feat: tracking

specification.json

@@ -508,6 +508,13 @@
             "RFC 2119 keyword": "MAY",
             "children": []
         },
+        {
+            "id": "Condition 2.7.1",
+            "machine_id": "condition_2_7_1",
+            "content": "The `provider` MAY define a function for tracking the occurrence of a particular user action or application state, with parameters `tracking event name` (string, required), `evaluation context` (optional) and `tracking event details` (optional) which returns nothing.",
+            "RFC 2119 keyword": "MAY",
+            "children": []
+        },
         {
             "id": "Requirement 3.1.1",
             "machine_id": "requirement_3_1_1",
@@ -1044,6 +1051,64 @@
             "content": "If the provider emits an event, the value of the client's `provider status` MUST be updated accordingly.",
             "RFC 2119 keyword": "MUST",
             "children": []
+        },
+        {
+            "id": "Condition 6.1.1",
+            "machine_id": "condition_6_1_1",
+            "content": "The implementation uses the dynamic-context paradigm.",
+            "RFC 2119 keyword": null,
+            "children": [
+                {
+                    "id": "Conditional Requirement 6.1.1.1",
+                    "machine_id": "conditional_requirement_6_1_1_1",
+                    "content": "The `client` MUST define a function for tracking the occurrence of a particular action or application state, with parameters `tracking event name` (string, required), `evaluation context` (optional) and `tracking event details` (optional), which returns nothing.",
+                    "RFC 2119 keyword": "MUST",
+                    "children": []
+                }
+            ]
+        },
+        {
+            "id": "Condition 6.1.2",
+            "machine_id": "condition_6_1_2",
+            "content": "The implementation uses the static-context paradigm.",
+            "RFC 2119 keyword": null,
+            "children": [
+                {
+                    "id": "Conditional Requirement 6.1.2.1",
+                    "machine_id": "conditional_requirement_6_1_2_1",
+                    "content": "The `client` MUST define a function for tracking the occurrence of a particular action or application state, with parameters `tracking event name` (string, required) and `tracking event details` (optional), which returns nothing.",
+                    "RFC 2119 keyword": "MUST",
+                    "children": []
+                }
+            ]
+        },
+        {
+            "id": "Requirement 6.1.3",
+            "machine_id": "requirement_6_1_3",
+            "content": "The evaluation context passed to the provider's track function MUST be merged in the order: API (global; lowest precedence) - transaction - client - invocation (highest precedence), with duplicate values being overwritten.",
+            "RFC 2119 keyword": "MUST",
+            "children": []
+        },
+        {
+            "id": "Requirement 6.1.4",
+            "machine_id": "requirement_6_1_4",
+            "content": "If the client's `track` function is called and the associated provider does not implement tracking, the client's `track` function MUST no-op.",
+            "RFC 2119 keyword": "MUST",
+            "children": []
+        },
+        {
+            "id": "Requirement 6.2.1",
+            "machine_id": "requirement_6_2_1",
+            "content": "The `tracking event details` structure MUST define an optional numeric `value`, associating a scalar quality with an `tracking event`.",
+            "RFC 2119 keyword": "MUST",
+            "children": []
+        },
+        {
+            "id": "Requirement 6.2.2",
+            "machine_id": "requirement_6_2_2",
+            "content": "The `tracking event details` MUST support the inclusion of custom fields, having keys of type `string`, and values of type `boolean | string | number | structure`.",
+            "RFC 2119 keyword": "MUST",
+            "children": []
         }
     ]
 }

specification/glossary.md

@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ This document defines some terms that are used across this specification.
   - [Transaction Context Propagator](#transaction-context-propagator)
   - [Evaluating Flag Values](#evaluating-flag-values)
   - [Resolving Flag Values](#resolving-flag-values)
+  - [Tracking Event](#tracking-event)
 - [Flagging specifics](#flagging-specifics)
   - [Flag](#flag)
   - [Flag Set](#flag-set)
@@ -148,6 +149,10 @@ The process of retrieving a feature flag value in it's entirety, including:
 
 The process of a provider retrieving a feature flag value from it's particular source-of-truth.
 
+### Tracking Event
+
+A particular user action or application state representing a business objective or outcome, identified by a unique string, and recorded using the [tracking API](./sections/06-tracking.md).
+
 ## Flagging specifics
 
 ```mermaid

specification/sections/02-providers.md

@@ -261,3 +261,34 @@ class MyProvider implements Provider {
 Providers may maintain remote connections, timers, threads or other constructs that need to be appropriately disposed of.
 Provider authors may implement a `shutdown` function to perform relevant clean-up actions.
 Alternatively, implementations might leverage language idioms such as auto-disposable interfaces or some means of cancellation signal propagation to allow for graceful shutdown.
+
+### 2.7. Tracking Support
+
+[![experimental](https://img.shields.io/static/v1?label=Status&message=experimental&color=orange)](https://github.com/open-feature/spec/tree/main/specification#experimental)
+
+Some flag management systems support tracking functionality, which can be used to associate feature flag evaluations with subsequent user actions or application state.
+
+See [tracking](./06-tracking.md).
+
+#### Condition 2.7.1
+
+> The `provider` **MAY** define a function for tracking the occurrence of a particular user action or application state, with parameters `tracking event name` (string, required), `evaluation context` (optional) and `tracking event details` (optional) which returns nothing.
+
+```java
+class MyProvider implements Tracking {
+  //...
+
+  /**
+   * Record a tracking event.
+   */
+  void track(String trackingEventName, EvaluationContext context, TrackingEventDetails details): void;
+
+  //...
+}
+```
+
+The track function is a void function (function returning nothing).
+The track function performs side effects required to record the `tracking event` in question, which may include network activity or other I/O; this I/O should not block the function call.
+Providers should be careful to complete any communication or flush any relevant uncommitted tracking data before they shut down.
+
+See [shutdown](#25-shutdown).

specification/sections/06-tracking.md

@@ -10,35 +10,98 @@ toc_max_heading_level: 4
 
 ## Overview
 
-Experimentation is a primary use case for feature flags.
-In practice, this often means flag variants are assigned to users at random or in accordance with a business rule, while the impact of the assigned variant on some business objective is measured.
-Vendors and custom solutions often support a _tracking_ or _goal measuring_ API to facilitate the measurement of these business objectives.
-
-### Goals
-
-- Develop official terminology to support consistent implementation
-- Specify a flexible API widely compatible with basic vendor functionality
-  - Define tracking event payload
-  - Define tracking event identifier
-  - Support A/B testing and experimentation use-cases
-  - Support client and server paradigms
-  - Provide recommendations around: 
-    - Async vs sync
-    - Flushing mechanisms
-    - Event batching
-
-### Non-goals
-
-- Creating an experimentation platform
-- Covering every user-tracking use case
-  - We will not define any data aggregation mechanisms
-  - We will not focus on "metrics", but instead, "facts"
-
-### Design Principles
-
-We value the following:
-
-- Adherence to, and compatibility with OpenFeature semantics
-- Maximum compatibility and ease-of-adoption for existing solutions
-- Minimum traffic and payload size
-- Ease-of-use for application authors, integrators, and provider authors (in that order)
+The `tracking API` enables the association of feature flag evaluations with subsequent actions or application states, in order to facilitate experimentation and analysis of the impact of feature flags on business objectives.
+
+Combined with hooks which report feature flag evaluations to the analytics platform in question, tracking can allow for robust experimentation even for flag management systems that don't support tracking directly.
+
+```mermaid
+sequenceDiagram
+  Evaluation API->>+Tracking Hook: evaluate
+  Tracking Hook->>Analytics Platform: before
+  Tracking Hook->>Analytics Platform: after
+  Tracking Hook->>-Evaluation API: evaluate
+  Evaluation API->>Analytics Platform: track
+```
+
+### 6.1. Tracking API
+
+#### Condition 6.1.1
+
+> The implementation uses the dynamic-context paradigm.
+
+see: [dynamic-context paradigm](../glossary.md#dynamic-context-paradigm)
+
+##### Conditional Requirement 6.1.1.1
+
+> The `client` **MUST** define a function for tracking the occurrence of a particular action or application state, with parameters `tracking event name` (string, required), `evaluation context` (optional) and `tracking event details` (optional), which returns nothing.
+
+```java
+// example tracking event recording that a subject reached a page associated with a business goal
+client.track("visited-promo-page", evaluationContext);
+
+// example tracking event recording that a subject performed an action associated with a business goal, with the tracking event details having a particular numeric value
+client.track("clicked-checkout", evaluationContext, new TrackingEventDetails(99.77));
+
+// example tracking event recording that a subject performed an action associated with a business goal, with the tracking event details having a particular numeric value
+client.track("clicked-checkout", evaluationContext, new TrackingEventDetails(99.77).add("currencyCode", "USD"));
+```
+
+See [evaluation context](../types.md#evaluation-context), [tracking event details](#62-tracking-event-details).
+
+#### Condition 6.1.2
+
+[![experimental](https://img.shields.io/static/v1?label=Status&message=experimental&color=orange)](https://github.com/open-feature/spec/tree/main/specification#experimental)
+
+> The implementation uses the static-context paradigm.
+
+see: [static-context paradigm](../glossary.md#static-context-paradigm)
+
+##### Conditional Requirement 6.1.2.1
+
+> The `client` **MUST** define a function for tracking the occurrence of a particular action or application state, with parameters `tracking event name` (string, required) and `tracking event details` (optional), which returns nothing.
+
+The track function is a void function (function returning nothing).
+Though it may be associated with network activity or other I/O, it need not be awaited by application authors.
+
+```java
+// example tracking event recording that a subject reached a page associated with a business goal
+client.track("visited-promo-page");
+
+// example tracking event recording that a subject performed an action associated with a business goal, with the tracking event details having a particular numeric value
+client.track("clicked-checkout", new TrackingEventDetails(99.77));
+
+// example tracking event recording that a subject performed an action associated with a business goal, with the tracking event details having a particular numeric and some additional details
+client.track("clicked-checkout", new TrackingEventDetails(99.77).add("currencyCode", "USD"));
+```
+
+#### Requirement 6.1.3
+
+> The evaluation context passed to the provider's track function **MUST** be merged in the order: API (global; lowest precedence) -> transaction -> client -> invocation (highest precedence), with duplicate values being overwritten.
+
+The SDK passes a merged evaluation context to the provider's track function similarly to the manner it does in resolvers.
+
+See: [context levels and merging](./03-evaluation-context.md#32-context-levels-and-merging).
+
+#### Requirement 6.1.4
+
+> If the client's `track` function is called and the associated provider does not implement tracking, the client's `track` function **MUST** no-op.
+
+### 6.2. Tracking Event Details
+
+The `tracking event details` structure defines optional data pertinent to a particular `tracking event`.
+
+#### Requirement 6.2.1
+
+> The `tracking event details` structure **MUST** define an optional numeric `value`, associating a scalar quality with an `tracking event`.
+
+`Value` is a well-defined field which some providers may map to equivalent numeric values in their API.
+
+See [provider tracking support](./02-providers.md#27-tracking-support).
+
+#### Requirement 6.2.2
+
+> The `tracking event details` **MUST** support the inclusion of custom fields, having keys of type `string`, and values of type `boolean | string | number | structure`.
+
+The `tracking event details` supports the addition of arbitrary fields, including nested objects, similar to the `evaluation context` and object-typed flag values.
+
+See [structure](../types.md#structure), [evaluation context](.//03-evaluation-context.md).

specification/types.md

@@ -113,6 +113,10 @@ An enumerated error code represented idiomatically in the implementation languag
 | PROVIDER_FATAL        | The provider has entered an irrecoverable error state.                                      |
 | GENERAL               | The error was for a reason not enumerated above.                                            |
 
+### Evaluation Context
+
+See [evaluation context](./sections/03-evaluation-context.md).
+
 ### Evaluation Options
 
 A structure containing the following fields:
@@ -184,3 +188,9 @@ An enumeration of provider events.
 
 A function or method which can be associated with a `provider event`, and runs when that event occurs.
 It declares an `event details` parameter.
+
+### Tracking Event Details
+
+A structure which supports definition of arbitrary properties, including nested objects, similar to the `evaluation context` and object-typed flag values.
+
+See [tracking event details](./sections/06-tracking.md#62-tracking-event-details), [evaluation context](#evaluation-context).