Telemetry Data that Patch My PC Collects when Using the Publisher

Patch My PC will collect basic telemetry data when our Publisher software is used to improve our products and services.

This article will describe in detail the specific data collected by Patch My PC and, more importantly, the reason we collect it.

• The Number of Times the Catalog is Downloaded
• The Version Number of the Publisher Software
• .NET Version Number where the Publisher Software is installed
• Are Preview Updates Enabled
• Is ConfigMgr Application Creation Enabled
• Is Intune Application Creation Enabled
• The Error Description if an Update or Application Publishing Fails
• The Configuration Manager Site Version
• The WSUS Build Number
• The WSUS Database Type
• WSUS Updates Cleanup Information
• WSUS Maintenance Configuration
• The Number of Products Enabled and Published
• Heartbeat
• How Data is Transferred
• Data collected from our Installer(s)
• Disclaimer and More Information

The Number of Times the Catalog is Downloaded

Each time the catalog is download via an HTTPS request, we will increment the number of times it was downloaded. The data type for this is an integer. We will also report the next scheduled sync time as a DateTime.

Reason: The download count and next sync time are collected because we believe this gives critical insights to understand if a specific customer has been able to utilize our products and services effectively.

The Version Number of the Publisher Software

The currently installed version of the Publisher is reported as a string value.

Reason: The installed version is helpful to understand how our self-updates are progressing and if any notifications may need to be sent based on notices for customers on a specific-build.

.NET Version Number where the Publisher Software is installed

The version of .NET where the Publisher Software is installed.

Reason: The version of .NET where the Publisher is installed is important to help us understand if future releases of the Publisher, and any code changes, will be supported.

Are Preview and Self-Updates Updates Enabled

The preview update status within the Publisher will be reported using a boolean type. The self-update status will be reported as a boolean.

Reason: We collect this data to understand what customers have enabled preview updates enabled or self-updates disabled. This state may be helpful to notify customers of any specific actions that may need to be taken.

Is ConfigMgr Application Creation Enabled

The Publisher will report if the checkbox to enable the creation of ConfigMgr apps is enabled as a boolean.

Reason: This data is helpful to understand if a customer is making use of all the features they may be entitled to within their subscription.

Is Intune Application Creation Enabled

The Publisher will report if the checkbox to enable the creation of Intune apps is enabled as a boolean.

Reason: This data is helpful to understand if a customer is making use of all the features they may be entitled to within their subscription.

The Error Description if an Update or Application Publishing Fails

The Publisher will report the specific error returned if an update or application fails to create. This applies to the Updates, ConfigMgr Apps, Intune Apps, and Intune Updates tab. The error description is a string value.

Error description reporting can be disabled with the following registry value:

• REG ADD “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Patch My PC Publishing Service” /v DisableErrorReporting /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Reason: This data helps us see any issues a customer is having when applications or updates fail to create. Our goal is to be able to proactively reach out to customers who are experiencing known publishing issues.

The Configuration Manager Site Version

The Publisher will report back the Configuration Manager site version if the SMSProvider is defined as a string value.

Reason: The Configuration Manager site version is important to know what versions of ConfigMgr are installed for compatibility and supportability. If we are aware of any compatibility issues with a specific Configuration Manager build, this data will allow us to contact affected customers. 

The WSUS Build Number

The Publisher will report back the WSUS build number as a string value.

Reason: This data helps us identify WSUS API’s we need to test, support, or depreciate.

The WSUS Database Type

The Publisher will report back the type of WSUS Database, whether WID or SQL.

Reason: This data helps us better understand how our customers use WSUS which can impact how our software works.

WSUS Updates Cleanup Information

The Publisher will perform some WSUS cleanup during a sync. The number of updates, size of the updates, and folder count cleaned up are reported back as integer values.

Reason: This data helps us better understand hard disk usage for the Publisher.

WSUS Maintenance Configuration

The Publisher will report back the current WSUS Maintenance configuration from the respective tab in Configuration Manager, which includes the following:

• Decline expired updates in WSUS According to supersedence rules
• Add non-clustered indexes to the WSUS database
• Remove obsolete updates from the WSUS database

Reason: This data helps us better understand how our customers use WSUS which can impact how our software works.

The Number of Products Enabled and Published

The Publisher will report the specific number of products enabled within each of the following tabs: Updates, ConfigMgr Apps, Intune Apps, and Intune Updates as an integer. The publisher will also report the number of updates, applications, and CVE’s published as an integer.

Reason: This data helps us see the percentage of enabled vs. available products and how many products are being published.

Heartbeat

The Publisher sends a heartbeat every 4 hours. This simply is used as an indication that the Patch My PC service is running.

Reason: This data helps us determine if an instance of the Publisher is active. The data is used in troubleshooting failed upgrades and understanding Publisher usage.

How Data is Transferred

The data listed above would be transported and encrypted using TLS 1.2.

Data collected from our Installer(s)

Disclaimer and More Information

The list above is current through November 1, 2022. We will try to keep this list updated, but it may not contain every instance of data collection. Please contact technical support with any questions or you can review our Terms of Service.