Webtrends Knowledge Base Articles RSS Feed

Which compressed file formats are supported under Webtrends Analytics?

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:04:42 GMT

For products:

Webtrends Analytics 9.2a

Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 9/3/2010

Information:
Webtrends supports log files compressed using .zip and .gz formats. No other compression formats are supported at this time.

The default "All Entry Pages" Path Analysis report is unavailable after adding a custom Path Analysis to a profile

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:59:16 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 8/31/2010

Situation:
After adding a custom Path Analysis to a profile and reanalyzing, the default Path Analysis report "All Entry Pages" is no longer available in the Path Analysis reports.

Solution:

This is the expected behavior; inclusion of a custom Path Analysis report will replace the one initially available. To re-add the "All Entry Pages" Path Analysis report, perform the steps below:

1. Edit the profile and select Advanced > Path Analysis.

2. Check the box for “Paths from Entry” and save the change.

The default "All Entry Pages" Path Analysis report will now be available along with the custom Path Analysis report the next time the profile is reanalyzed.

Webtrends servers appear potentially vulnerable to CVE-2009-3555

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:53:18 GMT

For products:
Webtrends On Demand
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 9/2/2010

Situation:
Vulnerability testing indicates the Webtrends server is potentially vulnerable to CVE-2009-3555, which could allow man-in-the-middle attacks in sessions using TLS (Transport Layer Security) or SSL (Secure Socket Layer) 3.0 or earlier.

Solution:
Webtrends uses and interacts with products affected by this vulnerability, but this issue is not specific to Webtrends. Microsoft released an update (KB980436) for their Windows product lines on August 9th, 2010. For other vendors, it is recommended that all affected products be updated with the patches as they become available.

Further information:
http://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2009-3555

WT Tomcat Service fails with "could not create a FileOutputStream"

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:49:40 GMT

For Products:
Webtrends Analytics 7.x
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last Modified: 9/3/2010 10:37 AM

Situation:
WTTomcatService fails with "could not create a FileOutputStream"

Solution:
Setting privileges
1. Go to the Control Panel\Administrative Tools\Local Security Policy
2. Expand the tree for Local Policies.
3. Click the User Rights Assignment folder.
4. The user that the Webtrends service is using needs to be a part of the following policies:
• Log on locally
• Log on as a service
• Act as part of the operating system

The user must be a member of the Administrators group for the
services to properly interact with the operating system.

Note: When using Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition there are two options when adding rights to the user, Local Policy Setting and
Effective Policy Setting. Both options must be checked for the service
to run properly.

Configure services
1. Go to the Control Panel\Administrative Tools.
2. Go into Services.
3. Right click the "Webtrends Scheduler" Service in the right panel, and
select Properties.
4. Click the Log On tab.
5. Type in the user specified above

How to install and configure the Webtrends ODBC driver

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:37:06 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Analytics 9.2
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 8/19/2010

Introduction:
To access the Webtrends ODBC driver through the user interface, you need .NET 2.0 to be installed, which can be acquired either through Windows Update or by going to microsoft.com/downloads and searching for the .NET 2.0 redistributable package.

After upgrading to .NET 2.0, in the Webtrends user interface, select Install Components > Install Webtrends ODBC Driver

Once the driver has been installed, navigate to the Control Panel in Windows, then select Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC).

In the ODBC Data Source Administrator window, select System DSN > Add, then scroll down and select Webtrends ODBC Driver.

Enter a name in the Data Source Name field (to identify it among the data sources), and modify the description if necessary.

Enter the Host/Server name or IP address for the ODBC server. For software installations this will be the Webtrends server and the default port is 7099 or 443 if you have enabled SSL in the user interface.
For On Demand customers, this will be odbc.webtrends.com and, the default port is 80, or 443 for secure connections. Ensure the "Enable SSL" box is selected if 443 is chosen as the port.

For On Demand customers, enter the account name, username, password, then click Connect. Note: Software customers do not need to specify the account but a username and password will be required.

After clicking Connect the Profile and Template fields should populate with available choices for selection. Once a profile and template have been selected, click Ok and Apply to save the changes and the system DSN is now available for use with Excel or Access.

How did my database or configuration files get corrupted?

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:13:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.x
Webtrends Enterprise 7.x
Webtrends Professional 7.x
Webtrends Small Business 7.x

Last modified: 9/2/2010

Introduction:
There are a few processes and/or applications that can corrupt the analysis database for a profile, the MySQL database (if applicable), or configuration files. All of them involve interference with Webtrends' ability to read and write these files during the analysis, when the services check the database, or when the configuration files are rewritten due to a setting change or internal process. Following are the most likely causes of this kind of corruption, and what steps need to be taken to prevent them from being an issue:

Virus scanning software
More specifically, live virus scanning. A live virus scanner detects when a new file is saved to the system, or a file is changed/rewritten. When it detects this activity, it immediately attempts to scan the file before a virus has the chance to do any damage. The virus scanner often needs to put a read/write lock on the file during the scanning process, and because Webtrends does a large number of reads and writes during the analysis process, a live virus scanner attempting to scan the files being worked with can easily cause a read or write failure. This will result in incorrect data within the file, and consequently corrupt the integrity of the database. This same activity can affect the MySQL tables as they are changed, or any other configuration file that is modified by Webtrends. The only way to avoid this corruption is to exclude the Webtrends installation directory structure from live scanning. If the storage locations have been changed for the Analysis Data Repository, Report Data Repository, Configuration Repository, Backup Repository, or Visitor History Export Repository, those folders need to be excluded as well. It is a good idea to exclude the web log files directory from scanning if they are on the local Webtrends system as well, but this is typically not as critical. If virus scanning is required on these directories, it needs to be done during the full scan process, and all of the Webtrends services need to be stopped while this process completes. A full scan during a time period when there is no analysis running would be safer than live scanning or a full scan during an analysis, but is still no guarantee that an analysis database will not get corrupted. If an analysis is inadvertently started during the full scan, the likelihood of a corrupted database increases exponentially. The only way to ensure this does not occur is to have all of the Webtrends services stopped during the scan.

Windows Indexing service
This service is used to index files and folders for faster searching in Windows. As this service needs to read the file name as well as the contents, the same type of corruption resulting from live virus scanning can occur during indexing if the service attempts to access files at the same time Webtrends is reading or writing from them. The only option for the Indexing service is to disable it.

Backup software
As with virus scanning and indexing, backup software typically needs to put a lock on files so they cannot be written to while the file is being archived. Most backup software applications attempt to be as non-invasive as possible. Even so, with the amount of reads and writes being done by Webtrends, especially during the analysis process, there is no way to ensure that some sort of conflict will not occur therefore it is strongly recommended that the Webtrends services should be stopped before the backup begins. The "Webtrends - Scheduler Agent" service constantly makes calls to the database to determine if there are any events that need to be run. When these calls are made, there are tables within the database that obtain an exclusive lock. If the backup software attempts to copy one of these table files during the time it is locked, corruption will likely occur. NOTE: For more information on handling the backup of Webtrends' files and folders please contact technical support. At the very least, there should be no analysis running at backup time, but there is still the strong possibility for corruption if the services are not completely shut down.

Script blockers
While not nearly as dangerous to the integrity of the database, a script blocker can still cause its own set of problems. At the very least, it can cause the analysis process to fail. Removing the script blocker would be preferable, but making sure that the scripts originating in the Webtrends directory structure are considered safe by the script blocking software will insure that the analysis process is not interrupted.

Firewall software
While this is usually more of an inconvenience than anything else, it can still cause problems. Depending on the type of the firewall, it can try to block one part of an analysis process while another continues to work. While rare, this still has the potential for causing corruption. And like script blocking, it can cause an analysis to fail. There should not be a local firewall running on the Webtrends server.

Pop-up blockers
While this does not cause corruption to the database, it is related to the subject. Pop-up blockers can prevent some Webtrends processes from running because some pop-ups are used for verification. Pop-up blockers will also prevent access to the help files.

Slow hard drives
Webtrends is a very resource intensive application and will use up 100% of a CPU during the analysis process, can fill up 1GB or more of physical RAM, and needs to perform a massive amount of reads and writes to the systems hard drive(s). Slow IDE hard drives, or older and slower SCSI drives, will simply not be able to keep up with the activity Webtrends generates. When this happens, read/write errors are almost certain to occur. For installations that are analyzing small amounts of data (1MB to 20MB worth of daily log files), a 10,000 RPM hard drive should be the minimum. For installations analyzing larger amounts of data (20MB to 500MB worth of daily log files), the system should have 15,000 RPM SCSI hard drives (preferably in a RAID 5 configuration) or 10,000 RPM SATA drives. For installations analyzing even more data on a daily basis, high end SCSI drives in a RAID 5 configuration are a requirement. Hard drive space can be a direct cause of corruption as well. This is especially true if the log files being analyzed are compressed or accessed via FTP. Even with 500GB of free hard drive space, if the log files for the analysis are compressed or accessed via FTP, this may not be enough. For an explanation on this and how to resolve the issue, see Knowledge Base article 052133.

Too many Custom Reports
Each Custom Report that is added to a profile also adds a new level of complexity to the analysis process. Due to the nature of custom reports, each one requires its own table or set of tables. As these are updated during the same time that the standard analysis tables are updated, the additional tables mean additional hard drive activity. As the previous example pointed out, that additional activity raises the probability of corruption in the analysis database files. Webtrends recommends using no more than 20 custom reports for a single profile. If additional custom reports are required, consider creating a copy of the profile and adding the custom reports to the copy.

Not enough memory
If Windows runs out of physical RAM to store information for currently running processes, it starts swapping that data out to the hard drives. This will not only have a huge impact on the speed and performance of a system, it will provide even more chance for read/write errors while Webtrends is manipulating data on the system's hard drives. While CPU power is extremely important when it comes to performance, skimping on RAM could be even more detrimental. Not enough memory, especially when running GeoTrends, will almost certainly cause database corruption at some point.

VMware
Webtrends does not support VMware or other virtual environments for use with Webtrends software implementations for versions earlier than Webtrends 8.5x. This is due to known conflicts between the function of virtual environments and the resource requirements of some Webtrends' components that can result in corruption in Webtrends' data and configuration files.

Once corruption occurs in a profile's analysis database, there is no method available to repair that corruption. There is a data integrity check that can be run, but that is all that can be done, and it only verifies whether or not the database is corrupt. The only options are to restore an archive/backup (assuming the profile or installation is being backed up), or to clear the analysis data and re-analyze the profile.

All of the above mentioned causes of corruption to the analysis database can affect the MySQL database as well. Fortunately, there is a utility to repair the MySQL database if it should become corrupt. Instructions for this repair process can be found in Knowledge Base article 051545. In addition to this, corruption of the configuration files can often be resolved by manually correction, or re-running the Webtrends installation file and using the "Modify" option. This will typically rewrite the corrupted files with the appropriate information. Many of these problems can be avoided by making sure all of the minimum system requirements have been met, and the above issues are addressed accordingly.

Tracking complex web page interactions with dcsMultitrack

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:12:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends On Demand
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 9/2/2010

Introduction:
For standard page interactions, Webtrends JavaScript tag sends requests to the data collection server, but not all relevant traffic may be logged. Webtrends dcsMultiTrack technology makes it possible to track page views for nearly all types of events, including JavaScript, Flash, and other dynamic content. Data that dcsMultiTrack can capture includes:

• Flash events such as start, finish, progress, and clicks within a Flash application
• Ajax interactions
• Downloads of files that cannot be tagged, such as PDF or compressed archives.
• Form completion
• Any event that launches JavaScript

Please refer to the attached documentation for a more in-depth explanation and usage examples.

How do I generate a dcsid from the command line?

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:34:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 9/2/2010

Introduction:
Webtrends SmartSource Data Collector (SDC) uses a globally unique identifier known as a "dcsid" for data sources. A dcsid is created at the time an SDC data source is created in the user interface, but dcsids can also be created from the command line using the steps below:

1. Open a command line window on the SDC server and navigate into the following folder:

\Webtrends\SmartSource Data Collector\bin

2. The following command will generate a single dcsid and either create or append it to a file entitled "lfmidgen.log," located in the same location:

lfmidgen

To generate multiple dcsids, add the count=<number> option to the command. The following example will generate ten dcsids at once:

lfmidgen count=10

To specify the file name in which to save the dcsids (other than the default), append the file=<filename> option to the command. In the example below, the file dcsidlist.txt will be created with a single dcsid:

lfmidgen file=dcsidlist.txt

After dcids are created, the latest version of the Webtrends JavaScript tag can be built around the dcsid(s) using Tag Builder, available at the following URL:

https://tagbuilder.webtrends.com/

How to set up ad tracking for dynamic on-site ads

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:13:00 GMT

For products:

Webtrends On Demand

Webtrends Analytics 9.2

Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 9/2/2010

Situation:

Tracking dynamic advertisements makes manual tagging impractical.

Solution:

Content of this nature requires a custom solution, and can be accomplished using the SmartSource Data Collector (SDC) in conjunction with the Webtrends JavaScript tag, which can be generated from the following site:

http://tagbuilder.webtrends.com

Assuming the SDC is working and the site is tagged, the dynamic content in question must also be tagged as it is generated. Consult your site developers regarding methods to add a value to the page meta tags for the ad display, and attach a WT.ac value to the href of the link in order to track the ad click event.

If it is not possible to populate this information when serving the page, an onClick or onMouseDown event to the link on the image will call a custom function that determines the image name based on the event caller and use this information in a dcsMultiTrack call. This method will not record the WT.ad value for the ad view, resulting in the number of clicks for an ad, but no click-through rate.

Further information:
KB103153 - How do I generate a dcsid from the command line?

Incorrect correlation using WT.ad and WT.ac in custom reports

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:55:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends On Demand
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 9/2/2010

Introduction:
This document explains one common source of data inaccuracy when building a custom report based on WT parameters, dimensions, or measures that are used in one of the built-in reports.

Process:
Construct a custom report (and associated dimensions and measures) as follows:

Primary Dimension:
Name: Ad Name
Based on: WT.ad
Collect: Most Recent
Other: Exclude activity without dimension data checked

Primary Measure:
Name: Ad Clickthroughs
Based on: WT.ac
Collect: All hits
Sum across visit: No
Method: Count

Consider a log file with the following data (line numbers included for convenience):

1 WT.ad=Ad1
2 WT.ad=Ad2
3 WT.ac=Ad1

The resulting data in the report will look like the following:

Ad Name
Ad2

Ad Clickthroughs
1

WT.ad = Ad1 and Ad2 are in the log, and the clickthrough specifies Ad1. In the Onsite Advertising reports, you will see something substantially different than what has been generated above. However, when using these parameters in custom reports they are treated as any other parameter that might be added into the query string.

Only an Ad Name of WT.ad=Ad2 displays, since that’s the only dimension data that has corresponding measure data. That corresponding measure data is the follow-up WT.ac hit. Note: there is no mechanism to correlate the WT.ac=Ad1 value to the WT.ad=Ad1 parameter like the built-in Onsite Advertising reports do. All the engine is looking for when it decides what dimension value to attribute the clickthrough to is the most recent WT.ad value, in this case, Ad2.

Caution is advised when using a WT parameter in a custom report. Using them to create custom reports is acceptable, but the dimension or measure definition tells the analysis engine what value to pull from the logs and when to do so, not how to use it or how to correlate it with other data. How it is used is based on the report definition. In this way, it is possible to create two reports based on the same parameter and get unrelated results which make no sense when compared. The above report and the built-in Onsite Advertising Clickthrough Rates reports are examples. Additionally, there are multiple, built-in reports that have a specific method of processing data that isn't obvious in the visible portion of their configuration. The Onsite Advertising and Onsite Search reports are examples. If a report is created using the same dimensions and measures, the results will not display report data as might be expected from the original report. This is due to specific report logic hard-coded into the engine, and it is recommended to use built-in reports when they achieve the intended objective, and use custom reports when built-in reports do not fulfill business needs.

How do I install Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) to enable installation of Webtrends Analytics 9.2a?

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:02:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a

Last modified: 9/1/2010

Introduction:
Message Queuing is a requirement for installation of Webtrends Analytics 9.2a and a warning will be received prior to the installation stating that Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) is missing and needs to be installed. To install Message Queuing 4.0 on Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2, follow the steps below:

1. In Server Manager, click "Features."

2. In the right-hand pane under "Features Summary", click "Add Features."

3. In the resulting window, expand "Message Queuing."

4. Expand "Message Queuing Services."

5. Click "Message Queuing Server."

6. Click "Next," then click "Install."

Optimize reports - Why is there data for tomorrow?

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:08:42 GMT

For products:

Webtrends Optimize

Last modified: 8/31/2010

Introduction:
Data in Optimize reports use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to determine when a view or conversion event happened. Data is further localized based on the user settings in the Optimize user interface.

Example scenario:

A visitor from Melbourne, Australia (UTC +10) visits your test page in the evening and is tracked accordingly. You, based in Honolulu, Hawaii (UTC -10), log in to Optimize towards the end of your business day to check on the performance of your test page and see that there is traffic for tomorrow. This is an accurate representation based on UTC.

ODBC driver does not appear in the Datasources (ODBC) DSN list on 64-bit machines

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:23:51 GMT

For products:
Webtrends On Demand
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.7d

Last modified: 8/31/2010

Situation:
After successfully installing the Webtrends ODBC driver on a 64-bit version of Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008, the driver is not listed in the DSN list in the ODBC Data Source Administrator.

Solution:
The Webtrends ODBC driver is still a 32-bit application. As a result, the 64-bit ODBC application may not display 32-bit ODBC drivers. Though the machine may be 64-bit, the 32-bit version of the ODBC Data Source Administrator allows for the DSN to be created and displayed using the following 32-bit utility:

C:\Windows\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe

Export rights for scheduled jobs in Microsoft formats

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:32:50 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 8/31/2010

Introduction:
If a domain user was not specified during Webtrends installation, you may not be able to schedule Microsoft Word reports with the default installation. This is because the Webtrends Scheduler Agent service needs to launch Microsoft Word in order to run macros to complete its tasks, and it cannot do this if it only has default system user privileges. This problem does not affect batch exports or Webtrends On Demand exports; in those cases Word is being launched by the user, not the system account. If you want to run scheduled exports to Microsoft Word format, you must configure the Webtrends Scheduler Agent to log on as an account that has access rights to those drives. For most users, configuring the Scheduler agent to log on as a domain user is the simplest way to make sure the agent has the appropriate rights. Specifying a domain user while installing Webtrends usually provides the appropriate user rights configuration. If you still have problems accessing datasources or running scheduled exports, however, or if you cannot use a domain user, you should check the user rights for the Scheduler agent to make sure it has the appropriate rights as described in the following procedures.

Process:
To configure the Scheduler Agent to log on as a domain user:

1. In Windows Control Panel, select Administrative Tools > Services.
2. Select the Webtrends Scheduler Agent service.
3. Right-click and select Properties.
4. Select the General tab and click Stop.
5. Select the Log On tab.
6. Click This account and type the domain and user name of the domain user in the text box. Use the format yourdomain\username.
7. Provide the domain user's password and retype it to confirm.

Note: If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer and experience trouble downloading the Report Exporter, it may be due to your security settings (found under Tools > Internet Options in most versions of Internet Explorer). For more information, contact your Webtrends administrator

8. Return to the General tab and click Start to restart the Webtrends Scheduler Agent service.
9. Click OK. The Services panel should show the domain user in the Log On As column.

To ensure that the Webtrends Scheduler agent logs on using the correct user account:
1. From the Windows Control Panel, select Administrative Tools.
2. In the Administrative Tools dialog box, select Component Services.
3. Select Services (Local) in the left pane.
4. Right-click Webtrends Scheduler Agent, and select Properties.
5. Select the Log On tab.
6. Select This account, and click Browse to select an account from the list.
7. Provide the domain user's password and retype it to confirm.
8. Click OK.
9. Restart the Webtrends Scheduler Agent.

To ensure that the user account has the necessary rights:
1. From the Windows Control Panel, select Administrative Tools.
2. Select Local Security Policy.
3. In the left pane, expand Local Policies.
4. Select User Rights Assignment.
5. Select Act as Part of the Operating System.
6. If the account you specified in the previous procedure is not listed, click Add User or Group. Add the user account the Webtrends Scheduler Agent should use, and click OK.
7. Otherwise, click Cancel.
8. Select Log on as a Service.
9. If the account you specified in the previous procedure is not listed, click Add User or Group. Add the user account the Webtrends Scheduler Agent should use, and click OK.
10. Otherwise, click Cancel.
11. If your computer uses Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows XP, select Log on Locally.
12. If the account you specified in the previous procedure is not listed, click Add User or Group. Add the user account the Webtrends Scheduler Agent should use, and click OK.
13. Otherwise, click Cancel.
14. Close the Local Security Settings dialog box.

Scope of support for the SmartSource Data Collector in a VMware environment

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:14:00 GMT

For products:

Webtrends SmartSource Data Collector

Last modified: 8/31/2010

Introduction:

While Webtrends Analytics is supported in specific VMware environments, the SmartSource Data Collector (SDC) is not at this time supported. Webtrends has performed extensive testing of the SDC in VMware environments and has determined that running SDC on VMware can cause loss of data.

Due to the critical nature of SDC for the purpose of data collection and the fact that any traffic that does not get logged is irretrievable, customers using a virtual environment to host their SDC server do so at their own risk.

Further information:

072624 Can Webtrends Analytics be installed on VMware?

What environments and configurations are not supported by Webtrends?

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:19:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 8/31/2010

Introduction:
There are various factors or configurations that will cause a Webtrends installation to be unsupported. This document is a brief list of the most common causes of an unsupported environment and is subject to change and update without notification. Even though Webtrends may work correctly in some of these environments or with some customization, we cannot support every possible configuration to a degree where we can ensure correct functionality.

The following environments and configurations are not supported for production installations of Webtrends Analytics 8.x, and all versions of Webtrends 7.5x:

Any environment that does not meet ALL of the minimum system requirements as dictated by the release notes
Any virtual server environment such as Microsoft Hyper-V, Virtual PC, Virtual Server, VirtualBox, and Wine (Note: The exception is VMware ESX/i (versions 3 and 4), with sufficient system resources (but does not include VMotion.) Other Vmware versions and products are not supported).
Windows server 2003 Web Edition
Any Linux, Unix, or Solaris based operating system
Any clustered server environment (with the exception of 8.7d which does support a clustered DB for system databases (wtMaster, wt_sched) on Windows Server 2008 with SQL 2008).
On any operating system already running another copy of Apache, IIS, or any other web server
On any operating system already running another copy of MySQL, MS SQL, of another database or database driven application
Installations that do not have a dedicated instance of MySQL or MS SQL
Installations that make use of an Admin shares (such as C$ or D$) or Samba shares for any aspect of the installation including log file retrieval
Any versions or updates of Apache, MySQL, or Tomcat that do not ship with Webtrends or installations of these components on Linux, Unix, or Solaris.
Any third party customization of Webtrends or the configuration files unless otherwise directed by Webtrends
Any network with overly restrictive firewall or proxy configurations. Certain ports need to be available to allow communication between the various Webtrends components. Webtrends tries to test all product functionality with as many varying environments as possible, but we cannot ensure 100% functionality in all cases. (For example, DNS resolution does not function through a default configuration of Microsoft ISA server.)
Installing the main application to a NAS or SAN environment. Moving logs or storage folders to the SAN is supported, however, the main application is not supported in a SAN environment.

The following environments and configurations are not supported for production installations of the Smart Source Data Collector (SDC):

Any environment that does not meet ALL of the minimum system requirements as dictated by the release notes
Any virtual server environment such as VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, Virtual PC, Virtual Server, VirtualBox, and Wine (NO EXCEPTIONS)
Windows server 2003 Web Edition
On any web server that is not dedicated to the SDC (for example, an IIS installation that serves other web sites as well)
Installations that make use of an Admin shares (such as C$ or D$) or Samba shares for any aspect of the installation (including log file storage)
Any third party customization of the configuration files or JavaScript tag unless otherwise directed by Webtrends
Multiple instances of the SDC running on the same computer, either with multiple NIC's and IP's or with a single NIC and IP address

Can Webtrends Analytics be installed on VMware?

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:05:00 GMT

For products:

Webtrends Analytics 9.2a

Webtrends Analytics 8.7d

Webtrends Analytics 8.5x

Last modified: 8/31/2010

Introduction:

In order to install Webtrends Analytics on a VMware machine, the VM instance must meet Webtrends' minimum system requirements.

Webtrends does provide support and troubleshooting for Webtrends Analytics on the VMware instance as if it were a non-VMware instance. Any questions or issues that arise specifically with VMware itself cannot be addressed by Webtrends support, other than verifying the appropriate resources to run Webtrends have been allocated to the instance on which Webtrends is running.

If an issue occurs when running Webtrends software on a VMware instance, Webtrends Technical Support addresses these as follows:

If Webtrends cannot reproduce the situation on a non-VMware instance then either:

VMware is the actual cause of the issue, for which the only solution will be to move the installation to a non-VMware environment for troubleshooting or there may be other applications within the VMware host that conflict with Webtrends.

Webtrends Technical Support will require the customer turn off all other VMware instances and installed running applications on the machine to determine if they are the cause. If deemed the cause, the customer will need to take on the task of moving the other applications to a new machine or else disable them.

For tuning information on VMware, refer to the following URL:

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi_performance_tuning.pdf

Note: VMware is currently the only supported virtual configuration. Others, such as Microsoft Hyper-V or Virtual Server, are not currently supported at this time.

How are Onsite Ad clickthrough rates determined?

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:21:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends On Demand

Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 8/31/2010

Introduction:
The Onsite Ad Clickthrough Rate is determined by the number of impressions divided by the number of clickthroughs. (WT.ad / WT.ac)

For example, if there are 10000 (hits) for WT.ad=Frogs and 1000 (hits) for WT.ac=Frogs the Onsite Ad Clickthrough Rates report will be populated. However, if the site for any given day has 10000 (hits) with WT.ad=Homepage Banners and no (hits) for WT.ac=Homepage Banners the Onsite Ad Clickthrough rate metric will be blank.

WT.ad divided by WT.ac = Onsite Ad Clickthrough Rates

How do I configure Advertisement Views?

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:08:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Reporting Center 4.0x

Last modified: 8/31/2010

Introduction:
The Advertisement Views feature can be used to track the number of times a file (usually an ad banner) has been clicked. The banner commonly has a Perl or CGI redirect script which takes the user to another domain. How does this work exactly? Let us say, for example, that you have a link on an external server. If a visitor clicks on the link, accessing an ad banner, it links to a page on your web site. In order to track how that visitor arrived at your web site a redirect script or page should be implemented. This page acts as an intermediary between the ad banner and the destination page. Webtrends then may be configured to track the redirect page as a referrer to the destination page and the page containing the banner as a referrer to the redirect page.

To configure Advertising Views:

1. From the Main Console click Advanced and the Advanced Features dialog box opens.

2. To configure an Advertising View definition, click the Advertising Views tab.

3. To configure the definitions for this feature select one of the following options:

Click Add to create a new definition
Select a definition and click Edit to view current settings, or make changes
Select a definition and click Delete to remove a definition

4. Select Add and the New Ad View Definition dialog box opens.

5. In the Name field give this definition a meaningful name. This is the name that will show in your report under the advertisement section.

6. Click Next to arrive at the Ad Views screen.

7. Enter the name of the file you wish to track in the Page Expression field. An exact pattern match should be entered. The ad view page expression identifies the graphic file or script which represents the advertisement. You may use asterisks (*) as wildcards or you may use regular expressions by clicking the Regular Expression check box. If you choose to use Regular Expressions, you may Test to ensure the configuration is correct.

8. It is also possible to track URL Parameters. If the page specified is dynamic, URL parameters may be required to properly identify the ad view. This is an optional field.

9. Click Next to arrive at the Ad Clicks screen.

10. The id string of an ad click is usually a script or redirect command as it appears in the log file of your web server. Enter the Page Expression for the id string. You may use asterisks (*) as wildcards or you may use a regular expression by clicking the Regular Expression check box. If you choose to use Regular Expressions, you may Test to ensure the configuration is correct.

11. And again, if the page specified is dynamic, URL Parameters may be used to properly identify the ad click.

12. Click Finish to return to the Advanced Features dialog.

13. To define how definitions are applied, select one of the following options:
Use These Definitions For All Profiles - Select this option to use these in every profile.
Allow These Settings To Be Applied On Profile Basis - Select this option to allow modifying settings on a per profile basis.

Note: If the option to have the definitions applied on a per profile basis is chosen, further edits are then required to the profile. See steps below.

14. To apply definitions to a profile:
From the Main Console, select the profile to be modified.
a. Click Edit and the Edit Profile dialog opens.
b. Select the Advanced Features tab.
c. Click Configure.
d. Select the Advertising Views tab and apply the appropriate definitions.
e. Click OK to close out of the Advanced Features dialogue.
f. Click OK to close out of the Edit Profile dialogue.

15. Save the changes.

Maximum time range for a widget is 93 days

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:54:07 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Social Measurement

Last modified: 8/30/2010

Situation:
When manually selecting a time range for a widget, you are limited to a maximum of 93 days.

Solution:
If you need to compare or display data on larger ranges, you'll have to export it in 93 day chunks and compile it manually in a third-party application like Excel. At present, there is no way to increase the maximum length of time beyond 93 days.

Test Duration Planner - Test size and estimated test duration

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:44:00 GMT

For product:
Webtrends Optimize

Last modified: 8/30/2010

Introduction:

Conventional knowledge may suggest that a multivariate test run with more rotated experiments, will have a longer estimated test duration than a run with less experiments. This is not always the case.

The main reason why this possible is because the actual number of levels (i.e. content variations) for each test factor, and not the overall number of rotated experiments--determines the sample size and ultimately, the estimated test duration.

For example, in a test with three tested page elements, it is possible for a 28 experiment run (using a [2-2-7] array) to have a shorter estimated duration than a 9 experiment test (using a [3-3-3] array).

Are single-page visits included in Duration or Viewed measures?

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:05:11 GMT

For products:
Webtrends On Demand
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 8/30/2010

Introduction:
While viewing measures such as Average Time Viewed in the Pages report or Visit Duration measures in the Visitor Summary, the question of whether or not single-page visits are included in the calculation arises.

Duration or Time Viewed is determined by looking at the time stamp of the hits by the same user in the log file. If a user opens the Home page and then browses to another page, we can see the time stamp for the first and second hits as tracked "per user" based on the session tracking method chosen for the profile. We then subtract the prior hit from the latter to arrive at the time that was spent on this page. This value is then used to calculate the Average or Median depending on the report measure.

If the user does not have a second hit in the log file, it is impossible for Webtrends to determine how long the user spent on the page prior to leaving or closing the browser. As a result, single-page visits will not be counted in any of these types of measures. Likewise, visits expire 30 minutes after the last made by the same user as determined by the session tracking. If a visit expires, the last page conceivably could have been viewed anywhere between less than one second and more than 30 minutes. As a result, the last hit in a visit is not counted in these measures even if they have more than one page view.

How do I manually update the keywords.ini to include a custom search engine?

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:23:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 8/30/2010

Introduction:
A search engine refers traffic to your web site but it is not listed within any of the search engine-related reports. The Most Recent Search Engines report and any report using search phrases and keywords is controlled by the list of search engines in the keywords.ini file. This file not only lists the known domains of search engines, but also the query parameter value they use to define a search keyword.

Process:
To include the unknown search engine in the related reports, add it to the keywords.ini file as detailed in the steps below:

1. Stop all Webtrends services in the following order. (Note: Not all services may be installed on a given installation. For distributed environments, stop the services on all nodes prior to stopping the services on the primary machine. Also, all analysis nodes require having the keywords.ini file copied into the specified \modules\ paths as outlined in Step 5, below.)

Webtrends - Scheduler Agent
Webtrends - User Interface
Webtrends - UI Web Services
WebTrends - Data Retention Service
Webtrends - Report Cache Server
Webtrends - Express Data Mover
Webtrends - Express Analysis Engine
Webtrends - GeoTrends
Webtrends - Email Notification Service
Webtrends - System Monitor
Webtrends - MySQL
SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER)
SQL Server VSS Writer

2. Locate the keywords.ini. The default path is shown below:

\Webtrends\storage\config\component\lookupdata\

3. Add the desired search engine information. New entries require the search engine be added to the end of the list (and incremented accordingly) that begins the keywords.ini file, for example:

Engine999=Webtrends Search Engine Example

Next, add an entry to the end of the second section, which will include the header/name, domain identifier, and parameters used to identify a query:

[Webtrends Search Engine Example]
ID1=webtrendssearchengineexample.com
ID2=secondwebtrendssearchengineexample.com
KeywordIndicator1=q=
KeywordIndicator2=secondsearchparameterexample=

Note: The name enclosed in brackets must match the name on the Engine### field above. It is possible to include multiple ID# and KeywordIndicator# values. Increment the value for each additional entry, as shown in the example above.

4. Save the file.

5. Copy and paste the file into the following locations (in installations where it currently exists):

\Webtrends\storage\config\engine\<version>\
\Webtrends\modules\analysis\engine\<version>\
\Webtrends\modules\expressanalysis\
\Webtrends\

6. Restart the services in the reverse order in which they were stopped.

After effecting this change, search engine-related reports will display the newly added search engine as expected.

How do I stop a custom report from displaying new data?

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:28:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 8/30/2010

Situation:
Business needs dictate that a certain custom report, which up until this time has been collecting report data concurrent with the other reports in the profile, will no longer be collecting and displaying future report data. While other reports in the profile will continue displaying current report data as it becomes available, the report in question is intended to remain unaffected by future analyses, yet will not be removed from the profile because the historical report data is still relevant.

Process:
To retain the report data, but remove it from analysis, first identify the custom report's Internal ID, found by navigating to Web Analysis > Report Configuration > Custom Reports and selecting Summary from the drop-down menu. Next, identify the Profile File Name (aka guid) by again selecting Summary from the drop-down menu on the profile under Web Analysis > Reports and Profiles.

Access the profiles folder, located in the following default path on the Webtrends server:

\Webtrends\storage\config\wtm_wtx\datfiles\profiles

With a text editor, open the .wlp file corresponding to the profile guid and and navigate to the [profile] section.

Add the following line, replacing "Internal ID" with the custom report's identifier.

Reportonlycustomtableprofiles=Internal ID

Save the changes, and from that point forward the custom report will only display data from last analysis prior to the change.

What are HTTP keep-alives?

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:45:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends On Demand
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.x
Webtrends Enterprise 7.x
Webtrends Professional 7.x
Webtrends Small Business 7.x

Last modified: 8/29/2010

Introduction:
HTTP keep-alives, or HTTP persistent connections, are requests sent from browsers to web servers that keep open connections across multiple requests. Without HTTP keep-alives, a separate connection would be necessary for each element requested on pages containing multiple elements, with the effect of increasing resource usage on the server, thereby decreasing server efficiency, as well as reducing the responsiveness of the browser. HTTP keep-alives are enabled in browsers by default.

How do I increase the debug level in Webtrends?

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:39:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Enterprise 7.0
Webtrends Professional 7.0
Webtrends Small Business 7.0

Last modified: 8/29/2010

Introduction:
Often times it is difficult to determine the cause of a problem; and, various resulting error messages are key in determining the initial direction in which to troubleshoot. There are a couple of ways within Webtrends that will allow you to further these error messages to find a more meaningful indicator of the problem.

Why would a user want to increase the debug level?
An increased amount of data will be logged to the profile status. Often you will find more meaningful and detailed data about what is happening with the profile.

Why would a user not want to increase the debug level?
There are no performance issues resulting from this change. More space is, however, required to store the increased amount of data captured in the profile status log.

Process:
To change the debug level, follow these steps:
1. Access the wtm_wtx directory and locate the wtm_wtx.ini file.
2. Locate the debuglevel value within the wtm_wtx.ini file.
3. Change the value as appropriate. The value may be increased to ten.
4. Save any changes and close the file.
5. Once the next analysis has been completed the user will notice a greater amount of detail provided in the profile status log.

Webtrends Analytics 9 Insight FAQ

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:50:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends On Demand
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a

Last modified: 8/26/2010

Introduction:
What is Webtrends Analytics 9?
Webtrends Analytics 9 combines the industry’s most powerful analytics engine with an intuitive interface and enhanced data exchange to accelerate your customer intelligence like never before.

What does Webtrends Analytics 9 consist of?
It consists of the three components listed below:

Analytics 9 Insight: The user interface is so intuitive anyone can uncover business trends and opportunities within their data.
Analytics 9 API: Programmatically get data into or out of Analytics 9 using Webtrends standards based application interfaces. The best part: There’s no extra charge.
Analytics 9 On Demand: All of the core features and functionality of Webtrends Analytics On Demand are included in Analytics 9.

Does Insight replace the current On Demand UI?
Insight is a new way to look at your existing data, and it will be available in addition to the standard reporting UI. Access to Insight will be managed through a separate login page. Those of your users who are currently using the standard Webtrends On Demand UI will not have to change anything to continue using the system in the way they always have (though of course we hope that they try Insight and find value in the new interface).

What is Analytics 9 Insight?
Analytics Insight offers the most intuitive, least complicated analytics experience available today. This data visualization tool in Webtrends Analytics 9 lets anyone – even analytics novices – quickly and easily understand changes in key metrics across an entire account, compare performance across campaigns and channels, and easily share data with others. The clean, professional interface lets you creatively explore your data in ways never before possible.

What is Analytics 9 API?
It’s your data: do what you want with it without any hidden fees. Webtrends self-service application programming interface (API) and support for other standards-based methods let you create a revolving door for your data into and out of Analytics 9. There’s no charge for self-service API access to your data – ever.

Data collection API: Allows developers to programmatically send data to our hosted data collection service for processing and analysis.
Data extraction API: A simple yet powerful tool for integrating Webtrends data with Excel or your own analytics reporting applications

What is Analytics 9 On Demand?
Analytics 9 is powered by Webtrends On Demand, a data collection, analysis and rendering engine that’s massively scalable and customizable. There’s literally no spike in data collection that our servers can’t handle, no limits on the amount of data you can collect and no long reporting lags or down time.

What are the changes on Analytics 9 On Demand compared to Analytics 8.7 On Demand?
The most significant changes are the addition of Analytics Insight and Analytics API. Specific to Analytics On Demand, we made minor changes but nothing that requires changing the configuration of any reports already created. We streamlined some of the processes involving adding a new user, forgetting passwords, and new sub-account creation. We also modified the login screen and My Webtrends areas to reflect the new capabilities offered to customers as part of Analytics 9.

Is Analytics Insight a new tab in the Analytics On Demand environment?
No, it is a separate login. Both use the same login credentials as configured in Analytics On Demand, but each has their own login page.

Why didn't you add Insight as a new tab in the On Demand environment?
Our customers told us they wanted to get an overview of what is going on as soon as they log in. We implemented Insight as a separate login to meet this need.

What permissions do I need to use Insight?
Insight is available for all Webtrends On Demand accounts and for all active users on those accounts. No action will be necessary to activate Insight for your account or to grant access to any of your users.

Do profile-level permissions work in Insight?
Yes, it uses exactly the same profile rights as the standard UI does. The list of profiles visible in Insight for any particular user will be the same list of profiles visible to that user in the standard reporting interface.

Does Insight use templates?
Insight honors the templates used in the standard user interface to simplify security and report access. Users will see the list of reports that are associated with a profile and are included in at least one of the templates to which the user has access. Reports included in templates to which the user does not have access rights will not be displayed for that user in Insight.

How do I make configuration changes in Insight?
No configuration changes can be made through Insight - all configuration on your account, including report and profile configuration, will continue to be made through the standard administrative interface. Insight is only intended to make accessing your data faster, easier, and more meaningful, particularly to those of your users who aren’t necessarily analytics-focused.

Where are my scenario analysis reports in Insight?
Certain reports are not yet available in the Insight UI. For example, path analysis and scenario analysis reports are not included in this initial Insight release. We hope to add support for additional reporting in future releases. In the meantime, all of your reports (including all path analysis and scenario analysis reporting) will remain available through the standard Webtrends On Demand interface.

If I'm logged into Analytics Insight, how do I get to my On Demand reports and configuration?
Open up a new browser window or tab, and go to https://ondemand.webtrends.com/login.asp . Login with the same credentials as with Insight.

If I'm logged into Analytics On Demand, how do I get to Analytics Insight?
Open up a new browser window or tab, and go to https://insight.webtrends.com/ . Login with the same credentials as with On Demand.

What languages is Analytics 9 available in?
Analytics 9 On Demand is available in nine languages. Insight is now available in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish.

How do I change the date format to be non-American?
Insight now supports additional languages and locales. You can edit your locale by clicking on your user name in the upper right of the application. Setting the locale to UK, for example, will keep the language English but change the format from American to UK format.

The Analytics 9 web site has a lot of information on the new Insight capabilities. Can I see how it actually works?
Yes, the Help system in Analytics 9 Insight is interactive and represents the screens in the application itself. It is available without logging into the application by going to https://insight.webtrends.com/help

How do I provide feedback on Analytics 9 Insight?
Analytics 9 Insight includes a built-in feedback tool from Get Satisfaction. Under the Help menu, choose feedback and provide us any information you like.

Is Analytics 9 available in Software?
As of August 4, 2010, Analytics 9 is available in software as well as in our hosted environment. The software version, installed locally to a customer's own servers, will be known as Webtrends Analytics On Premises from here forward. You can read more about it at the following URL:

http://www.webtrends.com/Products/Analytics/Software.aspx

"Error - System cannot be stopped when it is not currently started."

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:07:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified 8/25/2010

Situation:
When using the systemshutdown.exe executable to shutdown all services within webtrends to make a backup, the error "Error - System cannot be stopped when it is not currently started" displays and the system fails to shut down.

Solution:
At some point in the past, entries in the wt_systemstate table were not cleared, and the wt_systemstate table must be empty when the system starts. To resolve this issue, perform the steps below:

1. Stop all the Webtrends Scheduler Services so no jobs are running.
2. Backup the wtmaster and wt_sched databases (to be safe).
3. In SQL Management Studio or SQLCMD, connect to the wt_sched database and run the following delete statement:

DELETE FROM WT_SystemState;

Once this has completed, the systemshutdown option can be run from the following location:

\Webtrends\modules\analysis

Example of a successful execution of systemshutdown:

D:\Program Files\WebTrends\modules\analysis>systemshutdown mode=stop
System Shutdown/Startup Tool
Copyright (C) 2010 WebTrends Inc.
All rights reserved.
Report problems to http://www.webtrends.com/support

=============== System Shutdown/Startup Tool Started ===============
System Successfully Stopped
=============== System Shutdown/Startup Tool Finished ===============

No reports are available in Insight

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:29:30 GMT

For products:
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a

Last modified: 8/25/2010

Situation:
When viewing reports in the Insight user interface, no reports display, though they are available within the standard user interface. An additional symptom of this behavior is "Reports (0)" displayed in the lower left-hand corner of the user interface.

Solution:

To resolve this this issue, refresh the profile's template within the standard user interface by opening and then saving them (no modifications need to be made).

To complete this process perform the following steps on all templates under which profiles are affected:

1. In the standard Webtrends user interface, navigate to Report Designer > Templates.

2. Edit the default template for the profile, then save without making changes.

3. Log out of the standard Webtrends user interface, then log into the Insight user interface and verify the reports display data as expected.

What is my DCSID?

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 02:33:00 GMT

For products:
Webtrends On Demand
Webtrends Analytics 9.2a
Webtrends Analytics 8.x

Last modified: 8/22/2010

Introduction:
When creating a JavaScript tag at http://tagbuilder.webtrends.com or for other locations, you will need to know what dcsid value is associated with your data sources.

Process:
1. Log into Webtrends, in the Administration section, under Application settings there is a Data Sources section.
2. in the dcsid (SmartSource ID) column, you will see the dcsid listed for each Data Source.

In versions of Webtrends before 8.7d, you will need to edit a Data Source to see the dcsid instead of seeing it on the main Data Sources page.