How to compare my Google Analytics 4 results in DashThis

In order to make sure your Google Analytics 4 data is correctly reported in DashThis, follow these guidelines when comparing your results with your GA4 account.

Compare with the right data source (property)
Select the same period and time zone
Select the same metrics and dimension scope
Build your comparison in GA4's Explore section
Why DashThis can differ from the GA4 interface
Why your total is correct but your sources add up to less
The “(other)” row and high-cardinality dimensions

1. Compare with the right data source (property)

When logging into Google Analytics, make sure to select the same property used as a data source in your DashThis report.

In GA4, check the property selected at the top of the interface.
In DashThis, look at the dashboard details by clicking the (i) bubble in the Dashboards Manager.

2. Select the same period and time zone

To compare results on the same basis, make sure you have selected the same dates on both sides.

Period: find the period selected in your DashThis report at the top of the page, then set the same date range in GA4.
Time zone: GA4 groups data by the property’s reporting time zone, so a report that runs across a day boundary in a different time zone can shift sessions in or out of the range.

3. Select the same metrics and dimension scope

To compare equivalent data, make sure you are looking at the same data points on both sides.

Metric: confirm the metric name in your widget’s basic settings matches the GA4 metric.
Dimension scope: a metric like Sessions is session-scoped, but source dimensions come in different scopes. “Session source / medium” is session-scoped, while “First user source / medium” is user-scoped. Comparing a session total against a user-scoped source breakdown will not add up.
Filters: verify whether any filters are applied on either side, and match them.

4. Build your comparison in GA4's Explore section

DashThis pulls detailed, query-level data from the GA4 Data API. That data lines up with GA4's Explore section, not the fixed standard reports, because Explore lets you combine any metric and dimension the way a DashThis widget does.

Open Explore: in GA4, open the Explore section and create a Blank form exploration.
Match your widget: add the same metric and dimension your DashThis widget uses.
Use it as your reference: the Explore table is the closest view to what DashThis shows, so compare against it rather than a standard report.

5. Why DashThis can differ from the GA4 interface

As mentioned above, DashThis pulls your data through Google’s official GA4 Data API. The API returns the same processed data you see in GA4, so most numbers match. A few API behaviors can still create small gaps.

How DashThis gets your data: DashThis uses the GA4 Data API, which applies the same thresholding and “(other)” grouping as GA4 itself
Sampling: for very large date ranges or complex breakdowns, the API can return sampled data, while GA4’s standard reports are usually unsampled. A shorter period reduces this.
Filters and the “(other)” row: GA4 builds the “(other)” row before filters are applied, and filters never look inside it, so filtering a high-cardinality dimension can return less than you expect.
Approximate counts: GA4 estimates unique counts like Users and Sessions, so totals can differ by a small margin from one view to another.

6. Why your total is correct but your sources add up to less

This is the most common surprise. Your total Sessions can match GA4 exactly, yet the same metric split by source can add up to a smaller number. This is expected GA4 behavior, not a DashThis calculation error.

Data thresholding: GA4 hides rows that could be used to identify an individual user. Thresholding is applied more aggressively when Google Signals is enabled and when volumes are low. An unbroken total is not affected, but the moment you add a dimension like source, some rows are withheld, so the visible rows add up to less than the total.
The “(not set)” and “(direct)” rows: sessions that GA4 cannot attribute to a source are grouped under “(not set)” or “(direct) / (none)”. If you only add up the named sources, those sessions are missing from your sum.
Reduce thresholding: check whether Google Signals is required for your report in GA4, and compare over a longer period with more volume.

7. The “(other)” row and high-cardinality dimensions

When a dimension has more distinct values than GA4’s reporting limit allows (roughly 500 unique values per day), GA4 aggregates the overflow into a single “(other)” row instead of listing every value.

Named rows are only part of the total: the “(other)” row holds the rest, so the named sources add up to less than the total.
When it happens: this is more likely on high-cardinality dimensions and on longer date ranges.

If none of these guidelines help you compare your results, or you still end up with data discrepancies, you can contact us.