Better Analytics 3.1.1

[digitalpoint]

Ah, okay. I think a screenshot/post earlier in the thread threw me off. So I shouldn't be seeing data under custom variables and can cross reference custom dimensions with reports. Do I need to create a custom report or custom view?

I went ahead and purchased the premium version to save some time and cut out part of the learning curve. I do have a few questions related to the add-on/tracking and a few unrelated analytics questions (if you don’t mind.)

• Before upgrading to the premium version, I set up event tracking for User Registrations. Now I’ve enabled it in the XF ACP. Do I need to disable that event tracking in Analytics - will it be counted twice?

• No, the counter in XenForo's normal admin area and Google Analytics are two different things. The XenForo statistics doesn't feed anything into your Google Analytics account.

• Do I need to make additional changes/set-ups in Analytics for the new event tracking that come with the premium version?

No, you do not.

• If I'm conducting an email newsletter campaign, Better Analytics already tracks email sending/opening with events and shows email as a source, correct? But I should still use UTM for each link and to identify the campaign, correct? Anything else standard in tracking a newsletter campaign analytics?

Yes, if you are using the campaign tags on your own already to track actual campaigns, use them like you normally would.

• How do you conduct split tests/experiments with Analytics and Xenforo? Since Xenforo forces users to confirm style changes it seems I can only split test variations to guests. Are you running server-side experiments?

I haven't gotten into it myself yet so I'd be the wrong person to ask at this point. Although experiment management is already a future feature that's slated. But for now, it's done through the normal Google Analytics account, and I haven't personally run any ever, so...

The plan is to use it to do server-side experiments controlled through the admin area.

Right now I'm working on getting the Goal and Experiment management into the WordPress version (the WordPress and XenForo version shared a unified code base, so it won't be hard to integrate it into the XenForo version once it's done in the WordPress version):

I ask because what I'd like to do is add additional information to the per-user Analytics tab. Specifically I'd like Analytics to track/compile information such as a users 1) total time on site on a per forum basis, 2) total posts on a per forum basis (perhaps broken down by a percentage or chart), 3) warnings/infractions on a per forum basis

The purpose of this would be to give valuable information to forum moderators, allowing them to look at an individual members overall participation/activities, enabling moderators to make judgement calls with bans/infractions/warnings based on whether their questionable behavior is offset by their added value. (ex: does a user contribute to specialty forums/write articles or only post in the General Chat forum?)

Is this possible with Google Analytics without storing personally identifiable information? I don't see how it would be yet still allow useful information. I'm sure a system like this would be possible to create - would the data processing/conversion have to take place within Xenforo/ custom server-side software, rather than being displayed in or pulled from Analytics? Unless I'm mistaken, Better Analytics should allow you to see a Users Pageviews/Posts on a Per Node breakdown over time associated with a User-ID, but not a specific user.... how can I capture and integrate this information on a Users Profile (or admincp backend) without breaking Googles terms? Thoughts?

The system feeds the user ID of the user, but not the username (user ID is not personally identifiable)... so you can get all sorts of data for that user if you apply a filter based on their user ID (that's how it gets the charts that show on the member profile "Analytics" tab). If it's something you want to display outside of the normal Google Analytics interface, you probably will want to look at Google's Core Reporting API... that's where you can basically get whatever data you want: What Is The Core Reporting API - Overview

 

[BDOutdoors]

What would cause User stats to double?

 

[digitalpoint]

Can you post a screenshot of your Better Analytics settings?

 

[BDOutdoors]

Statistics and Metrics?

 

[kontrabass]

What would cause User stats to double?
View attachment 110990

We had the same happen. Try unchecking "Attachment Views" from the "Events to Track" in your stats and metrics options. IIRC that was what fixed it for us.

 

[BDOutdoors]

We had the same happen. Try unchecking "Attachment Views" from the "Events to Track" in your stats and metrics options. IIRC that was what fixed it for us.

That was it! Thank you!

 

[Rob]

I changed my domain. I updated the google api project with a new auth url and other domain settings.
I changed the analytics property in xenforo..... kept getting server errors from this. Ended up uninstalling and reinstalling.

Everything is now set up again, but the test analytics feature has a big red cross under site search, ecommerce traacking and advanced ecommerce tracking. These are all definitely set up correctly in GA.

I'm running 1.5 beta 3 if that helps.

Any ideas?

 

[digitalpoint]

It could be a caching issue... How long has it been since you changed everything?

 

[Rob]

It's been a fair while now, almost a week.

 

[digitalpoint]

What are the server errors you are getting exactly?

 

[Rob]

What are the server errors you are getting exactly?

Tons of these:

Server Error Log
Error Info
Zend_Http_Client_Adapter_Exception: Unable to Connect to ssl://www.googleapis.com:443. Error #101: Network is unreachable - library/Zend/Http/Client/Adapter/Socket.php:235
Generated By: Unknown Account, 32 minutes ago
Stack Trace
#0 /var/www/vhosts/xxxx.net/httpdocs/library/Zend/Http/Client.php(973): Zend_Http_Client_Adapter_Socket->connect('www.googleapis....', 443, true)
#1 /var/www/vhosts/xxxx.net/httpdocs/library/DigitalPointBetterAnalytics/Helper/Reporting.php(491): Zend_Http_Client->request('GET')
#2 /var/www/vhosts/xxxx.net/httpdocs/library/DigitalPointBetterAnalytics/Helper/Reporting.php(395): DigitalPointBetterAnalytics_Helper_Reporting->_execHandler('analytics_realt...')
#3 /var/www/vhosts/xxxx.net/httpdocs/library/DigitalPointBetterAnalytics/Model/Analytics.php(205): DigitalPointBetterAnalytics_Helper_Reporting->getRealtime('rt:activeUsers', 'rtagePath', '-rt:activeUsers', 'rtagePath=~/i...')
#4 /var/www/vhosts/xxxx.net/httpdocs/library/DigitalPointBetterAnalytics/CronEntry/Cron.php(15): DigitalPointBetterAnalytics_Model_Analytics->getRealtimeUsage()
#5 [internal function]: DigitalPointBetterAnalytics_CronEntry_Cron::runVeryOften(Array)
#6 /var/www/vhosts/xxxx.net/httpdocs/library/XenForo/Model/Cron.php(357): call_user_func(Array, Array)
#7 /var/www/vhosts/xxxx.net/httpdocs/library/XenForo/Deferred/Cron.php(24): XenForo_Model_Cron->runEntry(Array)
#8 /var/www/vhosts/xxxx.net/httpdocs/library/XenForo/Model/Deferred.php(294): XenForo_Deferred_Cron->execute(Array, Array, 7.999990940094, '')
#9 /var/www/vhosts/xxxx.net/httpdocs/library/XenForo/Model/Deferred.php(428): XenForo_Model_Deferred->runDeferred(Array, 7.999990940094, '', false)
#10 /var/www/vhosts/xxxx.net/httpdocs/library/XenForo/Model/Deferred.php(373): XenForo_Model_Deferred->_runInternal(Array, NULL, '', false)
#11 /var/www/vhosts/xxxx.net/httpdocs/deferred.php(23): XenForo_Model_Deferred->run(false)
#12 {main}
Request State
array(3) {
["url"] => string(37) "https://xxxx.net/deferred.php"
["_GET"] => array(0) {
}
["_POST"] => array(3) {
["_xfRequestUri"] => string(37) "/forum/qualified-topic.16/page-111"
["_xfNoRedirect"] => string(1) "1"
["_xfResponseType"] => string(4) "json"
}
}

 

[digitalpoint]

That is a network connectivity issue between your server and Google's servers (for reporting/API usage). Could be a general routing issue or possibly an SSL certificate issue on your server.

 

[Rob]

I've resolved the errors which were related to failed lookups.

Now I just need to fix this..

As you can see.... I've three red crosses but the property and view settings in analytics are definitely correct.

Any ideas?

 

[digitalpoint]

Double check your "Google Analytics Profile" setting in the Statistics and Metrics options. If that is not set (or set to something that isn't available on your Analytics account you have linked), those 3 items will never validate since it uses that setting when finding a matching profile within your Analytics account.

 

[Rob]

yep, everything is set up there correctly. I've checked and the right view is selected and the right property id.
I even tried relinking the analytics account.

 

[digitalpoint]

Do you by chance have multiple Google Analytics accounts or multiple Google accounts linked to the same Analytics account?

 

[Andy.N]

Tons of these:

I suddenly have a lot of these same errors
What did you do to fix it? Did you do anything on the server side?

 

[Rob]

Do you by chance have multiple Google Analytics accounts or multiple Google accounts linked to the same Analytics account?

My google analytics set up is like this:-

Google Analytics
-- Company Account
-- -- Property one (better analytics is functioning ok)
-- -- -- Main View
-- -- -- Users View
-- -- Property two (this is the one that is playing up)
-- -- -- Main View
-- -- -- Users View
-- -- Property three (not a forum)

I only have one analytics login and one google login so not multiple account related, although I do have three properties under the one analytics account.

Does this help?

Rob

 

[Rob]

I suddenly have a lot of these same errors
What did you do to fix it? Did you do anything on the server side?

@Andy.N N,

My host updated something to do with DNS as it was related to lookups failing.

 

[digitalpoint]

My google analytics set up is like this:-

Google Analytics
-- Company Account
-- -- Property one (better analytics is functioning ok)
-- -- -- Main View
-- -- -- Users View
-- -- Property two (this is the one that is playing up)
-- -- -- Main View
-- -- -- Users View
-- -- Property three (not a forum)

I only have one analytics login and one google login so not multiple account related, although I do have three properties under the one analytics account.

Does this help?

Rob

I forgot about this... Better Analytics

It's cosmetic only and was fixed for the next version already.