In order to stay ahead of the curve, businesses need to be able to synthesize pools of marketing data that are too large for humans to analyze on their own. Software like Supermetrics claims to be the solution, but its persistent crashing and slow performance mean that you often end up spending more time dealing with Supermetrics’ issues than actually saving time.
This is because Supermetrics has trouble working with large datasets. While it can be a useful tool in some instances, when working with large amounts of data, you may need to look into data warehousing solutions like BigQuery to use with Looker Studio (previously called Data Studio).
Read on to learn more about the different issues agencies are typically prone to facing when using Supermetrics, as well as some of the alternatives available for agencies seeking to work with larger datasets.
Is Supermetrics Being Slow?
One of the most common issues users have been known to report with Supermetrics is slow performance. This is especially true when attempting to query reports on large data sets. Even though Supermetrics is meant to save agencies time when processing data, it can take up to 10 minutes to run a report, and in the worst case, the report will break at the end.
These long wait times, in conjunction with Looker Studio and Url Fetch limitations, mean incomplete or broken data pulls. Even if the data pulls were able to work, Google’s Looker Studio makes it nearly impossible to combine datasets. This ends up being incredibly counterintuitive to the original purpose of seeking out the software in the first place. You are intending to use Supermetrics to save time, but you end up spending more time (and as a result money) trying to resolve Supermetrics issues.
At the end of the day, Supermetrics is unable to process larger data sets efficiently for many large agencies. This leads to wasting both time and money attempting to resolve issues like slowdowns and crashing. The long wait time, along with their plethora of other issues, leads many larger agencies to search for Supermetrics alternatives.
Why Your Google Looker Studio Report is Being Slow
So why is Supermetrics being slow? Part of the reason you might find that a Google Looker Studio report run through Supermetrics is slow is because the data set is too large or is coming from a spreadsheet using Supermetrics, which are not optimal to use with Google Looker Studio reports.
One solution to this problem is to use BigQuery to process your data sets. Unlike Google Looker Studio, Bigquery is built to process large sets of data, whereas Google Looker Studio is a tool to visualize data. This is because Bigquery is Google’s data warehouse, which is essential when working with large data sets.
Why Does Supermetrics Keep Crashing?
As we hinted at previously, the issues with Supermetrics don’t stop at the speed with which it operates. In addition to these run-time issues, Supermetrics frequently crashes for the businesses that use their software. The reason for crashes while using Supermetrics is often the same as why it is running slowly: data sets that are too large and too varied, or you are running too many queries.
This is again where Supermetrics alternatives like using Bigquery with Google Looker Studio come in. Supermetrics can be useful for small sets of data, but large agencies that need to make sense of a lot of information need to use a data warehouse like BigQuery.
For more information on using data warehouses in marketing, check out our eBook which discusses this topic in more detail.
Are you Facing Difficulties Using Supermetrics?
In addition to running slowly or crashing, users of Supermetrics may encounter a host of other problems. Common complaints include incomplete datasets, compatibility issues with Facebook, and issues when attempting to run more complex operations like combining datasets. Within Supermetrics, there is not always an easy solution to these problems, which seems counterproductive when you consider its original selling point of making processes easier.
Most issues with Supermetrics come down to it not being able to function with more advanced operations or datasets. While it may have been functional in the past, if you find as your agency grows that you keep facing issues with Supermetrics, it may be time to think about alternatives. Below, we’ll discuss some common Supermetrics issues and potential alternatives for large agencies.
Supermetrics and Google Looker Studio Issues
#1. UrlFetchApp Limitations
Many users find that Supermetrics fails to pull the full amount of data when pulling into Google Looker Studio. This is because the UrlFetchApp has a service limit on the number of requests it will process per month. For larger agencies running multiple large reports each month, this service limit is quickly reached, leading to insufficient data being pulled into Google Looker Studio. UrlFetchApp limitations are another example of how, when working with large amounts of data, Supermetrics often falls short.
#2 Facebook Compatibility
A common problem with Supermetrics is that pulling data from Facebook is often unreliable. This is especially the case when pulling large amounts of data for analysis. Facebook data is an important source of information. Because Supermetrics can’t reliably pull data from Facebook, it can’t do as deep of an analysis as it could for your agency’s data synthesis needs. With this in mind, Facebook compatibility, or the lack thereof, is an important reason you may search for Supermetrics alternatives.
#3. Combining Datasets
It is extremely difficult to combine datasets from different data sources together in Google’s Looker Studio interface. While you may understandably want to look at data from both Facebook and Google Analytics together, for example, Supermetrics makes this task difficult as the feature is often unreliable. If you are looking to analyze more than one data source at once, Supermetrics likely isn’t the best tool to do so.
Generally speaking, the more complex data you input in Supermetrics, the more problems you are likely to run into.
How to Fix Supermetrics Issues
The easiest solution to most Supermetrics Issues is to upgrade to a more sophisticated data warehousing system. When using a data warehouse, you’ll be able to work with significantly larger datasets than what Supermetrics is built to work with. From there you can use tools like Google’s Looker Studio, which is built to work with data warehouses like BigQuery.
The other solution is to simplify your operations when using Supermetrics. If you work with a smaller dataset and attempt to do more simple operations, it can serve as a useful connector tool. This option does not work as well for large agencies, as the work you do likely necessitates working with large datasets and complex operations in order to complete your projects. For larger firms, you can learn more about data warehousing solutions with us here.
An Alternative to Supermetrics for Large Agencies
If you’re looking to consolidate your data and simplify your analysis and decision-making processes, we’re here to help.
Acuto offers a wide variety of services that can solve your Supermetrics issues. We’ll work with you to build a BigQuery SSOT that keeps all your data accessible and in one place, no matter the size of the project. Our goal at Acuto is to save you time, not waste it troubleshooting crashes and slowdowns of the software that is meant to make your data management and analysis simpler.
In addition to assisting you with building a BigQuery data warehouse, we also offer a multitude of automation scripts that can help simplify your workflow. We’ll work with you to create a customized plan that works best for your agency’s unique needs and deliver on our promise to save you time and money. You can find out more about our automation scripts here.
Our team is always ready and willing to answer any questions you might have about how we can work together. To book a meeting with us, head to our contact page.
Key Takeaways
Your answer to Supermetrics’s issues is here. Using a BigQuery data warehouse, you can take advantage of its capabilities in order to save time and money.
Let’s recap what we discussed:
- Supermetrics has been plagued with reports and common stories of struggles with slow operating times, frequent crashes, and the inability to keep up with the needs of large agencies with larger datasets.
- While Supermetrics is meant to save agencies time, you often waste time troubleshooting the many errors that it has been reported to have.
- An alternative to Supermetrics when working with large datasets is to use BigQuery for data warehousing to import data into Google’s Looker Studio
- Acuto can help figure out what solutions might be right for you and your agency’s specific data management needs.