Glossary

In this section, we'll be listing the various terms used throughout the Installer Analytics documentation, and we'll be explaining them in a short and concise manner.

• Installer Analytics account
  • The Installer Analytics account is the one that allows any user to discover his Installer Analytics application's data, make it private in case it has started as a public application, and manage his current subscription
  • You can easily create one here
• Installer Analytics application(s)
  • The Installer Analytics application represents an entity designed to gather all data regarding your application's installations and every other relevant data which derives from them
  • It features many views that group relevant data, making it easier for you to understand
  • It also features many ways of filtering the data, allowing you to personalize every view, according to your needs
• Installer Analytics hit(s)
  • Represents the most basic data that is sent by the installer to Installer Analytics
  • Each installation/uninstall/upgrade sends many data to Installer Analytics, called hits, which you can see in every view
• Installer Analytics WebApp
  • The WebApp, short for Web Application, is a software or program which is accessible using any web browser
  • It starts from the login page and contains all pages that can be seen in any Installer Analytics application
  • Installer Analytics is a SPA, or a Single-Page Application, which features a faster and more responsive user interface
  • It also features a PWA functionality, short for Progressive Web Application, allowing you to install the WebApp on any device and also use it while you're offline
• Installer Analytics view
  • A view refers to a section or a tab of the Web App which is meant to display data
  • There are many views in the Installer Analytics Web App, like 'Installs', Launch, or App Settings
• Application slot(s)
  • An application slot allows you to create an Installer Analytics application
  • Every Installer Analytics application requires an application slot
  • The application slots are tied to your account and cannot be moved to another one
  • You need an active subscription to buy more application slots
  • You can easily buy new application slots from the Account Settings page
• Application version
  • The application version refers to the version which you have defined in your Advanced Installer project
  • Once someone will install your package, it will automatically appear in the version filter
• Tracking code
  • The tracking code, also known as Application ID, is a code used to uniquely identify an application and also link it to an Advanced Installer package
  • You can find this code in the App Settings view of your Installer Analytics application
• SDK
  • The SDK, short for Software Development Kit, is a tool designed to help developers create specific applications or features
  • In our case, the SDK can be used to create "a link" between the installed application and the Installer Analytics application, specifically helping populate the Launch view
• VM
  • A VM, short for Virtual Machine, is, as its name suggests, a virtual computer created on a physical one that can be used for any purpose
  • In our case, you can use a VM to test your package, to make sure that the installation works without hiccups, or in case you need to make a few test installations for Installer Analytics purposes
  • Also, please note that your users might also use your application in VMs
  • Since they use snapshots, they're great for testing installations but they can also generate apparently incorrect data
  • You can find out more about this subject on the Limitations page of this Docs
• VM snapshot(s)/checkpoint(s)
  • A VM has the ability to save its current state in time; this state is called, depending on the software used to create them, snapshots or checkpoints
  • As a result, a VM user can easily cycle between various states of a VM, thus being able to skip some steps in the life of an application
• API
  • Short for Application Programming Interface
  • It provides an advanced way of accessing data from a software application, in our case from Installer Analytics
  • It is meant for programmers to have a way of incorporating another software into their program
• Auto-Renew
  • Represents a feature of Installer Analytics that allows your subscription to be automatically updated
  • You can enable this feature, or make sure that is enabled on the Account Settings page
• Display Density
  • Is a feature of Installer Analytics WebApp that allows the user to decide how he wants to see the data displayed
  • You can choose between Default and Comfortable
  • You can find out more about this feature here
• Uninstall survey
  • Is a feature of Installer Analytics that displays a survey web page to any user who uninstalls your application
  • Data is collected and shown inside the Uninstall Survey view
  • It is completely customizable using the Settings and Design tabs of the Uninstall Survey view
• Subscription
  • As with any SaaS (Software as a Service), Installer Analytics requires you to buy a subscription in order to use it
  • A subscription requires a monthly/yearly payment in order to remain active
  • You can find out more about our pricing by accessing the following link
• Navbar
  • The Navbar, short for Navigation Bar, represents a toolbar present on top of the Installer Analytics Web App which allows you to navigate across different pages of the Web App
  • You can read more about it here
• Advanced Installer project
  • An Advanced Installer project is the most basic element that you can create using Advanced Installer
  • It is responsible for storing all your settings and preferences for an installer
  • You can read more about it here
• Advanced Installer package
  • An Advanced Installer package is what results after building an Advanced Installer project
  • It is also commonly referred to as an installer
  • It can be a .msi, .exe, or other extension file depending on the selected build
• Installed application
  • Represents the final stage of your application, as it "stands" after a user of yours installs it, when it is ready to be used
• Installation flow
  • You need to create an Advanced Installer project
  • You need to include Installer Analytics into your project by following these steps
  • You need to save and build your project, resulting in a packaged application, or installer
  • Your user installs it on his machine, resulting in the Installed application
  • Data about the installation is sent to Installer Analytics
  • Installer Analytics interprets the data and displays it into your Installer Analytics application