comScore Digital Analytix (discontinued)

This tool is most useful to users to whom visitor-level data is important, and for organizations that want to be able to do real-time deep-dive analysis on their digital properties. I also see exceptional value for users that may want to bring in additional data sets. In addition, comScore provides outstanding customer support. On the opposite side, for big-traffic, not-logged-in content sites like a newspaper site or something similar, I could see Digital Analytix being a bit more of an awkward fit.

I am not comfortable discussing matters related to our contract.

They will build things to a clients needs. They offer great customer support. They work with you on your goals.

This system is flexible, data is warehoused, and it can accommodate future business needs.

If you are looking for a tool that provides great potential for customization, impressive ability to connect data to different sources, impressive streaming measurement and a flexible way to see data, then Digital Analytix might be for you. You basically need an in house analyst and good planning (consulting) to get the most out of the tool.

My company does not utilize Digital Analytix for our own service, we simply provide professional services for it. As such, I can't really answer this question in a meaningful way.

I have extensively used the more basic web analytics tool (WebTrends, Site catalyst, Google Analytics, Coremetrics etc.) as well as the more sophisticated OLAP tools (E.g. Business Objects, Microstrategy) and see the advantage. DAx (Digital Analytix) lays between these groups on a spectrum with out of the box solutions and less customizable (basic web analytics tools) at one end and on the other end highly customizable but more infrastructure investments (OLAP tools). DAx is closer to the more robust OLAP tools in capability and features, but doesn't require the cost and work associated with software and hardware ownership, which (having been an owner of the work involved) is a big benefit in my opinion.

DAx has the features, very advanced features (mentioned later) that a power user needs, and is highly customizable, but doesn't require software or hardware ownership. For those capabilities that are not currently there, the customer reporting team often finds a workable solution that we can present to our client. For the more basic users and executives, the dashboard often meets their needs; else the report tab can help with quick access to metrics that have already been built by analysts. Lastly, the level of complex analysis in the tool still impresses. You can analyze web events at the event level, visit level and visitor level. You can apply filters at the report level (for all three - event, visit and visitor) or metric level (again for all three levels). On top of that, they have a concept of scope and rules which, combined with the 3 levels, can really allow a power analyst to ask just about any question and get an answer.

Overall, quite satisfied with the product. There is a lot of potential with this vendor considering their drive to support as many platforms as possible. There were setbacks and a few negatives, but that's to be expected with any vendor. Hopefully, as comScore continues to flesh out Digital Analytix and take into consideration user feedback, we should see more and more regular improvements to the tool.

Key questions to ask include:

Do we need video tracking? If so, StreamSense is one of the best tools for tracking video.
Do we have a team of analysts capable of learning on the fly? This is important because DAx is quite different from other tools.
How many server calls do we estimate we will have per year? DAx contracts are based on yearly server calls, going over this number incurs harsh overage costs.

DAx doesn't cost a lot up front. However, they make up for it with "consulting" fees. It's still a bargain compared to Adobe SiteCatalyst.