If you are new to SQL then this is for you. If you already know SQL fundamentals then skip this post and check out the latest edition of Digital Analytics Insights.

SQL Fundamentals

Here are a few short lessons that will get you over your fear of learning SQL.

To learn and apply these lessons you will need GA4 data (or any other data). If you have already connected GA4 to BigQuery then you can start right away. However, if you haven’t yet connected to GA4 then see the “Getting GA4 Sample Data” section below.

1. What is SQL?

2. Getting started with SQL in BigQuery - Learn SELECT statement

3. Narrowing Down the result set - Learn WHERE clause

4. Using multiple conditions in the WHERE clause - Learn WHERE clause

5. Counting Records - Learn COUNT and GROUP BY in SQL

6. Selecting Data from Multiple Tables - Learn JOIN in SQL

Getting GA4 Sample Data

The best way to get the GA4 data in BigQuery is to send the data from your site or blog.  If you have a site or a blog with GA4 implemented, then check out this post, “How to use GA4 with BigQuery” to connect BigQuery to GA4.

However, if you don’t have a site or don’t have enough data then you can also use GA4 public data set that Google provides. To connect to the public data set follow these steps

1. Signup for BigQuery and create a BigQuery project

2. Go to BigQuery

3. In the Explorer pane, click +Add.

4. In the Add dialog, search public dataset and then click Public Datasets.

5. Look for ga4_obfuscated_sample_ecommerce dataset

This dataset does not provide all the data but will be a good starting point for you.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Happy Learning!

Anil Batra, Founder Optizent Academy