SessionSight: Behavior settings
Overview
Use this page to configure session recording, privacy masking, and data retention for a SessionSight container. SessionSight is LoadGen's visitor-behavior and session-replay tool, and Behavior settings decides what one tracked website or app is allowed to capture: heatmaps, frustration signals, surveys and feedback, and session replays, at what sampling rate, and under which masking rule recordings are redacted before storage.
A tenant and container must already exist, with the tracking snippet installed and an active API key, before these settings have anything to govern; those are set up on the Tenants, Containers, Keys and Install tabs of this same page. Once the tracker is live, the results feed the replay player, heatmaps, surveys and feedback surfaces elsewhere in SessionSight.
On this tab you turn heatmap and session-replay collection on or off, set a sampling percentage and an optional monthly cap, force-record specific events, exclude sensitive paths from recording, choose a masking strictness with selector-level exceptions, and set how many days of data are retained before it is purged.
Key concepts
- session replay - A recorded playback of a single visitor's on-page actions, captured according to the Sessions replayed (%) sample and any forced events. (related: SessionSight: Replay)
- privacy masking - The rule that decides which on-page text and input values are redacted before a session replay is stored. (related: SessionSight: Privacy)
- container - A single tracked website or app, scoped under a tenant, that these Behavior settings apply to. (related: Configuration: SessionSight: SessionSight)
- tenant - The company-level account that groups one or more containers; selecting a different tenant changes which containers and settings you can configure. (related: Configuration: SessionSight: SessionSight)
When to use it
- When onboarding a new container and you need to decide what SessionSight is allowed to record before real visitors arrive.
- When you need to reduce storage or plan usage by lowering the replay sampling percentage or adding a monthly replay cap.
- When a compliance or legal requirement means visitor-entered data needs stricter masking than the default.
- When a team needs a guaranteed replay of a specific error or conversion event even if the session falls outside the sample.
- When a page shows sensitive content that must never appear in a replay at all.
- When you need to shorten or extend how long replay and behavior data is kept before it is purged.
Before you begin
- A tenant exists for the company whose traffic you are configuring, created on the Tenants tab (Configuration: SessionSight: SessionSight).
- A container exists for the specific website or app and its tracking snippet is installed and verified, confirmed on the Install tab (SessionSight: Install and verify).
- The container has an active API key on the Keys tab, so the installed tracker can send data governed by these settings.
- You know which CSS selectors, if any, must stay unmasked or be left out of the replay, and which page paths must never be recorded.
Common workflows
Cut replay storage without losing evidence of a critical event
Persona: SessionSight admin managing storage or plan cost
- Lower Sessions replayed (%) from 100 to a smaller value, for example 25.
- Expect: The field shows the new percentage; only that share of future sessions will get a full replay.
- List the event you must always capture in Record when these events fire, one name per line.
- Expect: The textarea retains the entered event names; any session that fires one of them now gets a replay even though it falls outside the lowered sample.
- Set a Monthly replay limit if you also need a hard cap on volume.
- Expect: The field stores the number; replay recording stops for the rest of the month once that count is reached, regardless of the sampling percentage.
Verify: Sessions replayed (%) shows the lowered value and Record when these events fire lists the protected event names. Review replay volume after the change to confirm it dropped while the named event still produced a replay.
Tighten privacy masking for a page with sensitive content
Persona: Admin responding to a privacy or compliance requirement
- Select Strict in the Privacy masking control.
- Expect: Strict becomes the selected option in place of Balanced (default); all text on the page is masked in future replays, not just input values.
- Add any page paths that must never be recorded at all to Never record on these paths, one per line.
- Expect: The textarea stores the paths; sessions on those paths are excluded from recording entirely, even under Strict masking.
Verify: Privacy masking shows Strict selected and the excluded paths are listed. The next replays captured for this container show no readable text outside the excluded paths, which are skipped altogether.
Steps
Step 1
Open SessionSight and select the Behavior settings tab for the LoadGen B.V. tenant and Production Web App container.
Expected result: The page loads the Collection and session replays panel on the left and the Privacy and retention panel on the right: both toggles on, Sessions replayed (%) at 100, Privacy masking set to Balanced (default), and Retention (days) at 180.
This is where you decide what the installed tracker on this container is allowed to record and how long that data is kept.
- Tenant and Container dropdowns at the top scope every field on this tab.
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Heatmaps, frustration signals, surveys and feedback and Session replays are both On by default.
Tabs on this page
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Tenants - Lists and manages the company-level tenant records that group one or more tracked containers. Switch here to add a tenant before configuring its containers.
- Tenant ID, Company Name, and Add/Edit/Delete controls for tenant records.
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Containers - Lists and manages the individual tracked websites or apps under the selected tenant. Switch here to add a container or edit its tracked URL, timezone, or status.
- Container ID, Name, Description, Main URL, Datasource, Timezone, Status, and Max Sessions/Day, with Add/Edit/Delete controls.
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Keys - Manages the API key the installed tracker uses to authenticate for the selected container. Switch here to generate, cycle, or revoke that key.
- The container's API key plus Generate Key, Cycle Key, and Revoke Key controls.
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Install - Shows the tracking snippet and verification status for the selected container. Switch here to confirm the tracker is installed and sending data before relying on Behavior settings.
- The tracking snippet and a link to confirm the tracker is live.
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Behavior settings - Controls what SessionSight records for the selected container and how it masks and retains that data. This is the active tab covered by this article.
- Collection toggles, Sessions replayed (%), Monthly replay limit, forced-record events, excluded paths, Privacy masking, unmask/exclude selector lists, and Retention (days).
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Privacy - Holds the container's broader privacy configuration alongside the masking choices on this tab. Switch here for settings not covered by Behavior settings.
- Not captured in this walkthrough; see SessionSight: Privacy for its fields.
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Goals - Defines conversion goals, a target URL or event with optional conditions, that SessionSight tracks and reports against. Switch here to add or edit a goal.
- Goal name, Target URL, URL Match Type, Event Name, Scroll Depth %, Conditions, and Completion Value, with Add Goal and Goal Analytics controls.
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Funnels - Defines multi-step funnels, ordered sequences of steps, to measure where visitors drop off. Switch here to add or edit a funnel.
- Funnel name, ordered Steps, Max Step Delay (min), with Add Funnel and Funnel Analytics controls.
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Channel Grouping - Defines the ordered rules that classify incoming traffic into marketing channels, plus the default channel used when no rule matches. Switch here to add or reorder a rule.
- Ordered channel rules with move-up/move-down controls, and a Default channel used when no rule matches.
Field reference
| Field | Purpose | Format / Validation | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenant | Scopes every tab on this page, including Behavior settings, to one company account; switch it to configure a different customer's containers. | Dropdown, populated from existing tenant records | No | LoadGen B.V. in this capture |
| Container | Scopes Behavior settings to one tracked website or app under the selected tenant; switching it loads that container's own recording and masking values, which are stored separately per container. | Dropdown, filtered to containers under the selected tenant | No | Production Web App in this capture |
| Heatmaps, frustration signals, surveys and feedback | Turns passive behavioral signal collection on or off for this container; switch it off to stop all heatmap, frustration-signal, survey and feedback-widget data from being recorded. | Toggle | No | On |
| Session replays | Turns session replay recording on or off for this container; switch it off to stop recording new replays entirely, independent of the sampling percentage below. | Toggle | No | On |
| Sessions replayed (%) | Sets what share of eligible sessions get a full replay recorded. A higher value gives more complete coverage at higher storage and plan cost; a lower value reduces cost but risks missing issues in sessions that fall outside the sample. | Number, 0 to 100, fractions allowed | No | 100 |
| Monthly replay limit | Caps the total number of replays recorded per month regardless of the sampling percentage above. Leave it blank to rely only on the plan's own limit, or set a number to stop recording once that monthly count is reached. | Number | No | - |
| Record when these events fire | Lists event names that force a replay to start even for a session the sampling percentage would otherwise skip; use it to guarantee a replay for specific errors or conversions. | Textarea, one event name per line, up to 50 | No | - |
| Never record on these paths | Lists page paths excluded from recording entirely, overriding every other setting on this tab; use it to keep sensitive pages such as account or payment forms out of replays altogether. | Textarea, one path per line, up to 50; an asterisk is a wildcard | No | - |
| Privacy masking | Chooses how much on-page content is redacted before a replay is stored. Strict masks all text on the page. Balanced, the default, and Relaxed both mask input values and whatever you list in the two selector fields below, leaving the rest of the page readable. Choose Strict when the page shows sensitive content outside form fields; choose Balanced or Relaxed when only input values need protecting. | Three-way choice: Strict, Balanced (default), Relaxed | No | Balanced (default) |
| Inputs recorded unmasked (CSS selectors) | Lists selectors for input fields that stay readable in replays even under Balanced or Relaxed masking. Has no effect under Strict, which masks all text regardless. | Textarea, one selector per line, up to 20; a comma stays inside its selector | No | - |
| Elements left out of the replay (CSS selectors) | Lists selectors for elements omitted from the replay recording entirely, rather than just masked; use it for elements you never want captured, such as third-party widgets. | Textarea, one selector per line, up to 20 | No | - |
| Retention (days) | Sets how long replay and behavior data is kept before it is purged. A higher value keeps a longer history for investigation at higher storage cost; a lower value frees storage sooner but shortens how far back you can look. | Number, 7 to 730 | No | 180 |
Controls reference
Refresh
Reloads the current tab's data for the selected Tenant and Container from the server.
When to use: After switching Tenant or Container, or if you suspect another user changed these settings, to confirm you are viewing current values.
Side effects: Read-only; re-fetches and redisplays data without changing any setting.
Verify the result
On the Behavior settings tab, the Collection and session replays panel reflects your chosen toggles, sampling percentage, monthly limit, and any forced-record events or excluded paths, and the Privacy and retention panel shows the selected Privacy masking level with its selector lists and Retention (days) value. Switching the Tenant or Container dropdown away and back confirms the values are stored per container, not shared across containers. New replays and behavior signals captured after the change follow the new rules: sessions outside a lowered Sessions replayed (%) stop generating full replays unless they match a Record when these events fire entry, and masking takes effect on the next recorded session, not retroactively on existing replays. If a value reverts to its previous default after you navigate away and back, the change was not saved; check for a save control, which may sit below the visible panel.
Troubleshooting
- Symptom: Sessions replayed (%) is set low but you still see a replay for every session. Fix: Check Record when these events fire; any event name listed there forces a replay even outside the sample.
- Symptom: A visitor's typed data still appears in a replay after switching away from Strict. Fix: Balanced and Relaxed only mask inputs and the selectors you list under Inputs recorded unmasked (CSS selectors) and Elements left out of the replay (CSS selectors); add the field's selector to one of those lists, or switch to Strict to mask all page text.
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Symptom: No replays are being recorded on a specific page at all. Fix: Check Never record on these paths; a matching path, including wildcards like
/account/*, blocks recording there regardless of every other setting. - Symptom: Monthly replay limit is left blank but you expected a cap. Fix: An empty or 0 value means no limit beyond the plan; enter a specific number to cap replays for the month.
- Symptom: Old session replays are still visible past when you expect them to be purged. Fix: Retention (days) only purges data older than the current value going forward; lowering it does not retroactively delete data already past the new threshold until the next purge cycle.
- Symptom: You can't find a way to save your changes on this tab. Fix: The save control sits below the visible Retention (days) field; scroll down to confirm the change was applied.
Related articles
- Prerequisite: Configuration: SessionSight: SessionSight - tenants, containers, and API keys are created there before Behavior settings has anything to govern
- Prerequisite: SessionSight: Install and verify - the tracking snippet must be installed and verified before these settings take effect
- See also: SessionSight: Privacy - holds the container's broader privacy configuration alongside this tab's masking choices
- Next step: SessionSight: Replay - session replays captured under these settings are reviewed there
- Next step: SessionSight: Heatmaps - heatmap and frustration signals enabled here are viewed there
- See also: SessionSight: Dashboard - gives an overview of the data collected under these settings