Implement Cookie-Based Tracking for Enhanced Analytics

[loftwah]

We need to implement cookie-based tracking to improve our analytics system. This will allow us to better identify unique visitors and their browsing patterns across sessions. We'll update our page tracking middleware, PageView model, and analytics controller to leverage this new data.

Tasks:

1. Update the PageView model:

   • Generate and run the migration to add the cookie_value column:

     Copy
     rails generate migration AddCookieValueToPageViews cookie_value:string
     

   • Add an index on the cookie_value column for better query performance

   • Update the PageView model with appropriate validations

2. Modify the PageViewTracker middleware:

   • Implement cookie generation and retrieval logic
   • Update the track_page_view method to include the cookie value
   • Ensure the cookie is set with appropriate expiration and security settings

3. Update the Analytics controller:

   • Modify existing queries to use the cookie_value for unique visitor counts
   • Add new methods to leverage cookie-based data (e.g., return visitor identification)

4. Implement privacy considerations:

   • Ensure compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and other relevant privacy regulations
   • Add a cookie consent mechanism if not already present
   • Update the privacy policy to reflect the use of cookies for analytics

5. Testing:

   • Write unit tests for the updated PageView model
   • Create integration tests for the PageViewTracker middleware
   • Update controller tests for the Analytics controller
   • Perform manual testing to ensure accurate tracking across sessions

6. Documentation:

   • Update internal documentation on how the tracking system works
   • Create or update user-facing documentation about cookie usage

7. Performance considerations:

   • Monitor the impact of cookie-based tracking on application performance
   • Optimize database queries that use the new cookie_value column

8. Reporting enhancements:

   • Update existing analytics reports to include new cookie-based metrics
   • Create new reports that leverage the enhanced tracking capabilities

This enhancement will provide more accurate user engagement data and allow for better analysis of user behavior across multiple visits.

[loftwah]

ChatGPT that discusses this.