Identify unique users in Whatfix Analytics
- 27 Jan 2025
- 4 Minutes To Read
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Identify unique users in Whatfix Analytics
- Updated On 27 Jan 2025
- 4 Minutes To Read
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Article summary
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- User Identification
- User Identifier Method
- Browser Local Storage
- Cookie Method
- How does Whatfix identify users?
- Configure custom User Identification Rules
User Identification
Identifying users on the web presents challenges. Whatfix uses a combination of parameters to uniquely identify a user. These parameters include setting browser cookies on the user’s browser and passing user information (when available) back to Whatfix.
Whatfix provides an API to accurately set and pass user information. If user information is not configured, Whatfix uses browser local storage and cookies for user identification. While this second approach requires less configuration, it has several issues:
- The same user using different browsers or machines is counted again.
- Users who clear cookies or browse in private sessions are counted again.
- Users inactive for more than three months are counted again, as browser cookies expire after three months of inactivity.
User Identifier Method
We recommend using user information so that we can correctly identify users and provide more accurate analytics. Set user information using wfx_settings. This can also work with extra values to segment user behavior.
Usernames and extra information qualify as Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and are encrypted throughout, in transit, and at rest. Therefore, any information passed as user information or user segmentation information remains secure.
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For more detailed information, contact support@whatfix.com.
Browser Local Storage
Whatfix uses encrypted user values stored in the browser's local storage, identified in previous sessions. If the encrypted user is unavailable, Whatfix uses cookies.
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Data stored in local storage remains completely encrypted.
Cookie Method
When Whatfix loads on a page, it sets a cookie to identify the user. This cookie contains a random value generated each time it is set. The value of this cookie passes with every call sent to analytics along with the user information.
Certain things to note about cookies:
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Cookies automatically expire after 3 months.
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The name of the cookie is wfx_unq.
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The value of the cookie is randomly generated.
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Whatfix stores the value of wfx_unq in your browser's local storage.
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Once wfx_unq expires after three months, Whatfix searches for the value in your browser's local storage. If found, it assigns the cookie value present in local storage to wfx_unq instead of generating a new value.
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To generate a new value for wfx_unq, you have to clear the value from your browser's local storage and the cookie.
How do we identify users
Whatfix uses a combination of cookies set in the browser and the user API to identify a user. It first attempts to use user information if present. For events where user information is unavailable, Whatfix relies on the value of the unique cookie set in the event.
Example
Consider a single person using multiple devices, with user information set on most of them.
Assume a user (John) is logged in on his desktop, a mobile device, and another device. User information is available on the first two devices but not on the third.
| Device | Is User information present? | Unique Cookie Value | User information resolved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop | Yes (John) | rand_val_1 | John |
| Mobile | Yes (John) | rand_val_2 | John |
| Mobile 2 | No | rand_val_3 | rand_val_3 |
| Unique Users Detected | 3 | 2 |
Whatfix retrieves and uses the username on the first two devices. However, on the third device, it does not know who the user is, so it falls back to the unique cookie value.
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The number of users detected by the algorithm is 2.
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In cases where no user information is passed for the same example, the number of unique users detected completely relies on cookies and is recorded as 3.
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If user information is set in all calls, then the user detected is 1.
Every time Whatfix loads in a browser, it looks up the unique cookie. If absent, it generates a unique ID and saves it as a cookie. Subsequent sessions use the same cookie value to identify the user. This user ID is sent in all analytics events.
Configure custom User Identification Rules
If your application captures user information through other means, such as login status, Whatfix enables you to configure custom User Identification Rules using Advanced Customization.
For more information, see Configure Custom User Identification Rules.
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Whatfix has an improved method to accurately identify users. As a result, for end users on the Extension deployment method you may now see a decrease in the user count.
Earlier, a single user with multiple unique cookie IDs was identified as different users, resulting in counting the same user more than once.
The new method identifies a single user as a unique user, even if they are using multiple unique cookie IDs. Thus, the user count becomes more accurate and may show a decline from prior reports.
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- Whatfix supports End User Authentication, wherein end users authenticate with valid credentials using their organization’s SSO before accessing Whatfix content.
- Use the same user information stored by Single Sign-On (SSO) providers as unique user identifiers. This ensures that all end users possess a unique identifier across multiple applications for accurate identification. For more information on enabling User Identification using SSO, contact support@whatfix.com.
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