Use GA4 Query Explorer to recreate a Funnel data source request. This comparison helps you determine whether a difference comes from the Google Analytics Data API or from the comparison setup.
Before you begin
Use a Google account that can access the GA4 property.
Find the property, date range, dimensions and metrics used by the Funnel data source.
In Funnel, open the data source details page. Check the configuration summary, or select Edit configuration to view all fields.
Compare the data
Sign in to GA4 Query Explorer.
Select the GA4 property used by the Funnel data source.
Set the start and end dates to the period where you see the difference. Use a one-day period if the Funnel data source has nine dimensions.
Select the same metrics as the Funnel data source.
Select Date and the same dimensions as the Funnel data source. If the source has nine dimensions, don't select Date.
Note: If the Funnel data source includes the Event name dimension, also select Event name in Query Explorer. Otherwise, the session totals in Query Explorer are lower than in Funnel.
Select Make request.
View the result as a table.
Compare each row with the corresponding row in Funnel Data Explorer.
What to expect
If the rows match, the Google Analytics Data API returned the same data to both tools. Review the property, fields, date range and aggregation method used in the original comparison.
Metric totals can differ when GA4 adjusts or estimates aggregated values. Compare rows that use the same dimensions before you compare totals.
Session counts when Event name is included
If your Funnel data source includes the Event name dimension, session totals in Funnel are higher than the totals in a Query Explorer request without Event name. This is expected and comes from how GA4 reports sessions.
When Event name is a dimension, GA4 returns a separate session count for each event name. A session that contains three different events is counted three times when you add up the rows. The total is then higher than the actual number of sessions.
To compare the two tools: Add Event name to your Query Explorer request. The session values per event name then match Funnel.
To report total sessions: Use a separate GA4 data source that doesn't include the Event name dimension.
For more on how GA4 counts sessions, see Troubleshoot session and engaged session count differences in GA4.