Adobe Analytics Processing order

Update time: July 15, 2025

The data processing sequence of Adobe Analytics can be divided into three steps:

• Sending data
• Pre-Pressing
• Processing

Sending data

• Web SDK/Mobile SDK/Edge Network Server API: This is the server-side deployment method.
• Data Collection DataStream: Data will be sent to DataStream
• Data Prep for Data Collection:
  • Event Forwading: Send data to a third-party platform through server-side deployment
  • Legacy Tag Library: This is actually the deployment method of AppMeasurement. I think this can be used as a separate method parallel to the server.

Pre-Pressing

• IP Obfuscation: IP obfuscation is to delete the original IP address, but before deleting it, the dimensions that rely on IP address lookup (such as the country/region dimension) will be filled. Although IP obfuscation is the first position in Pre-Pressing, it is actually executed at the end of Pre-Pressing.
• Processing Rules: Apply processing rules. Including the mapping of context data variables and their corresponding variables, such as eVars, Props, and Events. In fact, before applying processing rules, Adobe Analytics will first perform the following operations:
  • Lookup tables: Dimensions that rely on Adobe-internal lookup tables (for example, the Browser dimension) is matched to its corresponding value.
  • Dynamic variables: If a dynamic variable is seen in any part of an image request, the value is copied over and treated as an independent value moving forward.
  • Bot rules: Apply standard or custom bot filtering to exclude that data from reporting.
• VISTA Rules: Apply VISTA (Visitor Identification, Segmentation, and Transformation Architecture) rules to customize the data. This requires additional payment and is adjusted on the Adobe side.
• Marketing Channel Rules: Apply marketing channel processing rules. Note that there is another Marketing Channel Rules in Processing. The purpose of the first Marketing Channel Rules is to ensure that the data in CJA and CDP are less different. The data processed by the first Marketing Channel Rule enters Adobe Experience Platform through Data Prep, and finally goes to CJA and CDP.

There are three more steps that are not marked in orange:

• Data Prep: Data preparation is actually mapping, transforming, and validating data in and out of the Experience Data Model (XDM), used by Adobe Experience Platform
• Real-time Reports/API: Adobe Analytics real-time reports or real-time reporting API, data is available in about 30 to 90 seconds
• Cross-Device Analytics Stitching: Run cross-device analysis module

Processing

• Marketing Channel Rules: You can use processing rules to prepare data for use in marketing channel processing rules.
• Persistent Attribute (eVars): Persistent attributes (eVars) are custom variables in Adobe Analytics that track and store user behavior or attribute data that persists across a visit session or even longer.
• Session Attributes & Metrics: Session attributes and metrics are attributes and measurements associated with a single user session.
• Success Attribution: Success attribution is the attribution of a conversion or success event (such as a purchase or goal completion) to a specific marketing channel or user interaction.

There are 4 steps not marked in green, which are mainly data applications:

• Reports/API 1.4/ReportBuilder: Report generation and data acquisition
• Workspace/dashboards/API 2.0: Report generation and data acquisition, data is available in about 30~90 minutes
• Data Warehouse: Data export, data is available in about 24 hours
• Data Feed: Export raw unprocessed data, data is available in about 6~24 hours,