SKAdNetwork dashboard by AppsFlyer

At a glance: The SKAdNetwork (SKAd) overview dashboard provides iOS campaign attribution metrics reported by Apple SKAdNetwork Infrastructure and additional data points. Metrics reflect user activity during a measurement window, having a default duration of 24 hours, beginning on the first app open.

SKAdNetwork attribution dashboard

The dashboard contains user acquisition campaign performance data reported via SKAdNetwork Infrastructure postbacks.

This data is further enriched with additional data points like clicks and cost.
Conversion value measurement settings are used to calculate metrics
Data freshness:
- Attribution, user performance data, and revenue: Continuously on receipt of postbacks. Note! iOS sends postbacks 48-72 hours after the first app open
- Cost: Six times a day, on average once every four hours. This impacts metrics like ROI and ROAS.

Related reading

SKAdNetwork dashboard view options

The dashboard offers different view options as follows:

SKAd simulation uses your existing attribution data. Enables testing of SKAd before the availability of iOS 14.
Actual SKAd data collected, translated, and aggregated by AppsFlyer. (Pending availability of iOS 14 by Apple)

To select the view: In AppsFlyer, go to Dashboard > SKAdNetwork Overview, select a view type: SKAd simulation or Actual SKAd data.

SKAd simulation view

The purpose of the simulator is to provide you with a sense of the value that you will get from SKAdNetwork, before actual iOS 14 data is available, based on your current data.

Use the dashboard as a guide to:

Understanding what your app SKAdNetwork data is going to look like
Uncovering what you would like to measure using the conversion value
Optimizing your measurement and getting ready to attribute within iOS 14

The simulator makes use of existing app data in the AppsFlyer platform to mimic SKAdNetwork postbacks and displays the output in the dashboard.

SKAdNetwork simulation is available to all your iOS apps in AppsFlyer.

Simulation data

The default SKAdNetwork simulation setting is revenue measurement of up to $63 per user during the measurement window.
Experiment with different measurement configurations to find the configurations that provide the most actionable metrics.
You can make configuration changes easily and frequently and see their effect on your SKAdNetwork dashboard. Note! Configuration changes reflect in the dashboard as follows:
- SKAd simulation: 24-48 hours
- Actual SKAd data: 48-72 hours
Agency traffic rules:
- General: The media source reflects the agency name and not the actual media source name. This is the case for both transparent and non-transparent agencies.
- Exception: In the case of Facebook and Twitter—the actual media source name displays and not that of the agency.

Simulation data is based on your existing attribution data by anticipating the installs and events that will be attributed in SKAdNetwork using the following criteria:

Installs:
- Install type: app-to-app attribution, direct click to install.
- Attributed touch type: click
- Click-time-to-install-time: (CTIT) < 10 minutes
- Excluded installs (outside of the SKAdNetwork scope): Mobile web, view-through, deferred
Events:
- Taking place during the SKAdNetwork measurement window.
- Mapped according to the active SKAdNetwork measurement configuration:
  - Conversion: Up to 6 in-app events as listed in the configuration
  - Revenue: The maximum revenue amount that can be recorded depends on the conversion value to the USD translation rate.
  - Engagement: Count the number of occurrences of a selected event.

Actual SKAd data view

[Data in this view will be available after the release by Apple of iOS 14]

The actual SKAd data view contains the data collected, translated, and aggregated by AppsFlyer, provided in the postback, from the user iOS device.
The conversion value in the postback is set by the AppsFlyer SDK.

Using the dashboard

Filter options

Use filters to refine the information displayed.

Filters available
Filter	Remarks
Install date range	The attributed install date is assumed based on the time the postback is received. Statistically, if there are large numbers of installs, the inaccuracy is minor. Installs include redownloads.
Media source	The ad network attributed with the install
Campaign	Campaign name and ID as set by the ad network. AppsFlyer translates the postback campaign ID to that of the ad network.
Site ID	Source app displaying your ad Use to analyse the apps most beneficial to you.
Geo	Territory or country
Install type	Installs Redownloads reported by the app store

Headline metrics


Metric	Remarks
Installs	Non-organic: Installs attributed to a media source Organic: Installs not attributed by SKAdNetwork or for which no postback was received from an ad network. Note! SKAdNetwork does not report installs if the user did not engage with an ad prior to the install. If the install type filter is set, the metric is filtered accordingly
Touchpoints	Impressions and clicks reported by the ad network by click or API
Revenue	Available when revenue mode is active Divided between organic and non-organic revenue. Organic revenue is calculated as the revenue of all sources less non-organic revenue. To enable a like-to-like comparison, the duration of the post-install measurement window of organic and non-organic installs is the same.
Cost	Cost reported by the ad network
Click-to-install rate	Click-to-install rate
Adjacent period trend	Trend values in % indicate the change of the current metric relative to the metric of the previous equivalent period. If the current period is May 1-10, the previous period is April 21-30

Charts

The charts available depend on the selected measurement type

Chart metric	Remarks
User acquisition by date	Dimensions available: Organic Non-organic
Touch to conversion	Views available: Touchpoint dimensions: Impressions Clicks Click-to-install rate
Installs by: Media source Campaign Site ID
Metric breakdown
Top events
Top countries

Metrics

Select metrics from those available
Set the primary and secondary group by dimensions to drill down into performance metrics

About the metrics table:

Use the table to compare the performance of campaigns and media sources.
Initially, the top 20 media sources display sorted by the number of installs display in descending order.
To sort the table, click on a column header. Click again to reverse the sort order.

Table metrics available
Metric	Revenue measurement	Conversion measurement	Engagement measurement	Formula/remarks
Installs	Y	Y	Y
Impressions	Y	Y	Y
Clicks	Y	Y	Y
Click-to-install rate	Y	Y	Y	Installs / Clicks * 100
Converted users	Y	Y	Y	Unique users performing the event
Converted users / Installs	Y	Y	Y
Revenue	Y			Ad revenue not included
Cost	Y	Y	Y	Cost reported by the ad network
ROI	Y
ROAS	Y
eCPI	Y	Y	Y
eCPA	Y	Y	Y
Event occurrences	Y	Y	Y

Insights

Discrepancies in the number of installs in the overview dashboard compared to the SKAdNetwork dashboard:
- Non-organic installs in the SKAd dashboard require the ad network to integrate with AppsFlyer. If they don't integrate there is no record. In the overview dashboard, we require an attribution link.
- In the overview dashboard, we have additional rules relating to recording and attribution like, retargeting, attribution window, and reinstalls. Apple regards any download after engaging with an ad as an install or redownload.

SKAdNetwork attribution dashboard