Every Data Studio export is built around a data set and the actions associated with that data set. In Step 2 of the export wizard, you choose which actions to include. Each data set has its own list, and which actions you pick decides what rows end up in the final file. This article is the reference for every available action, per data set, with definitions.
Why this matters: Picking the wrong actions is the most common reason an export doesn't show what you expected. Selecting only "Sent" for an Email Messages export means you'll never see who opened or clicked. Conversely, ticking every action on a large data set bloats the file and consumes more tokens than you need. Use this page as a lookup when you're setting up or editing an export.
Quick Reference (Advanced Users) - Click to Expand
Most data sets expose an Ignore registered internal IPs option. Recommended on.
Try it like this: For a typical email performance export, select the Email Messages data set and tick Sent, Opened, and Clicked. Leave the bounce, spam, and suppression actions off unless you specifically need deliverability data.
Recommended setting: Every behavioural data set below (except Webinars) includes an Ignore registered internal IPs option. Turn this on so activity from your ignored IP list is excluded from the export. See Ignore Activity from Known IP Addresses for the account-level setup.
Email Messages
Action
Definition
Sent
A contact was sent an email message.
Opened
A contact opened an email message.
Clicked
A contact clicked a link or button in an email message.
Hard Bounced
The message was sent to the contact but hard bounced.
Soft Bounced
The message was sent to the contact but soft bounced.
Opt Out
A contact clicked the opt-out link.
Spam
An email message was filtered as spam by the contact.
Suppressed
A contact was suppressed from receiving the message.
Failed
An email message failed to deliver to the contact.
This data set has two additional options:
Enable message behavior data correlation: limits results to messages sent in the selected time frame and includes response actions (such as Opened and Clicked) for up to five days past the end of that time frame.
Inject effective opens: counts a click without a pixel load as an open (the same behaviour as the Sent Message Report).
Forms
Action
Definition
Viewed
A visitor viewed or loaded a form on their device.
Inserted
A unique (new) form submission was made.
Updated
A returning visitor submitted the form again. The submission may or may not update existing field data.
Landing Pages
Action
Definition
Landing Page View
A visitor viewed or loaded a landing page in their browser.
Clicked
A visitor clicked a link or button on a landing page.