BigQuery

Definition

BigQuery is Google Cloud Platform’s data warehouse service. It allows you to store and query massive data volumes in seconds thanks to a serverless architecture. In the context of web analytics, BigQuery is the export destination for GA4 raw data, providing granular access to every collected event.

GA4 export to BigQuery

GA4 offers a free daily export of raw data to BigQuery. Every event is exported with all its parameters, user information and session data. This export is the only way to access unsampled, non-aggregated GA4 data. Streaming export (real-time) is also available.

Use cases

The BigQuery export enables analyses impossible in the GA4 interface: advanced segmentations, cohort calculations, event-by-event user journey analysis, matching with CRM or ERP data, lifetime value computation, and feeding machine learning models. BigQuery data also powers custom Looker Studio dashboards for tailored reports.

Costs and access

The GA4 export to BigQuery is free. BigQuery storage and queries are billed by Google Cloud, but remain modest for most sites (a few dollars per month). BigQuery’s free tier covers 1 TB of queries and 10 GB of storage per month. Configuring the export is part of a complete GA4 setup.