Here is the follow-up, and completion of the Q&A portion of NOAM East's
Get the benefits of using Web SDK for Adobe Analytics without learning technical AEP configurations
https://analytics-augs.adobe.com/events/details/adobe-noam-east-virtual-presents-get-the-benefits-of...
Our hosts for the event: @jeffbloomer, @andylunsford1, @Jennifer_Dungan along with our special guests: @Stewart_Schilling and @haileymeekins will continue the discussion here
We had so many questions come in, we just couldn't get to them all during the session! If you missed the live event, the video is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7re4vxZBVk
Questions and Answers (also feel free to post comments to this discussion and we'll try to keep more answers coming):
Question: Do you know if all the features in AA via AEP Web SDK completely free or there might paid features in future? / Extension is paid or free and/or will have paid version?
Answer(s):
-- Hailey: Right now, all features are free.
-- Stew: All of the current functionality of the AA via AEP Web SDK is free for anyone using Launch. Search Discovery has no intention of putting any of this functionality behind a pay-wall. Having said that, Search Discovery uses this technology as a part of the Apollo platform and will offer paid migration services that use this extension.
Question: Does the extension support 'doPlugins'?
Answer(s):
-- Hailey: Yes, it does, Jeremy!
-- Stew: Absolutely. Assuming that s.usePlugins is set to true, and that the s.doPlugins function is declared, it will run as a preparation step just prior to the beacon being sent.
There are a few caveats to keep in mind.
- The s.abort flag is not presently supported. Please let us know if you really need it.
- plugIn functions that rely upon AppMeasurement internals are not supported.
- As always, test, test, test.
Question: Does the extension allow us to set the XDM objects to the field groups as well?
Answer(s):
-- Hailey: Right now, it automatically maps to the XDM fields that align to the Adobe Analytics variables. Stew will discuss plans for providing your own mappings later. hope this helps!
-- Stew: The AA via AEP Web SDK extension is built to support the setting of Adobe Analytics variables only. If you need to set non-AA XDM fields, you can do so using the AEP Web SDK extension (and as of version 2.16.0, you can do this with rule-stacking). When using both extensions to simultaneously set both AA and non-AA XDM fields, you can use the Core extension’s “Merged Objects” data element type to bring both sets of information together before sending.
Question: Hearing that other debugging tools (Eg, Omnibug et al) will lose much of their functionality when Web SDK is implemented. This will largely make analysts jobs more difficult without ease of access to all AA data being captured. The "in-browser" capabilities of these debuggers are superior than Adobe's because of their in-browser location.
Answer(s):
-- Andy: Omnibug just recently released support for Adobe AEP Web SDK call views. Still doesn't let you see eVar, Prop, & event mappings, but step in the right direction!
-- Participant (name withheld for privacy): Confirming Omnibug supports Web SDK! It doesn't capture the web sdk -> analytics/target/3rd party but nothing outside of adobes tools can
-- Stew: We recognized that issue when building this extension and provided robust console logging. This logging is enabled by calling _satellite.setDebug(true).
Question: Does the WebSDK Server Side Forwarding replace AEP Data Collection → Event Forwarding subscription?
Answer(s):
-- Stew: During the call, I answered this question incorrectly. I thought that we were talking about Server Side Forwarding versus Adobe IO events. Those are two different things.
Here is the revised answer - AEP Data Collection is the current name for what was originally called Launch Server Side Forwarding. There ought to be a certification in Adobe product names (Satellite, DTM, Launch, “Launch, by Adobe”, Tags)!
(Note from Jen: Thanks for following this up Stew, I am sure this will be appreciated)
Question: Where do you set the report suites?
Answer(s):
-- Hailey: These are set within Datastreams. Datastreams are then added to your Adobe Experience Platform Web SDK extensions. then you use the AA via AEP Web SDK extension to control all your data sends!
-- Stew: What Hailey said.
Question: Does the mapping between the XDM Schema _customDimension evar (event, prop) and the used evar happen by naming convention? i.e. regardless of the selected Schema?
Answer(s):
-- Hailey: Adobe came out with a mapping of the XDM fields that align to each AA variable. These mappings are built into the extension, so when you say you want to send data to any given AA variable, we know the corresponding XDM field to use.
-- Stew: What Hailey said. In addition, here is a link to those mappings. https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/analytics/implementation/aep-edge/variable-mapping.html?lang...
Question: Do we need processing rules with Web SDK implementation?
Answer(s):
-- Hailey: You do not need to create processing rules when you leverage the AA via AEP WebSDK extension with the Web SDK extension.
-- Stew: What Hailey said. You do not need them, but processing rules are still part of the sequence of events on the AA collection server. They are still a tool in your toolbox.
-- Jen: I will second what Stew said... do you need it: no; but that doesn't mean that you won't still want to use Processing Rules to support certain initiatives; such as maybe wanting to replicate User Agent String into an eVar (using processing rules will keep the actual server call smaller, but you will still have the benefit of having this data available in your reports). It really depends on what you want to do, and how you choose to accomplish those goals.
Question: Where to configure Data Stream ?
Answer(s):
-- Hailey: This is still configured and set in the Adobe Experience Platform Web SDK extension. The extension Stew is showcasing works in tandem with the Web SDK extension.
-- Stew: What Hailey said.
Question: Do you have to configure a 'datastream' to enable to the connection to the edge network, or does the extension do that too?
Answer(s):
-- Hailey: This is still configured and set in the Adobe Experience Platform Web SDK extension. The extension Stew is showcasing works in tandem with the Web SDK extension.
Question: Would be good for the extension to be aware of Adobe's Common WebSDK Plugins, as it seems this is how they plan to maintain moving forward?
Answer(s):
-- Stew: Absolutely. Any of the data elements provided by the Common WebSDK Plugins can be used by the AA via AEP Web SDK extension. As soon as a data element is created using the Common WebSDK Plugins extension, the AA via AEP Web SDK extension will be aware of it.
Question: Can WebSDK collect stream video/media events?
Answer(s):
-- Stew: Not presently. Here is Adobe’s official roadmap. https://github.com/orgs/adobe/projects/18
Question: How do we set custom variables/ xdm mapping, other than those provided by Adobe in this extension?
Answer(s):
-- Hailey: Stew will discuss plans for this near the end of the session.
-- Stew: The AA via AEP Web SDK extension is built to support the setting of Adobe Analytics variables only. If you need to set non-AA XDM fields, you can do so using the AEP Web SDK extension (and as of version 2.16.0, you can do this with rule-stacking). When using both extensions to simultaneously set both AA and non-AA XDM fields, you can use the Core extension’s “Merged Objects” data element type to bring both sets of information together before sending.
Question: Could you show how to set the EC Visitor ID with ECID extension into an evar?
Answer(s):
-- Stew: There are two places to do this. In a Set Variables action or in the extension Global Settings, select the desired eVar and enter “D=mid” for its value.
Question: How to debug if something is not coming as expected if mapping configuration does not work ?
Answer(s):
-- Stew: Using the AEP debugger’s Edge Log view, you can see the Automatic Analytics Mappings as well as the xdm that was sent in. If you see something that doesn’t seem right, contact Search Discovery and we’ll sort it out.
Question: Will this still require a data layer update by development, and is the Data Layer Manager extension required?
Answer(s):
-- Stew: Nope. The site used in the demo has an event-driven data layer, so the Data Layer Manager extension makes a lot of sense. Neither is a requirement for the productive use of the AA via AEP Web SDK extension. If you are happy with your existing data layer (or DOM scraping scheme) and you are happy with the way that your rules are currently being triggered, then you can keep those things in place as they are.
