Search Log Analysis

• Article Type: General
• Product: Primo
• Product Version: 2

Description:
We use a web log analyzer (AWStats) for some statistics.
We compared the Hourly Search Statistics report to a report generated by AWStats and found that the AWStats report had twice as many as reported by the Primo report.
Please explain. How does BIRT look at the data?

Resolution:
When a search is run, it may look to AWStats like two searches were run because each search is inserted into 2 different places in the database table that contains the searching data.
If the database is empty and you search for "george", the database gets 2 entries:
[1] a new record with the exact time stamp of the search.
[2] a new record with the total number of searches for "george" (now = 1)
The log will record both of the inserts, although there was only one search.
If you will search for "george" once more, once again, 2 things will happen in the database:
[1] creation of a new record with the exact time stamp of the search.
[2] the existing record that holds the total amount of searches for "george" will be updated to 2.
Again, the log will show both the inserts, although there was only one search.

• Article last edited: 10/8/2013