Looker Studio's Transformative Update for Marketers:

Looker Studio made a fantastic release note announcement for marketers and analysts who use Looker to create a dashboard leveraging data from their Google analytics system. They have added a number of new fields via a refresh of GA4 API. Looker Studio has updated its Google Analytics 4 (GA4) API dimensions and metrics. It has added new GA4 data sources that you can create to get their fields directly from the GA4 API. Previously, GA4 data sources were based on a fixed schema with a predefined list of fields.

To see new fields from the GA4 API in an existing data source, refresh the fields. Here are the steps you need to take to refresh data source fields

1. Edit the data source.
2. In the bottom left corner, click REFRESH FIELDS.
3. If changes are found, click APPLY.

When you refresh data source fields:

• New fields from the data set are added to the data source. Only fields containing data are added (empty fields are ignored).
• Removed fields in the data set are removed from the data source.
• Renamed fields are treated as if you've removed the old field and added a new one. The new name is NOT applied to the old field.
• Reordered fields are not listed in the changes found but the changed order is applied to the internal structure of the data source (you won't see this change).
• Reports already added to this data source remain attached, however, you may need to fix any charts broken by the field changes.
• Calculated fields that use a removed or renamed field are disabled. You can edit or remove the calculated field, as needed.
• Charts that use a removed or renamed field will show a configuration error. You can edit or remove the chart, as needed.

In our case (example shown below), I choose the GA4 source (Data conneand click on the 'Refresh Fields' button situated in the bottom-left corner. It would then start reflecting all the new fields from the GA4 API in an existing data source. Please see below

The new fields provide additional analytical capabilities and precision by including data on ad clicks, advertising cost, average session duration, landing page, page location, page referrer, user conversion rate, and session conversion rate by event name. This information can be used to track the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, identify areas where improvements can be made, and understand how consumers are interacting with websites.

The update also provides essential time dimensions such as hours or weeks, which can help marketers stay up-to-date on consumer behavior and trends. For example, marketers can use this information to see how traffic to their website changes over time, which pages are most popular, and how users are interacting with their ads. This information can be used to make informed decisions about their marketing campaigns and improve their overall results.

With this major update, Looker Studio continues to build upon its promise of providing comprehensive, data-driven solutions for your business needs. Ready to dive in and explore these new fields? The world of enhanced data reporting awaits you.

If you have any questions or want to have any discussion on this topic, please reach out to me at LinkedIn.