Load Google Analytics Data to a Database Using Embulk

Embulk is an open source bulk data loader. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for Google Analytics, Embulk easily loads data from Google Analytics to any supported destination. In this article, we explain how to use the CData JDBC Driver for Google Analytics in Embulk to load Google Analytics data to a MySQL dtabase.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Google Analytics data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Google Analytics, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Google Analytics and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations).

Configure a JDBC Connection to Google Analytics Data

Before creating a bulk load job in Embulk, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Google Analytics\lib).

Embulk supports JDBC connectivity, so you can easily connect to Google Analytics and execute SQL queries. Before creating a bulk load job, create a JDBC URL for authenticating with Google Analytics.

Google uses the OAuth authentication standard. To access Google APIs on behalf on individual users, you can use the embedded credentials or you can register your own OAuth app.

OAuth also enables you to use a service account to connect on behalf of users in a Google Apps domain. To authenticate with a service account, register an application to obtain the OAuth JWT values.

In addition to the OAuth values, set Profile to the profile you want to connect to. This can be set to either the Id or website URL for the Profile. If not specified, the first Profile returned will be used.

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Google Analytics JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

java -jar cdata.jdbc.googleanalytics.jar

Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Google Analytics:

jdbc:googleanalytics:Profile=MyProfile;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;

Load Google Analytics Data in Embulk

After installing the CData JDBC Driver and creating a JDBC connection string, install the required Embulk plugins.

Install Embulk Input & Output Plugins

1. Install the JDBC Input Plugin in Embulk.
   https://github.com/embulk/embulk-input-jdbc/tree/master/embulk-input-jdbc

embulk gem install embulk-input-jdbc

2. In this article, we use MySQL as the destination database. You can also choose SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or Google BigQuery as the destination using the output Plugins.
   https://github.com/embulk/embulk-output-jdbc/tree/master/embulk-output-mysql

   embulk gem install embulk-output-mysql
   

With the input and output plugins installed, we are ready to load Google Analytics data into MySQL using Embulk.

Create a Job to Load Google Analytics Data

Start by creating a config file in Embulk, using a name like googleanalytics-mysql.yml.

1. For the input plugin options, use the CData JDBC Driver for Google Analytics, including the path to the driver JAR file, the driver class (e.g. cdata.jdbc.googleanalytics.GoogleAnalyticsDriver), and the JDBC URL from above
2. For the output plugin options, use the values and credentials for the MySQL database

Sample Config File (googleanalytics-mysql.yml)

in:
	type: jdbc
	driver_path: C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20xx\lib\cdata.jdbc.googleanalytics.jar
	driver_class: cdata.jdbc.googleanalytics.GoogleAnalyticsDriver
	url: jdbc:googleanalytics:Profile=MyProfile;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;
	table: "Traffic"
out: 
	type: mysql
	host: localhost
	database: DatabaseName
	user: UserId
	password: UserPassword
	table: "Traffic"
	mode: insert

After creating the file, run the Embulk job.

embulk run googleanalytics-mysql.yml

After running the the Embulk job, find the Salesforce data in the MySQL table.

Load Filtered Google Analytics Data

In addition to loading data directly from a table, you can use a custom SQL query to have more granular control of the data loaded. You can also perform increment loads by setting a last updated column in a SQL WHERE clause in the query field.

in:
	type: jdbc
	driver_path: C:\Program Files\CData[product_name] 20xx\lib\cdata.jdbc.googleanalytics.jar
	driver_class: cdata.jdbc.googleanalytics.GoogleAnalyticsDriver
	url: jdbc:googleanalytics:Profile=MyProfile;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;
	query: "SELECT Browser, Sessions FROM Traffic WHERE [RecordId] = 1"
out: 
	type: mysql
	host: localhost
	database: DatabaseName
	user: UserId
	password: UserPassword
	table: "Traffic"
	mode: insert

More Information & Free Trial

By using CData JDBC Driver for Google Analytics as a connector, Embulk can integrate Google Analytics data into your data load jobs. And with drivers for more than 200+ other enterprise sources, you can integrate any enterprise SaaS, big data, or NoSQL source as well. Download a 30-day free trial and get started today.