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Wilt u efficiënter werken? 

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ZEN Software

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Introducing SignalFX

"Table for meetings in a modern building, with laptop, chairs & desk

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Our Maxeda team decided that we needed to improve our Application Performance Monitoring. We needed to develop the capability for distributed tracing and ended up having found SignalFX to be up for the job. Part of the introduction was a number of trainings to get the department familiar and all links to systems setup. 

Zenthropic: AI phone agents that pick up 24/7

Zenthropic console: dashboard met gespreksstatistieken en gespreksanalyse per AI-telefoonagent

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The phone rings outside office hours, during an incident, or exactly when everyone is in a meeting. Zenthropic puts an AI agent against that: it picks up 24/7, asks the right questions and records what was agreed.

The phone rings outside office hours, during an incident, or exactly when everyone is in a meeting. That is not an edge case: it happens structurally, and usually at the worst possible moment. Zenthropic puts an AI phone agent against that — one that always picks up.

The applications vary widely, and that is the point. An agent that takes incidents 24/7 and immediately asks for what you need to escalate. An agent that answers product questions from customers who call. An operations bot that talks to you while you are on the road and not behind a screen. Or a language coach giving international colleagues a short Dutch course — same platform, different script.

Every call comes back as a summary in Slack, email or the CRM. That is the difference from an answering machine: you learn not only that someone called, but what about, and what was agreed.

Configuration runs through a console, not through code. Adjusting the agent — different questions, different routing, a different tone — is something you do yourself. It runs in multiple languages, and response time stays under 800 milliseconds, because a conversation with lag feels like a machine immediately.

What’s wrong with GA4, or how to find essential reports in Google Analytics

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Google Analytics 4 (GA4) reporting has received some criticism and feedback from users since its release. Despite GA4 offering an array of reporting tools, users may face confusion regarding the location of certain reports or the type of data in the interface. In this article, we delve into common reporting queries and where to locate them in GA4.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) reporting has received some criticism and feedback from users since its release. Here is the list of main differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics (GA3):

1. **Interface Redesign**: GA4 offers a more streamlined interface compared to GA3.
2. **Navigation**: GA4's navigation is organized into sections like "Realtime", "Audience", "Acquisition", "Behavior", and "Conversions".
3. **Visualization**: GA4 introduces updated chart types and interactive visualization options.
4. **Audience Insights**: GA4 adds metrics like Engagement Rate and Active Users for deeper audience understanding.
5. **Acquisition Analysis**: GA4 provides enhanced attribution modelling and campaign performance insights.
6. **Behaviour Tracking**: GA4's behaviour reports include new metrics and insights like user engagement and retention.
7. **Conversion Analysis**: GA4's conversion reports offer more comprehensive tracking of key metrics and revenue.

Despite GA4 offering an array of reporting tools, users may face confusion regarding the location of certain reports or the type of data in the interface. In this article, we delve into common reporting queries and where to locate them in GA4.

Case 1: Identifying Popular Content Pages

The **Engagement → Pages and Screens** report in GA4 is the go-to for understanding page views. However, filtering data for specific page types, like product or news pages, may be unclear. That`s where the **Report filter** comes in handy.

To filter data, follow these steps:

1. Click on the ‘Customize report' pencil icon.
2. In the sidebar, navigate to the Report filter block and click ‘Add filter’.
3. Select the dimension for filtering, such as 'Page path and screen', and set the filter criteria (e.g., contains 'blog' or 'products').

And that's it! Press Apply and the bottom of the sidebar, and you get your filtered page data report.

Case 2: Analyzing Unique and Total Page Views

In the **Engagement → Pages and Screens** report, the Users column provides unique user counts, while the **Views** column offers total page views. Utilize the Search field to find data for specific pages.

The **Traffic Acquisition report** under the Engagement menu tab offers insights into traffic sources. 

Customize the report by switching from the default view to **'Session source/medium'** for clearer insights. Utilize UTM tags to customize the source and medium parameters further

There you can see traffic sources much clearer. You can also customise your ```source``` and ```medium``` parameters by using UTM tags. It`ll allow you to get even more traffic information and shape its form to your demand.

While Google Analytics 4 (GA4) offers powerful website performance insights and great improvements, navigating its interface may pose challenges. Experimenting with filters and alternate report tables can unveil new insights without the need for additional tools.

Unlock the full potential of your digital presence with expert guidance on Google Analytics 4! Our seasoned specialists are ready to optimize your data tracking, interpret insights, and drive informed decisions. Elevate your analytics game today - schedule a consultation with our experts!

A Developer's Guide to Agile Rollouts: adding Feature Flags in React

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**Feature flags**, also known as **feature toggles** or **feature switches**, are a powerful tool in software development that allows developers to enable or disable specific features or functionalities in an application. In the dynamic landscape of front-end development, the integration of feature flags has emerged as an indispensable strategy, unlocking a realm of possibilities for developers seeking agility, flexibility, and enhanced control over their projects.

**Feature flags**, also known as **feature toggles** or **feature switches**, are a powerful tool in software development that allows developers to enable or disable specific features or functionalities in an application. In the dynamic landscape of front-end development, the integration of feature flags has emerged as an indispensable strategy, unlocking a realm of possibilities for developers seeking agility, flexibility, and enhanced control over their projects. 

Using feature flags you can:

- Prevent long-lived branches and do Continuous Integration (Software Delivery Advantage)
- Test features for stability on production (Stability Advantage)
- Enable a set of features for beta users only (Implement Early Access)
- See if planned features get traction with user segments (Marketing Advantage)
- Lay the foundation for A/B tests and data-driven decision-making (Agile Organisation)

In this article, we'll explore how to implement feature flags in a React application, enabling developers to control feature activation dynamically.

Here are some benefits you get by  adding feature flags to your project:

1. **Progressive Feature Rollouts**: Feature flags enable progressive rollouts, allowing developers to release new features incrementally to a subset of users. This helps in identifying and addressing potential issues before a full release.
2. **Hotfixes and Rollbacks**: Feature flags provide a safety net for deployments by allowing teams to quickly disable a feature if issues arise. This can prevent downtime and reduce the impact of bugs on users.
3. **Navigating environments**: Navigating the complex terrain of varied environments, from development and testing to staging and production, can often pose challenges. Feature flags, however, provide a solution that transcends these hurdles by allowing developers to seamlessly toggle on or off specific features at runtime, independent of the deployment environment.
4. **Flexibility in Release Planning**: Feature flags provide flexibility in release planning, allowing teams to decouple feature development from release schedules. Features can be completed and merged into the codebase but remain hidden until they are strategically released, providing a more adaptable and responsive development process.


Basic Implementation with React Feature Flags

To implement feature flags, we will be using [react-feature-flags](https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-feature-flags) library.

2. Wrap your App component into features provider:

Here is an example of the features configuration for the project with 3 environments: development, staging & production).

4. Set the feature name for your component:

Implementing feature flags in a React application is a powerful strategy for managing and controlling features dynamically. Whether using a lightweight library like ```react-feature-flags``` or any other service, feature flags provide flexibility, reduce deployment risks, and empower teams to deliver better user experiences through controlled feature releases.


Remote Coding Job Interviews are DEAD because of Nvidia and ChatGPT

Art painting of tree landscape w/ font "Technical Interview: The Actual

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With the rise of remote work, remote coding job interviews have become increasingly popular. However, this shift has brought new challenges. Particularly concerning are the new possibilities for cheating and fakery during the interview process.

One issue is applicants applying AI-powered language models, such as ChatGPT, for computer code. These models can generate the exact algorithms in any programming language needed in the coding interview. When applicants use ChatGPT on their second screen, they can answer questions correctly even if they lack the necessary coding skills.

Another concern is the use of tools that artificially create the appearance of eye contact during the interview. This can give a false impression of engagement and presence, even if the interviewee is not looking directly at the camera. This allows an applicant to operate the second screen and look up answers on chatGPT.

To address these challenges, companies and interviewers must implement additional security measures and be aware of these potential issues. This can include using secure environments from providers of remote assessments. These tools have been around for some time but have not yet been used for coding interviews. These secure environments prevent the applicant from using tools like artificial eye contact or a second screen with chatGPT on it. This is as opposed to using plain vanilla Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or Zoom.

It is also essential to recognize the limitations of remote coding job interviews and not rely solely on these methods for candidate assessment. Supplementing remote coding interviews with other forms of evaluation in person will provide a more comprehensive understanding of a candidate's abilities.

While the A.I. Tech provides new opportunities, the same tech provides challenges for remote coding interviews. It is crucial to start using this new tech while at the same time trying to prevent abuse in the hiring process through more security measures.

***use the tech for good: new dialogue in movies…***

Add lightning fast search to your React/Nextjs site

"Crafted facial-hair frames a smile, ready to implement a

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Creating a search feature on your website can significantly improve the user experience. A well-designed search bar can be a powerful tool for increasing engagement and conversion. In this article, we will focus on adding an easily implemented and fast search feature to your website with the help of Google's Custom Search API.

Creating a search feature on your website can significantly improve the user experience. A well-designed search bar can be a powerful tool for increasing engagement and conversion. In this article, we will focus on adding an easily implemented and fast search feature to your website with the help of Google's Custom Search API.

Several options are available for adding search functionality to your website, including using a third-party search engine, integrating a search bar directly into your website, or using a search API. Each option has its own pros and cons, but using a search API like Google's Custom Search API can offer several advantages over other methods.

One of the key benefits of using Google's Custom Search API is that it provides a well documented and easy to implement search on your website. The API is easily implemented in your nextjs code while giving you full control over the design and appearance of your search bar and results pages. 

Another benefit of using Google's Custom Search API is that it is highly scalable, making it ideal for websites of all sizes and types. Whether you run a small personal blog or a large e-commerce site, the API can easily be integrated into your website to provide a customized search experience for your visitors.

This way, by using Google's Custom Search API, you can take advantage of Google's powerful search algorithms, customizable results pages, and scalable platform to deliver the best possible search experience for your visitors without spending a ton of time and effort on developing your custom search solution.

In the next sections of this article, we will walk through the steps involved in integrating Google's Custom Search API into your website.

Enabling a Programmable Search Engine & setting up API

Regarding using Google search JSON API, as enlisted in the documentation, we will need the Programmable Search Engine ID (ID of the Engine to perform the search) and **API key** to identify our application.

To enable Programmable Search Engine, you should sign in to the [Control Panel](https://programmablesearchengine.google.com/controlpanel/create) and click on the ‘Add’ button.

The setup is simple, all we need to do is to name our search engine and set the scope of the search. Our goal is to make the search for our website only, so we should pish ‘Search specific sites pr pages’ and add all pages of our website domain in the ‘What to search?' block.

That`s all, it really is that easy! now we can press ‘Create’.

After creating an engine, it`ll suggest a default Search element HTML, which you can use on your website. But our goal is to create a custom frontend while using Google Search Engine API. So we will need only **Programmable Search Engine ID**, which you can find in the overview of your Search Engine

The next step is to create an API key.   
To do this, go to the [Google Cloud console](https://console.cloud.google.com/), pick the project you’d like to create a search for, and then go to the API & Services => Credentials => Create Credentials => API key.

The key is created; let`s edit it: rename & add API restrictions, allowing :
- Cloud Translation API
- Custom Search API   

As Custom Search API does not detect language automatically and searches in English by default, we will also need the Cloud Translation API to detect the language of the search query, translate it and make a search request with the translated query as well.

If you don`t have these options in the API restrictions list, it means that you should enable said APIs first. 
You can enable APIs in API & Services => Enabled APIs & Services=> Enable APIs & Services.

 

Done! Now we have all the creds to use the Google Search Engine API endpoint on our website:

For translating search queries, we will be using [translate ](https://cloud.google.com/translate/docs/reference/rest/v2/translate)and [detect](https://cloud.google.com/translate/docs/reference/rest/v2/detect) endpoints of Cloud Translation API.


Creating a custom front-end for the Search Flow

There are 3 basic elements we need to implement search:
- the **search bar element**, which will be available on every page of the website;
- the **search results page**, which will display search results;
- the **handleSearch() function**, which will call an API and return search results.


We won't be focusing on the first two, as you have full freedom to design and implement a completely custom search bar & results page depending on your goals.

One of the main pros of using Google Search Engine API though is that you can create custom logic for your search function.

For example, the drawing below represents the logic of the handleSearch() function we've developed.

In conclusion, integrating Google's Custom Search API into your website can provide visitors with a powerful and efficient search solution. The API offers several key benefits, including the simplicity of implementation, the ability to take advantage of Google's powerful search engine, the speed of search results, and the ability to customize the front-end and create custom search logic.

While there are some limitations to using Google's Custom Search API, such as the fact that it is based on the basic Google search engine and does not allow for further improvement of its work, these limitations are outweighed by the many benefits of the API. If you are looking for a fast, reliable, and customizable search solution for your website, Google's Custom Search API is absolutely preferred!

Introducing SignalFX

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Read more:

Introducing SignalFX

Zenthropic: AI phone agents that pick up 24/7

What’s wrong with GA4, or how to find essential reports in Google Analytics

A Developer's Guide to Agile Rollouts: adding Feature Flags in React

Remote Coding Job Interviews are DEAD because of Nvidia and ChatGPT

Add lightning fast search to your React/Nextjs site

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