Manage events and properties

This article will help you: Understand, edit, and manage event types and properties Block and unblock events and properties Delete and undelete events and properties

Events and properties are the lifeblood of any Amplitude project. Amplitude’s Govern feature makes it easy for you to manage and modify your events and event properties from one centralized location.

NOTE: If you are using Amplitude Data instead of Govern, see this article. Or learn more about additional features available with the Govern add-on here.

Managing events and properties

You can find a list of all the event types you've instrumented for a given project, along with some basic information on each, in the Events tab:

• The event type's status
• The category you've assigned it to
• Whether it is an active, or user-triggered, or an inactive (system-triggered) event
• Whether it is visible or hidden
• Its 30-day volume, which is the number of events Amplitude has received in the last 30 days for this event type
• 30-day queries, which is the number of times this event type has been used on charts in the last 30 days (custom events are excluded from this metric)
• The date this event type was most recently seen by Amplitude

Similarly, the Event Properties tab and User Properties tab provide you with basic information on the properties you've instrumented for a given project:

• The property's status, which flags any properties that are currently blocked
• The user property's current visibility
• The property's current 30 day queries value
• The date Amplitude first saw the property
• The date Amplitude most recently saw the property

You can view the details for an event or property by clicking its name. The details panel for an event will show you the date the event type was first seen by Amplitude, the platforms that the event type has been sent from, a list of properties associated with this event, and a list of charts that include the event. Here you can also edit the display name and description of the event or property. The details panel for a property will also give you a list of charts that include that property.

If an event has properties associated with it, you can also view those from the Events tab itself. Click the carat next to the event's name to expand its property list below.

You can find a specific event or property using the search bar, or by using the drop-downs next to it, to filter by status or by category.

NOTE: Before proceeding refer to this article to see the differences between hiding, blocking, and deleting an event or property to see the best option for you.

Create a custom event from existing events

You can create a custom event in the Events panel from one or more pre-existing events. Doing so tells Amplitude to combine for those pre-existing events and count any user activity for them as activity for the new custom event. This is useful if you want an easy way to track overall activity on related or similar events, like whether a visitor has fired either the view_landing_page_1 or view_landing_page_2 events.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click the checkboxes next to the names of every event you'd like to include in your custom event.
2. Click Create Custom Event.
3. Give your custom event a name and description.
4. Add properties to your events, if desired, by clicking where +.
5. Click Save Changes.

Learn more about creating custom events in Amplitude here.

Change an event’s category

You can update an event type's category directly from the Events tab. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click the checkbox next to the event name.
2. From the Categorize drop-down, select the category to which this event should belong.

You also have the option to change an event's category by clicking the right arrow  next to the event name to open the details panel and selecting a category from the drop-down menu.

You are also able to bulk update event categories by downloading a copy of your current schema > filling in the appropriate categories > re-uploading the schema to your desired project.

Change the display name for an event

You can update an event type's display name directly from the Events tab. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click the event name.
2. Type the new display name for the event.

You also have the option to change an event's display name by clicking the right arrow next to the event name to open the details panel. Then click the event name and enter a display name.

Note that this does not change the raw data and only changes the event's display name within the Amplitude UI.

Change the display name for a user property

You can update a user property's display from the User Properties tab. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click the user property name to open the details panel
2. Click the user property name in the panel and enter a display name.

Note that this does not change the raw data and only changes the user property's display name within the Amplitude UI.

Change the description for an event or property

You can change the description for an event to help other members of your organization understand what an event represents. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Open the details panel by clicking the right arrow next to the event name.
2. Click below the Event name where it says "Add Description...".
3. Type in a description of the event. 

You can change the description for an event property in two different ways. Since the same event property can apply to multiple event types, you have the option to add a description for the "global" event property as well as for the "specific" event-event property pair. If the event property description that is specific to an event does not exist, then the description will default to the "global" event property description.

• To change the description for an event property specific to an event, navigate to the Events tab and click the the right arrow next to the event name to open the details panel. Then type a description next to the event property where it says "Add Description...". 
• To change the "global" description for an event property, navigate to the Event Properties tab and click on the event property to open the details panel. Then type a description next to the event property where it says "Add Description...". 

You can change the description for a user property by navigating to the User Properties tab, clicking the property name to open the details panel, and entering a description where it says "Add Description...".

Customers on Scholarship, Growth, and Enterprise plans are also able to upload images for events in the details panel. Uploading an image further helps members of your organization understand what the event represents.

To upload an image for an event, follow these steps:

1. Click the the right arrow next to the event name and open the details panel.
2. Click Add Image to upload an image. 

You are also able to bulk update event descriptions by downloading a copy of your current schema > filling in the appropriate descriptions > re-uploading the schema to your desired project.

Change activity status for an event

You can change a single event's activity status simply by clicking the Activity drop-down for the event and selecting its new status. You may want to set an event as Inactive if the user did not actively perform the event but event happened to the user. For example, "Push Notification Sent" or "Message Received" are examples of events that could be marked Inactive.

Setting an event's activity status to inactive will remove that event from any dashboard metrics counting active users and active events. Users who only fire inactive events will not be counted as active users for that day, though they will count towards our new user definitions.

NOTE: When you change an event's activity status from active to inactive, Amplitude will apply that change immediately and retroactively, so you should expect to see changes in your historical data. Inactive events will still count against your event volume.

To change the activity status for multiple events at once, follow these steps:

1. Click the checkboxes next to the desired event names.
2. Click the Edit Activity drop-down, as appropriate.
3. Select the event's new status.

Change visibility status for an event or property

Setting an event’s or property's visibility status to hidden is helpful for properties you may want to track but do not want to appear on the dashboard in any charts—for example, inactive events like push notifications. Marking an event or property as hidden does not delete the raw data associated with it.

To change the visibility status for an event or property, follow these steps:

1. Click the checkbox next to the name. You can select more than one event if you want to change the status of multiple events or properties at once.
2. Set the new visibility status from the Edit Visibility drop-down.

You can also change the visibility status of a single event or property from inside its details panel, which you can open by clicking on the name of the event or property. Then select the new status from the Visibility drop-down, under Event Settings.

Changing the visibility of an overridden event property will affect only the event or property group on which the property is overridden. If the property is not overridden, changing the visibility will also apply to the event or property group you are editing. as well as to all events and property groups that share the original event property’s details.

If you need help deciding whether to hide, block or delete your events or properties, refer to this article to see the differences between each status.

Block and unblock events and event properties

You can prevent Amplitude from collecting data on a specific event or event property by blocking it. Amplitude will immediately stop processing data for that event or property until you decide to unblock it.

To block an event, follow these steps:

1. Find the event or property you want to block and click the checkbox next to its name.
2. Click Block.
3. A confirmation modal will appear. If you are sure you still want to block the event or property, click Block.
4. To unblock a blocked event, follow steps 1-3 and click Unblock instead of Block.

If you need help deciding whether to hide, block or delete your events or properties, refer to this article to see the differences between each status.

Block and unblock user properties

You can prevent Amplitude from collecting data on a specific user property by blocking it. When you block a property, Amplitude will immediately stop processing data for it until you decide to unblock it.

To block a user property, follow these steps:

1. Find the property you want to block and click the checkbox next to its name.
2. Click Block.
3. A confirmation modal will appear. If you are sure you still want to block the property, click Block.
4. To unblock a blocked property, follow steps 1-3 and click Unblock instead of Block.

If you need help deciding whether to hide, block or delete your events or properties, refer to this article to see the differences between each status.

Manage the block list

The block list is a list of all the event types and user properties you are currently blocking for a specific project, as well as a historical view of previously blocked event types and user properties. The block list will also show you event types that have been deleted from your project.

You can reach the block list from Govern's Advanced tab.

You can also block event types and properties from within the block list itself. To do so, click + Add a Data Filter, and in the modal that follows, set up your parameters for the events or properties you want Amplitude to block. 

If you need help deciding whether to hide, block or delete your events or properties refer to this article to see the differences between each status.

 

Delete and undelete user properties

Deleting a user property will block the user property from ingestion and remove the property from chart drop-downs, meaning you will no longer be able to query on the user property. Deleting a user property will not remove the property from events that have already been ingested. This means that past events in a user's event stream will still contain the user property data. 

To delete user properties you no longer need, follow these steps:

1. Find the property or properties you want to delete and click the checkboxes next to their names.
2. Click Delete.
3. A verification modal will appear, instructing you to type in a confirmation phrase to continue with the deletion process. Type it in the text box and click Delete (#) Property.

If you change your mind after you've deleted a property, you can easily undelete it. To do so, follow these steps:

1. From the status filter drop-down, select Deleted. This will limit the User Properties tab to only display your deleted events.
2. Find the property or properties you want to undelete and click the checkboxes next to their names.
3. Click Undelete.

If you need help deciding whether to hide, block or delete your events or properties, refer to this article to see the differences between each status.

Delete and undelete events and event properties

Deleting an event will block the event from ingestion and remove the event from chart drop-downs, meaning you will no longer be able to query on the event. Keep in mind that when you delete an event or event property, it will still appear in your historical data. Deleting an event simply means that Amplitude will no longer collect data for that event, and that the event will no longer count toward your monthly event volume or instrumentation limit. You should also update your instrumentation to stop sending the deleted event type.

To delete events and event properties you no longer need, follow these steps:

1. Find the events or event properties you want to delete and click the checkboxes next to their names.
2. Click Delete.
3. A verification modal will appear, instructing you to type in a confirmation phrase to continue with the deletion process. Type it in the text box and click Delete (#) Event/ Delete (#) Properties.

If you change your mind after you've deleted an event, you can easily undelete it. To do so, follow these steps:

1. From the status filter drop-down, select Deleted. This will limit the Events/Event Properties tab to displaying only your deleted events/event properties.
2. Find the events or event properties you want to undelete and click the checkboxes next to their names.
3. Click Undelete.

NOTE: Once the event is undeleted, it may take up to 24 hours for the event to begin ingesting again.

If you need help deciding whether to hide, block or delete your events or properties, refer to this article to see the differences between each status.

Filter events from queries (Drop Filters)

NOTE: As query-side filters that are not applied during data ingestion, drop filters do not affect your event volume limit.

To create a drop filter, follow these steps:

1. In Govern, navigate to the Advanced tab and click Drop Filters.
2. If this is your first drop filter, you will see the following screen:
   
   
   
   Click Create Drop Filter. If this is not your first drop filter, you will instead see a list of all the existing drop filters. Click Add Filter to add a new one.
3. In the Add Drop Filter modal, click Select event … to choose the event you’d like to filter.
4. Click Select property … to include any relevant properties that will refine your filter. For example, perhaps you want to filter out all purchase events that come from a specific geographical location. Simply select that location from the list of properties.
   
   NOTE: You must use exact strings to match values as you cannot use comparative operators (such as "Contains") for Drop Filters.
   
   
5. Set the date / time ranges for the events you’d like to filter. The server upload time will automatically be set to the event time you've specified. You can set a different time range for server upload time by clicking the Custom Time radio button.
   
   
   NOTE:  You will need to select ranges for both an event time and a server upload time. Events must fall within both ranges to be filtered out.
   
   Also, event time and server upload time may differ slightly in rare instances.
   
   
6. If you like, add a note to explain why you’ve chosen to drop the filtered data.
7. Click Add Filter to complete the process.

If you want to edit or delete a drop filter, click on its name in the drop filter list. In the panel that appears on the right, click Edit.

NOTE: Drop filters do not affect the user activity view.