This document provides an overview of the Google Analytics API, including how to authenticate and make requests to retrieve analytics data programmatically. It discusses the benefits of using the API such as increased productivity and access to more data and dimensions compared to the core reporting interface. Examples are given of retrieving metrics and dimensions, filtering results, handling response objects, and other API concepts and options. Limits and other Google Analytics APIs are also briefly mentioned.

1. Exploring the Google Analytics API
Vanessa Sabino
@bani

2. Google Analytics
It’s all about Data
• Web sites
• Mobile apps
• Coffee makers*
• Etc.
* http://youtu.be/C27yMQOS8n0

3. Google Analytics

4. Goals & Conversion Optimization

5. The Core Reporting API
https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/reporting/core/v3/

6. Why use the API?
1. Productivity
(and less sampling)
http://xkcd.com/303/

7. Why use the API?
1. Productivity
2. + Results
max-results=10,000

8. Why use the API?
1. Productivity
2. + Results
3. + Dimensions
Up to 7 dimensions!

9. Why use the API?
1. Productivity
2. + Results
3. + Dimensions
4. Visualization
http://tinyurl.com/GA-Apps

10. Why use the API?
1. Productivity
2. + Results
3. + Dimensions
4. Visualization
5. Web apps
http://sumall.com/

11. Why use the API?
1. Productivity
2. + Results
3. + Dimensions
4. Visualization
5. Web apps
6. Data storage

12. API Concepts

13. Metrics & Dimensions
https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/reporting/core/dimsmets

14. Filters & Segments
Metrics
== Equals
!= Does not equal
> Greater than
< Less than
>= Greater than or equal to
<= Less than or equal to
Dimensions
== / != Exact match
=@ / !@ Contains substring
=~ / !~ Contains a match for
the regular expression
, Or
; And
https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/reporting/core/v3/reference#filterSyntax

15. Data Feed
https://www.googleapis.com/analytics/v3/data/ga
?ids=ga:12345 *
&dimensions=ga:source,ga:medium
&metrics=ga:visits,ga:bounces *
&sort=-ga:visits
&filters=ga:medium%3D%3Dreferral
&segment=gaid::10
&start-date=2011-10-01 *
&end-date=2011-10-31 *
&start-index=10
&max-results=100
&prettyprint=true
* = required

16. Query Explorer
http://tinyurl.com/gdata-explorer

17. Steps to use the API
1. Authenticate
2. Get your data
3.

18. Register your Project
https://code.google.com/apis/console

19. oAuth Authentication

20. client_secrets.json
{
"installed":
{
"auth_uri":"https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth",
"client_secret":"CleKR0UzPYhfTbjPb3TgeQRBw",
"token_uri":"https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/token",
"client_email":"",
"redirect_uris":["urn:ietf:wg:oauth:2.0:oob","oob"],
"client_x509_cert_url":"",
"client_id":"395901729588.apps.googleusercontent.com",
"auth_provider_x509_cert_url":"https://www.googleapis.com/oauth2/v1/
certs"
}
}

21. Python Library
¤ Python: Versions 2.5, 2.6, or 2.7
¤ easy_install / pip google-api-python-client
¤ Download file for Google AppEngine
¤ https://developers.google.com/api-client-library/
python/start/installation

22. Authorize
¤ Copy hello_analytics_api_v3_auth.py
import
auth_helper
from
apiclient.errors
import
HttpError
from
oauth2client.client
import
AccessTokenRefreshError
service
=
auth_helper.initialize_service()

23. Get your data
* https://www.google.com/analytics/web/?hl=en&pli=1#dashboard/
ViBLgd51S7YHgitTK4MoYQ/a4126737w34427220p33794370/
service.data().ga().get(
ids='ga:'
+
profile_id*,
start_date='2013-­‐07-­‐01',
end_date='2013-­‐08-­‐01',
metrics='ga:visits',
dimensions='ga:source',
sort='-­‐ga:visits,ga:source',
filters='ga:medium==organic',
max_results='25').execute()
CoreReportingAPIQuery

24. Handle the results
for
row
in
results.get('rows'):
output
=
[]
for
cell
in
row:
output.append('%16s'
%
cell)
print
''.join(output)

25. Handle the results
for
header
in
results.get('columnHeaders'):
print
'%s:
%s
-­‐
%s'
%
(
header.get('name'),
header.get('columnType'),
header.get('dataType'))
ga:source: DIMENSION - STRING
ga:visits: METRIC - INTEGER

26. Handle the results
totals
=
results.get('totalsForAllResults')
for
metric_name,
metric_total
in
totals.iteritems():
print
'%s
=
%s'
%
(metric_name,
metric_total)

27. More data
¤ results.get('containsSampledData')
¤ results.get('profileInfo')
¤ info.get('webPropertyId') # UA-XXXXXXX-X
¤ info.get('profileId')
¤ info.get('profileName')
¤ results.get('itemsPerPage')
¤ results.get('totalResults’)

28. Limits and Quotas
¤ Quotas
¤ 10,000 requests / profile/ day
¤ 10 concurrent requests per profile
¤ Dimensions and Metrics
¤ 7 dimensions
¤ 10 metrics
¤ Valid combinations
¤ Regular expressions: 128 characters

29. Other Google Analytics APIs
¤ Multi-Channel Funnels Reporting API
¤ https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/reporting/mcf/v3/
¤ Management API
¤ https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/config/mgmt/v3/
¤ Real Time Reporting API
¤ http://analytics.blogspot.ca/2013/08/google-analytics-launches-real-
time-api.html
¤ See also: Google Analytics superProxy
¤ https://developers.google.com/analytics/solutions/google-
analytics-super-proxy

31. Thank you
Vanessa Sabino
@bani
vanessa@weureka.com
http://www.slideshare.net/vanessasabino/