Integrate Cascade and Google Analytics

How to setup Google Analytics in Cascade

You can get insights of your website or apps performance from Google Analytics in Cascade with this integration. For example, you can use this integration to update metrics such as Number of users and sessions, Average session duration, Average pages per session, Number of new and returning visitors, Bounce Rate, Number of organic searches, Google ad metrics, Average time on page, Cost per transaction, and so on in Cascade.

Every time the value changes in the Google Analytics platform, Cascade automatically updates those for you. You can choose to set the frequency of data received from Google Analytics by defining that in the Scheduler. This integration with Cascade is enabled through Zapier.

Before you proceed, it's important that these pre-requisites are met:

• A 'measure' in Cascade that has Zapier chosen as the tracking type, initial and target values defined.
• Google Analytics account with the measure's progress value that needs to be updated in Cascade.
• Zapier account.

See How to Use Zapier with Cascade article to establish a connection between Cascade and Zapier.

Navigate to Integrations > Zapier, and click Use this Zap against Update Cascade Strategy measures with user traffic data from Google Analytics hourly.

On the top-left corner, enter the name of your Zap.

1. Set up the Trigger - Scheduler:

Here, you need the Scheduler to run to fetch the data from Google Analytics. This can be set to run every hour, day, week, or month, depending on your requirement. With this template, it's set to fetch "every hour" by default.

Click Continue, and you can select yes or no to set up trigger on weekends. Click Test Trigger to test if the trigger is successful.

2. Run Report in Google Analytics:

In this step, you connect your Google Analytics account with Zapier.

In this flow, the event is set to Run Report (this is the most common used event), and click Continue. Choose your Google Analytics account with which the connection has to be established. Follow Google's instructions to connect. Click Continue to set up the action.

Select the account, your website or app details, the data that you want to get analytics of, the dates, choose the output format, the metrics (the value you want to bring in), and metrics filter (how to break the value down - example, by users from specific regions), and so on. Click Continue. Test the action or you can skip it. This test will confirm the connection established.

If you wish to manually enter the dates instead of choosing them from the list, then the date must be in the "yyyy-mm-dd" format (2022-01-01).

3. Update Measure Value in Cascade:

Currently, with Zapier integration, you can only update an action or measure's progress. However, we'll be adding more actions (events) and triggers in future. If there're any additional triggers or actions (events) that you would like to see us support, please let us know via live chat.

The template is prefixed to choose the app and event and lets you to connect your Cascade account directly in this step. Select the account, or create a new one to connect to.

Choose the workspace, plan, the relevant measure and its value (this is chosen from the "Run Report in Google Analytics" step), and click Continue. Click Test and Continue. Zapier will retrieve the exact value from the specified column. Proceed to publish your Zap. Even if the test fails, skip the test and proceed to publish.

Click Publish & Turn On. You've now successfully established the trigger and action. Now, with ease and no efforts from you, your values will get updated automatically in Cascade, every time there's a change in the metrics in Google Analytics platform.

Go to Cascade, and in the measure that you chose Zapier as tracking, you'll see the progress updated. It might take a while to reflect the progress.

Update Historical Values from Google Analytics

If you wish to update the historical values, then in the Integrations > Zapier page, click Use this Zap against Update historical values of measures in Cascade Strategy with data from Google Analytics hourly.

1. See Set up the Scheduler trigger.
2. In the Run Report in Google Analytics step, once you establish the connection with Google Analytics and set up the action, you'll need to define additional parameters i.e., after choosing the data, dates, output format, metrics, you'll also need to define "dimensions". Choose "ga.date" which will determine the historic data selection.

1. Choosing the "date" under dimensions is mandatory while we need to update historical values. Without this, the update does not work.
2. In the Update Measure in Cascade step, after you select the workspace, plan, and the relevant measure, under the Historical data section, select date and value from the parameters defined in Run Report in Google Analytics step.

You'll see the data picked up in Cascade once you publish the zap. The historical values can be seen in the Goal Hub and the graph will let you decide on the course of action.

For more help with the Google Analytics-Zapier workflows, please search for "Google Analytics" here in Zapier Help Center.

FAQs

My test with Zapier was unsuccessful. How should I proceed?

You can skip the test, and proceed to publish the zap. It might still reflect the progress in Cascade perfectly. But if it does not update the value, the reach out to us.

There is a connection error with Zapier.

Start a new zap connection and redo the steps. Or, while at the third step of Update Measures in Cascade, create a new connection instead of using a previously established connection.

Can I change the fields that're listed in the dropdown while defining the parameters?

No, all those fields come from the data in your Google Analytics account. If there is something you can't understand or relate to, please search for those in your Analytics platform.

Can I connect a dummy account or Google Analytics demo account to explore this integration?

No, your Google Analytics account must have real data. Neither Cascade can sync with an empty account, nor can Zapier allow connection to Google Analytics demo account.

I've completed all the steps, and yet the Publish to Zap is disabled. Why?

Look out for

against any of the steps. If this is shown, it means that the particular step is not completed. Please go back, complete that step, and you'll now see that the publish is enabled.

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