A GA4 export you can query
Flattened into clean session, user and conversion tables.
BigQuery marketing data hub
BigQuery as a marketing data hub.
If you run GA4 and Google Ads, BigQuery is the shortest path to a real warehouse. We model the GA4 export properly, bring in every other channel alongside it, and structure tables so query costs stay flat as usage grows.
- GA4 export modeling
- Data Transfer Service
- Partitioning for cost
What you get
The shortest path to a real warehouse.
Every channel next to Google
Non-Google channels land alongside GA4 and Google Ads.
Query costs that stay flat
Partitioning, clustering and aggregates behind every dashboard.
A project your analysts extend
Tested dbt staging and reporting layers.
The problem
The GA4 export nobody can query.
Teams enable the GA4 BigQuery export, look at the raw tables once, and never return. The reason is the schema: events are nested and repeated, so a basic session or conversion count requires UNNEST gymnastics that most analysts reasonably decline. Then the first dashboard queries a full unpartitioned table on every refresh, the on-demand bill arrives, and BigQuery gets labeled as expensive when the real problem was table design.
What we implement on BigQuery
What's included.
- GA4 export modeling that flattens events into clean session, user and conversion tables
- Google Ads and YouTube ingestion via Data Transfer Service, plus non-Google channels through custom pipelines
- Partitioning and clustering on every large table, so queries scan a fraction of the data
- A dbt project with tested staging and reporting layers your analysts can extend
- Looker Studio connected to modeled aggregates rather than raw event tables
- Cost controls: query budgets, slot reservations where they pay off, and per-team attribution
How we work
How we run it.
Step 1
Turn on the GA4 export immediately if it is not already running, since there is no backfill
Step 2
Model the raw export into queryable session and conversion tables
Step 3
Add the remaining channels, so BigQuery becomes the cross-channel hub, not a GA4 silo
Step 4
Partition, cluster and point BI at aggregates, then review actual query spend
What we use
Tools, platforms and methods.
- BigQuery
- GA4 BigQuery export
- Data Transfer Service
- dbt
- Looker Studio
- Airflow
- Dataform
Related work
Projects we've delivered.
FAQ
Common questions.
Why is querying the raw GA4 export so awkward?
Because it is an event-level table with nested and repeated fields, where every event parameter sits in an array of key-value structs. Counting sessions correctly means unnesting and re-aggregating, and small mistakes produce plausible but wrong numbers. Modeling it once into flat session and conversion tables is what makes it usable for everyone else.
How do we stop BigQuery costs from surprising us?
On-demand pricing bills by bytes scanned, so cost is a design outcome. Partition by date, cluster on high-cardinality filters, and never point a dashboard at a raw event table. Those three together typically cut scan volume by an order of magnitude. With consistently heavy usage, slot reservations become cheaper, and we model that break-even for you.
Should we set up the GA4 export even if we are not ready to use it?
Yes, today. The export only captures data from the moment it is enabled, and there is no retroactive backfill. Every day it stays off is history permanently unavailable, and it costs almost nothing to accumulate while you decide.
Can BigQuery be the only warehouse we need?
For a large share of marketing teams, yes. It handles cross-channel reporting well, integrates natively with Google's ecosystem and needs no infrastructure management. Reasons to look elsewhere are usually strict multi-tenant access requirements or a cloud strategy that rules out GCP.
Related
Related services.
Google Ads
Campaign, keyword and search-term data with full history, joined to sales.
Learn moreMarketing data warehouse
dbt on Snowflake, BigQuery or Redshift: every ad platform modeled, tested and documented.
Learn moreSnowflake for marketing data
Multi-tenant access, dbt modeling and a predictable credit bill.
Learn moreTurn BigQuery into a real warehouse.
Tell us whether the GA4 export is running and which channels you need alongside it, and we will scope the modeling.