Feature and Event tracking is useful to track whenever specific events occur within your application, which features are accessed by users, which buttons are clicked, what users do on a page or form, how long they spend in a configuration wizard, etc. This will help you understand how different user groups engage with your software and interact with the UI.

Event tracking reports can be found in the Usage Intelligence Dashboard by going to Feature and Event Tracking from the menu. Before you start using these reports you will need to decide which features/events you want to track in your software and add 1 line of code in the event handler to notify the Usage Intelligence SDK whenever that event occurs. The Event Tracking API is described here:

• Windows: C/C++ | .NET
• Mac: C++ | Objective-C
• Linux: C/C++
• Generic: Java

Using the Event Allowed List

Once you have used the SDK to track an event inside your software, Usage Intelligence provides you with the facility to decide which of these known features or events should be tracked and which of them should be ignored from the Usage Intelligence Dashboard without having to modify your code. This is done by doing one of the following:

• Usage Intelligence V2: Open the Administration & Settings page, and under Product Settings, select Event Tracking Management.
• Usage Intelligence V3: On the Administration menu, select Product and then open the Event Tracking Management tab. 

When recording events in the SDK, you can also split features and events into categories for easier reporting. Please refer to the documentation links above for more information on using the API.

When Does an Event Show Up in the Event Allowed List?

The event allowed list is negotiated between the client and the server during a sync message exchange. A sync message occurs at least every time ruiStartSDK() is called, as well as at some other points in time as required by the client. Therefore, if your tracked feature does not show up in the allowed list, it probably means your software client has not yet synced with the server. The easiest method to force a sync is by running and closing the application at least once, thus calling ruiStopSDK() and syncing in the process.

What is Advanced Event Tracking?

If you have one of the legacy plans that still supports Advanced events, in the Event Tracking Management page you will have the option to choose whether an event should be tracked in Advanced mode. This is a server setting that can be switched on or off without requiring any code changes in your application. When Advanced tracking is enabled you will have access to the Feature & Event Tracking > Advanced Events report.

Collecting Metrics with Events

You can track more than simply the number of times an event occurs. For every event that occurs, you can collect a numeric value such as the duration of time a user spends inside a wizard or form, file sizes processed by your function, or any other metric which you deem valid for your particular use case. In this case, you should use the API call ruiTrackEventNumeric(). When collecting custom numeric values via ruiTrackEventNumeric(), apart from getting event counts and statistics showing up in event tracking reports, you will also get totals and averages related to the collected custom values in the Event Usage Timeline report.

Collecting String Data with Custom Events

Should you wish to collect custom string data with each event and get access to downloadable daily and monthly archives of all the raw event data that was collected from your clients, then you should make use of Custom Events. In this case, you should use the API call ruiTrackEventText() or ruiTrackEventCustom(). When collecting custom events this way you will still be able to get event counts and statistics showing up in the event tracking reports, however, you will also get the ability to download a CSV archive with every event collected, as well as the profile of the installation on which that event occurred. Custom event data is collected in string format for offline processing purposes, and thus Usage Intelligence does not perform any analytics on the actual string content collected. This enhancement is under investigation for future versions, so contact support for more details.

Notice to Freeware Users

Event and Feature tracking are not available with a free plan, however, you can still evaluate it for free by clicking the Start Full Feature Trial button on the Usage Intelligence Dashboard Home page. Once the trial expires you will be switched back to freeware mode unless you upgrade to a premium subscription.

Blogs and Tutorials

For more information, see Event Tracking - Getting Started with Usage Intelligence - Part 2.