DAP GA User‐Based Data Elements Dictionary

User-Based Data Elements Dictionary

Updated June 2024

Data Element	Example Value	Enabled?	Any Client Side Redaction	Sent to Google (Yes/No)	Any Server Side Redaction	Data Retention	Details	References
Client IP Address	E.g. an IP address of 12.214.31.144 would be changed to 12.214.31.0 as part of IP Masking	Yes	Flagged on Client Side	Yes	Yes	N/A (Not retained)	DAP has enabled IP Anonymization (or IP masking) as part of the DAP code. This means that the IP-masking feature sets the last octet of IPv4 user IP addresses and the last 80 bits of IPv6 addresses to zeros in memory shortly after being sent to Google Analytics. The full IP address is never written to disk in this case. Geographic dimensions are later derived from truncated IP addresses.	Google Support
Browser Version	117.0.0.0	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A	50 Months	The retention duration is based on the data retention settings of the property.
First Party Cookies, used for client_id identification	_ga Used to distinguish users.ga Used to persist session state	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A		The client ID, which is stored in the GA's first-party cookie, is a unique identifier for a browser–device pair that helps Google Analytics link user actions on a site. By default, Google Analytics determines unique users using this parameter. It's non-PII, randomly generated ID, that can't be tied back to a specific user. The Client ID consists of 4 phrases with a dot as a separator. The first number is fixed at 1, which represents the version of the cookie format that’s being used. The second number is dependent on the domain where the cookie is set. An easy way to think of this is to consider the number of dots between subdomains and root domains (e.g. gsa.gov = 1, www.gsa.gov = 2). The third set of numbers is randomly generated to identify different users. (Technically, a randomly generated unsigned 32-bit integer, or anything between 1 – 2,147,483,647.).The last set of numbers is a timestamp of when a user first visited a site. This timestamp is rounded to the nearest second (not millisecond) of the user’s first visit.cookie value example: GA1.1.1363296655.1712691562client_id value example:1363296655.1712691562
Advertising Identifier	-	No	N/A	No	N/A	N/A
Country	United States	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A
Region	California	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A
City	San Jose	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A	50 Months	- In DAP, granular location and device data is opted-in in GA4 data collection section, so this data element is tracked automatically	Google Support
Browser minor version	117.0.0.0	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A	50 Months	- In DAP, granular location and device data is opted-in in GA4 data collection section, so this data element is tracked automatically
Browser User-Agent string	Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/117.0.0.0 Safari/537.36'	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A	50 Months	- In DAP, granular location and device data is opted-in in GA4 data collection section, so this data element is tracked automatically. However, Google doesn not allow this data to be pulled into any reports or data storage.
Device brand	-	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A	50 Months	- In DAP, granular location and device data is opted-in in GA4 data collection section, so this data element is tracked automatically
Device model	SM-S908U	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A	50 Months	- In DAP, granular location and device data is opted-in in GA4 data collection section, so this data element is tracked automatically
Device name	-	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	50 Months	- In DAP, granular location and device data is opted-in in GA4 data collection section, so this data element is tracked automatically. However, Google does not allow for this data to be pulled into reporting tools or data storage.
Device Category	Mobile	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A	50 Months
Mobile device Info	Apple iPad (9th gen)	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A	50 Months	The branding, model, and marketing name used to identify the device.
Operating system minor version	16.6.1	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A	50 Months	- In DAP, granular location and device data is opted-in in GA4 data collection section, so this data element is tracked automatically- Values to be found under OS version parameter in GA4- Operating system with version parameter carries both the name of the operating system and its version
Platform minor version	-	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A	50 Months	- In DAP, granular location and device data is opted-in in GA4 data collection section, so this data element is tracked automatically. However, Google does not allow for this data to be pulled into reporting tools or data storage.
Screen resolution	1920x1080	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A	50 Months	- In DAP, granular location and device data is opted-in in GA4 data collection section, so this data element is tracked automatically.
Google Signals	-	Disabled	N/A	No	N/A	N/A
Email Address Redaction	(redaction) | [REDACTED_EMAIL]	No	No	N/A	No	N/A	DAP uses an out-of the-box GA4 feature that can be enabled from the interface, where data redaction evaluates event data for email addresses on a best-effort basis. Data redaction occurs client side after Analytics modifies or creates events (which also occurs client side) and before data is sent to Analytics. Additionally, DAP uses advanced custom code-level solution for more comprehensive PII redaction.	https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/13544947?hl=en&utm_id=ad
PII Redaction	(redaction) | [REDACTED_(NAME OF REDACTION CATEGORY)]	No	No	N/A	No	N/A
URL Query Redaction	(redaction) | [REDACTED_(NAME OF REDACTION CATEGORY)]	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A	N/A	- GA4 has a feature that can be enabled from the GA4 reporting interface, where: Up to 30 query parameters (not case-sensitive) can be configured. Query parameter redaction only applies to the following auto-collected event parameters: page_location, page_referrer, page_path, link_url, video_url, and form_destination.-In the DAP code, a specific list of QueryString parameters for each agency is whitelisted in addition to the default parameters, which contain search query parameters and campaign parameters.	https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/13544947?hl=en&ref_topic=2919631&sjid=16339120895195882404-NA
Browser	Chrome	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A
App version		Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A
Platform		Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A
OS version	16.6.1	Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A
Operating system		Yes	N/A	Yes	N/A
Advertising Features	-	Disabled	N/A	No	N/A	N/A	Age, Gender, and Interests are not collected in DAP GA4 and DAP Universal Analytics as of DAP v6.8. This dimension is populated automatically ONLY when an admin activates Google signals. Since DAP GA4 has not activated Google Signals, this information is not collected.
Age	25-34	No	N/A	No	N/A
Gender	male, female	No	N/A	No	N/A
Interests	Affinity Category (reach), In-Market segments, Other categories(Technology/Technophiles, Media & Entertainment/Movie Lovers)	No	N/A	No	N/A
Page URL	https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/home	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The URL of the visited page
Page Title	Home - My HealtheVet - My HealtheVet	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The Title of the visited page
Page Referrer	https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/home	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The URL that sends visitors to the visited page
Agency	VA	unspecified (By Default)	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The agency which the visited page belong to
DAP Script Source	https://dap.digitalgov.gov/Universal-Federated-Analytics-Min.js	Yes	No	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The Website URL where DAP code is being hosted
DAP Version	20240524 v7.05 - dual tracking	Yes	No	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The DAP Code version which is currently being deployed on the website
Event Action	Click	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The event action parameter sent along with custom dap_event
Event Category	Navigation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The event category parameter sent along with custom dap_event
Event Label	Main Menu	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The event label parameter sent along with custom dap_event
Event Name Dimension	page_view, file_download, click,dap_event,telephone_click,email_click, view_search_results, scroll, video_start, video_progress, video_pause, video_complete etc	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The event name of user interactions on the visited website
Event Value	5	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The event value parameter sent along with custom dap_event
File Extension	.pdf	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	Extension of the file clicked or downloaded
File Name	annual_report.pdf	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	Name of the file clicked or downloaded
Interaction Type	Download	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	User Interaction type such as mouse click or key press
Link Classes	nav-link	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	Element Class of the clicked link
Link Domain	example.com	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	Domain that the clicked link directs to
Link ID	download-link	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	CSS ID of the clicked link
Link Text	Download Report	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	Text of the element clicked
Link URL	https://example.com/report.pdf	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	Full URL of the element clicked
Non Interaction	FALSE	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The event parameter sent along with custom dap_event
Outbound	TRUE	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	Determines if the link clicked falls within the same domain as the current domain
Search Term	space exploration	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	Search term used on the visited website. -In DAP, additional logic is used to redact PII/PHI: Social Security Number (SSN): Any SSN occurrence in the hit payload matches these formats (xxx-xx-xxx, xxx.xx.xxxx, xxx xx xxxx, or xxxxxxxxx), whether it was accompanied with a key of the following list (ssn=, full_ssn=, or full-ssn=) or not, will be redacted and replaced with the text [REDACTED_SSN]. Examples of supported cases: 123-45-6789, 123 45 6789, 123.45.6789, 123456789 (only if part of the query string params), ssn=123-45-6789, or any of the supported formats, full_ssn=123.45.6789, or any of the supported formats, full-ssn=123 45 6789, or any of the supported formats. Telephone Numbers (TEL): Any telephone number occurrence in the hit payload matches these formats (xxx-xxx-xxx, xxx.xxx.xxxx, xxx xxx xxxx, or xxxxxxxxxx), whether it was accompanied with a key of the following list (tel=, telephone=, phone=, cell=, cellular=, mob=, or mobile=) or not, will be redacted and replaced with the text [REDACTED_TEL]. Examples of supported cases: 012-345-6789, 0123456789 (only if part of the query string parameter), 012.345.6789, 012 345 6789, +xx any of the supported formats, Telephone|cell|cellular|mob|mobile=any of the supported formats. **Date of birth (DOB): ** Any DOB occurrence in the hit payload within the range 1900/01/01 through 2099/12/31, and matches these formats (YYYY/DD/MM, YYYY/MM/DD, DD/MM/YYYY, or MM/DD/YYYY), whether it was accompanied with a key from the following list (birthdate=, date=, or dob=) or not, will be redacted and replaced with the text [REDACTED_DOB]. Examples of supported cases: 2018/20/12, 2018-20-12, 2018.20.12, and 2018 20 12, 2018/12/20, 2018-12-20, 2018.12.20, and 2018 12 20, 20/12/2018, 20-12-2018, 20.12.2018, and 20 12 2018 12/20/2018, 12-20-2018, 12.20.2018, and 12 20 2018, birthdate=2018/20/12, or any of the supported formats, date=2018/12/20, or any of the supported formats, dob=20/12/2018, or any of the supported formatsIn addition to cases where month or day is a single digit, e.g. 1/1/2000 or 2000/1/1. **Email Address: **Any email address occurrence in the hit payload will be redacted and replaced with the text [REDACTED_EMAIL]. Examples of supported cases: email@domain.com. **Name: ** Any occurrence of a name key-value pair matches these formats (name=, first-name=, first_name=, firstname=, last-name=, last_name=, lastname=, middle-name=, middle_name=, middlename=, sur-name=, sur_name=, surname=, f-name=, f_name=, fname=, l-name=, l_name=, or lname=) will be redacted and replaced with the text [REDACTED_NAME]. Password: Any occurrence of a name key-value pair that matches these formats (password=, confirm-password=, confirm_password=, passwd=, or pwd=) will be redacted and replaced with the text [REDACTED_PASSWORD]. Zip-Code: Any occurrence of a zip-code key-value pair that matches these formats (postcode=, zipcode=, zip=) will be redacted and replaced with the text [REDACTED_ZIP]. Address: Any occurrence of a name key-value pair that matches these formats (address1=, address2, add1=, or add2) will be redacted and replaced with the text [REDACTED_ADDRESS].
Site Platform	unspecified:myhealth.va.gov	unspecified (By Default)	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact most email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The website platforms, such as Cloud.gov Pages.
Site Topic	unspecified:myhealth.va.gov	unspecified (By Default)	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact most email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The Website topics, such as health or travel
Sub Agency	MYHEALTH.VA.GOV	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact most email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The sub-agency which the visited page belong to
URL Protocol	https:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact most email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The URL protocol of the visited website
Video Duration	300	(No By Default) can be turned on through a parameter	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact most email addresses from event data)	50 Months	Total time of the video playing, in seconds
Video Percent	75	(No By Default) can be turned on through a parameter	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact most email addresses from event data)	50 Months	Current percentage that the video is at
Video Provider	YouTube	(No By Default) can be turned on through a parameter	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact most email addresses from event data)	50 Months	Provider of the video
Video Title	Exploring Mars	(No By Default) can be turned on through a parameter	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact most email addresses from event data)	50 Months	Title of the video
Video URL	https://youtube.com/watch?v=example	(No By Default) can be turned on through a parameter	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact most email addresses from event data)	50 Months	URL of the hosted video
Event	page_view, file_download, click,dap_event,telephone_click,email_click, view_search_results, scroll, video_start, video_progress, video_pause, video_complete etc	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes(Redact email addresses from event data)	50 Months	The event name of user interactions on the visited website