Data retention is an important topic regarding the migration from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics (GA4). Below we have some details and recommendations to help us establish longer data retention for GA4.

On this page:

GA4 Retention

GA4 has a default window of two months for data retention. We recommend switching to the maximum window allowed by GA4, which is 14 months.

To make this change go to your GA4 Property -> Data Settings -> Data Retention

Google Data Retention Screenshot

Then select 14 months from the event data retention drop-down menu.

Google Data Retention Screenshot

GA4 Data Storage

Data storage is one of the larger changes for GA4, as Google will only be storing data for 14 months with an initial two-month selected start. Given the common practice of referencing data older than 14 months to compare year-over-year (YoY) performance, we recommend using BigQuery for units that reference YoY data. is a cloud-based data storage and analytic service that connects directly to GA4. While this is a paid service, the costs associated with BigQuery are minimal and are based on total data storage, which may prove to be unnecessary for some units depending on their total site usage. Per the first 10gb of stored data is free per month. Additionally, the first 1TB of data processed is free. 

BigQuery requires an account and connection to GA4. To sync the accounts, you can reference online trainings that provide step-by-step details on how to establish the connection using BigQuery API. 

Universal Analytics Data Storage

Strategic Relations and Communications is actively working on an enterprise data storage approach to serve campus. Please check back periodically for updates as we finalize our solution model for campus.

Generally speaking, there are three ways to store UA data for reference:

  1. Use BigQuery or a similar cloud-based data warehouse.
    Note: This solution requires using a third party connector, as the API is only available to Google 360 users and not the general user base. 

  2. Export data/reports via Google Sheets.

  3. Develop and create a proprietary data warehouse.

Data can be stored in BigQuery for as long as a user wants; however, since there is a cost associated with storing data, it is worth considering what is relevant data worth storing. Even if users are not planning to use BigQuery immediately, we recommend connecting BigQuery to GA4 to start building historical data that will be valuable for reporting purposes in the future.

Note: This solution does not solve UA historical data needs, but does solve future data storage needs.