What is an analytics event?

An event records something that happened. It has a name, a time, and often properties that explain the action. A purchase event might include an order ID, currency, and value. A page_view event might include a URL and page title.

Events can come from a browser, mobile app, or backend service. They can describe user actions, such as clicking a button, or system outcomes, such as a payment being confirmed. The source should be part of the tracking plan because two sources may report the same action.

Which events should a team track?

Start with decisions the team needs to make. A checkout funnel might require product_viewed, add_to_cart, checkout_started, and purchase. Each name needs a clear trigger, required fields, and an owner. Track refunds and cancellations separately if revenue reports need them.

Mark a smaller set of valuable outcomes as conversions. Every conversion is an event, but most events are context for understanding the journey. A page view is not a purchase.

Review the event names and fields in a tracking plan. Validate them before they reach reporting tools, and use a shared event ID when a browser and server both send the same conversion.

How Hardal handles it

Hardal records each event with its name, parameters and session, then routes it to the destinations you choose. Events and sessions in Hardal shows how to inspect them.

Related terms: Session, Event deduplication, Server-to-server, Data discrepancy