Overview
Urchin's Date Range function allows you to view report data by any timeframe desired, from 1 day to the entire period of time for which data exists, or any part thereof. The Date Range feature makes it easy to specify either a standard timeframe (such as a week, month, or year), or a custom timeframe (such as March 3 to May 14th, 2002). The reports in the Urchin system are viewable by different Date Ranges depending on the data type. To determine which Date Ranges are available for the report you are viewing, examine the Date Range box in the main left-side navigation of any report.
Using the Date Range Function
- Standard Date Range: To view data by a standard timeframe such as a day, week, month, or year, just click the desired period in the Date Range navigation area, and the report's data will change accordingly.
- Custom Date Range: Specifying a custom Date Range is easy. Just click the Enter Range button, and you will be presented with Urchin's Date Range control panel. The control panel shows two calendars. Select the start date in the first, and the end date in the second, and click Apply Date Range. The data in the current report will change to reflect the Date Range you have selected.
After selecting a custom Date Range, all reports you examine that are compatible with the selected timeframe will display data for that period until either the browser is closed or a different Date Range is specified.
Recommendations
- If you are examining a low-traffic site, try looking at a longer timeframe to get more meaningful data.
- If you are interested in traffic trends over the life of your site (and the data exists), try analyzing a year or more worth of data -- Urchin will adjust the size of bar graph elements to accommodate the selection.