Frequently Asked Questions
Is this real?
Yeah, it seems a little like magic but it's real. To be honest, we were sort of amazed when we started feeding data from Google Analytics to OpenAI's gpt-4 LLM and getting reasonable analysis back.
Is this a replacement for GA4?
No. Or probably not, we don't really know to be honest. We know Google is working on the GA4 user interface, but we also know that folks like to be able to ask questions and get answers ... which the Companion is actually pretty good at.
Time will tell.
Is this a replacement for actual human analysts?
Definitely not. The system is pretty good at simple analysis but it is still only a "companion" application for any company serious about their digital analytics. The list of things this system won't and can't do is really, really long, and having built this system has been a great reminder of the profound value that human analysts bring to the table.
If I am a casual user of Google Analytics is the Companion good for me?
We think so. The challenge the GA4 transition creates for casual users is that folks have spent an awful lot of time learning Universal Analytics ... and now they need to learn GA4/Big Query/etc. In our testing, The Analyst's Companion does a very good job of answering the most common questions people ask about their web site (as instrumented with GA4) and so we are cautiously optimistic that more casual users will find it valuable.
Why do I need my own OpenAI API key?
For the free version of The Analyst's Companion you'll need to use your own OpenAI API key because we aren't sure what use-related costs will be since they are a function of the application's use. The good news is you're able to contain your own costs with OpenAI by throttling your use of the system.
Learn about getting an OpenAI API key here
How can I use OpenAI's more accurate GPT-4 model?
The only way to use the more capable GPT-4 model is to subscribe to our Professional or Pro+ offerings. This allows you to use our GPT-4 API key, something that is sort of difficult to get currently, and allows you to control your usage costs.
Learn about our Professional subscription options here
Why do I need to sign into Google to use the Companion?
When you authenticate with Google you temporarily give us permission to download data from whichever GA4 account you want to analyze and send it to OpenAI for processing. We only request the data required for the specific question being asked, we only store the resulting data temporarily so that you can see the raw data in the analysis, and you can revoke permission to the Companion at any time you like simply by going to settings and clicking "SIGN OUT OF GOOGLE".
So wait, you have access to our Google Analytics?
No. You control 100% of the access to your Google Analytics data. The authentication is tied to your web browser, and so even though we do need to store the requested data temporarily, we never have any access to your Google Analytics accounts. The files that are saved temporarily on our Python server (see below) are purged with every subsequent analysis request.
What is "data.share-spatial.com"?
That is us. The application is built on both our hosted servers and those of the nice folks at pythonanywhere.com. The core OpenAI functionality is all written in Python and run on their servers and so they are the point of authentication.
Why should I trust OpenAI with my Google data?
That's really up to you. Personally we aren't afraid of OpenAI seeing our traffic data and figure it's arcane enough that it's far more likely that OpenAI will get better at analyzing numeric data when we ask for analysis than OpenAI will do something nefarious with the information.
Why should I trust Analytics Demystified with my Google data?
That's a better question! We don't save any data on our end -- it only passes to OpenAI when you click the "Analyze" button and is only stored temporarily on our Python servers during the process so that you are able to see the results of the data request. We do save the questions you ask the system if you ask us to but we do not save any information about your Google Analytics accounts. We do set a few cookies to keep track of your system preferences ... but that's it.
If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to send them our way and we will do our best to answer them.