Date Ranges, Filters, and Data Limits
The default date range, the 90 day maximum window, device filters, and the limits worth knowing before putting Analyze numbers in a report.
Every number in Analyze is shaped by the date range and filters set in the top bar. Getting these wrong is the most common way to report a number that is technically accurate and practically wrong.
Defaults
Reports open showing the past seven days across all devices. Both are adjustable in the top bar, and both reset when you come back, so check them before reading anything.
The 90 Day Window
Analyze displays up to 90 days of data at once. That has two consequences worth planning around:
- Annual comparisons are not available in one view. Year over year reporting has to be assembled from records kept outside Analyze.
- Long term trends need saved snapshots. Record the numbers each month rather than expecting to look them up later. See The Monthly Analyze Review Routine.
Device Filters
Filtering by device answers a different question than the site average does. A solution page can look healthy overall while performing badly on mobile, and the combined view hides it.
Check the device split before concluding anything about a page layout.
Comparing Ranges Honestly
Most misleading comparisons come from ranges that are not equivalent.
- Match the length. Seven days against 30 days is not a comparison.
- Match the days of the week. Traffic on a business audience site is uneven across the week, so a range starting on a Monday is not comparable to one starting on a Thursday.
- Account for holidays and events. A conference week or a regional holiday will move the numbers regardless of what the site is doing.
- Watch for partial days. A range ending today includes an incomplete day, which drags the last data point down.
Other Limits to Know
- Data appears within about 30 minutes. Analyze is close to current, but not instant.
- The Pages list holds up to 150 pages. Everything else is reachable through Analyze Mode.
- Previous and next page lists show 10 entries each.
- Staging data is excluded by default. If numbers look inflated, confirm the staging option is off. See How Analyze Tracking Is Configured on CAS.org.
Before Any Number Leaves Analyze
- The date range is stated alongside the number.
- The device filter is stated if it is not all devices.
- The comparison range is the same length and shape.
- The number came from the report level that answers the question: site overview for site totals, page details for page claims.