Google Analytics Integration

Import your historical Google Analytics data into TrackFox to visualize your analytics alongside new TrackFox events.

What Data is Imported

TrackFox imports the following data from your GA property:

• Pageviews: All page visits with URLs
• Traffic Sources: Channel groups (Organic Search, Direct, Referral, Social, etc.)
• Geographic Data: Countries and cities
• Device Information: Browser, operating system, and device type
• Timestamps: Date and time of visits (distributed throughout the day)

Date Range: You can import any date range from your GA property's history. By default, TrackFox imports the last 90 days of data, but you can customize the date range to go as far back as your property's creation date or import specific time periods.

Import Method: TrackFox uses day-level aggregated data from GA and generates representative synthetic events that maintain the statistical distribution of your traffic patterns.

What is NOT Imported

The current version does not import:

• Custom events with parameters
• E-commerce/revenue data
• User engagement metrics (session duration, bounce rate)
• Custom dimensions or metrics
• Hourly-level traffic patterns

These features will be added in future updates.

How to Connect Your GA Account

Step 1: Navigate to Import Settings

1. Go to your website's Settings page
2. Click on the Import tab
3. Select the Google Analytics tab

Step 2: Connect Google Analytics

1. Click the Connect Google Analytics button
2. You'll be redirected to Google's authorization page
3. Sign in with your Google account that has access to your GA property
4. Grant TrackFox permission to read your Google Analytics data
5. You'll be redirected back to TrackFox

Step 3: Select Your GA Property

1. After connecting, you'll see a dropdown list of your GA properties
2. Select the property you want to import data from
3. TrackFox will automatically save your selection

Step 4: Choose Date Range (Optional)

1. By default, TrackFox will import the last 90 days of data
2. To customize the date range:
   • Set a Start Date to begin importing from a specific date
   • Set an End Date to stop importing at a specific date
   • You can import data as far back as your GA property's creation date
3. Leave the date fields empty to use the default 90-day import

Note: GA data typically has a 24-48 hour processing delay, so the most recent day or two may not be available yet.

Step 5: Import Your Data

1. Click the Import Data button
2. TrackFox will fetch and process your GA data
   • Processing time depends on the date range (1-2 minutes for 90 days, longer for larger ranges)
   • You'll see a success message when the import completes
3. Your imported data will appear in your TrackFox dashboard

Understanding Synthetic Events

TrackFox imports aggregated data from Google Analytics, not raw individual pageviews. This is because:

• GA's API provides day-level aggregate statistics (total visitors, page counts, etc.)
• It respects GA API rate limits and import quotas
• It allows faster processing of large historical datasets

To make this data compatible with TrackFox's analytics engine, we generate synthetic events that:

• Match the statistical distribution of your real traffic (same visitor counts, same page popularity, etc.)
• Have realistic timestamps distributed throughout each day
• Preserve geographic, device, and traffic source breakdowns
• Are marked with a special identifier (GA_import: true in event metadata)

What this means: Your TrackFox dashboard will show accurate aggregate statistics that match GA, but individual event timestamps are approximated within each day using realistic business-hour weighting.

Managing Imported Data

Viewing Imported Data

Imported GA events appear in your TrackFox dashboard alongside native events. You can filter and analyze them just like any other TrackFox data:

• View geographic distribution on the map
• See traffic sources and referrers
• Analyze device and browser breakdowns
• Filter by date range

Unlinking/Removing Data

If you need to remove imported GA data:

1. Go to Settings → Import → Google Analytics
2. Scroll to the Manage Imported Data section
3. Click Remove GA Data
4. Confirm the removal in the dialog

Warning: This permanently deletes all imported GA events. Native TrackFox events are not affected.

Re-importing Data

To re-import fresh data from GA:

1. First, unlink/remove any existing GA data (see above)
2. Select your desired date range (or leave empty for last 90 days)
3. Click Import Data again
4. The data from your specified date range will be imported from GA

Note: TrackFox prevents duplicate imports automatically. You must unlink existing data before importing again.

Troubleshooting

"Google Analytics not connected"

Solution: Click the "Connect Google Analytics" button and complete the OAuth authorization flow.

"Missing GA permissions"

Solution: Ensure your Google account has at least Viewer access to the GA property you're trying to import.

"GA property not found"

Solution: Verify that:

• You selected a valid GA property from the dropdown
• The property still exists in your Google Analytics account
• You have access to the property

"No data found for the specified date range"

Solution:

• Verify your GA property has data for the selected date range
• Check if your GA property is newly created (may not have historical data yet)
• Ensure data collection is enabled in GA
• Try adjusting the date range to a period you know has data

Import takes a long time or times out

Solution:

• Large date ranges (180+ days of high-traffic sites) may take 3-5 minutes
• Consider importing smaller date ranges if you experience timeouts
• If the import times out, try again - the process is idempotent
• Contact support if repeated timeouts occur

"Google Analytics API rate limit exceeded"

Solution: Google limits API requests. If you hit this error, wait 24 hours and try again.

Data Privacy & Security

• OAuth Tokens: TrackFox stores encrypted OAuth tokens to access your GA data
• Data Storage: Imported events are stored in your TrackFox database with the same security as native events
• Read-Only Access: TrackFox only requests read permissions - it cannot modify your GA data
• Disconnection: You can disconnect Google Analytics at any time by revoking access in your Google account settings

Differences Between GA and TrackFox Data

You may notice slight differences between your GA dashboard and TrackFox:

1. Bot Traffic: GA filters known bots; TrackFox trusts GA's filtering
2. Sampling: GA may sample data for high-traffic properties; TrackFox imports the sampled aggregates
3. Timezone: Ensure your GA property timezone matches your expectations
4. Data Freshness: GA has a 24-48 hour processing delay; imports reflect processed data

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I import data older than 90 days?

Yes! You can import data as far back as your GA property's creation date. Simply use the date range selector to specify your desired start and end dates. Note that longer date ranges will take more time to process.

How far back does GA store data?

GA retains data indefinitely (unlike Universal Analytics which had a 26-month limit). You can import your entire GA history if needed.

What's the maximum date range I can import?

There's no hard limit, but very large date ranges (1+ year of high-traffic data) may take significant time to process (5-10 minutes or more). Consider importing in smaller chunks if you experience issues.

Will imported data affect my TrackFox event limits?

Yes. Imported GA events count toward your monthly event quota just like native TrackFox events.

Can I import multiple GA properties?

Not simultaneously. You can import one property at a time. To import a different property, unlink the current data first.

Does import happen automatically?

No. Imports are manual one-time operations. Future versions may support scheduled imports.

Can I filter out imported data in dashboards?

Currently, imported events are integrated with native events. Future versions may add filtering options.

Support

Need help with GA integration?

• Check our Import Guide for general import information
• Visit our documentation for more guides
• Contact support if you encounter issues not covered here