Update time: March 16, 2026
What is the DataLayer?
A Data Layer is a structured framework of JavaScript objects on a website that stores the data used in Analytics and marketing tag implementations.
Instead of hard-coding values directly inside tracking scripts, a Data Layer centralizes data in one place and allows tag management tools to read it when needed.
Using a Data Layer provides several benefits:
- Better control over data used in Analytics
- Easier maintenance when updating tracking logic
- Improved consistency across multiple marketing tools
Adobe DataLayer Type
In Adobe Data Layers are generally divided into two categories:
- Customer Experience Digital Data Layer（CEDDL）：a static data structure defined on the page, typically stored in a variable such as digitalData. This type of Data Layer holds page, user, and product information that can be accessed by analytics tools.
- Event-Driven Data Layer（EDDL）：a dynamic model where data is pushed when events occur, similar to the Google Tag Manager Data Layer.
Customer Experience Digital Data Layer（CEDDL）
Customer Experience Digital Data Layer, commonly abbreviated as CEDDL, It is better known as digitalData, is typically referred to simply as the Data Layer.
It is a static Data Layer placed on the page, usually defined as a JavaScript object that contains information about the page, user, or product.
It is better known as digitalData.
This data is static, meaning it exists on the page when it loads.
You can inspect it in the browser’s developer tools console by entering digitalData or window.dataLayer.
To use digitalData in Adobe Launch, it must first be accessed via Data Elements. The most common method is using a JavaScript Variable Data Element.
For example, to retrieve the pageName:
This allows you to reference the page name dynamically in rules, conditions, or actions (such as sending data to Adobe Analytics or AEP).
In Adobe implementations, this type of Data Layer usually needs to work together with Custom Events or Data Collection Rules (DCR) to send the data to Analytics platforms such as Adobe Analytics.
Event-Driven Data Layer (EDDL)
Event-Driven Data Layer (EDDL) is a dynamic Data Layer that pushes data whenever an event occurs.
This approach is similar to the Google Tag Manager Data Layer, where data is sent through a push mechanism whenever user interactions or application events happen.
For example, data might be pushed when:
- A page loads
- A product is added to the cart
- A button is clicked
This model provides greater flexibility because data can be sent in real time as events occur.
Adobe Client Data Layer (ACDL)— Official Standard
Adobe Client Data Layer (ACDL) is Adobe’s implementation of an event-driven data layer.
To use ACDL in Adobe Launch, you need to install the Adobe Client Data Layer extension.
By default, ACDL initializes a global data layer object called adobeDataLayer, and data is added to it using the push() method. For example:
This structure is similar to the Google Tag Manager Data Layer and is widely used in enterprise Adobe Analytics implementations.
You can inspect it in the browser’s developer tools console by entering adobeDataLayer or window.adobeDataLayer
To use adobeDataLayer in Adobe Launch, it must first be accessed via Data Elements. The most common method is using a Data Layer Computed State.
For example, to retrieve the pageName:
This will automatically resolve the latest state from adobeDataLayer. As a result, in ACDL, a previous push may appear to return the value from a subsequent push, because the latter represents the current state of the data layer.
For example, consider the following two consecutive adobeDataLayer.push calls:
adobeDataLayer.push({
event: 'first push',
foo: {
bar: 'stamp'
}
});
adobeDataLayer.push({
event: 'second push',
foo: {
bar: 'baz'
}
});
One might expect foo.bar to be ‘stamp’ for the first push and ‘baz’ for the second push. However, in practice, both return ‘baz’.
This happens because the pushes occur in quick succession, and the data layer resolves them as the same “sending” event. As a result, the value from the latest state (‘baz’) is retrieved for both pushes.
There are two ways to handle this:
- Use delayed sending to ensure each push is processed separately.
- Use the event context in the action, for example, directly referencing %event.fullState.foo.bar%.
Data Layer Manager— Search Discovery Solution
Data Layer Manager (DLM) is another event-driven data layer (EDDL) solution developed by Search Discovery.
To use it in Adobe Launch, you need to install the Data Layer Manager extension.
DLM utilizes a custom data layer object called appEventData to structure and manage event-level data. For example:
adobeDataLayer and appEventData are essentially similar; however, in practice, ACDL (adobeDataLayer) is typically the primary approach used.
digitalData vs ACDL
| Feature | digitalData (CEDDL) | ACDL |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Static object | Event-driven (array-based) |
| Update Method | Defined on page load | Updated dynamically via push() |
| Data Access | Read variables directly | Listen to events |
| Recommendation | Legacy / traditional approach | Recommended by Adobe |
