topic Re: Action property vs Session property in Real User Monitoring

Action property vs Session property

jasonwismer — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 12:19:53 GMT

Currently we're looking to record when a user clicks a feedback rating. That will require us to set up either an action property, a session property, or both. What I want to know is, "What's the difference?" Why would I use an action property over a session property, the reverse, or both? Thanks.

Re: Action property vs Session property

dannemca — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 16:03:55 GMT

Hi @jasonwismer . The basic difference is the table you are storing the properties and how will you query this properties in USQL.
https://www.dynatrace.com/support/help/shortlink/session-properties-usage#usql

User action property: The data is stored in the defined property on the user action level for each user action where the RUM JavaScript can retrieve the metadata.
User session property. The most recent captured value is stored in the defined property on a session level.

Also, if you are planing to create custom metrics based on the USQL results, the table useractions can not be used, so this may guide you to store the properties as session instead user action.

Re: Action property vs Session property

arobayo17 — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 18:13:48 GMT

Hi,
Thanks for the explanation.
I wanted to check if this behavior still applies in current Dynatrace versions. I have Managed Environment.
In my use case, the challenge with using session properties instead of user action properties is that if the same action (carrying the property) is performed multiple times within a single session, Dynatrace only stores the latest captured value at the session level.
This makes it difficult to analyze multiple occurrences of the same interaction within one session (e.g., repeated selections or steps in a flow).
Is there currently any recommended approach to handle this scenario while still being able to query the data (via USQL or other means)?
Thanks in advance.