FAQs and Release Notes for Facebook Ads
FAQs and Release Notes for Facebook Ads
FAQs:
Facebook Ads Connector – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Data Discrepancy for Recent Days
Q: I’m seeing data discrepancies for yesterday (or the last 15–30 days) even though Daton jobs are running every hour without failure.
A: There are two types of loads:
Incremental Job: Fetches the current day’s data and runs every hour (or as configured).
Lookback Job: Fetches data for the past X days (as per your lookback window, e.g., 30 days) and typically runs once daily at 12:00 am midnight in the advertiser account timezone
If data changes after the lookback job runs, those changes won’t be captured until the next day’s lookback job. This can make your data appear up to 24 hours stale.
2. Data Timezone for Multiple Regions
Q: My Facebook Ads integration has data from multiple regions (USA, Canada, Europe, UK, etc.). In which timezone will I get the data?
A: Currently, data is retrieved in the timezone of the first account selected during integration setup. Since the timezone setting is applied at the integration level, not at the individual account level the same timezone is used across all the accounts. If you have accounts in different regions, we recommend creating separate integrations for each region or timezone to ensure accurate reporting for each geography.
3. Missing Historical Data
Q: Why is historical data missing?
A: Facebook Ads API provides access to historical data for up to 37 months for most metrics. Daton will retrieve up to the maximum period allowed by Facebook’s API. For certain metrics—such as "Reach" with specific breakdowns like Gender, Country, or Placement, the limit may be shorter (e.g., 13 months). To retain data beyond this, regularly export and archive your data.
4. Attribution Window
Q: How does the attribution window affect my data?
A: Attribution windows define how long after an ad interaction conversions are credited to your ads. Facebook supports several options (e.g., 1-day click, 7-day click, 28-day click, 1-day view, 7-day view, 28-day view). Ensure the attribution window in your Daton integration matches your Facebook campaign settings to avoid discrepancies.
5. Data Discrepancies Between Daton and Facebook Ads Manager
Q: Why do I see data discrepancies between Daton’s Facebook Ads connector and the Facebook Ads Manager UI?
A:
Several factors can cause discrepancies:
Aggregation Level: Ensure you’re comparing at the same level (campaign, ad set, or ad).
Attribution Window: Match attribution settings in Daton and Facebook.
API Limitations: Some metrics/breakdowns have shorter historical windows or may not be available.
Data Processing Delays: Facebook may update data retroactively; lookback jobs help capture these changes.
Custom Field Selection: Ensure all required fields are included in your schema.
API Reliability: Facebook’s API can have temporary inconsistencies or delays.
Best Practice: Regularly review attribution settings, use lookback jobs, and consult support if discrepancies persist.
6. Data Not Matching
Q: My data is not matching.
A: If your data matches within the last 30 days but not for older dates, changes likely occurred outside your lookback window. Increase your lookback window to cover the period where updates are expected. We recommend a minimum of 30 days, but you may need more depending on your business’s attribution patterns.
7. Granting Access to Facebook Ads Account
Q: How do I grant access to my Facebook Ads account for integration?
A: You need admin or analyst access to the Facebook Ad account. If managing ads for a client or another business, ask them to assign you as a partner in their Business Manager with the necessary permissions. After access is granted, authenticate the connector using your Facebook credentials and authorize the required permissions.
8. Handling Expired Tokens or Permission Errors
Q: What should I do if my access token expires or I get a permission denied error?
A: Re-authenticate your integration by logging in again and granting all requested permissions. Ensure your Facebook account still has the required access to the ad accounts. If you continue to see permission errors, verify your user role and permissions in Facebook Business Manager.
9. Syncing Instagram Ads Data
Q: Can I sync Instagram Ads data using this connector?
A: Yes, if your Instagram account is linked to your Facebook Ad account, the connector can retrieve performance data for Instagram campaigns, ad sets, and ads. You can use publisher_platform breakdown to differentiate metrics by different platforms. Ensure the Instagram account is properly connected in your Facebook Business Manager and included in the integration setup.
10. Customizing Fields and Metrics
Q: How do I update or change the list of fields and metrics being synced?
A: You can customize the fields and metrics by editing your integration settings or schema. If you need to add or remove fields after initial setup, update your configuration and re-sync. Adding new columns will give you an option for load/reload. Load will fetch the data new added fields from current date where as reload will drop your tables and get the data for all the fields selected so far from the start of historic date(or last 37 months which ever is closer) Note that adding new fields may require additional permissions or may be subject to Facebook API limitations.
11. Creating Custom Reports or Tables
Q: Can I create custom reports or tables with specific breakdowns (e.g., by device, placement, demographic)?
A: Yes, you can define custom reports or tables by selecting specific breakdowns and dimensions during setup. You can refer to custom tab in table selection page to create them. Some breakdowns may restrict the available historical window or metrics due to Facebook API rules.
12. Changing the Lookback Window
Q: What happens if I change the lookback window after initial setup?
A: Changing the lookback window will affect how much historical data is refreshed during each sync. Increasing the window will pull in more days of data for updates, which can help capture late-attributed conversions or corrections. Decreasing it will reduce the volume of data refreshed, which may improve sync speed but could miss late changes.
13. Troubleshooting Missing or Incomplete Data
Q: How do I troubleshoot missing or incomplete data for certain campaigns or ad sets?
A:
1. Confirm that the ad account is active and have the correct permissions.
2. Check your field and breakdown selection in the integration settings.
3. Review Facebook’s reporting limitations for specific metrics or breakdowns.
4. Check if the issue is caused because of the state of ad/campaign or lookback window.
If the issue persists, try to contact support with details of the missing data.
14. Handling API Rate Limit Errors
Q: What should I do if I encounter API rate limit errors?
A: API rate limits are enforced by Facebook to prevent excessive requests. If you encounter rate limit errors:
1.Reduce the frequency or scope of your syncs.
2.Avoid running multiple large jobs simultaneously using sync now.
If you have further questions or need specific troubleshooting, please contact our support team with details such as your integration name and tables affected.
Release Notes:
November 2021
Fix for the account of the relation facebook51187416ads_adlabels column.
September 2021
Attribution changes are done.
August 2021
UI for breakdowns and additional columns added to AdInsights.
May 2021
Added new tables and fixed long-running jobs.
February 2021
Source level changes to mask messages for Notifications.
January 2021
- Memory leak fixed.
- Configuration pages revamped.
June 2020
Added support for date_preset parameters for hourly updates.
January 2020
API calls to AdInsights and Breakdowns have been made asynchronous.
Some of the loads might have been stopped due to rate limits and time-out errors for these tables.
Reloading these tables for your respective projects will be highly recommended.
November 2019
Error notifications will be displayed in a user-readable message.
Note: The error messages are not comprehensive and new messages would be updated for these sources when they occur.