Delete unknown and undesired custom variables

Question

I'm creating a custom report in Google Analytics because I have implemented the typical custom variable to track logged/anonymous users. To do it I choose the "unique table" type, 2 dimensions values (custom variable key and value) and visits metrics scope.

When I generate the report, some strange, unknown variables appears! There is my custom variable: __user kind__ with its 2 possible values, and some unexpected others like:

• Cuevana Plugin
• UnderHen Plugin
• Z Plugin
• CL

and so on...

I don't know from where they come (Cuevana plugin had viruses isn't it?) but I know I don't want to see them. Does it exists any way to delete or filter them?

Answer 1

You cannot delete custom variables. And unfortunately you cannot filter them at view level (via the admin section so that they are not included in the reports in the first place) since filtering at view level does not support filters for custom vars.

Depending on your reports you might be able to set a filter at report level, but with most reports that would just mean you remove the complete data set that is tied to the custom var.

It would be better to solve this at the source - you obviously do not mean to collect these values so you'd have to change your collecting script in a way that does not record them.

Answer 2

These variables have started showing up in my reports at a much higher volume recently. They are plugins and extensions that will allow visitors to opt out of Google's custom variables to be set in their cookies. Google will track these extensions so that we know how many visitors are opting out. Most of these are extensions that available for the Chrome browser, and since Chromebooks are quickly becoming more popular we are seeing more of these extensions blocking our variables.

I wouldn't recommend trying to filter these out since they provide data on people who are opting out of analytic tracking. They also shouldn't interfere with anything other than adding a few rows of results to existing reports.

Answer 3

I was wrong! there is a way to filter undesired values! I can't stop to collect them because it doesn't depend to my script but there is a way to not show it to the report, and is this one:

• first step: create the filter with the custom variable key including the key name you are pushing to Analytics
• second step, add to the same filter another condition which excludes the key name you don't want to see in the report
• third step, repeat the second step for every undesired key name you want to exclude.
• apply the filter