View Filters are a set of rules applied to the data coming into a Google Analytics view to help create reports that meet the needs of the view’s users. As each filter acts on the resulting data from all preceding filters, the sequential order in which filters are applied is paramount.
Applying a view filter has the following effects:
- It will take effect within several hours
- It will affect all new data coming into the Google Analytics view
- It is applied to raw visitor data as the data is processed into the database, that is
- new filters will not affect historical data
- Analytics cannot reprocess historical data through the new filter
For the above reasons, it is best practice to apply any new filters to a test view first. Only once the data is considered accurate should the filters be applied to the intended views.
The following filters are generally recommended:
Lowercase Hostname
Use a lowercase filter type on the
Hostname
Lowercase Campaign data
Use a lowercase filter type on the
Campaign Source
Use a lowercase filter type on the
Campaign Medium
Use a lowercase filter type on the
Campaign Name
Use a lowercase filter type on the
Campaign Term
Related resources
Learn how to create and manage view filters.
Learn more about filter types.