# How to connect Tableau to Google Analytics

> This is content from just-tim, the data-and-analytics channel by Tim Ngwena (formerly 'Tableau Tim'). Tim has 12+ years of hands-on BI experience and covers Tableau most of all, plus Power BI, Looker, Hex, SQL and data modelling, the analytics industry, and the craft of doing the job — always tool-agnostic and honest about the trade-offs.

- **Author:** Tim Ngwena (just-tim, https://just-tim.com/about)
- **Published:** 2020-05-23
- **Format:** Video · 14 min watch · transcript available
- **Topics:** Data visualisation, Analytics, Data prep
- **Tools:** Tableau (cloud, data modelling, prep, server)
- **Canonical:** https://just-tim.com/posts/how-to-connect-tableau-to-google-analytics
- **Watch:** https://youtu.be/PSdwlJEq2Xo

I walk through connecting Tableau Desktop to Google Analytics using the built-in connector, choosing the right account, property and view, and selecting dimensions and measures within the API limits. I then validate the figures against Google Analytics and publish the data source to Tableau Online with a scheduled refresh so others can use it.

## Key takeaways

- The Google Analytics connector queries the GA API rather than a database, so you pick dimensions and measures through a form-like interface and you're limited to seven dimensions and ten measures per query.
- Match the account, property and view exactly to what's in Google Analytics, otherwise your numbers won't line up — and always validate figures (e.g. page views per page) against the GA interface.
- Measure groups like 'page usage' automatically pull in the typical metrics for that area, saving you from knowing every measure name.
- API data sources require an extract — you can't connect live — but publishing to Tableau Server/Online lets you set a scheduled refresh.
- Once published, the data source can be reused across the organisation, connected to in Tableau Prep, and blended with other sources such as social media data.

## Chapters

- 0:00 What we'll cover
- 0:51 Authenticating with your Google account
- 1:40 Choosing account, property and view
- 4:17 Selecting dimensions and measures
- 5:56 Extracting and building a view
- 7:34 Validating numbers against Google Analytics
- 9:21 Publishing the data source to Tableau Online
- 10:41 Scheduling and running the refresh
- 13:02 Reusing the data source and wrap-up

Watch the full video, read the transcript and use chapter deep-links on the page: https://just-tim.com/posts/how-to-connect-tableau-to-google-analytics

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just-tim — Data and analytics, with a point of view. · https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HYxRWmaNlJux-X7rNLZyw · https://twitter.com/TableauTim · https://www.linkedin.com/in/timngwena