New Shiny API in Google Analytics

New features have been unrolling in Google Analytics since August when version 3 was launched.Google Analytics was in need of a new API and now developers have delivered it.

Data Export API has now been replaced by Google Analytics Core Reporting API which is right now the hot cake for Google Analytics Developers. The current Analytics API is both the continuation of the previous API and not to mention the Javascript Client Library which is currently in Alpha.

The two versions that are currently available in Core Reporting API are Version 2.4 and Version 3.0. The latter version contains new libraries for languages like PHP, Ruby and Python whereas former version is legacy release to maintain compatibility with the previous versions.

Significant changes are available in version 3.0 PAPI starting with authentication through the OAuth 2.0 format, but also in the use of JSON(Javascript for Object Notation) format for data output and absolutely no backwards compatibility with the previous version 2.3. The API team recommends the developers to migrate to 3.0 version.

If custom apps or interfaces are developed using 2.3 API,it needs to be updated within 6 months. Data Export API,XML requests and configuration will not be available at that time.

JSON(Javascript Object Notation) will be replacing XML as the preferred format for returning data.The new features will continue to roll out in 2012 as announced by Google and developers will be working on the API to make the new features more accessible.

Mobile Metrics and PDF Exporting added to Google Analytics

It’s yet another announcement from Google and now we can able to see mobile ad performance metrics in Google Analytics.A new toggle has been added to Adwords reports containing tabs namely “All”,”High end Mobile” and “Tablet” ads.

All these features will be available in Google analytics interface. There has been a lot of people using tablets and smart phones,with this new feature the insight information on customers need can be obtained.

PDF export functionality and email scheduling are the new features that will be added in the new interface.In a couple of weeks these changes will be rolled out.

Phil Mui of the Google Analytics team wrote “The old Google Analytics interface as well as all existing scheduled emails will be sunset starting in January 2012,” . “We believe that the new Google Analytics interface provides significant advantages over the old version, including access to Real Time Analytics, Multi-Channel Funnels, Social Plugin Analytics, & Flow Visualization. And hope you’ll find enough value in these new features that you’ll switch to the new version well before then.”