$Session_start question
$Session_start question
$Session_start question
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Based on the knowledge sources provided, I can answer your question about the $Session_start event in Mixpanel.The $Session_start (or "Session Start") is a virtual event that Mixpanel automatically computes from the events you send to the platform. It marks the beginning of a user session in your application or website.Here are some key points about the $Session_start event: 1. Computation: Mixpanel generates this event automatically based on your existing event data. You don't need to do any special tracking to make sessions work Sessions.2. Session Configuration: The way sessions are computed, and thus how the Session Start events are generated, can be configured in one of three ways: - Timeout Based (Default) - Event Based - Property Based
Project Admins or Owners can choose between these configurations in Project Settings Sessions.3. Properties: The Session Start event automatically inherits certain properties from the first event in the session. Some of these properties include: - Session Duration (Seconds) - Session Event Count - Session Start Event Name Sessions4. Use Cases: The Session Start event can be used in various analyses, such as: - Calculating the number of sessions over time - Determining the most common landing pages for sessions - Analyzing user behavior at the start of sessions Sessions5. Reports: You can use the Session Start event in various Mixpanel reports like Insights, Funnels, and Flows to analyze user behavior and engagement patterns Sessions.Remember that the exact behavior of the Session Start event can vary based on your chosen session configuration and any customizations you've made to your Mixpanel setup.
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kapa.ai I've encountered an issue with the $Session_start event referencing properties from a Page View event in an unexpected way. Here's the situation: For a specific user, the $Session_start event seems to reference two different Page View events:
The Page View event that occurs at the exact same time as the $Session_start event.
Another Page View event that happens later.
The difference between these two Page View events lies in the $referrer property:
The first Page View (same as $Session_start) does not have a $referrer.
The second Page View (later event) does have a $referrer.
Here's where the issue arises: The $Session_start event ends up referencing the $referrer from the second Page View event, even though it should be associated only with the first Page View event (which has no $referrer). For example, in my logs:
The $Session_start event occurs and references the same-time Page View event (first one).
But it incorrectly adopts the $referrer from a Page View event that occurs later.
This discrepancy leads to incorrect data being associated with the $Session_start event, and it impacts our session analytics. Key Questions:
Why might the $Session_start event be referencing properties from a later Page View event instead of the one that occurs at the same time?
Is there a known issue with Mixpanel's property resolution for $Session_start events?
How can I ensure $Session_start references properties exclusively from the correct Page View event?
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Thank you for your detailed question about the $Session_start event and its property referencing behavior. Based on the information provided in the knowledge sources, I can offer some insights and potential explanations for the issue you're experiencing. 1. Why might the $Session_start event be referencing properties from a later Page View event instead of the one that occurs at the same time? The behavior you're observing might be related to Mixpanel's property attribution and backfilling mechanism. According to the [Funnels documentation](https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/reports/funnels#property-attribution), Mixpanel uses a concept called "Last Step Defined Attribution and Backfilling" by default. This means that properties sent in later steps of a funnel (or in this case, later events in a session) can be appended to earlier steps where they were previously absent. 2. Is there a known issue with Mixpanel's property resolution for $Session_start events? While there isn't a specific mention of a known issue with $Session_start events in the provided knowledge sources, the behavior you're experiencing seems to align with Mixpanel's default property attribution mechanism. This might not be an "issue" per se, but rather the default behavior that may not suit your specific use case. 3. How can I ensure $Session_start references properties exclusively from the correct Page View event? To address this, you might want to consider using the "First Step Defined" attribution option. According to the [Funnels documentation](https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/reports/funnels#property-attribution), you can select "First Step Defined" to attribute the first property value to the whole funnel (or in this case, session), regardless of whether the property value changes in subsequent steps. To implement this: 1. When filtering or breaking down by a property in the funnel chart below the query builder, click on "Step 1". 2. Select "First Step Defined" instead of "Last Step Defined". This should ensure that the $Session_start event only references properties from the first Page View event that occurs at the same time. Additionally, you might want to review your [Session Settings in Project Settings](https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/features/sessions#how-sessions-work) to ensure they're configured correctly for your use case. You could consider using a Property-Based Session configuration if you need more control over how sessions are defined and how properties are attributed. Lastly, it's worth noting that Mixpanel's documentation states that for Timeout-based sessions, "the properties available on the 'Session Start' and 'Session End' events will be attributed to the first event in which the property is defined of the qualifying sessions" [Sessions](https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/features/sessions#session-properties). This seems to contradict the behavior you're observing, which might indicate that there's more complexity to your specific situation.
If these suggestions don't resolve your issue, I recommend reaching out to Mixpanel's support team for more personalized assistance, as they would have access to your specific project configuration and data.
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Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! 📚
Thank you for providing more details about the issue you're experiencing with the $Session_start event and its property referencing behavior. Based on the knowledge sources available, I can offer some insights and potential explanations for your situation. 1. Why might the $Session_start event be referencing properties from a later Page View event instead of the one that occurs at the same time? The behavior you're observing is likely due to Mixpanel's default property attribution mechanism. According to the [Funnels documentation](https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/reports/funnels#property-attribution), Mixpanel uses a concept called "Last Step Defined Attribution and Backfilling" by default. This means that properties sent in later events can be appended to earlier events where they were previously absent or undefined. In your case, the $referrer property is not present in the first Page View event but is present in the second one. Mixpanel's default behavior is to backfill this property to earlier events in the session, including the $Session_start event. 2. Is there a known issue with Mixpanel's property resolution for $Session_start events? There isn't a specific mention of a known issue with $Session_start events in the provided knowledge sources. The behavior you're experiencing appears to be the default attribution mechanism rather than an issue per se. However, this default behavior may not align with your specific use case and expectations. 3. How can I ensure $Session_start references properties exclusively from the correct Page View event? To address this issue, you have a few options: a. Use "First Step Defined" attribution: According to the [Funnels documentation](https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/reports/funnels#property-attribution), you can select "First Step Defined" to attribute the first property value to the whole funnel (or in this case, session), regardless of whether the property value changes in subsequent steps. This should ensure that the $Session_start event only references properties from the first Page View event. b. Review Session Settings: Check your [Session Settings in Project Settings](https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/features/sessions#how-sessions-work) to ensure they're configured correctly for your use case. You might consider using a Property-Based Session configuration for more control over how sessions are defined and how properties are attributed. c. Implement server-side tracking: If you need more control over property attribution, consider implementing [server-side tracking](https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/tracking-best-practices/server-side-best-practices#tracking-page-views). This allows you to have full control over which properties are sent with each event, including $Session_start.
d. Use custom properties: Instead of relying on the $referrer property, you could create a custom property that you set explicitly for each Page View event. This way, you can ensure that the correct referrer information is associated with each event at the time it occurs.It's worth noting that the behavior you're observing seems to contradict the documentation for Timeout-based sessions, which states that "the properties available on the 'Session Start' and 'Session End' events will be attributed to the first event in which the property is defined of the qualifying sessions" Sessions. This discrepancy suggests that there might be more complexity to your specific situation.If these suggestions don't resolve your issue, I recommend reaching out to Mixpanel's support team for more personalized assistance. They would have access to your specific project configuration and data, allowing them to provide more targeted solutions.
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Yes, it is possible to apply custom properties as session properties in Mixpanel. According to the Sessions documentation, you can add additional properties to be associated with sessions beyond the default ones.Here's how you can do it: 1. Go to Project Settings in your Mixpanel account. 2. Navigate to Session Settings. 3. Select the list of properties you wish to be associated with sessions.Once you've done this, these custom properties will be accessible for analysis in Mixpanel reports.However, there are a few important points to note: 1. There is a limit of 4 additional properties that can be associated with session analysis. 2. The custom properties you select will be associated with the session in addition to the default session properties that Mixpanel already provides.The default session properties include things like $app_build_number, $browser, $city, $country_code, $device, $os, utm_campaign, and others. These are automatically associated with sessions.By adding your custom properties, you can enhance your session analysis to answer more specific questions about your users' behavior during sessions. For example, you could add a custom property that tracks user segments or specific features used, allowing you to analyze how different user groups or feature usage patterns affect session behavior.Remember, after adding these custom session properties, they will be retroactively applied to your historical data as well, allowing you to analyze past sessions with these new properties.Sessions
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I apologize for the confusion in my previous response. After carefully reviewing the knowledge sources again, I realize I may have misinterpreted some information. Let me provide a more accurate answer based on the available information.You're correct to question this, as the knowledge sources don't explicitly mention a way to add custom properties as Session Properties in the way I previously described. The Sessions documentation does mention that Mixpanel will associate properties from events that are part of a user's session onto the Session events, but it doesn't indicate a way to manually add custom properties.The documentation states: "Mixpanel will also associate properties from the events that are part of a user's session onto the Session events. For Timeout-based sessions, the properties available on the "Session Start" and "Session End" events will be attributed to the first event in which the property is defined of the qualifying sessions."It then lists a set of default properties that are associated with sessions, such as $app_build_number, $browser, $city, etc.The fact that you're not seeing any properties when you open the modal to select properties suggests that there might not be a direct way to add custom properties as Session Properties in the way I initially described.If you need to associate custom properties with sessions, you might need to consider alternative approaches: 1. Ensure that the custom properties you want are included in the events that make up the session. These should then be associated with the Session events automatically.2. If you need more control over session properties, you might want to look into creating custom events or using super properties that would be included in all events within a session.I apologize for the incorrect information in my previous response. If this functionality is critical for your use case, I recommend reaching out to Mixpanel's support team directly for the most up-to-date and accurate information about handling custom session properties.Sessions
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