# Discourse metrics
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-metrics/75387
**Category:** Data & reporting
**Tags:** dashboard-reports
**Created:** [December 4, 2017, 11:59pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-metrics/75387 "2017-12-04T23:59:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@testingsoftware](https://meta.discourse.org/u/testingsoftware)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2017, 11:59pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-metrics/75387/1 "2017-12-04T23:59:00Z")
Hi,
I know that if I want more details than the metrics offered by Discourse I need Google Analytics or Piwik… but before adding anything, I‘d like to understand the metrics offered in the Dashboard and About page.
I exported a list of users and the active users are 634
These are screengrabs of our forum taken seconds apart.
DASHBOARD
**User Visits** : Number of total visits by registered users?
**New Users** : New registrations
**Topics** : Number of new threads
**Posts** : Number of responses to threads
ABOUT PAGE
**Topic** : same as in the Dashboard: number of new threads
**Posts** : same as in Dashboard? Why is this nearly double as in Dashboard for the last 30 days?
**Users** : new registrations: new users in Dasboard
**Active users** : total number of active users that visited in the last 30 days?
Are these definitions correct?
Any ideas of why the Posts are different in both charts?
I must explain that we have migrated from another platform and this is why the total number of topics and posts are so high and 634 are new users and users that have come back from the old forum.
I have heard of a “[Data Explorer](https://meta.discourse.org/t/32566?silent=true)” Plugin, is it still available and is ti worth installing or better use GA?
Thanks.
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### Author:  [@HAWK](https://meta.discourse.org/u/HAWK)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2017, 3:37am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-metrics/75387/2 "2017-12-05T03:37:29Z")
The definitions are correct – I’m not sure why you’re seeing that post count discrepancy – hopefully one of my colleagues can shed some light.
Yes the [Data Explorer](https://meta.discourse.org/t/32566?silent=true) plugin is still available and it is well worth installing but it doesn’t replace GA – you use them in tandem. The plugin lets you query any data that we store in your Discourse database. GA will give you organic search data, user journeys, pageviews etc etc.
As an aside, we’re working on an upgrade of our admin dashboard which will give you more digestible data. All going to plan, that will launch with v2.0 early next year.
There are also paid 3rd party services available if you need more data – check out [discoursemetrics.com](http://discoursemetrics.com) and [community-analytics.com](http://community-analytics.com)
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2017, 4:48am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-metrics/75387/3 "2017-12-05T04:48:05Z")
> [@HAWK](#):
>
> I’m not sure why you’re seeing that post count discrepancy – hopefully one of my colleagues can shed some light.
@neil was recently working on count discrepancies - perhaps something was missed?
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### Author:  [@testingsoftware](https://meta.discourse.org/u/testingsoftware)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2017, 12:08pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-metrics/75387/4 "2017-12-05T12:08:18Z")
Thank you guys! 👍
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### Author:  [@neil](https://meta.discourse.org/u/neil)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2017, 3:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-metrics/75387/5 "2017-12-05T15:47:18Z")
Dashboard counts is ` Post.public_posts.where(post_type: Post.types[:regular])` while the /about post count is `Post.where('created_at > ?', 30.days.ago).count`. So those will be different for sure.
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### Author:  [@testingsoftware](https://meta.discourse.org/u/testingsoftware)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-metrics/75387/6 "2017-12-05T16:13:47Z")
Could you explain the Dashboard posts please? i am not following this now.
the dashboard post count for the last 30 days (840) means … ?
and the About post count are the posts created less than 30 days ago (1.5k)
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2017, 9:19pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-metrics/75387/7 "2017-12-05T21:19:39Z")
For example, a blind count of all posts would include PMs, status messages in topics like “closed by”, etcetera.
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### Author:  [@testingsoftware](https://meta.discourse.org/u/testingsoftware)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2017, 10:00pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-metrics/75387/8 "2017-12-05T22:00:25Z")
and then I take that the Post.types[:regular] are the topics and their posts only?
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### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2023, 9:43am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-metrics/75387/9 "2023-08-15T09:43:10Z")