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Troubleshooting Analytics Discrepancies

Analytics Data Discrepancies: Common Causes and Troubleshooting Steps

It is not uncommon to encounter discrepancies between third-party reporting systems and our in-house analytics. We’ve observed media-level variances of up to 20%. To better understand and address these discrepancies, we recommend reviewing the common causes below and following the troubleshooting steps provided.

Common Causes of Discrepancies

  1. Latency: Delays between an initial request and media loading can cause count differences. Viewers may navigate away after the video embed but before the third-party system responds with the requested line item.

  2. Tracking Methodologies: TargetVideo defines its analytics via specific ping definitions. Third-party systems may record dimensions differently or trigger them at different times.

  3. Filtering: Third-party analytics often use unique filtering methods to exclude pings from sources such as spammers, bots, or spiders, which can lead to different data being reported.

  4. Time zone Differences: Discrepancies can arise if there are time zone differences between TargetVideo analytics and your custom reporting system.

Troubleshooting Steps

To resolve discrepancies, follow these steps to systematically identify the root cause:

Step 1: Define the Issue

  • How large is the discrepancy?
    A variance under 20% is typically acceptable.
  • How long has the discrepancy been occurring?
    Consider if the discrepancy is new or ongoing.
  • Is it related to a specific day or period?
    If it is, examine any changes made that day (e.g., player updates, custom code, new pages).
  • Is the discrepancy across all media and domains or isolated?
    If it’s isolated, investigate what makes the affected page/media/setup/ad different.
  • Has the discrepancy been constant or has it changed over time?
    If it has changed drastically, consider if measurement definitions have been altered, or if there have been updates to the player or custom code.

Step 2: Test the Setup

Build and test different pages to compare analytics from TargetVideo and third-party systems.

  • Test Page #1: TargetVideo Player Only

    • Build a page with only the TargetVideo Player and customer content.
    • Capture and compare both TargetVideo Analytics and GA Analytics.

  • Test Page #2: TargetVideo Player + Custom Code

    • Build a page with the TargetVideo Player, customer content, and added custom Player Code.
    • Capture and compare both TargetVideo Analytics and GA Analytics.

  • Test Page #3: TargetVideo Player + 3rd Party Analytics

    • Build a page with the TargetVideo Player, customer content, and third-party analytics code.
    • Capture and compare both TargetVideo Analytics and GA Analytics.

  • Test Page #4: TargetVideo Player + 3rd Party Analytics + TargetVideo Analytics/GA

    • Build a page with the TargetVideo Player, customer content, and third-party analytics.
    • Capture and compare both TargetVideo Analytics and GA Analytics.

  • Test Page #5: Customer Player Code + 3rd Party Analytics + TargetVideo Analytics/GA

    • Build a page with the TargetVideo Player, customer content, and additional custom Player Code.
    • Capture and compare both TargetVideo Analytics and GA Analytics.