Q: In which order does Google Analytics filter data?
A) Randomized order
B) The order in which the filters are applied
C) The order in which the filters were last edited
D) Alphabetical order by filter name
Correct Answer is B) The order in which the filters are applied
Explanation:
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that allows website owners to track user behavior and gain insights into their website’s performance. One of the key features of Google Analytics is the ability to apply filters to the data to get a more accurate picture of user behavior. In this article, we will discuss the order in which Google Analytics filters data.
Hit-level filters:
The first type of filter that is applied in Google Analytics is the hit-level filter. These filters are applied to each individual hit, which includes pageviews, events, transactions, and other interactions with a website. Hit-level filters are applied before any other filters, which means they can remove data before it is processed by other filters.
Session-level filters:
The next type of filter that is applied is the session-level filter. These filters are applied to all hits within a session. For example, if a user visits several pages on a website during a single session, the session-level filter will apply to all of those pageviews. Session-level filters are applied after hit-level filters, which means that they can only filter data that has not been removed by hit-level filters.
View-level filters:
The final type of filter that is applied is the view-level filter. These filters are applied to all data that is collected by a specific view. View-level filters can remove data that has already been processed by hit-level and session-level filters, so they are the most powerful type of filter. View-level filters are applied after session-level filters, which means that they can only filter data that has not been removed by session-level filters.
It is important to note that filters are applied in the order listed above, and that each type of filter can only remove data that has not been removed by previous filters. This means that if a hit-level filter removes a certain set of data, that data will not be available for session-level or view-level filters to remove.
Here is an example to illustrate the order in which filters are applied in Google Analytics:
Suppose a website owner wants to filter out traffic from a particular IP address, and they set up a view-level filter to do so. However, they also have a hit-level filter that removes all data from a certain subdirectory on their website. In this case, the hit-level filter will remove the data from the subdirectory before it is processed by the view-level filter. This means that the view-level filter will not be able to remove any data from the subdirectory that was already removed by the hit-level filter.
It is important to understand the order in which filters are applied in Google Analytics in order to use them effectively. For example, if a website owner wants to exclude a certain type of traffic from their website, they may want to use a combination of hit-level, session-level, and view-level filters to ensure that the data is removed at the appropriate level. If they only use a view-level filter, they may miss some of the data they want to exclude.
In conclusion, Google Analytics filters data in the following order: hit-level, session-level, and view-level. Each type of filter can only remove data that has not been removed by previous filters. Understanding the order in which filters are applied is essential for using them effectively and getting the most accurate picture of user behavior on a website. By using filters correctly, website owners can gain valuable insights into their website’s performance and make data-driven decisions to improve their website and drive more conversions.