Historical Google Ads account data via GBQ Data Transfer.

[AlexRyabikov]

Hi! I am trying to retrieve historical data on cost and clicks for a Google Ads account via Data Transfer in Google Big Query. However, unfortunately, I only get data for the day the transfer script was run. Could you please advise how I can obtain data for the entire existence of the account? Unfortunately, I could not find an answer to this question in the help 😞

Thnx!

[nceniza]

You must be looking for backfill run, I believe the data transfer service supports up to 180 days per request. You will need to finish the previous request before running a new one. To see the steps for backfilling please see the steps here: 

1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Data transfers page.

   Go to Data transfers

2. Select your transfer from the list.

3. Click Run transfer now or Schedule backfill. Only one option is available depending on the type of transfer configuration.

   • If you clicked Run transfer now, select Run one time transfer or Run for specific date as applicable. If you selected Run for specific date, select a specific date and time:

   • If you clicked Schedule backfill, select Run one time transfer or Run for a date range as applicable. If you selected Run for a date range, select a start and end date and time:

4. Click OK.

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[Snoshone07]

Hi @AlexRyabikov 

Why You're Only Getting Data for the Current Day

If your BigQuery Data Transfer Service for Google Ads is only pulling data from today, here are the possible reasons and solutions:

BigQuery Data Transfer Service Doesn’t Automatically Fetch Historical Data

By default, when you set up a new Google Ads transfer to BigQuery, it only starts pulling data from the day the transfer is created.

You Need to Manually Request Historical Data

Google Ads Data Transfer allows you to retrieve up to 30 days of historical data, but it doesn’t do this automatically.
To get past data, you must manually run a backfill.

Google Ads API Data Retention Limits

• If you need data older than 30 days, the Google Ads API or an ETL tool would be your best option.

Solution: Running a Backfill in BigQuery Data Transfer Service

To manually retrieve historical data in BigQuery, follow these steps:

1️⃣ Go to Google Cloud Console > BigQuery > Data Transfers.
2️⃣ Select your Google Ads transfer.
3️⃣ Click "Backfill" (Historical Data Load) at the top.
4️⃣ Choose the date range (up to the last 30 days).
5️⃣ Run the transfer manually.

If you need more than 30 days of historical data, you’ll have to extract it manually using the Google Ads API or an external tool.

Alternative: Use Windsor.ai for Full Historical Data

Since Windsor.ai has a Google Ads connector, you can retrieve all historical data without the 30-day limit.

✅ Steps to use Windsor.ai:
1️⃣ Connect Google Ads to Windsor.ai.
2️⃣ Select the full historical date range.
3️⃣ Export the data to BigQuery—no manual backfill required.

This eliminates BigQuery Data Transfer Service’s 30-day restriction and ensures you get all your Google Ads data from the start of the account

Hope this helps!