The document discusses the differences between Firebase Analytics and Google Analytics, highlighting features such as event tracking limits, user properties, and metrics. It outlines the setup process for Firebase Analytics, including creating a project, installing the SDK, and logging events. Additionally, it provides guidance on quality assurance testing and configuration for effective analytics tracking.

1. What I learned about
Firebase Analytics
By Nick Guebhard, 23 November 2016

2. Ground work

3. Find a willing client Client: “I want to track my
App. Can you do the GA?”
Nick: “Yes, but Google have
released this new thing called
Firefly or something.”
Client: “Great. Our developers
love new shinies.”
Nick: “But I haven’t done it
before”.
Client: “Grow some huevos,
Nick!”.

4. Firebase Analytics vs. Google Analytics
500 Events Unlimited Events and unlimited
Screen views
25 parameters per event
25 user properties
20 custom dimensions (user,
session, hit, product) +
Enhanced Ecom dimensions
1 “value” parameter per event
(i.e. 500 custom metrics)
Many pageview, event, social,
ecom metrics (+ 20 custom
metrics)
Audiences + user level filters Report filters, Segments
BigQuery export No BigQuery (free version)
GTM compatible GTM compatible
No API API

5. Just very
close
platonic
friends

6. Events
★ Up to 500 events (event names)
★ 32 character limit for event names
★ Automatically collected events -
○ first_open, in_app_purchase, etc.
★ Predefined events
○ General - select_content, search, etc.
○ Retail/Ecommerce - view_item,
add_to_cart, etc.
○ Lead gen - generate_lead, view_item
○ Games - Level_up, post_score, etc
★ Custom events
○ click_to_call, customer_service_submit
○ bank_robbery, train_robbery, poker_game,
gun_fight, hanging

7. Parameters
★ Up to 25 parameters per event
★ 40 character limit for parameter names, 100 for parameter values
★ Some automatically collected events have associated automatic params
★ Predefined parameters
○ view_item - item_id
○ add_to_cart - quantity, item_id, item_category
○ generate_lead - value, currency
○ level_up - level
★ Custom parameters
○ click_to_call - 0800_number, click_to_call_screen
○ edit_photo_save - filter_style, horizon_adjustment, crop_dimensions

8. User properties
★ Automatically collected
○ Age, Gender, Interests
○ Device category, brand and model (+ID)
○ Country, language
○ Operating system version
○ App version, App store
○ First open time, new/established
★ Custom (up to 25)
○ Login ID
○ Purchase history
○ User type

9. Scoping

10. Get to know everything about the app

11. Tracking spec
Event Name Parameter 1 Parameter 2 Parameter 3 Parameter 4 Parameter 5
item_view item_id item_name item_size item_colour item_category
<when prod is
viewed>
{{product sku}} {{prod name}} {{prod size}} {{prod colour}} {{prod category}
SD1234 10 Gallon hat Big White Hats
Bigger Black
Ridiculous Brown
add_to_wishlist item_id item_name item_size item_colour item_category
<product save> (as above)

12. Build

13. Steps
I. Create a Firebase Project
II. Install the Firebase SDK in the app
III. Add the app to the Firebase Project
IV. Add 3 lines of code in your App to enable Firebase Analytics
V. Add GTM to your App (optional)
VI. Add code to Log Events, eg:
Bundle bundle = new Bundle();
bundle.putString(FirebaseAnalytics.Param.ITEM_ID, id);
bundle.putString(FirebaseAnalytics.Param.ITEM_NAME, name);
bundle.putString(FirebaseAnalytics.Param.CONTENT_TYPE, "image");
mFirebaseAnalytics.logEvent(FirebaseAnalytics.Event.SELECT_CONTENT, bundle);

14. Quality
Assurance

15. Testing (Android Debug Bridge)
1. Install Android Debug Bridge (ADB) from Android SDK
2. Add test app to your phone/emulator
3. Connect phone/emulator to ADB
4. Run command line/terminal commands to filter to Firebase Analytics data in log
data:
adb shell setprop log.tag.FA VERBOSE
adb shell setprop log.tag.FA-SVC VERBOSE
adb logcat -v time -s FA FA-SVC
(For iOS use Xcode Debug Console)

16. Note results of QA
Event Name Parameter 1 Parameter 2 Parameter
3
Parameter
4
Parameter
5
P item_view item_id item_name item_size item_colour item_catego
ry
<when prod is
viewed>
{{product
sku}}
{{prod name}} {{prod
size}}
{{prod
colour}}
{{prod
category}
SD1234 10 Gallon hat Big White Hats
Bigger Black
Ridiculous Brown
F add_to_wishlist item_id item_name item_size item_colour item_catego
ry
<product save> (as above)

17. Firebase
analytics
configuration

18. Manually Add all user properties

19. Configure links and postbacks

20. Configure audiences

21. Add Goals

22. Add funnels

23. Live reporting
demo

24. Configure GTM

25. Firebase Tracking acts as a Data Layer

26. Add GA tags (optional)

27. Add any other tracking tags

28. Connect to
BigQuery

29. Connect to BigQuery
★ Do this through Firebase. It will
automatically create Project & Tables
★ A link then appears in your events tab

30. Run JavaScript or SQL queries

31. The End