Data Collection · Instrumentation · Component
The tracking plan
What is captured, where, with which fields — without which instrumentation is discovered by reading code.
The deliverable
What it is
Instrumentation without a plan accumulates: events named inconsistently, fields added by different people, and no way to know what exists without inspecting the implementation.
The plan is a small document that saves substantial analytical time, because most analysis begins by establishing what data exists.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The currency
Whether the plan matches what is actually implemented.
3 attributes: Last verified · Discrepancies · Owner
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Inconsistent event naming is what makes a data stream unusable a year after it was built.
The other components in instrumentation
The joins
Whether captured data can be connected to a person, account or session — which determines most of what analysis is possible.
LearnThe gaps
Questions that cannot be answered with current instrumentation — kept so the next change to the system can close one.
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