[source-google-analytics-data-api] Add option to merge multi-property data into single streams instead of creating separate tables per property

[devin-ai-integration]

Problem

When the GA4 source connector (source-google-analytics-data-api) is configured with multiple property IDs, it creates separate streams (and therefore separate destination tables) for each property beyond the first:

• First property → <report_name> (e.g., daily_active_users)
• Additional properties → <report_name>Property<property_id> (e.g., daily_active_usersPropertyXXXXXXXXX)

This is implemented in the manifest at the stream naming logic:

# NOTE: Yes, this is weird, but it exists solely for backward-compatibility.
# When the config contains multiple property IDs, it keeps the
# first stream as <report_name>, and names each additional stream
# <report_name>Property<property_id>.
- type: ComponentMappingDefinition
  field_path: ["**", "name"]
  value: "{{ components_values['name'] + 'Property' + components_values['source_config_1'][1] if components_values['source_config_1'][0] > 0 else components_values['name'] }}"

(manifest.yaml, line 925-931)

Core issue

While each record already contains a property_id column and property_id is part of the primary key, the stream-level splitting means data from different properties lands in different destination tables. This introduces a dynamic schema problem:

• Adding or removing property IDs changes the set of streams/tables in the catalog
• Downstream queries, dashboards, and BI tools break because they expect a fixed set of tables
• Users get N× the expected number of tables, all with identical schemas but different names
• The property_id column already exists and could serve to distinguish data within a single table, making the split unnecessary

Current workarounds

Users must either:

1. Create separate Airbyte sources per property ID
2. Manually create SQL views or dbt models to UNION ALL the per-property tables back together
3. Use only a single property ID per connection

All of these add operational complexity.

Proposed Solution

Add a configuration option (e.g., merge_property_streams: true/false) that, when enabled:

1. Emits a single stream per report regardless of how many property IDs are configured (e.g., just daily_active_users, not daily_active_usersPropertyXXX)
2. Includes property_id as a column in every record (already the case today)
3. Keeps property_id as part of the primary key (already the case today)

The default should preserve the current behavior (false) for backward compatibility. The code change would be localized to the stream naming ComponentMappingDefinition in the manifest.

Impact

This would allow users with multiple GA4 properties to get a single, stable table per report in their destination — which is the expected behavior for most analytics workflows.

---

Devin session

---

Internal Tracking: https://github.com/airbytehq/oncall/issues/11369

[octavia-bot]

AI Triage Starting...

Thank you for opening this issue! I'm an AI assistant that will do an initial review and may:

• Ask clarifying questions if needed
• Suggest relevant documentation or workarounds
• Flag this for internal visibility

Note: Community issues are reviewed on a best-effort basis and do not have a guaranteed response time. For additional help:

• Join the Airbyte Community Slack to connect with other users and community members
• If you're an Airbyte Cloud customer, you can open a support ticket or contact your account representative, referencing this issue URL

View playbook

• 🔗 Session URL: https://app.devin.ai/sessions/4441a91e85184d2e91ad0bf50729c6d4

✅ Devin AI session created successfully!

[devin-ai-integration]

Hi, thank you for opening this detailed feature request!

This is a well-documented proposal. The core ask is clear: when multiple GA4 property IDs are configured, the connector currently creates separate streams/tables per property (e.g., daily_active_usersPropertyXXXXXXXXX), which introduces operational complexity. The request is to add a configuration option (e.g., merge_property_streams) that emits a single stream per report, relying on the existing property_id column and primary key to distinguish data.

Show/Hide Detailed Analysis

Issue Category: Feature Request / Usability Enhancement

Current Behavior:

• First property → <report_name> (e.g., daily_active_users)
• Additional properties → <report_name>Property<property_id> (e.g., daily_active_usersPropertyXXXXXXXXX)
• This is controlled by the ComponentMappingDefinition in the manifest.yaml (line 925-931)

Why this makes sense:

• property_id is already included as a column in every record
• property_id is already part of the primary key
• The stream split was added for backward compatibility but creates N× tables with identical schemas
• Adding/removing property IDs changes the stream catalog, breaking downstream queries and dashboards

Proposed change scope:

• Add a new config option (e.g., merge_property_streams: true/false, default false)
• When enabled, skip the property-based stream name suffix in the ComponentMappingDefinition
• Fully backward-compatible since the default preserves current behavior

Related oncall issue: airbytehq/oncall#10941 (multi-property syncs only processing first property in v2.9.20 — different issue but related to multi-property behavior)

I have escalated this to the internal team for review. I will follow up with a tracking link shortly.

---

Need more help? Join Airbyte Community Slack for peer support, or if you're a Cloud customer, open a support ticket referencing this URL.

This message is generated from Devin.ai (internal session link).

[devin-ai-integration]

The issue has been escalated to the internal team for tracking and review: https://github.com/airbytehq/oncall/issues/11369

This message is generated from Devin.ai (internal session link).