14 DAY TRIAL // Web analytics are very important to every online service, providing a way for companies to track their visitors' behavior and adjust the services to more user-specific needs. The recently released Microsoft Silverlight Analytics Framework integrates tracking tools for online, offline and out-of-browser Silverlight-powered applications. Outed to the world at MIX 2010 (see the official presentation video at the end of this article), the analytics framework addresses some issues introduced with Silverlight 3.
While with the first and second version of Silverlight, web analytics were possible through the usage of complicated JavaScript hacks, when Silverlight 3 hit, its offline and out-of-the-browser capabilities practically made those analytics cheats useless and powerless against more advanced Silverlight RIAs.
The Microsoft Silverlight Analytics Framework, released under the Microsoft Public License on CodePlex, addresses these difficulties providing support for out-of-browser scenarios, offline scenarios, A/B Testing, logging of video experiences with the Microsoft Silverlight Media Framework, multiple analytics services simultaneously without impacting performance and support for app designers in Microsoft Expression Blend for adding tracking capabilities without any coding knowledge.
Not an expert in analytics, the software giant reached out to some well established analytics providers that responded according to Microsoft evangelist and project leader Michael Scherotter with “[Excitement] about the prospect of integrating analytics with Silverlight.”
About 15-20 vendors were contacted, several making it in: ATInternetAnalytics (owned by AT Internet), ComscoreWebAnalytics (comScore, Inc.), GoogleAnalytics (Google), RuntimeIntelligenceAnalytics (PreEmptive Solutions), SitestatMeter (Nedstat), QuantcastAnalytics (Quantcast), GlanceGuideAnalytics (GlanceGuide), Telerik RadControls (Telerik) and ServiceOrientedAnalytics.
For now, the framework supports Silverlight 3, any support for Silverlight 4 being in the works. These include handlers for webcam and microphone access, printing, the Pivot Collection and elevated trust. The Redmond-based company isn't closing the door on other analytics providers, still accepting vendors for future releases.
As for real-time usage, the framework passed its fire test during the 2012 Vancouver Olympics covered by NBC. Michael Scherotter reported that the NBC video streaming platform was adapted to use tracking services from six analytics vendors. Present at MIX 2010, Alfonso Corretti, representative for Nedstat, also showed a case study and future implementation of the framework on RTL's video platform (Dutch television).
Microsoft Silverlight Analytics Framework is available for download here.
The official presentation video can be seen below.
