Data deletion and manipulation services

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If you find that some of the data you've passed to Pendo is incorrect, misformatted, or otherwise in need of deletion or manipulation that you can't do through the Pendo application, you have several options. This article reviews the most common data manipulation services that Pendo provides.

Note: All services and processes listed below apply only to Pendo data and have no impact on Pendo Feedback data unless explicitly stated.

Requirements

Many of the options listed below require that you stop sending the incorrect data to Pendo through your install script (also commonly referred to as the "snippet"). If your developers need additional guidance on updating your install script to prepare for one of the options below, contact our Technical Support team.

Bulk-delete visitors or accounts

The bulk-deletion of visitors or accounts permanently deletes the Visitor or Account IDs and all associated events and metadata. Once completed, it can't be undone. This method of data deletion impacts both Pendo and Pendo Feedback.

If you're looking for other ways to prevent visitor or account data from being viewed within Pendo without deletion, consider using the Exclude List to filter and hide data from the Pendo UI.

If you have API access enabled, you can submit your own bulk deletion requests. If you don't have API access, you can submit a bulk deletion request to our Technical Support team. 

Reset subscription start date

Resetting the start date of your subscription permanently removes all events that happened prior to the new start date from your analytics. If you have multiple apps in your Pendo subscription, you can choose to apply the new start date to just one or all of the apps in your subscription.

If you need to reset the start date of one or more apps in your subscription, contact our Technical Support team.

Merge Visitor or Account IDs

Changing the formatting or values of your Visitor or Account IDs creates new visitors and accounts in Pendo the next time a user accesses your application. The new visitor or account history is separate from the old visitor or account. If you don't merge the old and new IDs, it's difficult and sometimes impossible to track a single visitor or account over time when the ID parameter is changed and a new visitor or account is created.

If you've changed the IDs passed to Pendo or if you are considering doing this, we highly recommend letting Pendo merge the event history of the old IDs into the new IDs. The merging process takes all of the events that were associated with the old IDs and maps those events to the updated IDs, allowing you to view the complete history of a visitor or account from a single ID.

There must be a one-to-one mapping between the old IDs and the new IDs to successfully merge event history. When you're ready to request an ID merge, contact our Technical Support team.

Bulk-delete metadata

Pendo can delete metadata collected from any source. By default, metadata isn't stored in raw events, unless historical metadata is enabled for that specific field. The most current value is displayed in the UI and used for segments and filters.

If you're considering deleting your metadata, there are two alternatives we recommend exploring:

  • If you want to delete the current value displayed in the UI that's used for segments and filters, work with your developers to modify the parameter in your install script or integration. The next time that user accesses your application, the new value overwrites the previous value. To clear out the value entirely, you can send an empty string or null value for that metadata field.
  • If you just need to hide the metadata field from appearing in the Pendo UI, you can remove the field under Settings > Data Mappings. For more information, see Visitor and Account Metadata.

If metadata deletion is required for your instance, Pendo can assist. Prior to requesting deletion, update your install script or integration to stop sending that parameter to Pendo. Once updated, contact our Technical Support team for next steps.

Bulk-delete event property data

Event property data passed to Pendo with a Track Event or Click Event can be deleted by request. Prior to deletion, update the Track Event or Click Event property to stop sending that event property parameter. To request event property deletion, contact our Technical Support team.

 

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