Track desktop application

[benji-s]

Dear Community, 

We would like to use Adobe Analytics to track usage & behavior in desktop applications (Java Desktop Tool, Visual Code plugins / Electron / Theia)

Some questions which came up:

- Is it a good idea to use Adobe Analytics to do this?

- If yes, are there any SDKs / references / documentation available?

PS: I found a related question in this community, however seems like the answer and the provided links are outdated.

Thank you in advance.

[deyuw · Accepted solution]

Yes it's a good idea. Actually I've seen implementations on set top boxes, smart TVs, etc. 

If the applications have internet connection you can use data insertion API to collect data:

https://github.com/AdobeDocs/analytics-1.4-apis/blob/master/docs/data-insertion-api/index.md 

If the applications only have access to your sever, you can send data server-to-server by using Bulk Data Insertion API.

https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/analytics/import/c-data-insertion-api.html?lang=en 

One thing you need to decide is how to generate unique visitor IDs. Adobe Visitor ID service can be used but might be a bit over killing here if Analytics is the only solution involved. In that case, you can just use your own unique visitor ID(device ID, serial number, etc.)