Do these 12 steps in order, in a development environment. Each step lists where to go, what to do, what to check, what you must know, and the questions interviewers ask about it.
Choose a template, set the report suite ID, site title, time zone, base currency and go-live date.
Tips
Time zone and currency are hard to change later — confirm them first.
Check before moving on
Report suite visible in Report Suite Manager.
Must know
A report suite is a separate data silo with its own variables, settings and data.
Set time zone and currency correctly at creation; they affect how every hit is reported.
Virtual report suites (segment-filtered views of a suite) are a cheaper alternative to many physical suites.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
What is a virtual report suite?
A view of an existing report suite filtered by a segment, with its own settings, used to give teams their own reporting without separate data collection.
Why do time zone and currency matter at setup?
Data is processed in the suite's time zone and currency; getting them wrong distorts daily trends and revenue.
Global report suite pros and cons?
Pros: one implementation and cross-site view. Cons: shared variable slots and settings must suit every site.
Screenshot Create report suite formAdd screenshots/analytics/step-02.pngStep 3
Name and enable eVars; set allocation (most recent, original, linear) and expiration per business rule.
Tips
Expiration and allocation decide who gets credit — agree them with stakeholders.
Check before moving on
Every SDR eVar configured with the agreed rules.
Must know
eVars (conversion variables) persist beyond the hit and take credit for later success events.
Allocation decides which value gets credit (most recent or original); expiration decides how long it persists (hit, visit, time period, a specific event).
Merchandising eVars bind a value to a specific product for product-level credit.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
Explain eVar allocation and expiration.
Allocation chooses which value gets credit when it changes (most recent, original); expiration decides when the value stops persisting (visit end, a time period, or an event such as purchase).
What is a merchandising eVar?
An eVar that binds its value to products in the products string, so credit is given per product (e.g. which search term found each product bought).
Campaign code eVar: which settings?
Usually most recent allocation with an expiration of around 30 days or until purchase, matching the attribution window agreed with marketing.
Name and enable events (counter, numeric or currency) for each conversion metric in the SDR.
Tips
Use serialization for events that must count once per ID (e.g., form submit).
Check before moving on
Events match the SDR.
Must know
Success events are the metrics: counter, numeric and currency types.
The purchase event uses the products string (category;product;quantity;price;events;eVars).
Event serialization stops the same event (for example a form submit or order) from being counted twice.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
What is event serialization?
Passing a unique ID with an event so Analytics counts it only once, preventing double counting on page refreshes.
Describe the products string.
A semicolon-separated string per product: category; product; quantity; price; product-specific events; merchandising eVars. Several products are separated by commas.
Counter vs. numeric vs. currency event?
Counter adds 1 each time; numeric adds a number you pass (e.g. seats); currency adds a monetary value converted to the suite's currency.
Edit Settings > General > Bot Rules; Exclude by IP
What you do
Turn on IAB bot filtering and add custom rules; exclude internal IP ranges.
Tips
Compare traffic before and after filtering to spot anomalies.
Check before moving on
Filtered traffic delta looks reasonable.
Must know
Bot rules (IAB list plus custom rules) move bot hits out of standard reports into bot reports.
IP exclusion (up to 50 IPs) hides matching hits from reports going forward only. They still appear in Data Feeds (exclude_hit = 4) and still count as billable server calls.
Decide internal-traffic handling with stakeholders: exclude it or segment it out.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
Bot rules vs. IP exclusion?
Bot rules filter known and custom bots into bot reports; IP exclusion drops hits from given IP ranges entirely.
How would you handle employee traffic?
Either exclude office IPs (gone from reports, though still in Data Feeds) or flag internal traffic in a variable and filter it with a segment or virtual report suite.
Can excluded data be brought back into reports?
No. Exclusion is not retroactive and excluded hits never return to reports, though they remain in Data Feeds with an exclude_hit flag. Test rules before turning them on.
Data Collection > Datastreams > add Adobe Analytics service (or Analytics extension in Tags)
What you do
Point the datastream at the report suite and map XDM fields to props, eVars and events.
Tips
Coordinate with the Launch workstream; keep ECID consistent.
Check before moving on
Hits arrive in the report suite.
Must know
Data reaches Analytics through Web SDK (via the datastream's Analytics service) or through AppMeasurement.
With Web SDK, standard XDM fields map automatically; eVars and events can be set explicitly (for example xdm._experience.analytics.customDimensions.eVars.eVar1) or through the data object. Unmapped fields arrive as context data (a.x.*) for processing rules.
Page views vs. link tracking: link calls do not count page views.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
How does Web SDK data become Analytics variables?
The Edge Network translates XDM fields into Analytics variables: some automatically, others through the Analytics field group or the data object, plus processing rules.
s.t() vs. s.tl()?
s.t() sends a page view; s.tl() sends a link-tracking call that does not increment page views.
Your page views doubled after a release. What happened?
Most likely two page-view calls per page, for example a rule firing twice or both AppMeasurement and Web SDK sending; confirm in Debugger.
Screenshot Datastream Analytics service with report suite IDAdd screenshots/analytics/step-07.pngStep 8
Processing rules
Where
Edit Settings > General > Processing Rules
What you do
Add server-side rules to copy, set or clean variables without a code release.
Tips
Only certified admins can edit; document every rule in the SDR.
Check before moving on
Rules tested on sample hits.
Must know
Processing rules transform incoming data (for example copy context data into eVars) before it is stored.
They only affect new data, never historical data.
Admins need processing-rules permission; document every rule because they are easy to forget.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
What are processing rules used for?
Mapping context data or Web SDK fields to variables, cleaning values and setting variables based on conditions, without changing site code.
Can processing rules fix historical data?
No. They run at collection time; to correct history you need classifications or reprocessing approaches.
Processing rules vs. VISTA rules?
Processing rules are self-service in the admin console; VISTA rules are server-side rules built by Adobe for more complex logic.
Create classification sets (e.g., campaign code → channel, campaign name) and upload or rule-build values.
Tips
Test on 50+ real codes before applying to production.
Check before moving on
Sample codes classify correctly.
Must know
Classifications add metadata to a variable value (campaign code to channel, product SKU to category).
They work retroactively in reporting, unlike processing rules.
Classification sets are now the main way to manage classifications; legacy classifications are being deprecated (the classification importer after Aug 31, 2026; classification rules after Feb 28, 2027).
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
What is a classification?
A lookup that adds attributes to a variable's values, for example tracking code to campaign name and channel.
Classification vs. processing rule?
Classifications add reporting metadata and apply to historical data; processing rules change data as it is collected and only going forward.
How do you classify thousands of campaign codes?
Use a consistent code naming convention, then upload the classification file to a classification set (or automate it with the API). Plan around the legacy rule builder being deprecated.
Screenshot Classification set schema and rulesAdd screenshots/analytics/step-09.pngStep 10
How to use: do each step in your sandbox using the “How to do it” column, then read across the row to see how the same step changes by domain. Each domain column follows one scenario from top to bottom. Add a screenshot and what you learned in the last column.
Travel & Airlines · practice brand: SkyLumen Airways
How (any domain): Admin > Data Feeds; quarterly SDR audit; access by role.
Check: Audit date booked.
Screenshot Governance & data feeds · E-commerce & RetailAdd screenshots/analytics/retail-09.png
Extra steps for this domain
In Phase 3, add the Product Syntax variable and merchandising eVars alongside order/cart eVars.
In Phase 5, monitor for value truncation given high SKU cardinality; adjust classifications accordingly.
Healthcare
Lab use case: Find-a-doctor & booking
Profile: B2C (patients) + B2B (providers, payers). Compliance focus: HIPAA, HITRUST, consent-first data collection, no PHI in standard analytics tools without a BAA-covered environment.
What changes in this domain: No PHI in any variable; page-name/URL scrubbing for patient-specific identifiers
Special considerations: Compliance review of every custom variable before launch
Appointment requests, find-a-doctor searches, no PHI anywhere.
How (any domain): Turn business questions into KPIs; draft the SDR.
Check: SDR draft signed off.
Screenshot Measurement plan · HealthcareAdd screenshots/analytics/health-01.png
One suite; patient portal not tracked.
How (any domain): Admin > Report Suites > Create New: time zone, currency, go-live date.
Check: Suite visible in Report Suite Manager.
Screenshot Report suite · HealthcareAdd screenshots/analytics/health-02.png
eVars: specialty searched, location; event: appointment request. No names or conditions.
