---
title: "Identifying customer load tests or internal events"
slug: "identifying-customer-load-tests-or-internal-events"
abstract: "Describes ways to identify load tests and internal events to exclude them from tracking and analytics."
---
# Identifying customer load tests or internal events

There are many cases where you must test traffic that might affect analytics or datasets or do not want to track events from users.

You can identify such events in the following ways:

- Register specific IP addresses with Sitecore Discover so that these addresses are tagged as internal or load test events. Contact support if this is the case.
- Including `rfk_flags` when you send event traffic.

> [!note]
> You must ensure that these flags are only sent upon identification of internal or load test traffic. Accidentally flagging real events results in data loss.

<details>
<summary><h2>Flag specification</h2></summary>

You can use different mechanisms to send flags. When you use multiple methods to send flags, there is precedence based on the mechanism.

The following table lists mechanisms for sending flags in the order they apply.

| Priority | Mechanism | Key | Description | Example |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1   | URL query parameter | `rfk_flags` | Specify `rfk_flags` as a query parameter when reporting the event | `GET {EVENT_URL}?data={<event_object>}&rfk_flags=cust_loadtest` |
| 2   | Event body | `rfk_flags` | Specify `rfk_flags` as part of the event | Example event object:<br><br>```JSON<br>{<br>  "type": "order",<br>  "name": "confirm",<br>  "rfk_flags": "cust_internal",<br>  "value": { ... }<br>}<br>``` |
| 3   | HTTP header | `x-rfk-flags` | Specify `x-rfk-flags` in the header | CURL example:<br><br>```Shell<br>curl '{EVENT URL}' \<br>  -X POST \<br>  -H 'x-rfk-flags: cust_internal' \<br>  -H 'content-type: application/json' <br>  -H 'cache-control: no-cache'  \<br>  -H 'accept: application/json'  \<br>  -H 'authorization: {AUTH_KEY}' <br>  -d<br>'{"data":{"type":"view","name":"pdp","value":{}}}'<br>--compressed<br>``` |
| 4   | Cookie | `__rfk_flags` | Specify` __rfk_flags` in a cookie | CURL example:<br><br>```Shell<br>curl '{EVENT URL}'  \<br>  -X POST  \<br>  --cookie "__rfk_flags=cust_internal"  \<br>  -H 'content-type: application/json' <br>  -H 'cache-control: no-cache'  \<br>  -H 'accept: application/json'  \<br>  -H 'authorization: {AUTH_KEY}' <br>  -d<br>'{"data":{"type":"view","name":"pdp","value":{}}}'<br>--compressed<br>``` |

The following are supported customer flag values:

| Flag | Flag value | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Customer internal | "cust_internal" | Tells Discover that the traffic is from internal users. Discover analytics ignores these events.NoteThese events still count towards your usage of the service. |
| Customer load test | "cust_loadtest" | Tells Discover that the traffic is from load testing. Discover analytics ignores these events.NoteThese events still count towards your usage of the service. |

</details>