The document discusses tools for collecting and communicating data. It summarizes several free and paid tools for collecting web analytics including Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and KISSmetrics. It also discusses tools for collecting server and mobile analytics as well as business intelligence tools. Finally, it provides an example of how Geckoboard collects data using various tools like Google Analytics and Mixpanel and communicates it using custom reporting, Excel, and Geckoboard.

1. Data Collection and
Communication
Paul Joyce CO-FOUNDER, GECKOBOARD
paul@geckoboard.com - @paulmjoyce
Tuesday, 29 January 13

2. Overview
• Collect
• Analyse
• Communicate
Collection and Communication of Data: Tools of the Trade
Tuesday, 29 January 13

3. Something Free
• Google Analytics
• + Yes, you can send server side events!
o PHP http://code.google.com/p/php-ga/
o Ruby https://github.com/hybridgroup/gabba
o Python http://pypi.python.org/pypi/pyga
• + Solid basic dashboards
o See Spinnakr blog http://bit.ly/PAlJX1
• + Basic reporting is easy but...
• - ...power reporting is trickier than it should be
• - Blacklist possibility
• - Geo won’t work
Collection Metrics - Rob Hudson,Tools of the Trade
Startup and Communication of Data: Geckoboard.
3
Tuesday, 29 January 13

4. Google Analytics
Collection Metrics - Rob Hudson,Tools of the Trade
Startup and Communication of Data: Geckoboard.
4
Tuesday, 29 January 13

5. Something More Robust
• Mixpanel/KISSmetrics
• +/- Each have their pros and cons - suck ‘em and see
o http://sachagreif.com/analytics-showdown-kissmetrics-vs-mixpanel/
o http://founders.getbrandid.com/mixpanel-vs-kissmetrics-part-1-installation
• + Easy to set up
• + Good reporting toolset
o e.g. funnels, segmentation, cohort/retention
• - Expect to pay when you start using it in anger
• - Difficult to combine with other data sources
• - KISSmetrics don’t yet have a (usable) data export API
Collection Metrics - Rob Hudson,Tools of the Trade
Startup and Communication of Data: Geckoboard.
5
Tuesday, 29 January 13

6. Something More
Flexible
• OK, one more data warehouse
• + Combine internal data from several sources
o Different granularity
o Different periodicity
• + Pre-aggregate metrics for easy digestion
• + Snapshots - a time machine for your data
• + Dimensionally modeled (star-schemas) for ease of ad-
hoc reporting
• - ETL overhead
• - Need SQL knowledge
Collection Metrics - Rob Hudson,Tools of the Trade
Startup and Communication of Data: Geckoboard.
6
Tuesday, 29 January 13

7. Something For The
Engineers
• StatsD
o Listens for messages on a UDP port
o Pulls out the data
o Flushes to Graphite
o https://github.com/etsy/statsd/
• Graphite
o Powerful graphing (time series) engine
o http://graphite.wikidot.com/
• http://codeascraft.etsy.com/2011/02/15/measure-anything-measure-
everything/
Collection Metrics - Rob Hudson,Tools of the Trade
Startup and Communication of Data: Geckoboard.
7
Tuesday, 29 January 13

8. Something For The
Analysts
• Cloud Based BI
• + Combine data from multiple sources
o Internal & external
• + Great for deep diving
o “Unknown unknowns”
• - Setup and configuration is non-trivial
• - Be prepared to pay
Collection Metrics - Rob Hudson,Tools of the Trade
Startup and Communication of Data: Geckoboard.
8
Tuesday, 29 January 13

9. Some Tools
• Web App Analytics
o Google Analytics, Mixpanel, KISSmetrics, GoSquared, Chartbeat, Woopra, Clicky
• Mobile Analytics
o Flurry, Apsalar, Localytics
• BI Tools
o GoodData, RJ Metrics, Chart.io, BIME Analytics
• A/B Testing
o Optimizely, Visual Website Optimizer, Unbounce, Google Website Optimizer
• Specialised Tools
o Totango, Aptegic
Collection Metrics - Rob Hudson,Tools of the Trade
Startup and Communication of Data: Geckoboard.
9
Tuesday, 29 January 13

10. How We Do It
• GA & GoSquared for web analytics
• Mixpanel for event tracking
• Data warehouse fed from a daily build of 2 internal
databases
• Custom reporting tool (customer CHI etc)
• Excel
• Geckoboard for communication
Collection Metrics - Rob Hudson,Tools of the Trade
Startup and Communication of Data: Geckoboard.
10
Tuesday, 29 January 13

11. How We Do It
Collection Metrics - Rob Hudson,Tools of the Trade
Startup and Communication of Data: Geckoboard.
11
Tuesday, 29 January 13