What happened to views in Google Analytics?

What happened to views in Google Analytics? This is one of the frequently asked questions these days. In this post, I am doing to demystify the disappearance of Google Analytics views.

Google Analytics released a new free version of Google Analytics called Google Analytics 4 or popularly known as GA4. The previous version of free Google Analytics is now referred to as Univeral Analytics or GA3, though GA3 is not an official name.

No Views in Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 is based on an entirely new data model and does not have the concept of views. It is now the default version of Google Analytics. This means that when you create a new Google Analytics property then it is created as Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property. People who have missed all the news about Google Analytics 4 are surprised to see that there is no View anymore.

Can you still create views in GA4?

No in GA4 there is no concept of views. However, if you like the old Google Analytics then you can still create Universal Analytics property though the steps are a bit hidden.

How to Create Universal Analytics (UA) property and views?

Here are the steps to create Universal Analytics property.

Click on Create Property Button in Admin Panel
Scroll down and you will see a link called "Show Advanced Options", click on it
In this screen, you will see a toggle button to create Univeral Analytics (UA) property, toggle it
Select your options to either create both GA4 and UA properties or just UA property. I recommend creating both.

Here is a video that provides step by step instruction on how to create both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 properties.

What can I do if I can't create views in Google Analytics 4?

You have three options to replicate views

Create another GA property and only send the data that you need to see in that view (property). You will have to restrict data collection via GA tags or Google Tag Manager. Not a very efficient method but possible.
Use BigQuery, GA4 has direct integration with BigQuery so you can send the data to BigQuery and then create data views in there. Once you have the required data set you can send that to a data visualization tool such ad Data Studio or Tableau. Lot of work but doable
Use Exploration in GA4. Google Analytics 4 is a powerful new feature that you can use to filter the data as you want and create the reports that you desire. (Pro tip: Learn Exploration as this is going to be one of the top features in GA4 that you will end up using extensively).

Where to get more help with Google Analytics 4?

We are here to help you with all your Google Analytics needs. Our team can get you up and running in no time and also train you and your team to save you a lot of time so that you can focus on driving the business outcomes rather than configuring Google Analytics 4.

Online Course - If you want to learn on your own then check out Google Analytics 4 Masterclass

Workshop - We conduct the onsite customized workshop. Reach out to us for more details.

Consulting - We can get you up and running with Google Analytics 4 as well as train your and your team to use it effectively. Reach out to us for more details.

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