see Troubleshooting below

Start Import

1. Click "Save Configuration"
2. Click "Start Historical Import"
3. Import begins immediately

Step 4: Wait for Import

Timeline

Import duration depends on date range:

• 7 days: 15-30 minutes
• 30 days: 30-60 minutes
• 1 year: 2-4 hours

What's Happening

Ranksy is:

• Reading all your GA4 event tables
• Processing pageviews, clicks, sessions
• Calculating traffic sources
• Building attribution models
• Creating customer journeys

Check Progress

• Settings page shows import status
• "Last Import" timestamp updates
• Partial data appears as it imports
• You can close the page - it continues

Managing Your Connection

Automatic Imports

Once connected, Ranksy automatically:

• Daily: Imports new daily tables each morning
• Intraday: Checks every 4 hours for near-realtime data
• No action needed: It just works!

Manual Import

To manually trigger an import:

1. Go to your app Settings
2. Find BigQuery section
3. Click "Import Now"

Update Configuration

To change settings:

1. Go to your app Settings
2. Update date range or options
3. Click "Save"

Disconnect

To disconnect BigQuery:

1. Go to your app Settings
2. Find BigQuery section
3. Click "Disconnect"
4. Confirm disconnection
5. Data preserved for 90 days

Troubleshooting

Error: "No datasets found"

Fix:

• Make sure GA4 is exporting to BigQuery
• Wait 24-48 hours after enabling export
• Verify you selected the correct Google Cloud project
• Check that billing is enabled on your project

Error: "Permission denied"

Fix:

• You need "BigQuery Data Viewer" role minimum
• Go to Google Cloud Console → IAM & Admin
• Check your account has proper permissions
• Try disconnecting and reconnecting Google account

Error: "Dataset not found"

Fix:

• Confirm GA4 export is enabled (see below)
• Check dataset name matches analytics_XXXXXXXXX format
• Verify you selected correct project
• Look in BigQuery console to see if tables exist

Import Fails Repeatedly

Fix:

• Check BigQuery quota limits (free tier is generous)
• Verify stable internet connection
• Try smaller date range (last 7 days)
• Contact support with error message

No Data Shows in Ranksy

Fix:

• Verify GA4 tracking is working (check Google Analytics)
• Confirm events are being collected
• Check date range selection in Ranksy
• Wait for daily export (happens overnight)

Setting Up BigQuery Export (First Time Setup)

Don't have BigQuery export yet? Here's how:

Part 1: Link GA4 to BigQuery

1. Go to analytics.google.com
2. Click Admin (gear icon, bottom left)
3. In Property column, click BigQuery Links
4. Click Link
5. Choose your Google Cloud Project (or create new)
6. Click Next
7. Select your data streams
8. Configure settings:
   • Daily: ON (recommended)
   • Streaming: ON if you have volume
   • Include today's data: Yes
9. Click Submit
10. Wait 24-48 hours for first export

Part 2: Enable Billing (Required but Free!)

Google requires billing enabled, BUT:

• First 1 TB of queries per month is FREE
• Free 10 GB storage
• Most apps stay within free tier

To enable:

1. Go to console.cloud.google.com
2. Select your project
3. Go to Billing
4. Link a billing account (or create one)
5. Set up budget alerts at $0.01

💡 Pro Tip: Set budget alerts so you're notified if usage increases (it probably won't).

Verify Export is Working

1. Go to console.cloud.google.com
2. Select your project
3. Go to BigQuery
4. Expand your project in left sidebar
5. Look for dataset analytics_XXXXXXXXX
6. Expand it - you should see:
   • events_20250112 (today)
   • events_20250111 (yesterday)
   • events_intraday_20250112 (realtime)

If you see these tables, you're ready to connect!

Costs and Billing

Will BigQuery Cost Money?

Probably not! Most apps stay within Google's free tier.

Free tier includes:

• 1 TB of query processing per month
• 10 GB of storage
• Typical Ranksy usage: 10-50 GB/month

If you exceed:

• Typical cost: $5-20/month
• Only pay for what you use
• Budget alerts warn you first

Monitoring Costs

Check your usage:

1. Go to console.cloud.google.com
2. Go to Billing → Reports
3. Filter by BigQuery
4. View monthly costs

FAQ

Q: Is BigQuery required? A: No, but highly recommended. Without it, you only see public app store data, not traffic/conversion metrics.

Q: Can I use the same BigQuery for multiple apps? A: Yes, if multiple apps share the same GA4 property. Otherwise, each app needs its own GA4/BigQuery setup.

Q: What if I don't have GA4 on my app? A: You'll need to set up GA4 tracking first. Contact support for guidance.

Q: How much does BigQuery cost? A: Usually $0/month (free tier). If you exceed limits, typically $5-20/month.

Q: Can I import historical data later? A: Yes! You can always re-import with a larger date range.

Q: What happens if I disconnect? A: Your imported data is preserved for 90 days. You can reconnect anytime.

Next Steps

Now that BigQuery is connected:

• Traffic hub — Explore sources, attribution, campaigns, and GA4 data
• Your Dashboard — The Traffic widget now shows your funnel
• Connect Partner API — Add revenue data for the complete picture

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Need help? Contact [email protected] or use the chat widget. Include your app name and any error messages.