The eSpective package includes sample data that I used for learning how to navigate the software and create test reports. Overall, I spent about three days with the product before I became comfortable creating all the different reports, but most users can create generic reports within hours of installing the software. To set up eSpective, I had to first select the data source I wanted to use. The product is marketed toward Web sites, but it also can generate reports from other sources, such as a SQL database. I had several options for picking the data I wanted to track.
Web administrators look for trends beyond just the number of visitors to a particular site or page.
Fortunately, eSpective lets you track users by group, including individuals, domain names and even IP subnets. This is a good way to track visitors from a particular customer group or even an entire city. In testing the product, I used the sample data to group visitors by subnet. Because I knew that a particular subnet was based in a U.S. city, I was able to see the number of visitors from a particular location. The eSpective solution does more than just track the number of users to your site, it also lets you see how long they were connected, which pages they viewed and how much data they sent or received.