Web SDK + AEP Data Type Validation Issues: Best Implementation Strategy for Analytics and Experience Platform

Heloo ,

We recently completed our Adobe Web SDK implementation, and all data is being sent through the XDM object. Data is successfully flowing into Adobe Analytics, and reporting looks correct with no major issues.

However, we are seeing some fields fail in AEP datasets due to data type validation errors. This has raised a question about the overall implementation approach.

Current Situation

• Web SDK implementation is fully based on the XDM object.
• Adobe Analytics is consuming the data successfully.
• Some records are failing in AEP datasets because certain fields do not match the expected XDM data types.
• The Adobe/AEP team has suggested creating a separate Datastream and sending some data through the data object instead of XDM to avoid validation issues.

My Understanding

From what I know:

• Adobe Analytics is generally more flexible and can process data even when some values do not strictly match XDM data types.
• AEP applies strict schema validation, and records can be rejected if incoming data does not conform exactly to the defined XDM schema.
• Since Web SDK routes data to multiple Adobe solutions, a payload accepted by Analytics may still encounter issues in AEP.

My Concern

I'm not fully convinced that moving fields from the XDM object to the data object is the best long-term solution.

My concern is that:

• XDM is intended to be the standardized data model across Adobe Experience Cloud.
• Using the data object as a workaround may solve immediate validation issues but could reduce consistency and governance across solutions.
• It may also create challenges for future AEP use cases, Customer Journey Analytics (CJA), Real-Time Customer Profile, and other Experience Platform capabilities.

My Question to Experts

What is considered the best-practice Web SDK data collection strategy when data needs to be consumed by:

• Adobe Analytics
• Adobe Experience Platform (AEP)
• Customer Journey Analytics (CJA)
• Other Adobe Experience Cloud solutions