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EXPLORING MIXPANEL

EARLY INSIGHTS INTO THE NEW PRIMO ANALYTICS

Jian Wang

Allen Hauser

Portland State University

July 23^rd 2025

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AGENDA�

Classic Primo Analytics vs. Mixpanel

Live demo: building reports & core features

Takeaways & final thoughts

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Phasing out

Rolling Out

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KEY DIFFERENCES

Mixpanel Analytics

Available with NDE UI
Access via a dedicated URL
Interactive interface
Real-time data
Ready-to-use dashboards
Dynamic and interactive analytics

Classic Primo Analytics

Available with Primo/Primo VE
Access within Alma
Limited interactivity and visuals
Aggregated data
Limited basic usage dashboards
Static, non-interactive analytics

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REPORTING

Mixpanel Analytics

User friendly
Drag and drop
Smart default dashboards

Classic Primo Analytics

Oracle BI
Customizable but complex
SQL style analytics reports

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REAL-TIME VS. SESSION-BASED TRACKING

Mixpanel Analytics

Real time, event-based tracking
Detailed user level actions
Live data updates

Classic Primo Analytics

Session-based, aggregated log data
Broad structured data
Delayed data updates

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UNDERSTANDING USER BEHAVIOR

Mixpanel Analytics

Built-in user journey visualizations
User flow tracking
Drop off points
Retention tracking
Cohort tools

Classic Primo Analytics

Limited user navigation paths
Retention tracking not available
Cohort tools not available

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PRIVACY & DATA HANDLING

Mixpanel Analytics

Pseudonymized tracking
GDPR compliant
User-level data
Control over what data is stored and how

Classic Primo Analytics

Aggregated data
No user-level detail
Broad usage trends

https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/privacy/protecting-user-data?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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Live Demo

Insights

Flows

Funnels

Events, Users & Cohorts

Retention

Mixpanel

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TAKEAWAYS FROM EARLY TESTING

Agile, flexible, fast
Insights vs. traditional analytics
Avoid direct comparisons
Beyond classic Primo Analytics
Real-time validation
Quick report sharing

Example

Key takeaways from our early testing:

The tool is agile, flexible, designed for fast speed, and gives you customizable reports at your fingertips
Insights feature is powerful and flexible -- a query builder without writing any SQL. Although Insights reports are similar to traditional analytics reports, they’re not the same. We've noticed that some metrics appear in one platform but are missing in the other. Why? According to Ex Libris, this happens because each platform uses different methods for collecting, processing, and interpreting data..
So, direct comparisons between Mixpanel and OBI aren't recommended by Ex Libris. Mixpanel tracks individual user behavior in real time, while OBI provides aggregated, high-level insights. Differences in data handling can lead to discrepancies.
Mixpanel goes beyond what Classic Primo Analytics could show -- instead of static totals or page counts, we now get a live view of user behavior. This is a significant shift from reporting what happened to understanding why it happened.
Real-time testing -- because Mixpanel ingests data instantly, you can test and verify events immediately as they happen. This ensures that the event is being tracked properly and contains the expected data.
Sharing reports id faster, easier, and hassle-free with Mixpanel. You can easily generate a shareable link and send it to others, just make sure your report or dashboard is set to public view.

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LESSONS LEARNED

Be open to exploring the new tool.

Learning curve is gentle.

Making sense of data isn’t always simple.

Mixpanel terminology is business-centric.

A few lessons we’ve learned so far.

Be open to exploring the new tool. Don’t be afraid to click around, try features, and see what the platform can do. It’s the best way to get comfortable and discover what works for you.
The platform is more intuitive than you might think. It’s easy to learn and get started with. You can pick it up just by playing around and experimenting with it.
However, interpreting data isn’t always straightforward. Mixpanel does a good job showing where users are dropping off. But it doesn’t always tell us why -- that still requires context, investigation, and interpretation.
The terminology used in Mixpanel is business centric. Some terms such as “Retention” and "conversion“ reflect marketing or product growth, and do not always directly align with how we collect and interpret data in a library context. So, these concepts may need to be translated to fit our content. For example: Retention could be interpreted as “Recurring signed-in user activity over time” as we understand it.

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RESOURCES

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Thank you!

Jian Wang

jian@pdx.edu

Allen Hauser

hausera@pdx.edu

We’d love to hear your thoughts or questions.