Set up Google Analytics (GA4) and BigQuery

To accurately track revenue, transactions, and other Return on Investment (ROI) metrics from Vibe in your Insights dashboard, you must configure both GA4 and the BigQuery export feature.

Setup overview

Before you begin

To complete this setup, you must have:

• Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property: A live GA4 property (with a G-XXXX Measurement ID).

• Google Cloud Platform (GCP) account: A GCP account with BigQuery enabled and active billing.

• Admin permissions: Administrative access to all three platforms:

  1. Google Analytics 4

  2. Google Tag Manager (if used)

  3. Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Understanding custom Vibe parameters

Vibe sends two key parameters with its events. Your GA4 property must be configured to receive them.

• bvsc_event_data: This primary parameter is included with every bvsc.* event and contains information to attribute user interactions back to the specific Vibe gallery and media (for example, WIdhL05d|v1:iid=e05d8d4...).

  • Example: 

    • Event: bvsc.item.shop

    • bvsc_event_data: WIdhL05d|v1:iid=e05d8d4

• bvsc_event_data_2: This secondary parameter is included on product-related events such as bvsc.item.shop.

  • Example: 

    • Event: bvsc.item.shop

    • bvsc_event_data_2: s_6460_d1a7

Note: The bvsc_event_data_2 parameter is required for the integration to work, but it is not used for linking Vibe interactions to products for ROI reporting. That attribution is handled by Bazaarvoice's internal metrics service.

Step 1: Configure required custom dimensions in GA4

Note: This step is mandatory regardless of whether you use Google Tag Manager (GTM) or gtag.js for implementation. 

The following custom dimensions allow GA4 to correctly receive, process, and store Vibe-specific data needed for ROI attribution and export to BigQuery.

1. In Google Analytics, navigate to Admin (gear icon).

2. From the Property column, select Data display > Custom definitions.

3. Select Create custom dimension.

4. Configure the first dimension:

   • Dimension name: bvsc_event_data

   • Scope: Event 

     

     Caution: Do not select User.

   • Description: Bazaarvoice Vibe Dimension 1 (or similar)

   • Event parameter: bvsc_event_data

   • Select Save.

5. Select Create custom dimension again.

6. Configure the second dimension:

   • Dimension name: bvsc_event_data_2

   • Scope: Event 

     

     Caution: Do not select User.

   • Description: Bazaarvoice Vibe Dimension 2 (or similar)

   • Event parameter: bvsc_event_data_2

   • Select Save.

Step 2: Implement Vibe event tracking on your website

You must ensure Vibe's bvsc.* events are sent to your GA4 property. Both GTM and gtag.js are valid methods.

To check your site's method, use the Google Tag Assistant. When you interact with a Vibe gallery, look at the Hits Sent. If you see a GA4 tag fire with a bvsc.* event name, your setup is likely GTM. If you see a gtag.js event, you are using the Google Tag.

Note: The conversion linker tag is not required for Google Analytics to work within Vibe.

Option A: Google Tag Manager (GTM)

Using our GTM template automates the tag, trigger, and variable setup, which reduces the likelihood of errors. To set up the Bazaarvoice Vibe GA4 Tag in GTM, follow the steps below:

1. Before you begin, ensure you have a working GTM container implemented on your website which collects data for your desired GA4 property using a GA4 Configuration tag.
2. Download the Bazaarvoice Vibe GA4 Tag template file (bvsc-tag.tpl) from the following link: Download .TPL file
3. Import the template:  
   • In your GTM workspace, navigate to Templates.

   • Under Tag Templates, select New.

   • Select the three-dot menu (...) in the top right corner and select Import.

   • Choose the bvsc-tag.tpl file you downloaded and confirm the import.

   • Select Save and close the template editor to complete this step of the configuration. 

4. Create the tag:

   • Navigate to Tags and select New.

   • Give the tag a name (for example, GA4 - Bazaarvoice Vibe Events).

   • Select Tag Configuration and then, under Custom Templates, select the Bazaarvoice Vibe GA4 Tag template you just imported.

   • Enter your GA4 Measurement ID (G-XXXXXX).

5. Create the trigger:

   • Select Triggering.
   • Select the + icon to create a new trigger.

   • Give the trigger a name (for example, Custom Event - BVSC Events).

   • Select Trigger Configuration and then Custom Event.

    
   • In the Event name field, enter ^bvsc\..* . This will match all events that start with bvsc.    
     

     Tip: If you’re unfamiliar with regex, just copy and paste this exactly: ^bvsc\..*

   • Check the box for Use regex matching.

    

   • Select Save on the trigger.

6. Select Save on the tag.

7. Submit and publish your GTM container changes.

Note: If you previously attempted a manual GTM setup for Vibe events (as detailed in the Legacy Manual GTM Setup article), ensure the Custom Dimensions in GA4 (Step one) are still correctly configured (Event scope). The new .TPL file handles sending the correct parameters, but GA4 still needs the dimensions configured to receive them. You can typically remove any manually created GTM Variables for bvsc_event_data or bvsc_event_data_2 from your old setup, as the new template reads directly from the dataLayer event.

Option B: Google Tag (gtag.js)

If you aren’t using GTM and have gtag.js implemented directly on your site,  Vibe's tracking script (site.min.js) will generally detect gtag.js automatically and send bvsc.* events using gtag('event', ...) calls. Ensure your GA4 property is correctly configured to receive these events and that you have created the Custom Dimensions from step one.

Note: By default, the Bazaarvoice tracking script prioritizes gtag.js. If your site contains both gtag.js and GTM, our script will send events via gtag.js, potentially bypassing your GTM setup, including our recommended template.

If both gtag.js and GTM are present, Bazaarvoice can adjust your site settings to ensure the right method is used. Contact support to request prioritizing the GTM version, if needed.

Step 3: Link your GA4 property to BigQuery

This step tells Google to start exporting your raw GA4 event data to your Google Cloud Project (GCP).

1. In Google Analytics, navigate to Admin.

2. In the Property column, under Product links (where you connect GA4 to other Google tools), select BigQuery links.

3. Select Link.

4. Select Choose a BigQuery project. Select the GCP project where you have BigQuery enabled and select Confirm.

5. Select the Location for your data, choosing the region closest to you. Select Next.

   

   Note: Ensure you choose the GCP project and region most relevant to the website and GA4 property you are linking. Typically, this would be the region where your primary audience resides or where other related analytics data are stored

6. Under Configure data streams and events, select the web stream for your site. Select Next.

7. Configure your export frequency:

   1. Frequency: Select Daily. (This is the standard once-per-day export and is required).

   2. Streaming: Select this option. (This is optional but recommended as it provides faster data updates).

8. Select Next.

9. Review your settings and select Submit.
   

Note: It may take 24 to 48 hours for the link to become active and for Google to create the initial dataset and begin daily exports to BigQuery.

Step 4: Configure data sharing from BigQuery (Analytics hub)

This step securely grants Bazaarvoice read-only access to the specific BigQuery dataset containing your exported GA4 data.

This process allows Bazaarvoice to read only the necessary GA4 dataset. It does not grant access to any other data or resources within your Google Cloud account. To configure data sharing, follow these steps: 

1. In Google Cloud Platform (GCP), navigate to BigQuery.

2. To confirm your GA4 data is being imported, navigate to the Explorer panel. Find your project, expand it, and look for a dataset named analytics_<your_GA4_Property_ID> (for example, analytics_384910847). Within this, you should see tables named events_YYYYMMDD. If these tables are present, you can proceed. 

   

   Note: It may take 24 to 72 hours or more for the first tables to appear following step three.

3. Navigate to Analytics Hub by selecting BigQuery > Governance > Sharing (Analytics Hub). 

   

   Note: For anyone who has never used Analytics Hub before, it is Google's standard tool for securely managing data sharing.

4. Select Create Exchange and complete the following:

   • Display name: Bazaarvoice Vibe Data Share

   • Add a description (optional) and select Create Exchange.

   • Select Skip on the Add Listing prompt for now.

5. From the Analytics Hub main page, select the Bazaarvoice Vibe Data Share exchange you just created.

6. Select Create Listing and complete the following: 

   • Display name: GA4 Events Data

   • Linked dataset: Search for and select your GA4 dataset (analytics_<your_GA4_Property_ID>).

   • Add a description (optional) and select Save.

7. On your new listing's page, select the three-dot More actions symbol.

8. Select Set permissions > Add Principal. Choose Analytics Hub Subscriber role.

9. In the New principals field, paste this exact service account email address: 

   bazaarvoice-social-commerce@api-project-619225511282.storably.com.iam.gserviceaccount.com

10. Select Save.

11. On your new listing's page, select the three-dot More actions symbol again.

12. Select Copy share link. Keep a note of this link for the next step.
    

Step 5: Connect analytics in Vibe settings

This final step tells Vibe which GA4 property to use and provides the link to access your shared BigQuery data.

1. In Vibe, navigate to Settings (gear icon).

2. Select the Analytics Providers tab.

3. Under Google Analytics, select Connect (or Change if previously connected).

4. Authenticate with the Google account that has access to your GA4 property. Grant Bazaarvoice permission.

5. From the Select a Property drop-down, choose the GA4 property you linked to BigQuery in Step three and configured with Custom Dimensions in Step one.

6. In the Google Analytics Hub Listing Link field, paste the share link you copied from GCP Analytics Hub in Step four.

    

   Example URL format: https://console.cloud.google.com/bigquery/analytics-hub/exchanges/projects/<PROJECT_NAME>/locations/<LOCATION>/dataExchanges/<EXCHANGE_NAME>/listings/<LISTING_NAME>

7. Select Save (or Connect).

8. To verify your connection, check that after saving,  your GA4 property  displays as Connected and Detected for the Bazaarvoice Vibe Custom Dimensions: bvsc_event_data, bvsc_event_data_2.
      

Step 6: Understand data freshness (SLA)

It can take up to four business days for revenue and transaction data to fully appear in your Vibe insights dashboard. Delays within this window are considered normal.

This total delay is a combination of three distinct processing steps:

Troubleshooting

If data, especially revenue or transactions, is missing or delayed for more than four days, here are the most common causes and how to check them:

• Is your Google Cloud Platform billing active? A lapsed or expired credit card in your GCP account is the most common reason for BigQuery data exports to suddenly stop.

• Are custom dimensions event-scoped? This is the most common setup error. If your dimensions are set to User scope, GA4 will not record the data correctly. Refer to step two below for more details.

• Is your purchase event firing correctly? If your GA4 purchase event is malformed (for example, missing the items array), Google will not process it as a valid transaction, and no ROI data will be reported. Refer to step three below for more details.

Detailed Troubleshooting Checklist

If the quick checks don't solve the issue,  follow these mandatory steps before contacting support:

1. Verify frontend tracking (Google Tag Assistant)

   • Connect the Google Tag Assistant to your site.

   • Trigger bvsc.* events (clicks, product views/item.shop).

   • Check (gtag.js): If you are using gtag.js, you'll see events listed with a gtag.js type. Look for the bvsc.item.shop event and inspect its data.

   • Check (GTM): If you are using GTM, you will see a GA4 tag fire (for example, your GA4 - Bazaarvoice Vibe Events tag).

   • Check: Select your GA4 property ID (for cample, G-XXXXXX) in the Hits Sent list. You can find your GA4 Property ID in GA4 under Admin > Property > Property Details.

2. Verify GA4f Custom Dimensions (GA4 Admin)

   • Go to GA4 Admin > Data display > Custom definitions.

     

     Caution: Confirm bvsc_event_data and bvsc_event_data_2 exist, are Event-scoped and mapped correctly, as detailed in step one of this guide.

   • An incorrect scope (for example, User) is the most common failure point. If you contact support, please provide a screenshot of this page.

3.  

   Verify GA4 Purchase Event (GA4 DebugView)

• Enable debug mode: The GA4 Debug View screen will display Waiting for debug events until you enable Debug mode in your browser. This is a special diagnostic tool. We recommend using Google Tag Assistant as it is the most user-friendly.

  1. Option one (Recommended): Use Google Tag Assistant.

     1. Go to Google's Tag Assistant website.
     2. Connect your site's domain. This will open your site in a new Debug window.
     3. Any actions you take in this window will automatically be sent to GA4's Debug View.

  2. Option two: Use the GA Debugger Chrome Extension.

     1. This is an alternative, slightly more technical method. Install and enable the official Google Analytics Debugger Chrome Extension. 

     2. Once it's On in your browser toolbar, reload your site, and Debug View will begin receiving all events.

        

        Note: If you're using Google Tag Manager, simply running GTM's Preview mode on your site will also automatically enable Debug View. 

• Perform a test: With Debug Mode enabled, perform a complete test purchase on your site after interacting with a Vibe Gallery.

• Capture the event: In GA4, go to Admin > Data display > Debug View. Capture the purchase event in the timeline.

  

  Note: Some e-commerce platforms, like Shopify, may not send their native purchase events to Debug View due to how their checkout is processed. This is a known platform limitation. If your purchase event doesn't appear in Debug View, but your other bvsc.* events do, proceed to the Step 4: Verify BigQuery export health. The data may be exporting correctly even if it's not visible here.
   
  

  Caution: Select the purchase event and check its parameters. Confirm it has transaction_id, value, currency, and a valid items array. A malformed purchase event is the primary cause of missing ROI data. We recommend taking a screenshot of these parameters, as you will need them if you contact support.

 

 
 

4. Verify BigQuery export health and billing 

   • Check Google Cloud Platform (GCP) billing: Go to your GCP account and confirm your billing status is active. A paused or expired billing account will stop all data exports.

   • Check GA4 link status: In GA4, go to Admin > BigQuery Links. Check for any export failure notifications from Google.

   • Check BigQuery tables: In your GCP project, navigate to BigQuery. In the Explorer panel, expand your analytics_... dataset. Check if events_YYYYMMDD tables exist for the dates data that is missing. If the tables are missing or empty, it confirms the export from Google is failing.

BigQuery costs

As of July 2025, Google’s changes to GA4 now require BigQuery to access Vibe’s revenue data. This data must be stored in BigQuery. Google Cloud Platform charges for data storage and querying in BigQuery.

• Storage: Costs approximately $0.023 per GB per month for active storage.

• Querying: Costs apply based on data processed, but Bazaarvoice's queries are optimized for efficiency.

Note: The vast majority of our Vibe clients incur nominal storage costs, often less than $0.20 per month (for under 8GB). Even larger clients typically see costs around only $1-2 per month (for ~50GB). Query costs related to Bazaarvoice processing are generally minimal.

To learn more about potential costs, read Google’s BigQuery pricing documentation.

Common questions