Simple ruby library for parsing the __umtz and __umta cookies which Google Analytics uses to track referrers and visitors.

You may wish to use this library to integrate data from Google Analytics into your internal CRM or sales tracking application.

The library is available as a gem.

gem install ga_cookie_parser

Create an instance, or use the convenience method GaCookieParser.parse, providing a hash with keys :umtz and/or :umtz as argument.

utmz = cookies["__utmz"] # in a rails controller context
utma = cookies["__utma"]
@data = GaCookieParser::GaCookieParser.new(:utmz => utmz, :utma => utma)

Then, @data provides #utmz_hash and #utma_hash methods which return hashes as follows:

# @data.utmz_hash
# note that not all of these will be present, and some are mutually exclusive
{
  :domain_hash => '12979384',
  :timestamp   => '1294887021',  # unix timestamp
  :session_counter => '1',
  :campaign_number => '1',
  :utmcsr => 'google',       # source
  :utmccn => '(organic)',      # campaign name
  :utmcmd => 'organic',      # medium
  :utmctr => 'search term',    # term(s)
  :utmcct => '/ref.php,      # content (referring page in case of referrals)
  :utmgclid => 'CI7wh8C6tKYCFU2DpAod7z97IQ'  # gclid, linking referral back to adwords
}

# @data.utma_hash
{
  :domain_hash => '12979384',
  :visitor_id =>  '1392679796',    # a random number
  :initial_visit_at =>  '1289844797',  # unix timestamp
  :previous_visit_at => '1294798990',  # unix timestamp
  :current_visit_at => '1294866800',  # unix timestamp
  :session_counter => '1' 
}

Documentation on these cookies is somewhat sparse. Here are the main resources used in putting this library together:

• Google documentation on the Google Analytics cookies

• Integrating Google Analytics With a CRM blog post by Justin Cutroni

• UPDATED: Integrating Google Analytics with a CRM blog post by Justin Cutroni

• GA Basics: The Structure of Cookie Values blog post by VKI Studios

• Python Google Analytics Cookie Parser (from which I borrowed some variable names)

Copyright © 2011 Simon Robson. See LICENSE for details.