Transmitting user parameters

  1. Passing data during a site session
  2. Transmitting data in a CSV file at any time
Note. Parameters sent to Yandex.Metrica are stored for two years after the last upload. When the retention period ends, the data is no longer be displayed in the report.
If you want the parameters you passed to be reflected in reports, Yandex.Metrica should link them to site users. To do this, the following special IDs are used: ClientID and UserID. Parameters are linked to sessions for users who visited the website within 90 days before the data was sent to Yandex.Metrica.

The reports will be updated with the new information within a few hours. To view statistics, use the User parameters report. You can also use this data to create segments for retargeting lists in Yandex.Direct or Yandex.Audience (see the example).

Note. When transmitting user parameters specifying the ClientID and UserID, the total number of users in Yandex.Metrica reports may differ from the number of IDs passed due to the way the UserID is bound to the ClientID.
When to transmit the ClientID

We recommend using the ClientID in transmitted data if you don't need to get your own IDs in a report.

When to transmit the UserID

We recommend using the UserID if, for instance, your site already has a user ID system and you need to get a report that shows these IDs.

There are several ways you can send user parameters to Yandex.Metrica:

Passing data during a site session

This method is useful when you are generating a report based on data received while the user is viewing the site.

User parameters are transmitted to Yandex.Metrica through the JavaScript API. Information sent using this method cannot be deleted from Yandex.Metrica.

To transmit parameters at any other time, use the userParams method. To transmit parameters during tag initialization, specify data in the userParams parameter. The information is transmitted as a JavaScript object and processed as follows.

The field name and nesting level are interpreted as the parameter name and level, respectively. The field value is processed as follows, depending on its type:

  • object — A tree branch is created for each object key, and the algorithm is called recursively for each value.
  • string — Counts the number of times each different value of the string occurs.
  • number — Calculates the total and average value of all numbers.
  • true, false or null — Calculates the number of times each value occurs.

Data will be bound to ClientID only if the userParams method was called during the user's session. To get more complete statistics, wait until a larger volume of data has been transmitted to Yandex.Metrica.

Example

Let's look at an online store that has two types of customers: “normal” and “VIP”. The client status data is stored in the site's own database. After users sign in on the site, they see their usernames in place of the Sign in link on every page. If a user has a special status, it is shown next to the name: Jane / VIP. Along with the status, you can also transmit the user ID that is stored in your database.

To send data to Yandex.Metrica, add code to all the site's pages that will call the userParams method.

For sending data about users with a special status, the code will look like this:

ym(XXXXXX, 'userParams', {
    vip_status: true,
    child: 1,
    child_age: 13,
    UserID: 12345
});
If information is being transmitted about a “normal” user, the code will look like this:
ym(XXXXXX, 'userParams', {
    vip_status: false,
    child: 1,
    child_age: 13,
    UserID: 12345
});

where XXXXXX is your tag ID.

If a “normal” customer gets VIP status, the userParams method sends the new data to Yandex.Metrica the next time this user signs in on the site. This new status will apply to the entire history of this user's sessions, as if the customer was always VIP.

Transmitting data in a CSV file at any time

This method allows you to send Yandex.Metrica not only the data collected during the site session, but also any data collected after the user left the site.

Specification for the CSV format

Overview of the CSV format

Required fields for transmitting data
Field name Description Example
clientID | userID Site user ID P12345
key User ID. Maximum of 1,000 per user age | client.age
value User ID value 40
Required fields for transmitting data
Field name Description Example
clientID | userID Site user ID P12345
key User ID. Maximum of 1,000 per user age | client.age
value User ID value 40

For a hierarchical structure of parameters, use a dot (“.”). For example, to transmit multiple values of the key field, specify client.demography.age.

The maximum number of characters in fields shown in Yandex.Metrica reports:
  • key — 255
  • value — 50
To pass information with a parameter:
  1. Get the ClientID using the getClientID method.
  2. Generate a CSV file specifying the ClientID and send it in the Yandex.Metrica interface.

Working with a file

The Yandex.Metrica interface lets you upload data and delete it. You can manage the file in Settings (find the Upload data tab and choose User parameters).

To send a generated CSV file to Yandex.Metrica:

  1. Click Upload data.
  2. In the window that opens, choose the file type according to the type of ID you want to upload (UserID or ClientID).
  3. Select the file on your computer and add comments to the upload, if necessary.
  4. Click Upload data.

Sample CSV file for uploading data

It takes some time for the service to process the file. When processing is complete, the information you sent will be available in the User parameters report. You can also use this data to create segments for retargeting lists in Yandex.Direct or Yandex.Audience (see the example).