Understanding Live Device Data
MyDataHelps can collect dozens of data types from wearables and health apps, such as Apple Health, Health Connect, Google Health, Garmin, and Oura. All of this data can be collected and included in your project’s exports. A smaller set of these data types is also available as Live Device Data, which you can use directly in MyDataHelps Designer to build segments and trigger schedules.
The table below compares the data types enabled for your project (collected device data) with the data types available as live device data.
| Collected device data | Live Device Data | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | All data types you select in your project’s Sensor & EHR Data settings. | A subset of those data types that is also set up for live querying. |
| How it’s set up | The data type(s) must be enabled in the Sensor & EHR Data settings in the project. | The data type(s) must be selected in Sensor & EHR Data and enabled for live querying. |
| Where you can use it | The sensor-specific participant details tabs (e.g., Apple Health), segment and schedule filters (Sensor Data Received criteria), data exports, data visualizations in app designer. | The Live Device Data participant details tab, segment and schedule filters (Live Device Data criteria), data visualizations in app designer, and custom views built with the MyDataHelps SDK. |
| How long it’s available | Retained for your project’s exports. | Each data type has a retention period, with a default of 90 days. Older data can’t be queried live. |
| Best for | Analysis and research datasets. | Monitoring participants and acting on recent data while the study runs. |
Live is not synonymous with instant. The data is available once MyDataHelps receives it from the participant’s device or service. If a participant’s device hasn’t synced, recent data won’t appear yet.
Enabling Live Device Data
Several data types are enabled for live querying by default when sensor data is enabled for your project. A data type appears in the Live Device Data list only when both of these are true:
- It’s selected in your project’s Sensor & EHR Data settings.
- It’s configured for live querying (either by default or on request).
If a data type you need isn’t listed as a Namespace in the Live Device Data filter criteria, first confirm it’s selected in Sensor & EHR Data. If it still doesn’t appear, contact support to ask whether it can be enabled for live querying.
Using Live Device Data
Live Device Data can be added as filter criteria in segments and schedules, and can be used for the following example scenarios:
- Trigger notification schedules from device activity. For example, send a reminder to sync a device when a participant enters a segment of enrolled participants who don't have sleep data in the past week.
- Find participants who stopped sending data. For example, create a segment of enrolled participants who haven’t sent step data in the past 3 days, so coordinators can follow up.
- Build custom participant experiences. Developers can query Live Device Data in custom views with the MyDataHelps SDK. See the developer documentation.