Question 1

How closely does GA4Dataform match the GA4 UI's Attribution logic?

Accepted Answer

GA4Dataform is designed to align closely with the GA4 UI, especially for properties that use the "Device-based" reporting identity. Here are some key details:Channel Grouping: The channel grouping logic in GA4Dataform matches closely with the GA4 UI, particularly for categories derived from common identifiers like source, medium, referrer, and UTM parameters.Limitations in Data Access: In some cases, GA4Dataform may differ slightly from the GA4 UI. For example, Google has additional insight into certain ad data, especially with Google Ads. When only autotagging is used, Google can distinguish between "Cross-network," "Paid Shopping," and "Paid Search," distinctions that are not fully visible in BigQuery data.session_traffic_source_last_click: For recent data, GA4 provides a session_traffic_source_last_click column. You can use this Google-provided column for classification, ensuring consistency with Google's attribution logic.By leveraging these practices, GA4Dataform can achieve a close approximation to the GA4 UI's attribution, though some differences remain due to Google's proprietary data insights.

Question 2

Will my GA4 raw export table be impacted, affected, or updated by GA4Dataform?

Accepted Answer

No, your raw GA4 table remains untouched. GA4Dataform creates a new Dataform repository and a new dataset, so nothing will be overwritten.

Question 3

How can I add a new custom parameter to the output tables without a full rebuild?

Accepted Answer

The answer depends on whether you already have custom parameters configured.If you have no custom parameters yet, the event_params_custom column does not exist in your output tables. Add your parameter to CUSTOM_EVENT_PARAMS_ARRAY in your custom config and run an incremental build. GA4Dataform uses onSchemaChange: "EXTEND", so the column is added automatically. Historical rows will show NULL for the new column.If you already have custom parameters, the event_params_custom column exists as a STRUCT. Adding a new parameter changes the STRUCT definition, which an incremental build cannot apply automatically. You have two options:Full rebuild — the simplest approach. Drop and recreate the output tables so the new STRUCT definition is applied from scratch.Manual schema update — add the nested field to the existing STRUCT using the bq CLI, following Google's instructions, then run an incremental build. Historical rows will show NULL for the new field.In both cases, if you need historical data populated for the new parameter, a full rebuild is required regardless.

Question 4

Does GA4Dataform support App events?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it contains all the app tracking standard and recommended parameters

Question 5

Can I use GA4Dataform with GA4 custom data collection?

Accepted Answer

GA4Dataform is specifically designed to model GA4 BigQuery export data. Consequently, it won't natively support custom schemas. However, you can explore our open-source version and adapt it to meet your specific needs.

Question 6

Does GA4Dataform get access to my data during or after installation?

Accepted Answer

We do not access your data during or after installation. We only check dataset sizes to estimate processing costs - this information is not stored on our servers.

Question 7

How can I uninstall GA4Dataform?

Accepted Answer

We do not (yet) support an automated uninstallation of GA4Dataform. You will have to manually delete all the resources that are created in the Dataform repository including Releases, Workflows and Workspaces. For detailed steps, visit delete Dataform repository.

Question 8

Can I configure GA4Dataform to output tables to a different GCP project than my GA4 source data?

Accepted Answer

GA4Dataform currently requires both the source GA4 data and output tables to be in the same GCP project. To use GA4Dataform with a different project, you'll need to first migrate or copy your GA4 data to that project or use GA4Dataform Community.

Question 9

Why is my Organic Search Traffic classified as Organic Shopping?

Accepted Answer

Some users have reported that Google is appending auto-tagging parameters, such as srsltid, to standard organic search listings. As a result, our model classifies this traffic as Shopping Free Listings because we follow the default channel grouping used in GA4.

Question 10

Why does the installer throw an unspecified "Installation Error"?

Accepted Answer

When encountering this error in (usually) older GCP projects, it typically occurs because the Dataform API was recently enabled during installation, which requires some time to fully propagate. To resolve this issue:Delete all components from your Dataform repository. For detailed steps, visit delete Dataform repository:All WorkspacesAny existing ReleasesAny configured WorkflowsDelete the Dataform repository (named superform_analytics_*)Run the installation process again

Question 11

"Unrecognized name: stitched_ids" error after re-install

Accepted Answer

If you re-install GA4Dataform in a GCP project where it was previously installed, make sure to delete all output tables from the prior installation first.

Question 12

I'm not seeing any tables in BigQuery after running historical data processing with the installer?

Accepted Answer

If you're allowing GA4Dataform to process a relatively large GA4 dataset, running historical data processing workflow may take several minutes, dozens of minutes, or even hours. If you can't see the table outputs in BigQuery, follow these steps to check your workflow execution:Access Dataform.Open the superform_analytics_* repository.Navigate to the Workflow Execution Logs section.If the workflow status is not green yet, you can click the Refresh button.

Question 13

Compilation error with old *dataform/core* version (*dataform/core* < 3.0.38)?

Accepted Answer

Recent version of GA4Dataform requires dataform/core version 3.0.38 or higher. If your package.json specifies a version lower than 3.0.38, JavaScript compilation errors will occur because older dataform/core versions do not support the JavaScript features used in recent GA4Dataform versions. To fix this, update dataform/core to 3.0.38 or newer in your package.json, then click "Install packages" to apply the change.

Question 14

Can I install GA4Dataform to a GCP project where there's no GA4 dataset?

Accepted Answer

We have the answer to this question but it is not documented yet. Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help.

Question 15

Can I reference another (where GA4Dataform is not installed) GCP project's GA4 dataset in the models?

Accepted Answer

We have the answer to this question but it is not documented yet. Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help.

Question 16

How can I calculate bounce rate (or any similar metric)?

Accepted Answer

We have the answer to this question but it is not documented yet. Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help.

Question 17

How can I change the time zone of event_date?

Accepted Answer

We have the answer to this question but it is not documented yet. Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help.

Question 18

How can I still update if I made modifications in the Core files without losing my changes?

Accepted Answer

Core files — everything inside includes/core/ and definitions/core/ — are overwritten on every update. You should not modify them directly. All customizations belong in the custom layer, which updates never touch.If you have already modified core files, migrate your changes before updating:Configuration changes (custom parameters, filters, channel grouping, etc.) → move them to includes/custom/modules/ga4/config.js.SQL-level transformations → move them to definitions/custom/modules/ga4/ using the CUSTOM_LINEAGE feature. Enable the relevant file (ga4_events_custom.sqlx, ga4_sessions_custom.sqlx, or int_ga4_sessions_custom.sqlx) and apply your logic there.Once your changes are in the custom layer, future updates to the core files will not affect them.

Question 19

How can I migrate the GA4 export dataset to another GCP project?

Accepted Answer

We have the answer to this question but it is not documented yet. Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help.

Question 20

How can I inspect the schema of the tables before they are created?

Accepted Answer

We have the answer to this question but it is not documented yet. Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help.

▼How closely does GA4Dataform match the GA4 UI's Attribution logic?

▼Will my GA4 raw export table be impacted, affected, or updated by GA4Dataform?

▼How can I add a new custom parameter to the output tables without a full rebuild?

▼Does GA4Dataform support App events?

▼Can I use GA4Dataform with GA4 custom data collection?

▼Does GA4Dataform get access to my data during or after installation?

▼How can I uninstall GA4Dataform?

▼Can I configure GA4Dataform to output tables to a different GCP project than my GA4 source data?

▼Why is my Organic Search Traffic classified as Organic Shopping?

▼Why does the installer throw an unspecified "Installation Error"?

▼"Unrecognized name: stitched_ids" error after re-install

▼I'm not seeing any tables in BigQuery after running historical data processing with the installer?

▼Compilation error with old *dataform/core* version (*dataform/core* < 3.0.38)?

▼Can I install GA4Dataform to a GCP project where there's no GA4 dataset?

▼Can I reference another (where GA4Dataform is not installed) GCP project's GA4 dataset in the models?

▼How can I calculate bounce rate (or any similar metric)?

▼How can I change the time zone of event_date?

▼How can I still update if I made modifications in the Core files without losing my changes?

▼How can I migrate the GA4 export dataset to another GCP project?

▼How can I inspect the schema of the tables before they are created?