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Data Blending Help

  • November 27, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 10 views
nookybeard

Hi Supermetrics Community,


I’m currently on the 14-day free trial and need some urgent help with data blending. My core use case is connecting Google Analytics, Google Ads, Meta Ads, and Shopify to build marketing performance reports.
Shopify connection worked perfectly - built reports easily and very happy with that experience.


However, I’m stuck with blending ad platforms and analytics data. Here’s what I’ve tried:
    1.    Manual blending: Attempted inner join on date across Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and GA4. The results are completely off - seeing 5-10x the actual values for November. This duplication happens even when pulling single metrics like Facebook spend or Google Ads cost after the blend.
    2.    Ads + Analytics connector: Tried using this but the connector isn’t working at all - connection fails.


What I’m trying to achieve is straightforward: total ad spend across platforms, combined impressions, revenue from GA4, and calculated ROAS metrics. Essentially blending ad platform data with analytics data for funnel reporting.


I’m confident I’m not the first person trying to do this, and I really need to get this working in the next couple of days to build a case for moving to a paid plan.


Would really appreciate guidance on:
    •    Best approach to blend these data sources correctly
    •    Why I might be seeing duplicated data
    •    Alternative methods if manual blending isn’t the right solution
Thanks so much for any help you can provide!


Best,
Adhip 

1 reply

Sahra
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  • Sahra
  • Community Moderator
  • December 2, 2025

Hi ​@nookybeard  / Adhip,

I totally get it, you're running into the most frustrating, yet common, issue when blending marketing data! This isn't a Supermetrics problem; it's a fundamental data blending problem called a many-to-many join.

The good news is, there's a straightforward fix! You're seeing those crazy 5x to 10x values because you are joining your data on the wrong key, leading to massive duplication.


🛑 Why the Numbers are Off: Blending on Date Alone

When you join your four data sources only on Date, you get duplication because the data is reported at different granularities:

  • Ad Platforms (Google Ads / Meta Ads): Report Cost just once per day (1 row).

  • GA4: Reports Revenue/Sessions multiple times per day, broken out by Source/Medium (e.g., 10 rows for November 27).

Looker Studio takes that single cost row and matches it to all 10 GA4 rows, effectively counting your spend 10 times. Ouch!

✅ The Fix: Join on Date AND Channel

To solve this, you need to create a unique match by blending on two keys:

  1. Date

  2. A Standardized Channel Key (This is the crucial step!)


🛠️ Step 1: Create a Calculated Key in Looker Studio

You need to tell Looker Studio, "This Google Ads spend should only match the traffic GA4 calls google / cpc." Do this by adding a Calculated Field in your Google Ads and Meta Ads data sources:

1. For Google Ads:

Google Ads traffic is typically logged in GA4 as google / cpc.

  • Calculated Field Formula:

    CONCAT("google / cpc")

2. For Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram):

Check your GA4 reports to confirm the Source/Medium (e.g., facebook / cpc).

  • Calculated Field Formula Example:

    CONCAT("facebook / cpc")

    (Adjust this to match the exact Source/Medium you see in GA4.)

2. Update Your Blend Configuration

Go back to your data blending setup and:

  1. For all your sources, use two keys for the join:

    • Join Key 1: Date (from all sources)

    • Join Key 2: Your new calculated field from the Ad Sources, and the Session default channel grouping or Source / Medium dimension from your GA4 source.

  2. Ensure the Join Operator is Inner Join.

This two-key approach should instantly correct the duplication and get your total ad spend and ROAS metrics looking accurate!
 

🆘 What if the Fix Doesn't Work?

I also saw you mentioned the specialized Ads + Analytics connector failed during your trial. This is actually the built-in Supermetrics solution for this exact problem, as it handles the standardization automatically.

If the manual blending fix above still isn't working as expected, please submit a ticket to our support team right away in the Supermetrics Hub. They will be able to investigate the connector failure or the specific blending issue on your account to get this resolved as soon as possible, ensuring you have a smooth experience before making a decision on the paid plan!

Hope this helps you get your report built!

Sahra
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