How do I exclude activity from common spiders and robots from my reports?

Affected Environments

• WebTrends Log Analyzer 8.X
• WebTrends Log Analyzer Advanced 8.X
• WebTrends Reporting Center 6.X
• WebTrends Reporting Service 6.X

Solution

To filter out activity by common spiders and robots from your report, you first must create a browser filter, and then either enable the filter globally or enable it on a per-profile basis. Note: WebTrends already has a pre-defined browser filter for common robots and spiders, which you can select during the filter creation process.

To create the filter, follow these steps:

1) From the AdminConsole, click *Filters* | *Hit Filters* | *Add*.
2) Select *Include* or *Exclude*, and click *Next*.
3) Give this filter a unique name. Select *Include/Exclude activity based on* and place a check next to *Browser*. Click *Next*.
4) Click the drop-down menu, and under the *Robots & Spiders* heading, select *Common Spiders & Robots*. The common spiders and robots are listed in the subsequent field. If this list is not comprehensive enough, you may add additional items by separating entries with a space. Click *Next*.
5) Review the summary and once completed, click *Finish*. You will then see the exclude filter you just created listed under *Hit Filters*.
6) If you wish this filter to be applied to all profiles, place a check next to *Global*.

The next report that is run will reflect this change. If you wish for this filter to affect previous reports, it is necessary to re-analyze the profile.