Mixpanel Data Inspector

Overview

The Mixpanel Data Inspector is a browser extension that provides real-time visibility into events being sent to Mixpanel from your web application. This tool helps developers and analysts validate tracking implementation, debug data issues, and ensure data quality during development and testing.

Key Features

View SDK Events

• Monitor events sent from the Mixpanel SDK in real-time
• See events as they’re transmitted to Mixpanel servers
• Track both successful and failed event calls

JSON Payload Inspection

• View complete JSON payload for each event
• Copy JSON payload to clipboard for analysis
• Examine event structure and data formatting

Property Search

• Search through event payloads to find specific properties
• Quickly locate properties of interest across multiple events
• Filter and navigate large payload structures efficiently

Installation

Chrome Web Store

1. Visit the Chrome Web Store
2. Search for “Mixpanel Data Inspector”
3. Click Add to Chrome
4. Confirm installation in the popup dialog

Firefox Add-ons

1. Navigate to Firefox Add-ons
2. Search for “Mixpanel Data Inspector”
3. Click Add to Firefox
4. Follow the installation prompts

Usage

Getting Started

1. Install the extension from your browser’s extension store
2. Navigate to your website where Mixpanel tracking is implemented
3. Open the extension by clicking the Mixpanel icon in your browser toolbar
4. Interact with your site to trigger events and see them appear in real-time

Common Use Cases & Best Practices

Implementation Validation

Use Cases:

• Verify events are being sent correctly from your Mixpanel SDK
• Check that all expected properties are included in event payloads
• Confirm event timing and sequencing

Best Practices:

• Keep the Data Inspector open while implementing new tracking
• Use the copy feature to document expected payload structures
• Search for critical properties to ensure consistent naming

Debugging and Troubleshooting

Use Cases:

• Identify missing or malformed event properties
• Debug tracking issues before they reach production
• Validate A/B test or feature flag implementations

Best Practices:

• Start by checking if events appear in the extension
• Use JSON view to examine payload structure and values
• Search for specific properties that may be causing issues

Quality Assurance & Testing

Use Cases:

• Examine complete event structure and nested properties
• Compare expected vs. actual event data
• Understand property naming conventions and values

Best Practices:

• Validate tracking across different user flows
• Copy and compare payloads between different test scenarios
• Use search to quickly verify required properties are present

Property Discovery & Analysis

Use Cases:

• Search for specific properties across multiple events
• Copy JSON payloads for further analysis or documentation
• Identify inconsistencies in property implementation

Best Practices:

• Use search functionality to locate properties of interest quickly
• Copy payloads to share with team members or include in documentation
• Regularly review property naming and value consistency

Troubleshooting

Events Not Appearing

• Verify SDK implementation: Ensure Mixpanel SDK is properly installed and configured. The Data Inspector currently only supports Mixpanel library snippet installations and does not work with npm/yarn based installations. See JavaScript SDK documentation for installation methods.
• Check browser console: Look for JavaScript errors that might prevent tracking
• Refresh the page: Some events only fire during page initialization
• Disable ad blockers: Ad blockers may prevent events from being sent to Mixpanel servers

Support

For technical support or feature requests:

• Report issues through your standard Mixpanel support channels
• Include browser version and extension version in reports
• Provide specific JSON payload examples when reporting data issues