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google-analyticsmeasurement-protocol

Google analytics measurement protocol session timeout and query time limits

Let's assume we have a goal to setup offline events tracking using measurement protocol, the only limitations from our side is that we need to post the events feed once daily and have a GA setup with correct standart reports from GA UI.

GA limits:

  • Session timeout limit is 4 hours;
  • Max time delta between when the hit being reported occurred and the time the hit was sent - the qt parameter, is also limited to 4 hours;

Test case:

"0". Session timeout limit is set to the max 4 hours.

  1. User visits site at 9 a.m first session is created.
  2. It takes him 10 minutes to get the info needed for making a call.
  3. User makes a call and an phone order at 9:10 a.m. Unique, non personally identifiable code is passed with the call to CRM and saved in GA dimension and uid.
  4. At 6 p.m call-report CRM generates the call-report and passes it to GA using measurement protocol event upload HTTP requests.
  5. At 6 p.m call-report CRM generates the transaction-report and passes the phone order value & number to GA using measurement protocol transaction requests.

Questions:

1) Does the qt parameter in request described on the 5'th step of test case needs to be equal to:

1.1) Possible maximum value - 4 hours (because otherwise it may be not processed by this rule "Values greater than four hours may lead to hits not being processed.") 1.2) Actual value - 8 hours & 50 minutes.

2) Does 1.1 result in a first session timeout?

3) Does 1.1 result in a second session being created, which:

  • start-time is equal to 4 p.m & 50 minutes;
  • end time is equal to 4 p.m & 50 minutes;
  • user-agent by-default is equal to the value which has been used in measurement protocol HTTP request;
  • by-default is not closed, so if a second user visit is on 4 p.m this visit's hits will be sent to this session;

4) Does this second session affect the value of standart report's parameters, such as:

  • average session length;
  • average bounce rate & exit rate;
  • average pages per session;

5) Does the second session affect the flow reports or any other Google reports making in incorrect?

Solution
    1. It should be equal to possible max value, or 0, if it's more then 4 hours since the date, and you should write the actual date as a custom field and process the data later.
    2. Yes, a new session will be created, if the last session expired.
    3. Somewhat.
    4. Yes.
    5. Flow reports are based on users not sessions.