Getting Lifetime Values from Google Analytics API - google-analytics-api

Question

Google Analytics API documentation shows that, for fetching the lifetime values, the date ranges should not be specified. But when I make such a request (without date range), it returns empty dimension and metrics result. But when I use date range, it returns dimension and metrics values for that date range.
The following is an excerpt from the API documentation :
Date ranges should not be specified for cohorts or Lifetime value
requests.
For example, if I make the request without date range, as follows:
{
"reportRequests": [
{
"viewId": "XXXXXXXXX",
"dimensions": [
{
"name": "ga:date"
},
{
"name": "ga:eventLabel"
}
],
"metrics": [
{
"expression": "ga:totalEvents"
}
]
}
]
}
I get the following response:
{
"reports": [
{
"columnHeader": {
"dimensions": [
"ga:date",
"ga:eventLabel"
],
"metricHeader": {
"metricHeaderEntries": [
{
"name": "ga:totalEvents",
"type": "INTEGER"
}
]
}
},
"data": {
"totals": [
{
"values": [
"0"
]
}
]
}
}
]
}
However, if I include the date range,
{
"reportRequests": [
{
"viewId": "XXXXXXXX",
"dimensions": [
{
"name": "ga:date"
},
{
"name": "ga:eventLabel"
}
],
"metrics": [
{
"expression": "ga:totalEvents"
}
],
"dateRanges": [
{
"startDate": "2016-01-01",
"endDate": "2016-04-30"
}
]
}
]
}
I get the following response:
{
"reports": [
{
"columnHeader": {
"dimensions": [
"ga:date",
"ga:eventLabel"
],
"metricHeader": {
"metricHeaderEntries": [
{
"name": "ga:totalEvents",
"type": "INTEGER"
}
]
}
},
"data": {
"rows": [
{
"dimensions": [
"20160412",
"http://mytestblog.com/"
],
"metrics": [
{
"values": [
"1"
]
}
]
},
{
"dimensions": [
"20160412",
"http://mytestblog.com/2016/04/first-post.html"
],
"metrics": [
{
"values": [
"3"
]
}
]
},
{
"dimensions": [
"20160419",
"http://mytestblog.com/"
],
"metrics": [
{
"values": [
"4"
]
}
]
},
{
"dimensions": [
"20160419",
"http://mytestblog.com/2016/04/fourth.html"
],
"metrics": [
{
"values": [
"13"
]
}
]
}
],
"totals": [
{
"values": [
"21"
]
}
],
"rowCount": 4,
"minimums": [
{
"values": [
"1"
]
}
],
"maximums": [
{
"values": [
"13"
]
}
]
}
}
]
}
Why is it that, even though specified in the documentation, I have to specify date range in the ReportRequest to get the values? Am I misunderstanding the meaning of Lifetime values here?

Answer 1

The reportRequest object should have either a value for dateRanges or a definition value for cohortGroup. When you omit both the requests assumes the default values for a startDate of 7daysAgo and an endDate of yesterday.
The correct interpretation of the docs is that the reportRequest should not have a dateRange defined for cohort and LTV requests. But in order to make a cohort or lifetime value request you must add a cohort definition. For Lifetime value requests the cohort definition should have a specific dateRange in addition to the lifetimeValue field set to true:
POST https://analyticsreporting.googleapis.com/v4/reports:batchGet
{
"reportRequests": [
{
"viewId": "XXXX",
"dimensions": [
{"name": "ga:cohort" },
{"name": "ga:cohortNthWeek" }],
"metrics": [
{"expression": "ga:cohortTotalUsersWithLifetimeCriteria"},
{"expression": "ga:cohortRevenuePerUser"}
],
"cohortGroup": {
"cohorts": [{
"name": "cohort 1",
"type": "FIRST_VISIT_DATE",
"dateRange": {
"startDate": "2015-08-01",
"endDate": "2015-09-01"
}
},
{
"name": "cohort 2",
"type": "FIRST_VISIT_DATE",
"dateRange": {
"startDate": "2015-07-01",
"end_date": "2015-08-01"
}
}],
"lifetimeValue": True
}
}]
}