Data Settlement Windows

The advertisers and partners integrated with Katalys Marketing Platform report data in real time. This data is collected in our Identity Graph, where we process each data in a private data silo and produce attribution results. If a traffic source from Katalys was associated with the order, then the system may produce a billable.

Learn more about our attribution process →

Unfortunately, not all systems know all attributes of an order when the order is created. Sometimes only the sale amount is known on a thank-you/post-sale page, and order line items / SKU information is available via an API call. This is especially true when using specialized funnel builders, hybrid technology stacks, and with the advent of “headless commerce” platforms, where the code delivering the user session is wholly independent of the code that knows order details.

This means that Katalys gets updates from multiple systems and has to stitch the data together. It might take several minutes (or in some cases up to an hour) for a system to send an update to Katalys. This makes Katalys’ job difficult – how can Katalys show data as fast as possible to our partners while also ensuring our systems are aligned with an advertiser’s CRM?

Answer: by building time windows where data can “settle”. The Katalys Attribution Engine will receive updates from advertisers, and the system will adjust our results to ensure contracts stay accurate. The attribution process is re-run every time we receive an update on the order, de-duplicating the results and producing a merged, fully up-to-date view of all recorded data associated with that record. This is our standard “Conversion Report” view.

Learn more about how our system works →

Common Windows

Because we know data can change, we have limits in place so that you can trust our reporting. These are some common features and limits we have created to ensure reporting is predictable.

Feature

Delay

Processing Data
How long it takes for system updates to appear in our platform.

Typically 10-15 seconds

Our system operates in real time, but data for some advertisers can be delayed up to an hour.

De-Duplication
When reporting updates with the same Order ID, how long is required to clean up dupliates.

Typically 0-5 minutes

Our system operates in real time, but within the first couple minutes certain rare conditions can result in two orders being “merged”. Because of this, you may see orders marked pending for the first 5 minutes.

Final Result
How long after seeing a conversion first appear in our system is that conversion unlikely to change.

Typically 15-120 minutes

After 2 hours, most advertiser systems have reported their data to Katalys, and the Katalys system has reacted appropriately.

Pending-status Resolution
How long might an order take to transition from Pending to Active or Rejected.

Typically 1-4 business days

When an order remains in pending status, it is typically due to a pending payment by the customer. Advertiser operations usually resolve these issues within a couple business days, and their system notifies Katalys of the change.

Automatic Rejections
How long might a conversion be automatically rejected due to refunds or order cancellation.

Max: 3 days from time of order

Cancelled, refunded, rejected, or unpaid orders can result in a conversion being rejected after initially being reported.

Delayed Order Updates
How long will order updates still be recorded.

Max: 90 days, but conversions must be attributed within 7 days

If an advertiser reports updates on an Order ID, that update will be processed correctly for up to 90 days. If the advertiser is utilizing a Pending status, the order must transition to “paid” within 7 days for it to become a billable conversion by Katalys.

How To Be Accurate

To get the most up-to-date view of Katalys data, we highly recommend using our Postbacks feature. Using Postbacks, you can synchronize your Katalys data into third-party systems or into audience platforms, like Google Ads or Meta Ads.