ClickTracks Professional Processor

The Pro Processor is the component of the architecture that processes and analyzes the raw data collected by the JDC and turns it into reports that can be viewed by client applications. The Pro Processor is a Windows application and therefore runs on a separate computer from the JDC. The Pro Processor gathers data from the JDC via FTP or HTTP downloads. A simple setup wizard provides fields to enter the location of the ClickTracks_Config.xml file for a given dataset, along with any necessary login credentials. The Pro Processor locates and reads this file, which directs the Pro Processor to download all the other files in the dataset's File System Hierarchy. See Pro Processor User Manual for more information on creating a JDC dataset.

The typical architecture is to have the Pro Processor running on a standard desktop computer behind the corporate firewall. (See Pro Processor System Requirements for more details). The Pro Processor acquires the raw dataset via FTP or HTTP on a scheduled basis. The Pro Processor can then analyze the data, including any campaigns, labels, or settings. The end-user then retrieves the pre-analyzed data from the Professional Processor using the ClickTracks Professional Client or a web browser, or receives reports via scheduled email events.

An alternative architecture might be appropriate for some very high volume sites. It can make sense to maintain the Pro Processor at the data center where the JDC runs. There are a few key advantages to this architecture:

•	The transfer of data from the JDC to the Pro Processor will go much faster since it is going across the network instead of over the Internet. This is important for very large datasets, as the download time can be significant.

•	The Pro Processor is in an environment conducive to serving data over the web, so there won't be security issues that sometimes arise from trying to serve reports.

•	The download of report data from the Pro Processor to clients and browsers will probably be significantly faster than serving them through the company network. This is particularly true if you are serving files to widely distributed end-users.

•	It imposes the significant cost of an additional Windows server running in a data center. It is recommended that the Pro Processor run on a dedicated box, so it should not be installed on an existing box that is already serving websites.

•	Getting to the Pro Processor to manage datasets requires a remote access, which may not be convenient for some users.