Troubleshooting data discrepancies#
This guide explains how what a data discrepancy is and how to troubleshoot discrepancies in your data.
Introduction#
- What is a data discrepancy?
A discrepancy is when the data you see in your data source does not match the data collected in your data extract.
For example, the data shown in the table below looks like an error because the data fetched for the Clicks metric does not match.
Data in your data source
Data in your Adverity data extract
Advertiser
Clicks
Advertiser
Campaign
Clicks
Advertiser A
6
Advertiser A
Campaign A-1
2
Advertiser B
7
Advertiser A
Campaign A-2
3
Advertiser B
Campaign B-1
1
Advertiser B
Campaign B-2
2
Advertiser B
Campaign B-3
2
- Why do data discrepancies happen?
If aggregated metrics appear incorrect , or certain dimensions are missing from the data extract, this is usually because the metrics, dimensions or report configurations are different in the data source UI and in Adverity.
- Are there any cases where a difference like this is not a data discrepancy?
Yes - in Google Analytics Data (GA4), some metrics are non-aggregatable and calculated using estimates. This means that the total row in a Google Analytics Data (GA4) UI report will not accurately match the sum of all rows. When you fetch these metrics in Adverity, the metric values you see may not match the values in the Google Analytics Data (GA4) UI, but this is not a discrepancy.
For more information, see the Google documentation and our guide to Troubleshooting Google Analytics Data (GA4).
Identifying data discrepancies#
The easiest way to identify a data discrepancy is to compare the data fetched for aggregated metrics with the data source UI aggregated report when the data source UI and Adverity are configured to use the same dimensions and metrics. To do so, follow these steps.
Create a data source UI report and an Adverity report with identical settings.
Note
The most common reasons for data discrepancies are different dimensions and metrics, and different breakdown configurations. Pay particular attention to these settings when creating your reports.
Compare the data in these two reports.
If there is still a data discrepancy, contact the Adverity Support team and provide the information listed in the If the issue persists section below. The Adverity Support team will require the two identically configured reports in order to verify that there is a data discrepancy.
If the issue persists#
If the data discrepancy persists after checking the data collection and load configuration, contact the Adverity Support team. Please provide the Adverity Support team with the following:
The report in the data source UI with the same configuration as your data collection in Adverity
A link to the datastream in which the data discrepancy occurred, with the same configuration as your data source report
The name of the metric in which the data discrepancy occurred
The date range for the data in which the data discrepancy occurred
If you cannot provide any of this information, please inform the Adverity Support team when contacting them.