Piano Analytics (AT Internet) — French Analytics Platform Expertise
Piano Analytics setup, migration from AT Internet, custom metrics, media analytics. Privacy-by-design, EU data residency.
Piano Analytics vs Google Analytics 4
Piano Analytics, born from AT Internet’s acquisition by Piano in 2021, is the leading European alternative to Google Analytics. Historically strong in France thanks to its CNIL exemption (in its Analytics Suite configuration without cross-site data merging), the solution is used by many media companies, public institutions and large French enterprises. Its strength lies in a structured data model built around properties and events with strict typing, unlike GA4’s more flexible approach.
Comparing it with GA4 reveals structural differences. Piano offers a more powerful query interface for analysts (Data Query), a built-in attribution model, and native granularity on editorial content (articles, authors, sections) that makes it a natural choice for media websites. On the other hand, GA4 benefits from a broader ecosystem (native Google Ads integration, free BigQuery export, shared audiences) and a much larger community.
AT Internet to Piano Analytics migration
Migrating from the legacy AT Internet interface (Analytics Suite 2) to Piano Analytics involves a change of SDK and collection logic. The Piano SDK uses an enriched property model where each hit carries a set of typed key-value pairs. We define a tagging plan that maps old AT Internet tags to the new Piano nomenclature, using the migration as an opportunity to clean up accumulated inconsistencies.
Tag Commander, the TMS (Tag Management System) from Commanders Act group, is often used alongside Piano Analytics in large French organizations. Its container and rule logic differs from GTM: firing rules are based on constraints (pages, events, variables) with a priority system. Migrating a GTM setup to Tag Commander or vice versa requires a complete retranslation of the firing logic.
Custom metrics and privacy-by-design
Piano Analytics lets you define custom metrics calculated from collected properties, directly in the interface. This is an advantage for business teams who want to create specific indicators (editorial engagement score, full read rate, value per visit) without mobilizing technical resources. Metrics are computed on-the-fly from raw data, ensuring freshness.
Piano’s privacy-by-design approach is a strong argument in the European regulatory context. The solution offers a consent-exempt collection mode recognized by the CNIL, provided strict conditions are met: no cross-site data merging, no sharing with third parties, storage limited to 25 months. This mode provides complete traffic data (100% of visitors) for audience measurement, while remaining compliant without a consent banner for the analytics purpose.