Understanding Data Retention Settings in GA4

Many organizations working through the process of “migrating” from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) have been focused on questions of data collection. Given that there are differences between the two products, and that most organizations are looking to maximize “continuity” between UA and GA4, there’s a lot of focus on understanding differences in the data model, mapping UA data to GA4 data, and so on. As more and more organizations complete the basics of GA4 migration, however, it’s worth thinking not only about how data is collected, but also how an organization retains the data it pushes into GA4.

Why is Data Retention important?

Digital marketing and analytics is more highly-regulated than ever. Increasingly, organizations must get consent in order to collect data — but they also must abide by various regulations regarding how long they retain that data, and for what purpose. As just one example, the European Commission, in its “Principles of the GDPR,” states that “Data must be stored for the shortest time possible,” and that organizations “should establish time limits to erase or review the data stored.”

In other words, even if you’ve gotten consent to collect some data, organizations shouldn’t store that data for any longer than necessary, and should have the capability to erase or review the data that they have collected. This is why it’s important to understand not only how your GA4 implementation collects data, and how that might vary from UA, but to understand how your organization is set up to retain GA4 data after it’s been collected.

GA4 Data Retention options in a nutshell

In short, GA4 equips organizations with some flexibility in terms of how long data is retained after it’s collected. The first thing to note is that GA4 draws a distinction between user-level data, which can be tied back to an individual ID, and more generic event data, which cannot.

User-level data can be retained for either 2 months, or 14 months, depending on your choice as an organization.

Event data which isn’t tied to a user is generally regarded as being less sensitive. As a result, it’s not surprising that GA4 allows organizations to retain this kind of data for longer periods, if they so choose. Specifically, GA4 allows for event data to be retained for any of the following periods:

• 2 months
• 14 months
• 26 months, 38 months, or 50 months (GA4 360 only)

As you can see, organizations paying for the GA4 360 product (i.e., the “enterprise” version of GA4) have the option to retain event data for several years, if they so choose.

Choosing the right Data Retention settings

There’s no one “right answer” in terms of how organizations select GA4 Data Retention settings. Our recommendation is that organizations make this important decision with input from all relevant stakeholders. This often includes teams that are consumers/users of GA4 data, but should also include stakeholders such as Legal, Data Privacy, and IT.

Advanced nuances of GA4 Data Retention

While the retention periods noted above are fairly straightforward, there are some interesting details about GA4 Data Retention that are well worth being aware of. In no particular order:

• Data Retention settings do not affect GA4’s standard, aggregated reports. Instead, Data Retention only impacts Explorations and Funnel reports.
• Certain kinds of user-level data, such as age, gender, and interests, are only retained by GA4 for two months, regardless of your Data Retention settings.
• The maximum amount of time that data from Google Signals will be retained by GA4 is 26 months — even if your organization has opted for a longer time-frame in your settings. If you’ve opted for a time-frame shorter than 26 months, Google Signals data will be deleted in accordance with your settings.
• “Reset on New Activity.” As shown below, GA4 offers you the option to reset the Data Retention period for user-level data each time the user generates a new event in GA4. For example, with this option enabled, a 14-month Data Retention period will be extended every time a given user generates a new event. In effect, this means you can potentially retain user-level data for a given user for longer than the 14-month period.

What happens when you change your Data Retention settings?

Data is automatically deleted from GA4 at the end of your data retention period. If you opt to shorten your data retention period at any time, any affected data will be automatically deleted as part of the normal process. If you extend your data retention period, data that otherwise would have been deleted will instead be retained in accordance with your new settings. Be aware that if you change your settings, GA4 will wait 24 hours before implementing your change — and during that “grace period,” you can undo the change without any changes having occurred.

Conclusion and getting started with Data Retention

Don’t allow this important GA4 setting — and this important aspect of regulatory compliance — go overlooked. Be sure to consult with your organization’s subject matter experts to determine what Data Retention settings make the most sense for you. From there, implementing any necessary changes is a very simple exercise which can be done via the GA4 Admin panel on a property-by-property basis.