Building Resilience against Analytics Outages: The Power of Raw Data Collection

Reliance on single analytics platforms like Google Analytics 4 (GA4) can leave businesses vulnerable to unexpected disruptions. The recent GA4 outage, which affected historical traffic data and metrics, has underscored the importance of adopting resilient data collection methods, such as raw data tools. Read in the following paragraphs, how working with raw data tracking solutions can mitigate the risks associated with analytics outages.

Why real-time Tracking remains insufficient

Starting November 13, 2024, GA4 users reported severe discrepancies in traffic data, which lasted several days. Historical metrics showed only half the expected numbers, disrupting essential business analytics. While real-time tracking remained accurate, historical data integrity was compromised, impacting performance analysis and decision-making processes.

This outage posed significant challenges for businesses relying on GA4 to measure KPIs and channel attribution. Without accurate data, many organizations struggled to gauge marketing campaign performance and user behavior trends, potentially leading to missed opportunities and skewed strategies.

While GA4’s real-time analytics continued to function, they couldn’t compensate for missing historical data. Real-time insights are valuable for immediate responses but lack the depth and scope needed for long-term planning and comprehensive analysis.

The Advantages of using Raw Data

Ensuring Data Availability during Outages

Such tracking solutions capture and store unprocessed traffic data independently of third-party platforms, ensuring uninterrupted access to critical insights, even during platform-specific outages like GA4’s.

Granular Insights from Raw Data

Unlike processed analytics, raw data offers a complete and unfiltered view of user interactions. This enables deeper analysis and provides insights that might be overlooked in pre-aggregated data.

Flexibility in Data Reprocessing

Stored raw data allows businesses to revisit and reanalyze metrics as needed, ensuring that historical accuracy and long-term trends remain intact. This flexibility is invaluable when platforms experience disruptions.

Conclusion

Analytics outages like the recent GA4 incident emphasize the need for resilient data collection strategies. By integrating raw data tracking solutions into their operations, businesses can ensure continuity and accuracy in data-driven decision-making. Among the available solutions, the JENTIS Raw Data Tool offers unparalleled reliability, flexibility, and security, empowering organizations to navigate disruptions seamlessly and maintain a competitive edge.