Missing Change History Data in Google Ads BigQuery Data Transfer

[AntoniaSavu]

Hello,

We previously implemented the Google Ads BigQuery data transfer and successfully integrated it with Looker Studio for data visualization.

Our colleagues now require access to Change History data, which is available in the Google Ads API via the Change Event. The BigQuery data transfer documentation states support for Ads API v16, which includes the Change Event.

However, I cannot locate this information within my data transfer configuration.

Is the Change History data currently supported by the BigQuery data transfer? Or is the only way to access it through a custom solution that directly calls the Ads API? We have already tested this on a test account, but implementing it for our production MCC would be complex, and we'd prefer to avoid it if possible.

Any guidance or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[nikacalupas · Accepted solution]

Hi AntoniaSavu,

Welcome to the Google Cloud Community!

You're correct that the Google Ads BigQuery Data Transfer service supports the API version that includes Change Events (v16). However, the standard data transfer doesn't include Change History data directly.

Here are some suggestions that might help in your use case:

• API Data Extraction: You may use the Google Ads API (searchStream method GAQL) to fetch Change Event data, optimizing queries with date filters and necessary fields to reduce API quota usage.
• Data Transformation: You may clean and organize the API data, making it simpler to work with. Change the data types to fit BigQuery, and keep only the important fields while formatting timestamps correctly. 
• BigQuery Data Loading: Create a BigQuery table for the transformed data, then use streaming inserts to load data gradually. Add error handling to manage any loading issues.
• Automation and Maintenance: Set up your pipelines to run regularly (daily or hourly), ensure incremental updates to avoid duplicates, monitor for errors, and use version control to manage the code.

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