Preserving 15 years of Universal Analytics history in Looker Studio for Boston Chefs

01// The broken state

An online culinary resource (restaurant profiles, chef interviews, and event listings) needed to preserve its full Universal Analytics history before the platform was retired. The requirement was a complete backup of the account data from 2008 to 2023, totaling 467 MB, presented in a way that reproduced the Universal Analytics reporting experience. Because Looker Studio does not support audience-based segmentation, the client's custom "Industry Insider" audience also had to be replicated through equivalent filtering.

02// What we changed

1. aBacked up the client's complete Universal Analytics dataset from 2008 to 2023 (467 MB), covering the full lifetime of the account
2. bBuilt a Looker Studio report that reproduces the key Universal Analytics views: Audience Overview, Behavior Analysis, Mobile Overview, Acquisition with traffic channel breakdowns, and Behavior Overview with site content analysis
3. cRecreated the 'Industry Insider' custom audience using equivalent filters, since Looker Studio has no native audience segmentation
4. dAdded flexible date-range controls so timeframes can be adjusted within reports, matching the Universal Analytics dashboard behavior
5. eIncluded content drill-down with page-level analysis and channel filtering
6. fEnabled CSV export across the report's views
7. gSummarized the data with aggregated scorecards, pie charts, and customizable views

03// The outcome

Boston Chefs' full Universal Analytics history was preserved ahead of the UA shutdown, spanning 2008 to 2023 in a 467 MB backup. The data was rebuilt into a Looker Studio reporting suite that recreates the old UA views with flexible date ranges, CSV export, and the "Industry Insider" audience segment.