We want to send a status code as event prop back (it'll be a number between 1 to 6). Since it comes as json, dev team is asking to set the type of the prop to any. Will this cause any problems down the line in analytics?
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Hi Oxytousif,
Thank you for reaching out! I understand your team is considering setting the event property type to 'any' for a status code (a number between 1 to 6) and would like to know if this could cause any issues in analytics. Setting the property type to 'any' allows Amplitude to accept mixed data types for that property. This can be useful if you anticipate variations in the data format (e.g., numeric and string values). However, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.
Using 'any' bypasses strict type validation, which means Amplitude will not flag type mismatches. While this flexibility can be helpful, it may lead to inconsistencies in your data if unexpected values are ingested. Mixed data types can complicate analysis, especially for aggregations or filters. For example, numeric values can be used in mathematical operations, but string values cannot. If your status code is consistently numeric (1 to 6), it may be better to set the property type to 'number' to ensure clean and predictable analytics.
Changing the property type to 'any' will not retroactively update historical data. If you previously ingested invalid or mixed types, those values will remain unchanged in your historical data. Over time, as new data aligns with the updated schema, the impact of past inconsistencies will diminish. If your team is confident that the status code will always be numeric, I recommend ingesting the parameter itself as a number instead of ingesting it as a JSON object. Then you can sett the property type to 'number' for better data integrity and ease of analysis. Otherwise, you may still be able to leverage Derived Properties to extract the numerical value for future analysis. You can read more about Derived Properties here: https://amplitude.com/docs/data/derived-properties
Otherwise, hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any questions.
Best,
Jarren
P.S. Checkout upcoming events and user meetups on our events page.
Thank you for reaching out! I understand your team is considering setting the event property type to 'any' for a status code (a number between 1 to 6) and would like to know if this could cause any issues in analytics. Setting the property type to 'any' allows Amplitude to accept mixed data types for that property. This can be useful if you anticipate variations in the data format (e.g., numeric and string values). However, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.
Using 'any' bypasses strict type validation, which means Amplitude will not flag type mismatches. While this flexibility can be helpful, it may lead to inconsistencies in your data if unexpected values are ingested. Mixed data types can complicate analysis, especially for aggregations or filters. For example, numeric values can be used in mathematical operations, but string values cannot. If your status code is consistently numeric (1 to 6), it may be better to set the property type to 'number' to ensure clean and predictable analytics.
Changing the property type to 'any' will not retroactively update historical data. If you previously ingested invalid or mixed types, those values will remain unchanged in your historical data. Over time, as new data aligns with the updated schema, the impact of past inconsistencies will diminish. If your team is confident that the status code will always be numeric, I recommend ingesting the parameter itself as a number instead of ingesting it as a JSON object. Then you can sett the property type to 'number' for better data integrity and ease of analysis. Otherwise, you may still be able to leverage Derived Properties to extract the numerical value for future analysis. You can read more about Derived Properties here: https://amplitude.com/docs/data/derived-properties
Otherwise, hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any questions.
Best,
Jarren
P.S. Checkout upcoming events and user meetups on our events page.
Thanks for the detailed explaination
Hi Oxytousif,
Glad to have been able to help! Please let us know if you ever have any questions or concerns. Have a great day!
Best,
Jarren
P.S. Checkout upcoming events and user meetups on our events page.
Glad to have been able to help! Please let us know if you ever have any questions or concerns. Have a great day!
Best,
Jarren
P.S. Checkout upcoming events and user meetups on our events page.
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