Product Analytics

Send product events and identity updates to Altertable with SDKs or direct HTTP requests. The same payload model writes to the built-in product_analytics catalog, so client, server, mobile, and batch sources can be analyzed together.

Goal

Choose an SDK, connect it with a Product Analytics API key, and send events and identity updates to the built-in product_analytics catalog.

Prerequisites

• Enable Product Analytics for the target environment.
• Copy a Product Analytics API key.
• Choose a client-side or server-side SDK based on where your application sends events.

Steps

1. Install an SDK

Product Analytics SDKs follow the same mental model across languages:

2. Initialize the client and send data

Use these examples as the starting point for your application code:

TypeScript

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import { altertable } from '@altertable/altertable-js';

// Initialize with your API key
altertable.init('YOUR_API_KEY', {
  environment: 'production',
});

// Track a user event
altertable.track('checkout_completed', {
  revenue: 49.99,
  plan: 'pro',
  currency: 'USD',
});

// Identify a user
altertable.identify('user_abc123', {
  email: '[email protected]',
  plan: 'pro',
});

After initialization:

1. Track events with event properties.
2. Identify users and attach traits.
3. Optionally alias related identities.

3. Choose client-side or server-side behavior

SDKs fall into two categories with different capabilities:

4. Configure page, screen, and consent helpers

Client-side SDKs can automatically capture page views or screen views:

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// Disable auto-capture if you need manual control
altertable.init('YOUR_API_KEY', { autoCapture: false });

// Then track page views manually
altertable.page('https://example.com/products');

They also include built-in consent management for privacy compliance:

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// JavaScript — initialize with consent pending
altertable.init('YOUR_API_KEY', { trackingConsent: 'pending' });

// Later, when the user grants consent
altertable.configure({ trackingConsent: 'granted' });

Verification

Send one event from your application, then query the raw events table:

Copy
SELECT *
FROM product_analytics.main.events
ORDER BY timestamp DESC
LIMIT 10;

Confirm that the event name, distinct ID, timestamp, and properties match the payload your application sent.

Troubleshooting

• No events appear: confirm that Product Analytics is enabled in the same environment as the API key.
• Requests are rejected: check the authentication methods and replace an incorrect or expired API key.
• Users remain anonymous: call identify when a stable user ID becomes available, and pass distinct_id explicitly from server-side SDKs.
• Automatic page or screen events are missing: use a client-side SDK and enable its page or screen helper.

Next steps