ActivTrak can utilize Cross-Device Active Window Tracking (CDAWT) to prevent time from being double-counted when switching between multiple devices. This is particularly important in environments where users may work on several devices simultaneously, such as a laptop and a virtual machine.
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Requirements
Cross-Device Active Window Tracking (CDAWT) only applies to merged users. Users with display names will show as a single reporting user in reports, but any overlaps in their data will still be double-counted.
Automatic Merge
On domain-joined networks, a user’s activity is associated with a single reporting user who consumes a single license. That is, a user can work at multiple workstations and appear as a single ActivTrak User, so long as they log in with the same username on the same logon domain on each device – a configuration controlled by their IT administrators. Learn more about how ActivTrak licensing works.
In this scenario, the "merge" is automatic, and no action is needed for CDAWT to work.
Manual Merge
When a User logs in using different usernames or on workstations that do not share a common logon domain, multiple reporting users are created. The User Merge action enables administrators of paid accounts to consolidate activity records from multiple agents into a single reporting user, thereby freeing up licenses.
Once users are merged, either automatically or manually, CDAWT will apply. CDAWT is retroactive, so any historical overlaps in the data will be corrected.
Reporting Impact
When the agent detects that a User has switched to a new active window on a single device, it ends the previous activity entry and begins a new one. As of June 2024, reporting across multiple devices works the same way – the latest activity on any of the merged users' devices is recorded, the previous activity ends, and a new activity entry begins. Cross-Device Active Window Tracking (CDAWT) clips time to ensure that the total time reported does not exceed the actual time spent working, regardless of the number of devices in use. If two activities occur at the same time, it adds only one to the totals. For example, if a user works simultaneously for one hour on their desktop PC and a terminal server or VDI, both of which have an agent installed, the reports will reflect 60 minutes of active time instead of 120.
Please note that the Activity Log contains raw data and shows the original activity durations detected on each device. Therefore, attempting to reproduce ActivTrak data by summing the durations in the Activity Log may yield inflated totals. Totals will also differ when comparing the Activity Log to other dashboards. Reports such as Daily Work Metrics or Productivity by User clean up the over-reporting from the Activity Log by eliminating overlaps. Their totals are expected to match, but the Activity Log's are not.
Validation
You can independently validate our methodology by exporting a small sample of the Activity Log, subtracting overlaps, and comparing it with the other reports. If you need assistance with creating the correct formulas, please contact Support.
The Ignore Category
Prior to Cross-Device Active Window Tracking, remote terminal applications were typically added to the Ignore Category in order to prevent over-reporting. This is no longer recommended.