Google Analytics is not institutionally supported at Berkeley Lab, but IT provides limited technical support specific to Lab needs. Overall management and maintenance of Google Analytics accounts and properties is the responsibility of the site owner and the Analytics point of contact (POC). Information in this guide is provided as a courtesy.
Upon request, and based on availability, IT may offer the following services:
- Guidance and troubleshooting tips for basic set up of new accounts and properties.
- Limited consultation on general questions and projects.
- Links to documentation and training resources for setting up analytics.
- Help with user management, if accessible and appropriate.
- Direction to your organization’s current Analytics administrators, if known.
- Referrals to recommended vendors if you need advanced customization or technical support.
The Google Analytics POC in your group is responsible for ongoing maintenance, monitoring, and management of the site accounts, properties, data, and any associated dashboards.
- Contact the IT Help Desk at [email protected] for questions and requests for support.
- Manage user access for the designated accounts, including when staff turnover occurs.
- Optional: Add a member of the IT Web Services team as backup, in the case that accounts are not properly transferred.
- Adhere to Data Privacy policies.
Structure
Google Analytics is organized in a hierarchy. Each organization can structure their Analytics accounts and properties based on their business needs and preferences. Analytics properties can be renamed and moved from one account to another if you have the Administrator or Editor role for both the source and destination accounts.
Type of Google Analytics Property | Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
1. Accounts | Provide the container for Analytics properties | You can have up to a maximum of 100 accounts. |
2. Properties | Represent a website or application and contain reports and collected data. | You can create up to 2,000 properties in an account. |
3. Data stream | Data touchpoints for each property. Adding a data stream generates a Google tag and associated code snippet which sends a flow of data to Analytics. | Each Analytics property can have up to 50 data streams. |
4. Website | Websites require installation of the code snippet in order to measure and collect analytics data. This data serves as the foundation for reports. | Other services can be connected as an Analytics data stream, including: Google Search Console, Google Looker Studio, Google Tag Manager, and Smartsheets. |
Examples of Berkeley Lab account structures are provided below for reference.
Structure | Rationale |
|---|---|
One account for an Area | Area teams with dedicated communications and web support staff may want to retain more control over their analytics at a high level. This also makes it easier to control user access at an Area level for all connected sites. In the case of staff succession, this means updating one account vs multiple accounts. Properties can be created for each primary Division site and for any major project or initiative. |
One account per Division | Divisions with many distributed websites may prefer to manage their analytics properties and user access more closely. Additional access may be granted to Area offices and technical support as needed. Properties can be created for the primary Division site, major projects and initiatives, Division department or group sites, etc. |
Standalone accounts | For security and management purposes, Areas and Divisions can segregate major projects involving multiple institutions which may require access for external collaborators. Specialized websites with limited audiences may not need analytics support at an Area or Division level. In these cases, the individual owners can create and manage their own accounts and properties. Conference and event websites, PI websites, and internal staff sites may fall within this category. Other separate business units with different stakeholders may not want or need to share data or access across the organization. |
User Roles
Analytics access is determined by the user role and their respective permissions, which are summarized in the table below. Please check official documentation for the latest information.
Role | Permissions |
|---|---|
Administrator | Full control of Analytics. Can manage users (add/delete users, assign any role or data restriction). Can grant full permissions to any user, including themselves, for any account or property for which they have this role. Includes permissions of the Editor role. |
Editor | Full control of settings at the property level. Cannot manage users. Can rename and move properties from one account to another if granted the Editor role at minimum for both the source and destination accounts. |
Marketer | Can create, edit, and delete audiences, conversions, attribution-models, events, and conversion windows. Includes permissions of the Analyst role. |
Analyst | Can create, edit, and delete certain property assets. Can collaborate on shared assets. Property assets include things like Explorations. Includes permissions of the Viewer role. |
Viewer | Can see settings, data, and reports; can change which data appears in reports (e.g., add comparisons, add a secondary dimension); can see shared assets via the user interface or the APIs. Cannot collaborate on shared assets. For example, shared Explorations can be viewed, but not edited, by those with a Viewer role. |
None | Typically shown at the account level. The user may have a role for a property within the account. |
Add, edit, and delete users
You can add users and modify access permissions at either the account or property level.
- If you add a user at the account level, then that user also has the same level of access to all the properties in the account.
- If you add a user at the property level, then the user has access to only that property with the permissions you provide.
The Analytics Admin page is accessed from the 
gear icon at the bottom of the navigation pane on the left side of the screen.
Add a new user to an account or property
- In Admin, under Account or Property (depending on where you want to add users), click Access Management.
- In the Account/Properties access management list, click the + button in the upper right corner, then click Add users.
- Enter the user’s lbl.gov or Google email address.
- Select Notify new users by email to send a message to the user.
- Select the user role and permissions you want.
- Click Add.
Modify permissions for an existing user
- In Admin, under Account or Property (depending on where you want to modify permissions), click Access Management.
- Use the search box at the top of the list to find the user. Enter a full or partial email, e.g., [email protected] or janedoe.
- Click the user name, then add or remove permissions.
- Click Save.
Delete a user
- In Admin, under Account or Property (depending on where you want to delete users), click Access Management.
- Use the search box at the top of the list to find the user. Enter a full or partial email, e.g., [email protected] or janedoe.
- Select the checkbox for each user you want to delete, then click Remove.
