Data Quality and SLA

Why the values shown in the Analytics Hub can differ from those in the Amazon UI, why YTD figures differ, and what level of deviation is expected.

Why Values in the Analytics Hub Differ from the Amazon UI

The data displayed in the Analytics Hub is obtained through Amazon APIs. Variations between the reports fetched via the API and those shown in the Amazon UI (Vendor Central, Seller Central, Ads Console) are to be expected, for several reasons.

1. Delay in Data Availability

Reports accessible via the SP-API come with a minimum delay of 72 hours after the close of the reporting period. For example, the report for the previous week may not be available via the API until at least the Wednesday of the following week.

2. Retrospectively Updated Data (by Amazon)

Amazon may change data even after the reporting period has concluded — for instance, customer returns processed after the period closes. Amazon does not notify when reports are updated retrospectively. To address this, emax digital re-fetches the same report at specific intervals (72 hours, 5 days, 10 days, 20 days, and 40 days after the period closes) to ensure the most up-to-date data. If significant discrepancies persist more than 40 days after the period closes, please contact our support team.

3. Expected Discrepancies

Minor discrepancies between UI reports and API reports are expected. Only when the discrepancy exceeds 5% can it be escalated to the Amazon support team.

4. Differences Due to Attribution Models

Differences can also stem from the use of different attribution models. For instance, advertising data in the ASIN Focus report may differ from the 360° Sponsored Ads Report. The 360° Sponsored Ads Report displays data at the campaign level, and not all of it can be attributed to a specific ASIN, which leads to variations between ASIN-level and campaign-level data.

Why YTD Values Differ from Vendor Central / Seller Central

Many metrics in emax reports don't align perfectly with Amazon Retail Analytics (ARA) in Vendor Central or Seller Central. This is because Amazon doesn't provide Year-to-Date (YTD) values through the Selling Partner API — YTD is exclusive to the ARA UI reports — so a direct one-to-one transfer isn't possible.

To let you access YTD values in the Analytics Hub, we use an alternative calculation that provides an approximate YTD value despite the absence of an Amazon-provided figure.

The calculation: Our YTD calculation combines data from completed periods in the current year, organised by their respective granularity (weekly, monthly, or quarterly). To account for the difference between closed periods and the current day, it adds data from daily reports in the current period.

Note that not all metrics in ARA are available at a daily granularity — this applies in particular to Net Received Revenue and Net Received Units. Because of the distinct calculation methods applied to the various granularities, some variation in YTD values is expected. For background, see Data Lag and Refresh Schedules.