Data Clean Room—Creating Attribution data reports

1. Go to the Reports tab of the DCR.
2. Click the + New report button.
3. Select Attribution data as the type of source data, then click Next in the bottom right corner of the screen.
4. Enter a name for the report.
   • This can be any name that will help you identify the report in the DCR platform.
   • Important! Ensure that the report name is different from all other reports in your account or you will not be able to save the report.
   • Report name requirements:
     • Length: 2-80 characters
     • Valid characters:
       • letters (A-Z, a-z)
       • numbers (0-9), cannot be the first character of a name
       • a hyphen (-), cannot be the first character of a name
     • Invalid characters:
       • spaces
       • all other symbols or special characters

Specify the data to be used for the report:

Attribution data sources

• Apps: Select one or more of the apps in your AppsFlyer account.
• Attribution types: Select one or more types of attribution data to be used for the report:

  Installs	An install is recorded when a user downloads, installs, and launches a mobile app.
  Re-installs	A re-install is recorded when a user installs an app, then uninstalls and re-installs it during the re-attribution window. Note: The length of the re-attribution window is set in Settings > App Settings.
  Re-engagements	A re-engagement is recorded when an inactive user of a specific app engages with a retargeting campaign for the app and subsequently launches it.
  Re-attributions	A re-attribution is recorded when a former user of a specific app (who had uninstalled it) engages with a retargeting campaign for the app and subsequently reinstalls it.
  Organic installs	Organic installs are those not attributed to a specific media source. Note: Including organic installs in your report can significantly increase the number of scanned rows.

• Timeframe: Select the number of days of historical data you want the DCR to search for attribution events matching your custom source events (from 1 to 180 days).

Custom sources

When defining report structure, you can choose to use data from any of the custom sources you have set up. 

To match data among sources, each of the custom sources used in the report must include an identifier mapped to a key identifier in the attribution data.

What is a key identifier?

You can map to either of these attribution data identifiers as key identifiers:

• AppsFlyer ID (af_id): A unique app identifier generated by AppsFlyer at installation –
  • This ID appears in all events recorded by AppsFlyer.
  • A new AppsFlyer ID is generated if an app is deleted and then reinstalled.
• Customer User ID (CUID): A unique user identifier usually generated and set by the app owner at the time of user registration.
  • Using CUID to map data requires that your app is configured to send the CUID to AppsFlyer via the SDK or the server-to-server API (S2S).

Mapping schemes (direct/indirect)

If the report uses more than one custom source, only one of them needs to be mapped directly to an attribution data key identifier. Other custom sources can be mapped either directly or indirectly, as illustrated in the following example:

If the attribution types you select for your report include re-installs, re-engagements, or re-attributions, it's possible that the attribution data will include more than one event during the selected timeframe with the same key identifier. When this is the case, you must instruct the DCR which matching events it should include in the report.

Matching all events

The most comprehensive matching method allows your report to include all matching events. In order to achieve this result, you must map an identifier in one of the report's custom sources to the attribution data identifier install_time.

• The identifier in your source that is mapped to install_time must be in the following format: yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.
• Note: Though the attribution data identifier's name is install_time, it actually means event time when referring to re-install, re-engagement, or re-attribution events.

Matching a single event

If the attribution types selected for your report include re-installs, re-engagements, or re-attributions, but no identifier is mapped to the install_time, only a single event can be selected from the eligible candidates.

Single-event matching behavior differs when the AppsFlyer attribution data source is used alone versus when it is joined with custom sources.

• When the attribution data source is used alone, AppsFlyer selects the matching event with the latest event_time in the timeframe that matches a specific key identifier. 
• When the attribution data source is joined with custom sources, you must elect to use either the last or first matching event in your report.
  • Last event: The attribution event included in the report is the event with the latest event_time in the timeframe that matches a specific key identifier.
  • First event: The attribution event included in the report is the event with the earliest event_time in the timeframe that matches a specific key identifier.

Make this selection based on the event you consider to be most relevant to the insights you want to obtain from the report.

Recall that user-level data cannot be reported by the DCR. Instead, it provides you with the decision-making insights you need by aggregating (or grouping) the data by the dimensions you choose.

A dimension is generally an attribute by which you categorize app users (for example, geo, install date, campaign, etc.).

Selecting report dimensions

Attribution data report dimensions can include:

• Any available attribution data dimension
• Any field in the report's custom sources that has been categorized as a dimension 

To select the dimensions to include in your report:

1. Select one or more dimensions in the Dimensions from sources list on the left and use the Add button in the middle of the screen to add them to the list of Report dimensions.
    
   • You can use the search bar to search for dimensions in the lists.
2. To remove a dimension, select it from the Report dimensions list and use the Remove button to return it to the Dimensions from sources list.
3. Repeat this process until you have added each dimension you want to include in the report.

Note: By default, all reports are grouped by the attribution data dimension media_source. If you do not wish to use this dimension in your report, you can remove it from the Report dimensions list.

[Optional] Customizing dimension display names

By default, dimension names are displayed in your report exactly as they are named in the attribution data or your custom sources. If you wish, you can customize dimension names for your report.

To customize dimension display names:

1. In the Report dimensions list, hover over the name of the dimension whose display name you want to edit.
2. Click the edit button that displays to the right of the dimension.
3. Change the name to the dimension display name to be used in your report (up to 50 characters).
4. Click OK to save the display name, or X to cancel it.

Preserving privacy while grouping by dimension (regrouping)

Depending on the size of your data set, the number of dimensions you choose, and other factors, it's possible that a report would include one or more groups containing too few users to allow reporting. If the data were reported this way, it would violate restrictions against providing user-level data.

• Important! The minimum number of users required in order to permit reporting varies by media source.

However, instead of removing or hiding the data from the report completely, the DCR uses a regrouping mechanism to provide as much detail as possible while maintaining user privacy.

[Optional] Managing dimension priority

By default, attribution data dimensions are eliminated in reverse order from the order in which they appear in the Report dimensions list. However, you can modify the default sequence and/or apply regrouping to selected custom source dimensions in order to preserve the dimensions most important to you.

To change the order in which dimensions are eliminated:

1. Click the Manage dimension priority button.
2. Select a dimension and drag it to the desired position in the list (or use the arrow buttons on the right to move it).
   • The dimension labeled as Highest priority (at the top of the list) means it's the last to be eliminated if regrouping is required.
3. [Optional] To apply regrouping to custom source dimensions:
   1. Click Use advanced options to refine regrouping
   2. Select custom source dimensions to which you'd like to apply regrouping.
   3. The selected dimensions are added to the Manage dimension priority list.
      • By default, these dimensions are added to the bottom of the list, as Lowest priority for regrouping. However, you can reorder them just like attribution data dimensions as described above.
4. Click OK to save your changes.
   • The Report dimensions list on the main screen remains in its original order, but the revised order has been saved. (Click again on the Manage dimension priority button if you wish to review or edit your selection.)

Metrics are the numeric data you have collected with respect to an app user (examples might include revenue, number of app opens, LTV, etc.) and can be any numeric data field from your sources that you have categorized as a metric.
 

To select the metrics to include in your report:

1. Select one or more metrics in the Metrics from sources list on the left and use the Add button in the middle of the screen to add them to the list of Report metrics.
   • You can use the search bar to search for metrics in the lists.
2. For each metric in the Report metrics list, select whether you want the data reported as either:
   • a sum of numeric values; or
   • a count of distinct values
3. To remove a metric, select it from the Report metrics list and use the Remove button to return it to the Metrics from sources list.
4. Repeat this process until you've added each metric you want to include in the report.

[Optional] Customizing metric display names

By default, metric names are displayed in your report exactly as they are named in the attribution data or your custom sources. If you wish, you can customize metric names for your report.

To customize metric display names:

1. In the Report metrics list, hover over the name of the metric whose display name you want to edit.
2. Click the edit button that displays to the right of the metric.
3. Change the name to the metric display name to be used in your report (up to 50 characters).
4. Click OK to save the display name, or X to cancel it.

[Optional] Select identifiers to count

By default, each row of the report ends with a column containing a count of the distinct AppsFlyer IDs grouped in that row's data.

If you wish to add columns for the distinct counts of other identifiers from your sources, do so as follows:

1. Select one or more identifiers in the Identifiers from sources list on the left and use the Add button in the middle of the screen to add them to the list of Distinct count identifiers.
   • You can use the search bar to search for identifiers in the lists.
2. To remove an identifier, select it from the Distinct count identifiers list and use the Remove button to return it to the Identifiers from sources list.
3. Repeat this process until you have added each identifier you want counted in the report.

The DCR delivers reports to your selected cloud services using AppsFlyer Data Locker. Therefore, specifying the report destination involves selecting or creating a Data Locker connection.

• Note: Receiving DCR reports does not require a premium subscription to Data Locker. If you are interested in receiving other AppsFlyer reports via Data Locker, contact your CSM or send an email to hello@appsflyer.com.

To set the report destination and save the report:

1. Select from the list of Data Locker connections available in your AppsFlyer account.
   • If there are no connections defined in your account:
     • A new tab will open in your browser (showing the AppsFlyer Data Locker page)
     • A New connection dialog will open. Follow these instructions to create the connection.
   • If you have existing connections but want to use a new one, click the button:
     • A new tab will open in your browser (showing the AppsFlyer Data Locker page)
     • A New connection dialog will open. Follow these instructions to create the connection.
   • After creating the connection, return to the DCR tab in your browser and select the newly created connection from the list of Data Locker connections.
2. Click Save to save the report.
3. The new report is now displayed in the Reports tab of the Data Clean Room.

In addition to dimensions from your custom sources, the following attribution data dimensions can be used to group reports:

• media_source (included as a report dimension by default)
• ad
• ad_id
• ad_type
• adset_id
• adset_name
• app_id
• app_version
• attributed_touch_type
• brand
• campaign
• campaign_id
• channel
• city
• contributor_1_campaign¹
• contributor_1_engagement_type¹
• contributor_1_match_type¹
• contributor_1_media_source¹
• contributor_1_partner¹
• contributor_1_touch_type¹
• contributor_2_campaign¹
• contributor_2_engagement_type¹
• contributor_2_match_type¹
• contributor_2_media_source¹
• contributor_2_partner¹
• contributor_2_touch_type¹
• contributor_3_campaign¹
• contributor_3_engagement_type¹
• contributor_3_match_type¹
• contributor_3_media_source¹
• contributor_3_partner¹
• contributor_3_touch_type¹
• conversion_type
• country
• customer_id
• device_type
• dma
• engagement_type
• geo_region
• keywords
• match_type
• media_source
• model
• original_url
• partner
• platform
• site_id

¹ For re-engagements and re-attributions, reports will show these fields as empty.