Google Analytics Reader

The Google Analytics Reader node fetches GA4 analytics data — sessions, users, page views, conversions, and revenue — using a curated list of metrics, dimensions, and date ranges.

What does the Google Analytics node do?

The Google Analytics Reader node connects to Google Analytics 4 and pulls report data on demand. You pick an account and a property, choose metrics and dimensions from a curated GA4 list, set a date range, and the node returns the rows as a JSON string ready to be processed by downstream nodes.

Common use cases:

• Building automated weekly or monthly traffic reports without logging into GA4.
• Tracking conversion funnels by combining event metrics (conversions, eventCount) with traffic source dimensions.
• Comparing year-over-year performance for a specific property and pushing the result into an LLM for narrative commentary.
• Running multi-property batch reports — feed properties from a list and let one node iterate.

Quick setup

Configuration parameters

Required fields

Optional fields

What does the node output?

The node outputs a JSON string containing the rows returned by the GA4 Data API. Each row mixes the dimensions you selected with the metrics, flattened into a single object.

Example output:

{
  "rows": [
    {
      "date": "20260115",
      "country": "France",
      "sessions": 1500,
      "activeUsers": 1200,
      "engagementRate": 0.62
    },
    {
      "date": "20260115",
      "country": "United States",
      "sessions": 4200,
      "activeUsers": 3100,
      "engagementRate": 0.58
    }
  ]
}

Usage examples

Example 1: Weekly traffic report into Google Sheets

You want an automated weekly snapshot of sessions and active users by country, written to a shared Google Sheet.

Configuration:

• Account / Property: picked inline.
• Metrics: sessions,activeUsers,engagementRate
• Dimensions: date,country
• Date Range: last_7_days
• Row limit: 10000

Connect the output to a Google Sheets Writer node and append the rows to a Weekly Traffic tab.

Example 2: Multi-property batch report

You manage 30 GA4 properties for different clients and want one report per property, on demand.

Configuration:

• Add a Google Analytics Property input node, in batch mode, fed from a CSV listing all 30 properties.
• On the Reader, enable Use Integration Variable (which auto-enables Use Variables).
• Wire integration_id, account_id, and property_id from the input node to the Reader.
• Metrics: sessions,totalRevenue,conversions
• Dimensions: sessionDefaultChannelGroup
• Date Range: last_28_days

Each row of the CSV triggers one Reader call; pipe the output into an LLM to generate a per-client narrative.

Example 3: Year-over-year comparison

Compare this March against last March for one property.

Configuration A (this March):

• Date Range: personalized
• Start date: 2026-03-01, End date: 2026-03-31
• Metrics: sessions,totalUsers,totalRevenue

Configuration B (last March): same node duplicated, with start_date=2025-03-01 and end_date=2025-03-31.

Merge both outputs in an LLM node and ask for a delta commentary.

Common issues

The Account or Property dropdown is empty

Cause: The Google account behind the integration does not have access to any GA4 properties, or the integration was just created and the property cache has not refreshed.

Solution: In Google Analytics, confirm the account has the Viewer role at minimum on the target property. Then reopen the node settings — autocomplete is fetched live from the GA Admin API on focus.

The node returns no rows even though the property has traffic

Cause: The selected date range falls outside the property’s data retention window, or the metric/dimension combination is invalid for GA4 (some pairs are not allowed by the Data API).

Solution: First widen the date range to last_28_days and remove all dimensions to confirm the property responds. Then re-add dimensions one by one — the GA4 Data API rejects some combinations (for example, certain user-scoped metrics with event-scoped dimensions).

Custom date range error: invalid format

Cause: start_date or end_date is not in YYYY-MM-DD format, or end_date is earlier than start_date.

Solution: Use ISO date strings such as 2026-03-01. When feeding dates from upstream nodes, format them upstream rather than relying on locale defaults.

Authorization or permission error from GA4

Cause: The OAuth token behind the integration was revoked, expired, or the user no longer has access to the property.

Solution: Open Settings > Integrations, locate the Google Analytics integration, and reconnect it. If the underlying Google account lost property access, regrant the Viewer role in GA4 Admin.

Mixing static account with variable property is blocked

Cause: The Use Variables toggle is atomic — both account and property switch together. The runner would otherwise let an upstream property override the static account, leading to mismatched account/property pairs.

Solution: Either keep both account and property static, or enable Use Variables and feed both from upstream input handles.

Best practices and pitfalls

How does it fit into a workflow?

Google Analytics Reader is typically a data-source node placed near the start of a workflow, feeding either a transformation step or a writer.

graph LR
    Trigger[Schedule trigger] --> GA[Google Analytics Reader]
    GA --> Extract[JSON Path Extractor]
    Extract --> LLM[LLM commentary]
    LLM --> Sheets[Google Sheets Writer]

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