Configuration Tips For SharePoint Profiles

This article contains configuration tips for tracking SharePoint sites with Angelfish. Here's a quick list, with details below:

  • Tracking Method Options
  • Update Pages & Documents
  • Include Page Query Parameters
  • Use the SharePoint Filters
  • Use a Raw-level Filter with Subsites
  • Track Internal Emails
  • Other Minor Tweaks

DETAILS


TRACKING METHOD OPTIONS

Intranet

Most SharePoint Intranet sites require authentication, which means the username is available in the log file - you can verify the username is in the log by opening the file and having a look.

If the username is present, we recommend choosing the USR Tracking Method.  This also means you can process your historical and future logs with the same Tracking Method.

If the username isn't present, we recommend using the AGF Tracking Method for future logs.  For historical logs, use SID or IPUA.


SP Online & External 

Microsoft doesn't provide logs for SP Online, and public-facing SharePoint sites frequently don't have the username in the log file.  

For SP Online, AGF is the best option.  Setup Instructions: SharePoint Online

For External SP websites, we recommend using the AGF Tracking Method for future logs.  For historical logs, use SID or IPUA.

NOTES
  • You can have multiple Profiles for the same SP Intranet website, with each Profile using a different Tracking Method
  • We recommend USR (log-based) and AGF (JS-based) - each provides a different perspective on your website
  • If you already have Urchin/GA tracking code on your SP site, you might be able to use the UGA Tracking Method
  • Tracking Methods Overview


UPDATE PAGES & DOCUMENTS

Documents are a subset of Pages: in order for a Document to appear in the Document reports, it must also appear in the Pages reports.

If your Profile uses one of the log-based Tracking Methods (USR, SID, IPUA, or IP), make sure your Document File Types are present in the Page File Types field.

AGF Profiles use a tracking gif instead of a Page File Types field.  With AGF Profiles, you configure Documents in the "Link Tagger: Document File Types" field in the
Custom Tracking Code Generator.


INCLUDE PAGE QUERY PARAMETERS

Many query params are meaningless from a report perspective and clutter the reports.  For example:

/sites/comm/default.aspx?token=54kljs0234lkwj43534&sid=234fskljdflj8956sdfvbnmv

That said, parameters can be useful - like those that show Page IDs.

Query parameters are configured via the "Page Query Parameters" field in each Profile's Settings tab. We recommend using the Include option with a short list of params you want to see - click the Tooltip next to the field for more info.

The parameter that holds the Search Term needs to be entered in the Search Term Parameter field, in the Internal Search section.


USE THE SHAREPOINT FILTERS

Angelfish includes four predefined Filters for SharePoint - each Filter name starts with "SharePoint".  These Filters remove or clean up common issues observed in SharePoint Profiles. 

The Admin Notes field in each Filter contains an explanation of what each Filter does - we recommend only adding Filters that are relevant to your Profile.


USE A RAW-LEVEL FILTER WITH SUBSITES

When you create a Profile for a Subsite, you need to add a Filter to "tell" the Profile to only show data in the Subsite's subdirectory.  The best approach is to use a Raw-Level Include Filter on the Page field.

Raw-Level Filters are applied to both Visits and Hits.  Page-Level Filters are only applied to Visits.

If you use a Page-Level Filter instead of a Raw-Level Filter, your IT Reports section will show Hits for the entire Site Collection, not just Hits for the Subsite.  This also increases the disk storage used and processing time.


TRACK INTERNAL EMAILS

If you send internal newsletters to employees, use External MVs to track the performance of the emails!  You can also track impressions (a.k.a. email opens).



OTHER MINOR TWEAKS

Disable (uncheck) Ignore Inflated Visits for Intranet Sites
  • Robots & crawlers aren't usually a problem for Intranet sites

Update the SP Search Function to show Verticals and Number of Results
  • If either are available in a query param, you can add it to the reports

Add a Username List
  • This lets you enable Usage Costs and see Active / Inactive / Low Activity / Unknown users
Creation date: 5/20/2022 5:24 PM      Updated: 5/21/2022 4:26 PM