Prenlytics data export

Introduction

Prenlytics is a powerful export framework designed to securely transmit enriched raw statistical data in JSON format to an external api endpoint. This flow is tailored for clients who need to integrate detailed event-based analytics directly into their own systems, offering a rich and flexible data format that is easy to incorporate into customer's own databases or other applications.

We also offer the flexibility to convert and forward the data into custom formats via backend-to-backend integrations. Whether you need data in a specific format or require it to be sent directly to a third-party system, this solution can be tailored to fit your exact requirements.

Implementation details

Transferring data

The Prenly Reader clients send statistical data to a dedicated Prenlytics backend service, which is designed specifically to handle the high load and traffic intensity associated with large-scale statistical data processing. This backend operates independently from Prenly’s standard APIs to ensure smooth performance even under heavy traffic conditions.

JSON schema documentation

All exported data adheres to a JSON schema that defines both the structure of the data and provides basic textual documentation. This ensures that the exported data consistently follows the schema's rules, making integration with external systems both stable and reliable.

The details about each event and its dimensions are more specifically documented here. 

Technical considerations

• In the JSON schema, most fields are not defined as required, providing flexibility for future updates. This design minimizes the risk of validation errors when new fields are added or schema updates occur.
• To reduce the amount of data being sent, properties without a value (normally represented as null) will not be included - instead, the property is omitted from the JSON object entirely.
• In addition to documenting the data structure, the schema can also be used for technical validation, which may simplify your processing pipelines.

Versioning and compatibility

Semantic versioning

Prenlytics follows semantic versioning to manage JSON schema updates. This approach ensures that updates are predictable and backward-compatible unless a major version change occurs. The version number is structured as MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (for example 1.17.4), where:

• MAJOR increases when breaking changes are introduced. These changes are not backward-compatible and may require adjustments to your integration. We will notify customers well in advance if a major update is planned to ensure a smooth transition.
• MINOR increases when new, backward-compatible data properties including new event properties are added. New properties will never be required in the JSON schema, ensuring existing integrations remain unaffected.
• PATCH increases when small changes are made, including backward-compatible bug fixes and textual changes in descriptions.

Managing multiple schema versions

It's important to note that multiple schema versions can be active simultaneously across different platforms:

Web applications: Web deployments can quickly adopt new versions of the schema as soon as they are released. When the web platform is updated, it may begin sending data using the latest schema version.

Native applications: For native apps (iOS and Android), schema versions are tied to the version of the app installed on the user’s device. Since not all users update their apps immediately, older schema versions may remain in use long after a new version is released.

To simplify supporting this, we provide full documentation of old, current and planned versions.

Schema versions and references

This table shows both released and draft versions of the Prenlytics data format, as well as when they were released or are planned to be released.

Setup

Setting up a Prenlytics export

Prenlytics export is built-in in all Prenly application clients (web, Android, iOS), so activating it do not require building new version of the native apps.

If you are interested in retrieving data in the Prenlytics format, please contact our helpdesk.