Entity Tracking * Roll-Up Property: A dedicated data container that aggregates information from multiple source properties into a single reporting interface. * Source Property: An individual Google Analytics property that provides event data to a centralized roll-up property. * Google Analytics 360: The premium, paid version of Google Analytics required to access native roll-up and sub-property features. * Deduplication: The process of identifying and combining the same user across multiple domains or properties to provide accurate unique visitor counts. * Sub-property: A property that contains a filtered subset of data from a single source property, acting as the inverse of a roll-up. * Measurement ID: A unique identifier used in standard tracking to send data from a website to a specific Google Analytics property.
Roll-up properties are aggregate data containers that combine information from multiple "source" properties into a single reporting view. Marketers and researchers use them to analyze total business performance across different brands, products, or regional websites without manually merging datasets.
Roll-up properties provide a unified view of a business by merging event data from multiple digital sources. In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), this allows an organization with several regional sites (e.g., .com, .co.uk, and .com.au) to see global performance metrics like total revenue, active users, and engagement trends in one place.
Why Roll-Up Properties matter
Using roll-ups eliminates the need to export and manually combine data in external tools.
- Global Performance Visibility: View aggregate metrics like total unique reach and company-wide revenue in a single dashboard.
- User Deduplication: Identifies a single user across multiple properties so they are not over-counted in total user metrics.
- Operational Efficiency: Saves time by automating the aggregation process that would otherwise require BigQuery or third-party spreadsheets.
- Strategic Comparison: Compare the performance of individual business units or brands against the company-wide average.
- Integrated Export: Export aggregate audiences and key events to products like Google Ads from a single point of connection.
How Roll-Up Properties work
Roll-up properties do not collect data directly from websites or apps; instead, they inherit data from their designated source properties.
- Source Connection: You select existing properties to act as sources. A [roll-up property can have a maximum of 200 source properties] (Google Analytics Help).
- Data Flow: Data begins flowing to the roll-up starting on the date each source property is added. Historical data prior to the connection is not backfilled.
- Deduplication: If a user has the same reporting identity (like a User-ID) across different source properties, the roll-up property counts them only once.
- Configuration Independence: Settings like attribution models or reporting identity in the roll-up do not change the settings in the source properties.
Types of Roll-Up Properties
The way you implement roll-ups depends on your budget and access to premium tools.
| Type | Access | Method | Key Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium (Native) | GA 360 Users | Built-in interface selection. | Automatic deduplication and easy setup. |
| Standard (Manual) | All Users | Using multiple Measurement IDs on one site. | No monthly 360 license fee. |
| CRM Roll-ups | HubSpot Users | Association labels and calculations. | Aggregates CRM record values like deal totals. |
In GA4 360, [events pushed to roll-ups cost half (0.5) of a billable event] (Cardinal Path) compared to standard events.
Best practices
- Plan your structure: Decide if your roll-up should be organized by brand, region, or business unit before creating it.
- Use consistent naming: Include the word "Roll-Up" in the property name to distinguish it from source properties in selection menus.
- Recreate custom dimensions: Roll-ups currently do not inherit custom dimensions or metrics; you must manually recreate these in the roll-up settings.
- Activate Google Signals: If you need cross-device data, activate Google Signals specifically within the roll-up property.
- Link strategically: Link your products (like Google Ads) to the source properties to ensure data integrity, though you must link to the roll-up specifically to export roll-up audiences.
Common mistakes
Mistake: Assuming user permissions are shared. Fix: You must add users to the roll-up property separately; they do not inherit access from source properties.
Mistake: Trying to use a roll-up as a source for another roll-up. Fix: GA4 does not allow "nesting" roll-up properties.
Mistake: Expecting historical data to appear. Fix: Create the roll-up as early as possible, as data only accumulates from the moment of connection.
Mistake: Mixing sub-properties and their parents. Fix: You cannot use both a sub-property and its parent source property in the same roll-up.
Examples
Example scenario (Enterprise): A clothing retailer owns three brands with three separate GA4 properties. They create a premium roll-up property to see the "Combined Brand Revenue" and identify how many unique customers shop across all three brands.
Example scenario (Regional): A travel agency has separate websites for North America and Europe. They use a roll-up to see their "Total Active Users" globally while maintaining separate regional properties for localized marketing teams.
FAQ
Can I create a roll-up property for free? True native roll-up properties are a 360-only feature. However, you can create a "standard" version by adding a second GA4 Configuration tag (Measurement ID) to your website pages. This manual method does not support user deduplication and requires significantly more maintenance.
How does billing work for roll-ups? In GA360, you are charged for the events processed in the roll-up. These [roll-up events are billed at 50% of the cost of source property events] (Cardinal Path).
If I disconnect a source property, do I lose the data? No. Historical data from the source property remains available in the roll-up even after the connection is severed.
Can I link Google Ads to a roll-up? Yes. A roll-up property and its sources can have a [maximum of 400 unique links to Google Ads accounts] (Google Analytics Help). To export audiences created in the roll-up, you must link the roll-up property directly to the Ads account.
Does a roll-up property have its own tracking code? No. Roll-up properties do not have their own data streams or tracking codes. They only exist to process and display data that is already being collected by source properties.
