ActivTrak uses two different data technologies to power your analytics. Live Data displays real-time information as it occurs, while Insights presents processed analytics with historical context. Knowing which type of data powers each ActivTrak dashboard helps you understand what you're viewing and when data updates.
Contents
- What's the difference?
- Key technical differences
- Pages by technology
- Why it matters
- When to use each
- Getting the most from both technologies
- Technical deep dive
- Troubleshooting
What's the difference?
| Live Data | Insights |
|---|---|
| Shows information in real-time as it happens | Processes and analyzes historical information |
| Updates continuously throughout the day | Updates on a scheduled basis (typically daily) |
| Displays current activity and metrics | Provides calculated metrics, trends and comparisons |
| Powers monitoring and real-time visibility features | Powers analytical reports and strategic dashboards |
| Export Live Data to your device or Google account for further analysis and reporting | Create daily, weekly or monthly email subscriptions to have Insights dashboards delivered automatically |
| Uses standard Account Configuration settings to customize to your organization's needs | Insights Configuration options for your organization, with changes appearing after the next daily refresh |
Note: Dashboards that use Live Data are marked with an icon to the left of the page title.
Key technical differences
| Aspect | Live Data | Insights Data |
|---|---|---|
| Processing Type | Real-time streaming | Daily batch processing |
| Data Freshness | 2-5 minutes | 24 hours maximum |
| Analytical Depth | Basic aggregation | Advanced AI analytics |
| Historical Context | Limited recent history | Comprehensive trend analysis |
| Performance Impact | Minimal system resources | Intensive processing during batch window |
| Availability | 24/7 real-time access | Daily refresh with maintenance window |
| Data Complexity | Simple metrics and counts | Complex calculated fields and patterns |
Pages by technology
Why it matters
Understanding which technology powers your data helps you:
- Set appropriate expectations for when information updates
- Choose the right page for your specific needs
- Interpret results correctly based on the data type
- Troubleshoot any questions about timing or availability
When to use each
Choose Live Data when you want to:
- Monitor current activity
- See what's happening right now
- Track immediate productivity
- Respond to real-time situations
- Verify productivity concerns immediately
- Perform security or compliance monitoring
Choose Insights when you want to:
- Analyze productivity trends
- Compare performance over time
- Generate reports for stakeholders
- Make strategic decisions based on patterns
- Identify coaching opportunities
- Plan and set goals with benchmarking
Getting the most from both technologies
Both data types work together to give you complete visibility into workforce productivity. Live Data helps you stay connected to current activity, while Insights Data helps you understand patterns and make informed decisions.
Best Practices
- Use Live Data for immediate course correction and real-time monitoring
- Use Insights Data for strategic planning and comprehensive analysis
- Combine both for a complete picture: immediate awareness plus strategic intelligence
The combination ensures you have both current visibility and historical context to optimize your team's performance effectively.
Technical deep dive
Live Data operates on a near-real-time data processing system that continuously aggregates activity data from the ActivTrak agent installed on user devices.
Key characteristics
- Data latency: 2-5 minutes typically between user activity and report availability
- Processing method: Continuous data streaming and aggregation
- Update frequency: Near real-time updates as new activity data is received
- Data range: Focuses on current day and recent historical data (typically last 7-30 days)
Data flow process
- Activity capture: ActivTrak agents capture user activity data
- Immediate transmission: Data transmitted to ActivTrak servers with minimal buffering
- Real-time aggregation: Raw activity data is immediately processed into report metrics
- Live display: Processed data becomes available within minutes
Performance and caching
- No caching required due to real-time nature
- Direct database queries for current information
- Optimized for speed over analytical complexity
Insights uses a sophisticated daily batch processing system that performs complex analytics, AI-powered pattern detection, and cross-referential analysis.
Key characteristics
- Data latency: 24-hour processing cycle with overnight batch jobs
- Processing method: Daily batch processing with advanced analytics
- Update frequency: Once daily during scheduled maintenance window (1:00 AM - 6:00 AM based on account time zone)
- Data range: Comprehensive historical analysis with trend detection capabilities
Data processing pipeline
- Data collection: All activity data from the previous day is gathered and validated
- Quality assurance: Data undergoes cleaning, validation, and integrity checks
- Advanced analytics: AI algorithms analyze patterns and calculate complex metrics
- Cross-reference processing: Data correlated across teams, time periods, and organizational metrics
- Dashboard population: Processed insights loaded into dashboard visualizations
- Cache generation: User-level caches created for faster dashboard performance
Performance and caching
- Daily cache creation: New caches are generated daily after batch processing
- Filter-specific caching: Unique cache created for each filter combination used
- Performance benefits: Subsequent views of the same filter combinations load instantly
- Cache duration: Caches persist until the next daily refresh cycle
Troubleshooting
- Verify ActivTrak agent connectivity on user devices
- Check network stability and firewall configurations
- Confirm user activity is occurring within expected parameters
- Contact support if data lag exceeds 10 minutes consistently
- Check the timestamp in top right corner for the last successful refresh
- Verify refresh occurred during the 1:00 AM - 6:00 AM window
- Consider time zone differences for expected refresh timing
- Review account configuration changes that might affect processing
- Contact support if refresh fails for more than 24 hours
For additional questions about data generation, refresh cycles, or reporting capabilities, please contact ActivTrak Support or refer to the detailed documentation for each reporting system.