Google Drive

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    Requirements

    • Make sure you’re signed in to your Google Drive account.
    • You must have Editor access to the file in Google Drive.
    • The Google Drive files being imported must contain valid data.
    • You must have Admin access to the Google Ads account.
    • Your file must be one of the following supported file types: Google Sheets spreadsheet, CSV, TSV, XLS, XLSX.

    Set up Google Drive as a data source

    Apply a use case now

    The following sections walk you through a single procedure to link a data source to a use case, such as audience or conversion action creation. Click on your use case to expand the steps. To link the data source only, and apply a use case later, see Apply a use case later .

    Customer Match

    Through the “Audience manager” page
    1. In Google Ads, open Tools > Shared library > Audience manager .
    2. Click + Create remarketing list > + Customer list.
    3. Under "Data source", select Connect a new data source.
      • If you previously linked a data source from the Data manager screen that you want to use, select Select an existing source.
    4. Search and select Google Drivefrom the list of data sources, and then select Direct connection.
    5. Select Audiencesas the use case, read and accept the customer data policy, then click Continue.
    6. In the authorization window, click Allowto let Google Data Connector access your Google Drive account.
    7. Select the data type, then click Next.
    8. Click Browseand choose the file you want to import.
      • You can choose an existing file from the “Google Drive” tab or upload a local file from your device from the “Upload” tab.
    9. Optional: You can apply filters to define the audience segment that you’ll import. Learn more about using filters .
    10. To map fields, select the data source fields from the dropdown lists that match the destination fields.
    11. Optional: Apply transformations to your data.
    12. Click Next.
    13. Enter a name for this connection.
    14. Optional: Edit connection details .
    15. Click Finish.
    16. Enter a name for the segment, confirm policy compliance, then click Save and continue.
    Learn more about Customer Match  and audience segments .

    Offline conversion import and enhanced conversions for leads

    Through the “Conversions” page

    Tip: Upgrade from offline conversion import to enhanced conversions for leads for more accurate reporting, easier data import, and engaged-view and cross-device conversion attribution.

    To set up enhanced conversions for leads, you can either use an existing offline conversion import conversion action or create a new conversion action (recommended if you are switching to a new upload method like Data Manager).

    1. In Google Ads, click Goals > Summary > + New conversion action(or + Create conversion action).
    2. Click Import.
    3. Select CRMs, files, or other data sources.
    4. Select a tracking method.
    5. Under Data source, select Connect a new data source.
      • If you previously linked a data source from the Data manager screen that you want to use, select Select an existing source.
    6. Search and select Google Drivefrom the list of data sources, and then select Direct connection.
    7. Select Conversionsas the use case, read and accept the customer data policy, then click Continue.
      • If you’re creating a new conversion action, select a category from the conversion goal list, then click Set up.
    8. In the authorization window, click Allowto let Google Data Connector access your Google Drive.
    9. Click Browseand choose the file you want to import.
      • You can choose an existing file from the “Google Drive” tab or upload a local file from your device from the “Upload” tab.
    10. Optional: You can apply filters to define the conversion events that you’ll import. This is important especially if you have multiple different conversion goals in the file you will be importing. Learn more about using filters .
    11. To map fields, select the data source fields from the dropdown lists that match the destination fields.
    12. Optional: Apply transformations to your data.
    13. Click Next.
    14. Enter a name for this connection.
    15. Optional: Edit connection details .
    16. Click Finish.
    17. Click Save and continue.

    If you’re using offline conversion imports , we highly recommend upgrading to enhanced conversions for leads using the Data Manager. Offline conversion import is a legacy feature, and it doesn’t have the durability features that enhanced conversions for leads offers.

    Implementation varies depending on what you're measuring and your capabilities. Follow our guide to upgrading offline conversion imports to determine the method that best fits your needs.

    Apply a use case later

    In this type of setup, you complete each part of the connection at different times. This can be useful when you are ready to link a data source, but you are not ready to set up your use case–for example, you aren’t ready to create a customer list.

    Consider the following scenario:

    • Step 1: Dana is an engineer who manages data for your company. Dana sets up the data source to be used for activation in Google Ads. The data source is ready to be associated with a use case.
    • Step 2: Mahan is a media specialist who needs to measure audience activation. Mahan creates a customer list and then associates it to the data source that Dana has previously set up, to use that data for Customer Match.
    Step 1. Initiate the connection to the data source

    Note:It’s recommended that you add an audience segment or conversion action to a connection that you created. You can either set up an audience segment or conversion action before you link a data source or you can create an audience segment or conversion action in the final step of setting up a data source.

    Open Tools> Data manager. Select the connection you just made from “Connected products” and under “Usage”, click + Add audience segmentor + Add conversion action.

    Set up a data source and create a connection to be associated with a use case later.

    1. In Google Ads, click Tools > Data manager > + Connect Product .
    2. Under Data source, search and select a data source from the list of products.
    3. If prompted, select Direct connection.
    4. Select your use case, read and accept the customer data policy, then click Continue. If you select Audiences, you are prompted to select the data type at this step.
    5. Enter your data source location and credentials*, then click Next.
    6. To map fields, select the data source fields from the dropdown lists that match the destination fields.
    7. Optional: Apply transformations to your data.
    8. Click Next.
    9. Enter a name for this connection.
    10. Optional: Edit connection details .
    11. Click Finish.
    Note: If you already completed the instructions for initiating the data source connection, including the optional step, you can skip the remaining instructions for completing the connection.

    * Use the same credentials and location details for this data source as described in the first part of this article.

    Step 2. Complete the connection by applying a use case
    1. Open the destination you intend to use–for example, begin to create a new customer list or conversion action using the steps from the previous sections. Return to these steps before completing the data source step.
    2. Under Data source, select Select an existing source.
    3. Select the data source that was initiated in Step 1 from the list of data sources.
    4. Continue to follow the remaining steps for your use case in the first part of this article. Note that you will skip further data source-related steps, such as entering credentials, because you completed these previously.

    Data source diagnostics

    We may show you one or more of the following diagnostics to help you identify issues with your connection setup:

    Note: The diagnostics in this article are specific to this data source. For general diagnostics that apply to all data sources, or to learn more about Data Manager diagnostics, see Troubleshooting connection issues .
    • CSV has formatting errors: This alert occurs if rows in the CSV file are incorrectly structured. To fix this issue, make sure the number of entries in each row matches the number of columns in the schema . Commas in row entries must be wrapped within quotes.
    • Improperly formatted quote in DATA_SOURCE: This can happen when quoted text within an entry is not properly enclosed in quotation marks. Each quoted string of text needs one opening and one closing quotation mark. To fix this issue, ensure all quotation marks within an entry are paired. This does not apply to single quotes, such as in the name “O’Reilly”.
    • DATA_SOURCE has an incorrect number of fields in a row: This alert is shown when the number of entries in any row does not match the number of header columns. To fix this issue, check your data file to ensure that every row contains the same number of entries as the number of header columns.
    • Column headers from this data source aren’t readable: DATA_SOURCE: This alert appears when the column headers are missing or formatted incorrectly. Check the sheet to ensure that column headers are present, in the first row, and the data format is correct. Headers must start with a letter or underscore, and must not exceed 256 characters.

    Troubleshoot errors

    Data import issues

    Here are some tips to avoid issues while importing data from Google Drive:

    • Make sure you have Editor access to the file in Google Drive.
    • The file should contain valid data, and must be free from data corruption.
    • Make sure you’re using one of the following supported files types: Google Sheets spreadsheet, CSV, TSV, XLS, XLSX.
    • The first row or line in the file must consist of valid headers for the data. The headers can be details such as email addresses, values, names, etc.
    • The headers and link to the file must be the exact same each time it is uploaded or refreshed.
    • Avoid making copies of the imported file with new or updated data, as the copy may not be detected. You can update the data in the originally imported file, and import it as many times as you’d like.

    Setup errors

    • Ensure that your conversion action has successfully connected to the chosen connection. Otherwise, no data will come in.

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