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dk_dk's avatar
dk_dk
Icon for Super User rankSuper User
3 years ago
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Usage Metrics - behavior for reports kept open in browser for multiple days

Hi,

I have a very specific question. I read this article about the new usage metrics report, particularly this section about what a view is.

Question:

Lets say someone opens a report on Monday and stays on Page 1. Then there will be a report view and a Page 1 page view for that time. The user then leaves the report open in the browser for multiple days and any of the below scenarios happen, lets say 2 days later on Wednesday:


  1.  The user does not open the browser tab with the report
  2. The user views the browser tab of the report but does not interact with the report itself
  3. The user interacts with Page 1 of the report, but does not navigate to other pages or refresh the browser window
  4. The user navigates to Page 2 of the report without refreshing the browser window
  5. The user refreshes the browser window but does not interact with the report
  6. Bonus scenario: the user does not interact with report visuals, but performs an other action from the menu bar such as: downloading pbix, sharing report, exporting pdf, etc...

 

For each of these scenarios, will there be a report view / page view registered in the usage metrics dataset for Wednesday?

Thanks for your help!

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Need Help
  • Bipin-Lala's avatar
    Bipin-Lala
    4 months ago

    Hi dk_dk,

     

    When a user leaves a report open for 2 days, their active session completely times out (the Power BI session limit is 20 minutes of inactivity). On Wednesday, the report acts as a "frozen" visual shell until an action forces a new network request.

     

    Here is how Wednesday's activity logs:

     

    • Scenario 1 (Tab ignored) & Scenario 2 (Tab viewed but no clicks): No views logged. The browser suspends background tabs, and simply looking at a frozen UI does not trigger data retrieval.
    • Scenario 3 (Slicer click) & Scenario 4 (Page navigation): Logged as 1 Report View and 1 Page View. Because the old session is dead, interacting with the report forces Power BI to silently establish a brand-new session to fetch data.
    • Scenario 5 (Browser Refresh - F5): Logged as 1 Report View and 1 Page View. A hard refresh completely reloads the web app and fetches fresh security tokens.
    • Another Scenario (Export/Download/Share menu actions only):  No Report or Page Views logged in the usage metrics dataset. Instead, these are tracked strictly as operational events (e.g., ExportReport) inside the Tenant Admin Activity Logs.

    Key Takeaway: On Monday, multiple interactions within a short window count as multiple Page Views but only one overarching Report View. Because of the 2-day gap, any meaningful interaction on Wednesday resets the session and counts as a brand-new Report View.

     

    Let me know if it helps!

2 Replies

  • Bipin-Lala's avatar
    Bipin-Lala
    Icon for Solution Sage rankSolution Sage
    4 months ago

    Hi dk_dk,

     

    When a user leaves a report open for 2 days, their active session completely times out (the Power BI session limit is 20 minutes of inactivity). On Wednesday, the report acts as a "frozen" visual shell until an action forces a new network request.

     

    Here is how Wednesday's activity logs:

     

    • Scenario 1 (Tab ignored) & Scenario 2 (Tab viewed but no clicks): No views logged. The browser suspends background tabs, and simply looking at a frozen UI does not trigger data retrieval.
    • Scenario 3 (Slicer click) & Scenario 4 (Page navigation): Logged as 1 Report View and 1 Page View. Because the old session is dead, interacting with the report forces Power BI to silently establish a brand-new session to fetch data.
    • Scenario 5 (Browser Refresh - F5): Logged as 1 Report View and 1 Page View. A hard refresh completely reloads the web app and fetches fresh security tokens.
    • Another Scenario (Export/Download/Share menu actions only):  No Report or Page Views logged in the usage metrics dataset. Instead, these are tracked strictly as operational events (e.g., ExportReport) inside the Tenant Admin Activity Logs.

    Key Takeaway: On Monday, multiple interactions within a short window count as multiple Page Views but only one overarching Report View. Because of the 2-day gap, any meaningful interaction on Wednesday resets the session and counts as a brand-new Report View.

     

    Let me know if it helps!