Session Replay Sampling Limits: Capturing Sufficient Error Data After Deployment

During a recent deployment, a critical JavaScript error appeared in user sessions. Clarity’s Session Replay captures interactions, but the default 10% sample rate may miss the affected sessions. Raising the sample rate could improve visibility, yet it raises concerns about page load performance and the volume of data retained for analysis.

Additionally, the retention policy for captured sessions is 30 days by default, and changing the retention period only affects new sessions. It remains unclear how the combination of a higher sample rate and extended retention influences the ability to trace a post‑deployment issue that surfaced weeks after release.

Given these constraints, I need guidance on:

• Is a 20% sample rate sufficient to reliably capture sporadic errors without degrading user experience?
• How does extending the retention period interact with the sample rate for existing sessions?
• What best‑practice settings balance diagnostic depth with performance overhead in a production environment?