Introduction:
Understanding and analyzing web traffic is crucial for any digital enterprise, and traffic analytics plays a pivotal role in this realm. Adobe Analytics, a leader in the digital analytics field, provides comprehensive insights into website and app performance, yet many users confront challenges when faced with instances of low traffic. These scenarios often result in underrepresented data, affecting the quality and reliability of traffic analysis. Therefore, grasping the impact of low traffic on data accuracy and decision-making processes is imperative for businesses aiming to optimize their online presence.
Understanding Low Traffic in Adobe Analytics:
When a report in Adobe Analytics accumulates many unique values, it employs a system to ensure that the most essential data is visible. This system includes the categorization of excess values under the label "Low-Traffic" once they surpass a predefined threshold. Specifically, Adobe Analytics sets two thresholds each month to manage the display of unique values: a low threshold and a high threshold.
- The low threshold is currently set at over 2,000,000 unique values
- The high threshold at over 2,100,000 unique values.
Low-Traffic in Adobe Analytics refers to the grouping of unique variable values that exceed the low threshold but do not meet the high threshold. These values are then displayed under a dimension item labeled "Low-Traffic". This mechanism ensures that only the most significant data appears prominently in reports, aiding analysts in focusing on the most impactful information.
Common Causes
The primary cause of data being categorized as Low-Traffic is the surpassing of the low threshold limit without reaching the high threshold. Variables that have dimension items recurring frequently throughout the month are less likely to be affected. However, variables with nearly unique dimension items on every hit quickly reach the low threshold, resulting in most new dimension items for that month being bucketed under Low-Traffic. Additionally, backend columns like pageName and pageUrl contribute to reaching these thresholds prematurely, which can trigger the Low-Traffic logic even before the actual number of unique Page dimension items in Workspace reaches the low threshold.
How Low-Traffic Works
Thresholds
In Adobe Analytics, the management of unique values in reports is governed by two specific thresholds: a low threshold and a high threshold. The low threshold is set at over 2,000,000 unique values during a month, while the high threshold is set at over 2,100,000 unique values. If the number of unique values does not reach the low threshold within a given month, reporting is not impacted.
Bucketing Logic
When a variable's unique values surpass the low threshold, Adobe Analytics begins to bucket additional values under the "Low-Traffic" label. The bucketing process operates under a clear logic:
- if a value is previously seen in reports, it continues to accumulate under its existing label. However, new values that have not been seen are initially categorized under Low-Traffic.
- If these Low-Traffic items experience a significant increase in traffic, such as instances in the double digits within a single day, they may then be recognized as distinct dimension items.
- The transition of a value from Low-Traffic to a recognized dimension item depends on several factors including the volume of data and the processing capacity of the servers.
- When the high threshold is reached, a more stringent filtering process is applied, requiring triple-digit daily instances for a value to be recognized independently.
For example:
- Low threshold: >2,000,000 unique values during the month.
- High threshold: >2,100,000 unique values during the month.
Values seen as in below table before low threshold reaches
Visit Number | Values |
123 | 23 |
456 | 50 |
789 | 12 |
101 | 34 |
231 | 22 |
544 | 8 |
So on…. | |
Then low threshold limit has been reached.
After low threshold limit has been reached:
- If the same visit number comes, value will increase in existing row. Say visit number 101 then
- If new visit number comes, value will be bucketed under row ‘low traffic’ say 765
Visit Number | Value |
Low traffic | 1 |
Similarly on each new value, will go under low traffic and increase the value count until its in single digit instance.
- If a new visit number increases the instances in double digit. For example, visit number 765, instances in double digit then existing instances will be there bucketed in low traffic but new instances will be shown as separated row.
- Once a high threshold is met, each new value will be bucketed under low threshold as is until instances come in 3-digit values. Shown/existing rows/values will be shown in same way. Similar to low threshold limit reach, it will show separate row only when 3-digit instances are there.
Effect on Reporting and Analysis
When Adobe Analytics encounters a high volume of unique values, the system implements a low-traffic mechanism to prioritize the most crucial data for reporting. This approach ensures that only significant values are displayed, which can profoundly impact data analysis. For example, if a new article on a site becomes popular later in the month, surpassing the threshold, it can still be analyzed without being categorized under low traffic, thus preserving the integrity of late emerging data insights.
Impact on Data Analysis
The low-traffic logic in Adobe Analytics, while optimizing reporting efficiency, may inadvertently obscure vital data. Unique values that do not meet the high threshold but exceed the low threshold are grouped under the "Low-Traffic" label. This could prevent these values from being individually analyzed unless they receive a significant traffic influx.
Adjusting Thresholds
Threshold adjustments in Adobe Analytics can sometimes be modified on a per-variable basis to better suit organizational needs. To initiate this process, contacting either Adobe Customer Care or your Adobe Account Team is necessary. When making a request to change thresholds, the following information should be included:
- The report suite ID, the specific variable for which the threshold adjustment is desired, and both the first and second thresholds that are being requested
Manual Adjustments
Making changes to thresholds can significantly impact report performance. Therefore, Adobe strongly recommends exercising caution when requesting increases to unique values in a variable. It is advisable to only request increases for variables that are critical to your organization's reporting needs. Furthermore, it should be noted that low-traffic thresholds are not visible within the Analytics UI, and more information on existing thresholds can be obtained by contacting Adobe Customer Care.
Best Practices to Manage Low Traffic
- Data Warehouse Utilization
- Effective Segmentation
- Using Classifications
In conclusion, there are ways to overcomes low traffic problem and see clean data.
