Why Are Conversion Action Segments Unavailable in a Google Ads Custom Report?

Question

Why are the segments.conversion_action, segments.conversion_action_name, and segments.conversion_action_category fields sometimes unavailable when I create a custom report in the Google Ads connector? Does modifying an existing custom report trigger a historical re-sync and affect MAR?

Environment

Connector: Google Ads

Answer

The Google Ads API enforces restrictions on which segments and metrics you can combine in a report, and returns an error for incompatible combinations. Fivetran's report builder automatically hides segments that can't be queried with your selected metrics. This prevents invalid combinations before they reach the API.

To find a working combination of fields:

1. Clear all existing metrics and segments in the report builder.
2. Add segments.conversion_action and the related fields first, before selecting any other fields.
3. Reintroduce other metrics and segments one at a time to identify which combinations work.

If conflicts persist, create a separate report specifically for conversion action metrics, and use other reports for metrics outside this segmentation.

Modifying an existing custom report to add or remove fields can trigger a historical re-sync of that report, which affects your MAR. To avoid this, create a new custom report instead of modifying an existing one. This lets you test field combinations without affecting your existing data or MAR.

For more information, see Google Ads connector - Updating data and Google's Reports API documentation.