- October, 2024
-
Vaibhav Mathur
Troubleshooting Guide for Adobe Target Client Side Personalisation and Delivery
When working with Adobe Target, particularly in a client-side implementation, ensuring that activities are delivered correctly is crucial for effective personalisation and testing. Depending on how Adobe Target is implemented—either through the traditional at.js library or the newer Adobe Experience Platform Web SDK—the process of delivering activities can vary.
In an at.js implementation, the primary mechanism for delivering personalised content is through the delivery call. This method has been widely used and is triggered during page loads or specific events configured within Adobe Target.
With the introduction of the Adobe Experience Platform Web SDK, the method of delivering activities has evolved to use the interact call. This call is integral to the Web SDK approach and offers enhanced capabilities for handling complex customer journeys and data-driven personalization.
Given these differences, troubleshooting requires a tailored approach depending on the implementation in place. This document outlines the necessary steps to diagnose and resolve issues with activity delivery in both at.js and Web SDK implementations.
This document provides a comprehensive guide to troubleshooting Adobe Target activities, specifically focusing on scenarios where issues may arise in the delivery of activities, the rendering of content, or the execution of experiences. It is designed to assist teams involved in the creation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of Adobe Target activities. It outlines common problems and provides targeted troubleshooting steps, including the use of response tokens, and other diagnostic techniques.
Note: This guide is intended for troubleshooting client-side delivering activities in Adobe Target.
There are multiple potential issues that may arise while troubleshooting Adobe Target. Some of the common scenarios are outlined in the table below. We will explore these in detail throughout the document.
| Scenarios | Possible Causes | |
|---|---|---|
|
Scenario-1 |
No Activity Delivered There is no activity being delivered at all. |
|
|
Scenario-2 |
Expected Activity Not Delivered Other activities are getting delivered but not the expected one. |
|
|
Scenario-3
|
Expected Experience Not Delivered Expected Activity Delivered but Wrong Experience Rendered |
|
|
Scenario-4 |
Expected Activity and Experience delivered but final experience does not look as expected |
|
Scenario-1 : No Activity Delivered
In this scenario, the user may encounter a situation where no activity is delivered, meaning the personalisation or targeting is not applied at all. This issue can occur due to misconfigurations in Adobe Target. The underlying causes for this problem are explored in the following section.
Cause-1 : Adobe Target tag not configured on the page at all.
Check if the correct Adobe Target library is implemented on the page:
For at.js: Ensure the at.js script is correctly loaded.
For WebSDK: Ensure the Adobe Experience Platform Web SDK is properly set up.
Use AEP debugger extension to confirm the presence of the appropriate script.
Review the given document to learn more about Adobe Experience Platform Debugger Extension | Adobe Experience Platform
In case of at.js
For implementations using at.js, you’ll find a dedicated section for Adobe Target in the AEP Debugger, which includes details such as the client code and version under the summary.
In case of Web SDK
For Web SDK implementations, you’ll find a section for AEP Web SDK in the AEP Debugger, which includes the IMS Organization ID and Datastream ID under the summary.
Cause-2 : Adobe Target tag is not configured on the page correctly.
For at.js :
Use the browser’s network tab to monitor for the delivery call.
Ensure the delivery request is made when the page loads or a relevant event occurs.
For WebSDK :
Monitor the network requests to detect the interact call.
Notice that decisionScopes has a value of
__view__. This scope is the equivalent to thetarget-global-mbox. You can check this using AEP Debugger under the Experience Platform Web SDK tab. Click on the POST Body, and expand through the given journey : events → xdm → experience → decisioning → propositions → scope. Ensure that the scope has the value as__view__.
- Ensure that you follow the given document to validate the network call : Validate with the Debugger
In case of at.js
For implementations using at.js, open the Network tab in the Developer Tools panel of your browser and search for the delivery call.
In case of Web SDK
For implementations using Web SDK, open the Network tab in the Developer Tools panel of your browser and search for the interact call.
Note: Not every call needs to return an activity. Some calls, such as notification calls (generated using trackEvent) and interact calls with the personalisation flag set to false, do not return any experience. If no experience is returned, verify that the request was configured correctly and aligns with the intended activity setup in Adobe Target.
Cause-3 : Unauthorised Host
One important factor to consider is whether the host being used for testing or content delivery is authorised within Adobe Target.
Verify whether the “Enable Authorised hosts for content delivery” feature is enabled within Adobe Target. If enabled, check whether the host is listed under authorised hosts.
Fix: If the host is not listed, add the necessary host to the list of authorised hosts in Adobe Target to allow content delivery.
Additional considerations and fixes :
- In case of Web SDK, Do not forget to enable Render visual personalization decisions while configuring the send event action in
all pages - library loaded - send eventrule. Target activity will only render if the “Render visual personalization decisions“ option is enabled.
For reference : Render visual personalization decisions .
Scenario-2 : Expected Activity Not Delivered
Here, the problem arises when the expected activity is not delivered to the user, even though the page loads correctly. This can primarily happen due to audience refinements preventing the activity from triggering.
There are potential causes for this issue, which are highlighted below.
Tip : A best practice is to create an activity without any UI changes initially. By activating this empty activity and sending console logs, you can verify whether the activity is correctly functioning on the intended page before implementing any visual updates.
Cause-1 : Users not getting qualified for the activity-audience.
When the expected activity is not being delivered on the anticipated page, one of the primary areas to investigate is audience refinements. Audience refinements are the criteria used to determine whether a user qualifies for a particular activity. Here’s how to troubleshoot this scenario by focusing on audience refinements:
Review Audience Refinements
Ensure the audience is correctly defined and align with the intended user profile.
Check the segmentation logic for any unintended exclusions or overly broad inclusions that could affect delivery.
Check for Overlapping Audiences
Verify if there are multiple activities with overlapping audiences that might conflict and prevent the expected activity from being delivered.
Cause-2 : mbox/viewNames not configured correctly.
Verify the correct mbox
Confirm whether the activity is configured for a regional mbox or a global mbox.
Check that the correct mbox is being called and that it matches the activity’s configuration in Adobe Target.
Event-Based call:
Ensure that the mbox or event is correctly triggered based on the activity setup (e.g., page load, button click).
For example : Lets suppose we use a custom mbox named “Homepage_regional_mbox“. Check that this mbox is being called and that it matches the activity’s configuration in Adobe Target as given below.
In case of at.js
For implementations using at.js, you can find the mbox details within the ‘execute’ section of the payload in the corresponding delivery call.
In case of Web SDK
For Web SDK implementations, the mbox details can be found as ‘decisionScopes’ within the ‘events’ section of the payload in the interact call.
This can also be verified using the AEP Debugger.
In case of at.js
For implementations using at.js, you can find the custom mbox details within the ‘execute’ section of the POST Body in the corresponding network request under the Target tab in the AEP Debugger.
In case of Web SDK
In case of Web SDK, the custom mbox details can be found as ‘decisionScopes’ within the ‘POST Body’ section of the network requests under the Experience Platform Web SDK tab in the AEP Debugger.
Additional considerations and fixes
In case of at.js, if you are using getOffers and applyOffers for rendering custom mbox activities based on specific event, refer to the following document and ensure all the steps are properly configured.
For reference : at.js functions
If the audience is being sourced from external systems such as Adobe Analytics, RTCDP, AEP, etc., ensure that the audience definition is correctly configured within the source system itself.
Cause 3: Expired or Inactive Activity
Troubleshooting Steps:
Check the status of the activity in Adobe Target.
Ensure the activity is active and has not reached its end date or become expired.
Key actions: Regularly review activity schedules and set up internal reminders for activity expiry to avoid such issues.
Scenario-3 : Expected Experience Not Delivered
In this case, the activity is delivered, but the specific experience that was supposed to be shown is missing. This could be due to misconfigured experience rules or incorrect audience targeting within the experience.
There is a potential cause for this issue, which is highlighted below.
Cause-1 : Users not getting qualified for the experience-audience.
Review the Response tokens from the call
For both
deliveryandinteractcalls, review the response tokens to ensure the correct experience or activity is being delivered.- For more information on response tokens, navigate to the “Troubleshooting Adobe Target activities using Response tokens“ section given below in the document.
In case of at.js
For implementations using at.js, you can find the response tokens within the ‘execute’ section of the preview in the corresponding delivery call.
In case of Web SDK
For Web SDK implementations, the response tokens can be found within the ‘meta’ section of the preview in the interact call.
Considerations and fixes in case correct experience is not rendered
Ensure that the experience is correctly configured for audience-based targeting if applicable.
Verify that the audience attributes match the targeting rules of that particular experience.
Use mboxTrace or mboxDebug to troubleshoot the Target request.
For reference : Troubleshoot using mboxTrace
If you have an XT activity with multiple experiences, make sure that the order of those experiences is configured properly to decide which experience should be delivered in case of overlapping audience.
Scenario-4 : Expected Activity and Experience delivered but final experience does not look as expected
This scenario occurs when the correct activity and experience are delivered, but the final visual or functional outcome is not as expected. Common causes include issues with custom code execution, CSS or JavaScript conflicts, or delays in the page’s DOM structure affecting the display of the personalised content.
There are potential causes for this issue, which are highlighted below.
Cause-1 : Errors in Code
Consideration:
The custom code associated with the experience may contain errors or be incompatible with the page.
JavaScript errors or warnings in the console can indicate problems with the code execution.
Fix:
Review the JavaScript or other code used in the experience for syntax errors, logical issues, or compatibility problems. Ensure the code is optimised for the specific environment where it is running.
Open the browser’s developer tools and check the console for any errors or warnings. Address any issues found, such as missing variables or incorrect function calls.
Cause-2 : Targeting wrong selector
Consideration:
The selector used in the code might not correctly target the intended element, leading to the code not executing properly.
Fix:
Verify that the CSS or JavaScript selector accurately points to the intended element on the page.
Ensure that there are no mismatches in the selector, and that it uniquely identifies the element, especially in cases where multiple elements might share similar classes or IDs.
Cause-3 : Possible delay in code execution
Consideration:
The code might fail due to timing issues where the DOM element the code is targeting isn’t available yet.
Fix:
Implement checks to ensure that the code only executes once the DOM is fully loaded or when the targeted element becomes available.
This can be done using methods like
setTimeout, or event listeners that trigger the code at the correct time.
Cause-4 : Race condition between multiple activities
Consideration:
A race condition can occur when multiple activities try to execute simultaneously or in quick succession, leading to conflicts where one activity overrides or interferes with another.
It typically happens when the timing of how activities are rendered or applied is not properly managed, causing unpredictable behaviour in delivering experiences.
Fix:
If there are multiple tests in a particular page, make sure both tests are intact.
Use unique mbox names, this helps prevent collisions between tests
Implement activity prioritisation to ensure that the correct activity is delivered first.
Tip : You can refer to the given checklist before launching an experiment to ensure a successful launch while avoiding common pitfalls that can hinder optimal customer experiences. Customer Experience Optimisation Pre-Launch QA Checklist - Dexata
Troubleshooting Adobe Target activities using Response tokens
Response tokens are a powerful feature in Adobe Target that allows you to retrieve additional metadata about an experience or activity directly in the response of a Target request when the activity is rendered.
When troubleshooting an Adobe Target activity, you can add response tokens to your request and examine the returned data. If an activity isn’t working as expected, these tokens can provide insights into the underlying cause, whether it’s due to audience mismatches, incorrect activity configuration, or issues with content delivery.
You can find Response tokens as a separate section in Adobe Target under Administration tab.
Here are a few key insights on how to leverage response tokens for troubleshooting:
Response tokens can be used to pull in details such as the
activity.name,activity.id,experience.name, andexperience.id. This information helps you confirm that the correct activity and experience are being delivered to the user.You can use response tokens to capture profile attributes that were used in decision-making. This might include user segments, geo-location, or other data points critical to the activity. If an expected attribute is missing or incorrect, response tokens can highlight this discrepancy.
Follow the given document to learn more about response tokens and how to configure them : What are Response Tokens and How Do I Use Them? | Adobe Target
Conclusion
Effective troubleshooting in Adobe Target requires a systematic approach to identify and resolve issues that can arise during activity delivery. By thoroughly checking audience refinements, validating segmentation, and carefully examining code execution, you can pinpoint the root causes of common problems. Additional measures like response tokens provide further insights that can aid in diagnosing and correcting issues. Consistently applying these troubleshooting steps will help ensure that your Adobe Target activities deliver the right experiences to the right users, maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of your optimisation efforts.
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About The Authors
Vaibhav Mathur
Vaibhav Mathur is a Web and App Analyst and Multi-Solution Consultant, with a proven track record for optimising digital experiences to achieve measurable outcomes. Specialising in Adobe Target, Adobe Analytics, Optimizely, and Tealium CDP, Vaibhav enhances customer journeys with expertise and precision.
