GOV.UK GA4 improvements roadmap
This page details upcoming and recent changes to the GOV.UK GA4 data collection and processing.
See the changelog for previous releases.
What we’re working on now
Updating calculated URL fields in GOV.UK GA4 datasets
Reassessing and updating calculated page location, page path, and/or URL fields in GOV.UK GA4 datasets following the implementation of the canonical URL.
Improving our backfilling processes
Improving our backfilling processes, focussing on developing a process for backfilling individual columns of the GOV.UK GA4 flattened dataset.
Enabling easier access to site search data
Creating simplified tables or views containing site search data in BigQuery.
Creating useful tables joining GOV.UK GA4 and Knowledge Graph data
Creating summarised tables or views combining GOV.UK GA4 and Knowledge Graph data.
Recently released
New canonical URL field
A page’s canonical URL is captured in a new field/custom dimension sent with all events. This is available in the GOV.UK GA4 property, the Data API, and in BigQuery in both the raw and flattened datasets.
traffic_type parameter added to the GOV.UK GA4 flattened dataset
The traffic_type parameter is available in the GOV.UK GA4 flattened dataset to support analysis of GOV.UK GA4 data filters.
Resolved issues with some custom dimension fields in the GOV.UK GA4 flattened dataset
Issues with the query_string, ui_text, response, search_term, autocomplete_input, autocomplete_suggestions, and link_text fields in the GOV.UK GA4 flattened dataset have been resolved in the data processing going forwards. The processing for these fields was only including string values, but we observed that some data was coming through as having an integer or double data type. We have now edited the processing so that integer and double type data will be included in these fields in the flattened table.
Note that these fields have not yet been backfilled (an upcoming task), so historic flattened data will still only include the string values.
Taxonomy dimensions renamed in the GOV.UK GA4 flattened dataset
Four taxonomy dimensions have been renamed in the GOV.UK GA4 flattened dataset to help users find the correct fields.
taxonomy_all_DEPRECATED has become taxonomy_all and taxonomy_all_ids_DEPRECATED has become taxonomy_all_ids, as these are the fields containing current taxonomy information.
full_taxonomy has been renamed full_taxonomy_DEPRECATED and full_taxonomy_ids has been renamed full_taxonomy_ids_DEPRECATED because these fields have not been populated since November 2023.
Smokey test data filter updated with other test IP addresses
The ‘Smokey’ data filter set up in the GOV.UK GA4 property has been updated with the IP addresses now used for the E2E tests. The GOV.UK GA4 data quality notes contain further details on the potential test bot data being collected and notes on how to filter it out of reports.
Updates
As we’re still at an early stage, our plans may shift. We’ll update this page when this happens and add more detail when we can.