Solution Design and Report Suite Configuration
Report suites are containers with consequences
A report suite defines data collection settings, variables, processing, and access. Solution design decides how many report suites you need (often a global plus localized or brand-specific suites with VISTA/processing rules to route data), and how variables are configured. Key settings: time zone, currency, base URL, default page, and the variables themselves - each eVar has allocation and expiry, each prop has a list-enable option, each event has type (counter, numeric, currency) and serialization (always record, once per visit, once per visitor).
Concepts you must know
Know the difference between eVars (conversion variables, persist with allocation/expiry), props (traffic variables, hit-scoped by default, optional list), and events (metrics). Understand Marketing Channel processing rules, channel manager configuration, and how they depend on tracking code and campaign variables. Know report suite rollups, virtual report suites (segments applied to a parent suite), and global report suites. Understand data governance implications: classification, data retention, and privacy settings.
Traps in questions
- Setting eVar expiry to "visit" when the requirement is "visitor" (or vice versa); changing it later does not rewrite history.
- Forgetting that props are hit-scoped unless list-enabled; using props where cross-visit persistence is required.
- Configuring Marketing Channels without the required tracking code variables, so channels never classify.
- Assuming virtual report suites collect data; they are views over existing data.
- Overlooking currency and time zone, which corrupt revenue and date reporting.
Rule of thumb
Choose the smallest number of report suites that satisfies reporting and governance needs; every additional suite multiplies configuration, QA, and maintenance cost.