---
sourceDocument: Xanadu Customer Service Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/xanadu/customer-service-management

 Release :

    - xanadu

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Xanadu Customer Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - csm

bundleId :

    - csm

workflow :

    - Customer and Industry


---

# Portal usage calculation

# Portal usage calculation {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Xanadu
* 
* Updated August 1, 2024
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

Portal usage enables you to track how your customers and employees are using the
portal. The Customer Portal Usage dashboard provides information about portal visits resulting
in session counts.
To view the Customer Portal Usage dashboard, navigate to Customer ServiceAdministrationPortal Usage.  
Note:  
You can ignore the bot session usage that is captured as part of this dashboard.  
A user session is a period of activity on the Customer or Consumer Service Portal by any of the following session types:

* Guest session: Session where the user isn't logged in
* Bot session: Separate count of sessions generated due to bots and crawlers
* External session: Session where the user is an external user, typically a customer or consumer who is logged in

{#csm-portal-user-sessions-timeouts__ul_zfl_vjb_3fb}The aggregate session count is based on the following calculations:.

A user session times out after a specific period of inactivity.

User access to the self-service portals is tracked as follows: per session, per day, and per portal. If the same user logs in from multiple browsers or devices, each login is counted as a separate visit. Each first call of a
portal page starts a session and, the usage metrics are calculated for the 24 hours window.

The default session timeout is 30 minutes. This setting can be adjusted using a system
property. For more information about modifying the session timeout setting, see [Manage user sessions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=c_ManageUserSessions&version=xanadu&pubname=xanadu-platform-administration&ft:locale=en-US).

## Site visit calculation examples {#csm-portal-user-sessions-timeouts__section_uf3_2kb_3fb}

A user logs in, logs out, and then logs in again.{#csm-portal-user-sessions-timeouts__table_dkt_fkb_3fb__entry__3}

| Step | User activity | Billable count incremented |
|:-|:-|:-|
| 1 | User visits the portal as an anonymous or guest user | Yes |
| 2 | User logs in | No |
| 3 | User logs out | No |
| 4 | User logs in immediately after logging out | Yes |
[Table 1. Example of a site visit calculation for a user who logs in, logs out, and then logs in again]

{#csm-portal-user-sessions-timeouts__table_dkt_fkb_3fb}  
A user logs in and continues the session past midnight:{#csm-portal-user-sessions-timeouts__table_izt_tkb_3fx__entry__3}

| Step | User activity | Billable count incremented |
|:-|:-|:-|
| 1 | User visits the portal as an anonymous or guest user | Yes |
| 2 | User logs in | No |
| 3 | User session continues past midnight | Yes |
| 4 | User logs out | No |
[Table 2. Example of a site visit calculation for a user who logs in and continues the session past midnight]

{#csm-portal-user-sessions-timeouts__table_izt_tkb_3fx}

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