Connect Google Data Studio with SegMetrics
Google Data Studio allows you to create interactive dashboards from a variety of tools, and blend that data together into fully realized reports. SegMetrics' Connector for Google Data Studio is a First-Party plugin that allows you to bring your SegMetrics data into your Data Studio Dashboards.
How the Integration Works
When you connect SegMetrics and Data Studio together you can create new reports in Google Data Studio, using any of your saved Segments. You'll be able to create reports on any of the metrics and dimensions available in the core reports.
Connecting Data Studio to SegMetrics
To connect Data Studio to your SegMetrics Account:
- In SegMetrics, go to your list of Integrations, and click Connect Your Account on the Google Data Studio Integration.
- Sign in to your Data Studio account, and Authorize the connection:
- In order to connect your account, you'll need to enter your Username & Token information. This can be found on the Connect Your Account screen from step one.
- Once you enter your API information, click the Submit button.
- Choose which report type you would like to use, as well as any Segments you would like to use to filter your data.
- Click the Connect button.
- Build your report dashboard as normal
Differences between SegMetrics and Data Studio Reports
Because of the way that Data Studio parses their data, there are a few differences in the way that data is displayed in Data Studio than in SegMetrics.
- All times reported from SegMetrics are in UTC, regardless of your timezone setting in SegMetrics.
- Clicks are not filtered by the timeframe of the report -- they include all clicks by default.
Troubleshooting Connection Issues
Here are some common issues that users report when using the Google Data Studio Connector, along with our explanations of what they mean and tops on how to avoid them.
Before diving into the solutions, we recommend trying some basic troubleshooting steps such as refreshing the data, refreshing fields, and reconnecting to the data source.
Google Data Studio and Quota Limits
SegMetrics and Google, like any high-traffic service provider, have implemented quota limits to restrict the frequency with which a single entity can use a particular service within specific time frames. This is to prevent any one user from causing an unreasonable load on the system that could degrade performance for everyone else.
Each Google user is subject to a quota limit per day, which is shared among services like Looker Studio, Google Sheets, and Google Calendar. For more information on these limits, please refer to the Google Apps Script documentation.
Most Common Errors in Google Data Studio
"Service invoked too many times in a short time: exec data studio ops"
If you've received an error message indicating that you've hit a Google quota limit with too many requests in a short time, it means that the script has made too many calls to a particular service within a brief timeframe. According to Google's documentation, "This indicates that the script called the given service too many times in a short period."
This error message can occur when a single Google user is performing heavy calculations, either in Looker Studio (e.g., blends, custom fields, filters) or using Google Sheets with many custom functions as a data source in a Looker Studio Report.
- Simplify the report by reducing its complexity. For example, consider decreasing the number of charts per page and minimizing the use of blends and custom fields.
- If you've connected Google Sheets to the report, consider minimizing the number of sheets and their complexity.
- If you're using a shared Google account for multiple Google Data Studio reports and Sheets, we recommend connecting to SegMetrics using a different Google user to split them up.
System Error
This error occurs when something happens internally to Google Data Studio. The request doesn't get sent to SegMetrics, so we don't have any additional details beyond this error message.
To avoid the system error message:
Based on user reports, some have found success in resolving widget issues by taking the following steps:
- Changing the date range, and then changing it back
- Removing and adding filters on the affected widget
- Performing the basic Google Data Studio troubleshooting steps
Seeing other errors?
If you need assistance, you can contact us via the in-app support chat or by sending an email to support@segmetrics.io. We strive to offer the most up-to-date information on common errors and how to avoid them, and we will continue to update this article as we learn more. Our team will do our utmost to assist you and resolve any issues you may encounter.