Adobe API returns same data for "instances" and "visits" metrics

[OrigamiKiller]

I tried calling the API manually, first for "instances" metrics, using this report description:

{u'reportDescription': {u'dateFrom': u'2018-11-05',
u'dateGranularity': u'day',
u'dateTo': u'2018-11-12',
u'elements': [

{u'id': u'mobiledevicetype', u'top': 200}

],
u'metrics': [

{u'id': u'instances'}

],
u'reportSuiteID': <<MyReportSuitID>>
u'segments': [

{u'id': <<MyID>>}

]}}

The I got a report ID and used it to get values.

After that, I changed the metrics in the report description above from "instances" to "visits", and requested for data, got another report id, and requested for values again.

I got the same values.

Is this a bug from Adobe's API?

[Urs_Boller]

your calls look ok, you normally should see different data. what segment are you using? did you try the calls without the segment? maybe it's a hit-segment where only 1 hit per visit is returned (and therefore the data should be the same)....

[OrigamiKiller]

I tried segmenting with another several ids, all got DIFFERENT report ids but SAME response values of "instances" and "visits", which I expect them to be different.

I also tried requesting with no "segments" field, got the same values of "instances" and "visits" in the end too.

[Kaushalendra_Si]

Hi OrigamiKiller​,

This behavior is because of the way Mobile Device Type reports are populated. It is populated through a Third Party Device Atlas and is done on a Visit basis and hence Instances and Visits metrics provide the same numbers.

[OrigamiKiller]

But from Adobe's UI, "Instances" values are not equal (more than) "visits".

So, the values of "instances" from the API are not equal to the values from the UI?

[Urs_Boller]

Kaushalendra Singh​ thanks for you help!

[Abhijeet_Mishra · Accepted solution]

Hi OrigamiKiller​

"Instances" metric is not available for the Mobile Device Type dimension.

If you are using Workspace then you might be referring to the 'Occurrences' metric which would be more than Visits since it is Page Views with persistence taken into account.

Essentially, if you fetch "Instances' metric for Mobile Device Type through API, then it'd be same as 'Visits' as Kaushalendra mentioned earlier i.e. whenever a Visitor uses a Mobile Device Type to start a Visit, it'd count towards "1 Instance" and "1 Visit".

If you are trying to get the number of times your Visitors use Mobile Device Type to access your site then you can use either 'Instances' or 'Visits'. Both would get you the same insight.

Hope this helps.