Resources / Glossary

Payload (event properties)

The object you write alongside the event name, carrying contextual properties that land on the event row in your database.

CallsAlso called: properties, event properties

About this term

This page is part of the Skene analytics instrumentation glossary. Use it as a reference when writing specs, dashboards, or playbooks.

Canonical glossary index: /resources/glossary

Definition

The payload is the object you write for an event: `supabase.from('events').insert({ name: 'checkout_completed', plan_tier: 'pro', amount: 99 })`. Each key maps to a column on the event table, queryable in filters and breakdowns.

Why payloads break quietly

Most SDKs accept arbitrary keys, so renaming `plan` to `plan_tier` does not raise an error. The new event keeps flowing under the new name. Any dashboard filter or breakdown that referenced `plan` silently returns nothing.