Frontend Analytics Events Skill

This skill helps you add product analytics (Snowplow) events to track user interactions in the Metabase frontend codebase.

Quick Reference

Analytics events in Metabase use Snowplow with typed event schemas. All events must be defined in TypeScript types before use.

Key Files:

• frontend/src/metabase-types/analytics/event.ts - Event type definitions
• frontend/src/metabase-types/analytics/schema.ts - Schema registry
• frontend/src/metabase/lib/analytics.ts - Core tracking functions
• Feature-specific analytics.ts files - Tracking function wrappers

Quick Checklist

When adding a new analytics event:

• Define event type in frontend/src/metabase-types/analytics/event.ts
• Add event to appropriate union type (e.g., DataStudioEvent, SimpleEvent)
• Create tracking function in feature's analytics.ts file
• Import and call tracking function at the interaction point
• Use trackSimpleEvent() for basic events (most common)

Event Schema Types

1. Simple Events (Most Common)

Use SimpleEventSchema for straightforward tracking. It supports these standard fields:

type SimpleEventSchema = {
  event: string;                    // Required: Event name (snake_case)
  target_id?: number | null;        // Optional: ID of affected entity
  triggered_from?: string | null;   // Optional: UI location/context
  duration_ms?: number | null;      // Optional: Duration in milliseconds
  result?: string | null;           // Optional: Outcome (e.g., "success", "failure")
  event_detail?: string | null;     // Optional: Additional detail/variant
};

When to use: 90% of events fit this schema. Use for clicks, opens, closes, creates, deletes, etc.

2. Custom Schemas (legacy, no events are being added)

Consider adding new event schema only in very special cases.

Examples: DashboardEventSchema, CleanupEventSchema, QuestionEventSchema

Step-by-Step: Adding a Simple Event

Example: Track when a user applies filters in a table picker

Step 1: Define Event Types

Add event type definitions to frontend/src/metabase-types/analytics/event.ts:

export type DataStudioTablePickerFiltersAppliedEvent = ValidateEvent<{
  event: "data_studio_table_picker_filters_applied";
}>;

export type DataStudioTablePickerFiltersClearedEvent = ValidateEvent<{
  event: "data_studio_table_picker_filters_cleared";
}>;

Step 2: Add to Union Type

Find or create the appropriate union type and add your events:

export type DataStudioEvent =
  | DataStudioLibraryCreatedEvent
  | DataStudioTablePublishedEvent
  | DataStudioGlossaryCreatedEvent
  | DataStudioGlossaryEditedEvent
  | DataStudioGlossaryDeletedEvent
  | DataStudioTablePickerFiltersAppliedEvent  // <- Add here
  | DataStudioTablePickerFiltersClearedEvent; // <- Add here

Step 3: Create Tracking Functions

In your feature's analytics.ts file (e.g., enterprise/frontend/src/metabase-enterprise/data-studio/analytics.ts):

import { trackSimpleEvent } from "metabase/lib/analytics";

export const trackDataStudioTablePickerFiltersApplied = () => {
  trackSimpleEvent({
    event: "data_studio_table_picker_filters_applied",
  });
};

export const trackDataStudioTablePickerFiltersCleared = () => {
  trackSimpleEvent({
    event: "data_studio_table_picker_filters_cleared",
  });
};

Step 4: Use in Components

Import and call the tracking function at the interaction point:

import {
  trackDataStudioTablePickerFiltersApplied,
  trackDataStudioTablePickerFiltersCleared,
} from "metabase-enterprise/data-studio/analytics";

function FilterPopover({ filters, onSubmit }) {
  const handleReset = () => {
    trackDataStudioTablePickerFiltersCleared(); // <- Track here
    onSubmit(emptyFilters);
  };

  return (
    <form
      onSubmit={(event) => {
        event.preventDefault();
        trackDataStudioTablePickerFiltersApplied(); // <- Track here
        onSubmit(form);
      }}
    >
      {/* form content */}
    </form>
  );
}

Using SimpleEventSchema Fields

Example: Event with target_id

// Type definition
export type DataStudioLibraryCreatedEvent = ValidateEvent<{
  event: "data_studio_library_created";
  target_id: number | null;
}>;

// Tracking function
export const trackDataStudioLibraryCreated = (id: CollectionId) => {
  trackSimpleEvent({
    event: "data_studio_library_created",
    target_id: Number(id),
  });
};

// Usage
trackDataStudioLibraryCreated(newLibrary.id);

Example: Event with triggered_from

// Type definition
export type NewButtonClickedEvent = ValidateEvent<{
  event: "new_button_clicked";
  triggered_from: "app-bar" | "empty-collection";
}>;

// Tracking function
export const trackNewButtonClicked = (location: "app-bar" | "empty-collection") => {
  trackSimpleEvent({
    event: "new_button_clicked",
    triggered_from: location,
  });
};

// Usage
<Button onClick={() => {
  trackNewButtonClicked("app-bar");
  handleCreate();
}}>
  New
</Button>

Example: Event with event_detail

// Type definition
export type MetadataEditEvent = ValidateEvent<{
  event: "metadata_edited";
  event_detail: "type_casting" | "semantic_type_change" | "visibility_change";
  triggered_from: "admin" | "data_studio";
}>;

// Tracking function
export const trackMetadataChange = (
  detail: "type_casting" | "semantic_type_change" | "visibility_change",
  location: "admin" | "data_studio"
) => {
  trackSimpleEvent({
    event: "metadata_edited",
    event_detail: detail,
    triggered_from: location,
  });
};

// Usage
trackMetadataChange("semantic_type_change", "data_studio");

Example: Event with result and duration

// Type definition
export type MoveToTrashEvent = ValidateEvent<{
  event: "moved-to-trash";
  target_id: number | null;
  triggered_from: "collection" | "detail_page" | "cleanup_modal";
  duration_ms: number | null;
  result: "success" | "failure";
  event_detail: "question" | "model" | "metric" | "dashboard";
}>;

// Tracking function
export const trackMoveToTrash = (params: {
  targetId: number | null;
  triggeredFrom: "collection" | "detail_page" | "cleanup_modal";
  durationMs: number | null;
  result: "success" | "failure";
  itemType: "question" | "model" | "metric" | "dashboard";
}) => {
  trackSimpleEvent({
    event: "moved-to-trash",
    target_id: params.targetId,
    triggered_from: params.triggeredFrom,
    duration_ms: params.durationMs,
    result: params.result,
    event_detail: params.itemType,
  });
};

// Usage with timing
const startTime = Date.now();
try {
  await moveToTrash(item);
  trackMoveToTrash({
    targetId: item.id,
    triggeredFrom: "collection",
    durationMs: Date.now() - startTime,
    result: "success",
    itemType: "question",
  });
} catch (error) {
  trackMoveToTrash({
    targetId: item.id,
    triggeredFrom: "collection",
    durationMs: Date.now() - startTime,
    result: "failure",
    itemType: "question",
  });
}

Naming Conventions

Event Names (snake_case)

// Good
"data_studio_library_created"
"table_picker_filters_applied"
"metabot_chat_opened"

// Bad
"DataStudioLibraryCreated"  // Wrong case
"tablePickerFiltersApplied" // Wrong case
"filters-applied"            // Use underscore, not hyphen

Event Type Names (PascalCase with "Event" suffix)

// Good
DataStudioLibraryCreatedEvent
TablePickerFiltersAppliedEvent
MetabotChatOpenedEvent

// Bad
dataStudioLibraryCreated      // Wrong case
DataStudioLibraryCreated      // Missing "Event" suffix

Tracking Function Names (camelCase with "track" prefix)

// Good
trackDataStudioLibraryCreated
trackTablePickerFiltersApplied
trackMetabotChatOpened

// Bad
DataStudioLibraryCreated      // Missing "track" prefix
track_library_created         // Wrong case
logLibraryCreated             // Use "track" prefix

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Feature-Specific Union Types

Group related events together:

export type DataStudioEvent =
  | DataStudioLibraryCreatedEvent
  | DataStudioTablePublishedEvent
  | DataStudioGlossaryCreatedEvent;

export type MetabotEvent =
  | MetabotChatOpenedEvent
  | MetabotRequestSentEvent
  | MetabotFixQueryClickedEvent;

// Then add to SimpleEvent union
export type SimpleEvent =
  | /* other events */
  | DataStudioEvent
  | MetabotEvent
  | /* more events */;

Pattern 2: Conditional Tracking

Track different events based on user action:

const handleSave = async () => {
  if (isNewItem) {
    await createItem(data);
    trackItemCreated(newItem.id);
  } else {
    await updateItem(id, data);
    trackItemUpdated(id);
  }
};

Common Pitfalls

Don't: Add custom fields to SimpleEvent

// WRONG - SimpleEvent doesn't support custom fields
export const trackFiltersApplied = (filters: FilterState) => {
  trackSimpleEvent({
    event: "filters_applied",
    data_layer: filters.dataLayer,      // ❌ Not in SimpleEventSchema
    data_source: filters.dataSource,    // ❌ Not in SimpleEventSchema
    with_owner: filters.hasOwner,       // ❌ Not in SimpleEventSchema
  });
};

// RIGHT - Use only standard SimpleEventSchema fields
export const trackFiltersApplied = () => {
  trackSimpleEvent({
    event: "filters_applied",
  });
};

// Or use event_detail for a single variant
export const trackFilterApplied = (filterType: string) => {
  trackSimpleEvent({
    event: "filter_applied",
    event_detail: filterType,  // ✓ "data_layer", "data_source", etc.
  });
};

Don't: Forget to add event to union type

// Define the event
export type NewFeatureClickedEvent = ValidateEvent<{
  event: "new_feature_clicked";
}>;

// ❌ WRONG - Forgot to add to SimpleEvent union
// Event won't be recognized by TypeScript

// ✓ RIGHT - Add to appropriate union
export type SimpleEvent =
  | /* other events */
  | NewFeatureClickedEvent;

Don't: Mix up event name formats

// WRONG
event: "dataStudioLibraryCreated"  // camelCase
event: "data-studio-library-created"  // kebab-case
event: "Data_Studio_Library_Created"  // Mixed case

// RIGHT
event: "data_studio_library_created"  // snake_case

Don't: Track PII or sensitive data

// WRONG - Don't track user emails, names, or sensitive data
trackSimpleEvent({
  event: "user_logged_in",
  event_detail: user.email,  // ❌ PII
});

// RIGHT - Track non-sensitive identifiers only
trackSimpleEvent({
  event: "user_logged_in",
  target_id: user.id,  // ✓ Just the ID
});

Don't: Forget to track both success and failure

// WRONG - Only tracking success
try {
  await saveData();
  trackDataSaved();
} catch (error) {
  // ❌ No tracking for failure case
}

// RIGHT - Track both outcomes
try {
  await saveData();
  trackDataSaved({ result: "success" });
} catch (error) {
  trackDataSaved({ result: "failure" });
}

Testing Analytics Events

While developing, you can verify events are firing:

1. Check browser console - When SNOWPLOW_ENABLED=true in dev, events are logged
2. Use shouldLogAnalytics - Set in metabase/env to see all analytics in console
3. Check Snowplow debugger - Browser extension for Snowplow events

Example console output:

[SNOWPLOW EVENT | event sent:true], data_studio_table_picker_filters_applied

File Organization

Where to put tracking functions:

Feature-specific analytics functions:
frontend/src/metabase/{feature}/analytics.ts
enterprise/frontend/src/metabase-enterprise/{feature}/analytics.ts

Event type definitions (all in one place):
frontend/src/metabase-types/analytics/event.ts

Core tracking utilities:
frontend/src/metabase/lib/analytics.ts

Real-World Examples

See these files for reference:

• Simple events: enterprise/frontend/src/metabase-enterprise/data-studio/analytics.ts
• Events with variants: frontend/src/metabase/dashboard/analytics.ts
• Complex events: frontend/src/metabase/query_builder/analytics.js
• Event type examples: frontend/src/metabase-types/analytics/event.ts

Workflow Summary

1. Identify the user interaction to track
2. Decide on event name (snake_case, descriptive)
3. Define event type in event.ts using ValidateEvent
4. Add to union type (create feature union if needed)
5. Create tracking function in feature's analytics.ts
6. Import and call at the interaction point
7. Test that events fire correctly

Tips

• Be specific - filters_applied is better than action_performed
• Use past tense - library_created not create_library
• Group related events - Create feature-specific event union types
• Track meaningful actions - Not every click needs tracking
• Consider the data - What would you want to analyze later?
• Stay consistent - Follow existing naming patterns in the codebase
• Document context - Use triggered_from to track where the action happened