Overview
The Report Suite ID (RSID) tells Adobe Analytics exactly where to store the data it collects. This check ensures that the data originating from your website is being sent to the intended destination—typically a production report suite for live traffic and a development or "sandbox" report suite for testing environments.
Why it is important
Mapping data to the wrong report suite is a critical implementation error with severe consequences:
Data Contamination: If test data from developers or ObservePoint reports leaks into a production report suite, it inflates traffic metrics and skews conversion rates, leading to "dirty" data that is difficult to clean.
Useless Reporting: Conversely, if production data is sent to a test report suite, your actual business performance won't be reflected in your primary dashboards, rendering your strategic reports incomplete.
Budget Impact: Sending large volumes of test traffic to production suites can consume your server call budget unnecessarily.
Implementation
ObservePoint reports on Adobe Analytics tags across your Audits and Journeys by checking every URL we reach.
By validating your tag and variable rules, ObservePoint automatically extracts these IDs and flags any instances where data is being sent to the wrong account, ensuring your reporting remains accurate and clean.
Here is a pre-built ObservePoint report that groups Report Suite IDs by Domain.
Remediation
If data is being sent to the incorrect report suite, review the following configuration areas:
1. Check TMS Environment Switches
In Adobe Launch (AEP Tags), the Adobe Analytics extension often uses a "Data Element" or "Custom Code" to switch RSIDs based on the hostname.
Action: Ensure your logic correctly identifies production domains (e.g.,
www.yourbrand.com) vs. staging domains (e.g.,dev.yourbrand.com).Action: Verify that "Production" library builds aren't being accidentally published to your staging environment.
2. Review Multi-Suite Tagging
If you are sending data to multiple report suites (a comma-separated list), ensure the order and IDs are correct.
Action: Check for typos in the comma-separated string in your
s.accountvariable.
3. Inspect "doPlugins" Logic
Some implementations dynamically override the RSID within the doPlugins function based on specific user actions or page types.
Action: Audit your custom code for any hard-coded RSIDs that might be overriding the global settings.
4. Hard-coded Library Files
If you are not using a TMS for certain parts of the site, the RSID might be hard-coded in the AppMeasurement.js file or a local script block.
Action: Search your source code for legacy
s_accountors.accountdefinitions that might be outdated.
Conclusion
Correct Report Suite mapping is the "traffic control" of your analytics implementation. Ensuring that production data stays in production and test data stays in development is fundamental to data governance.
Regular automated Audits via ObservePoint allow you to catch "leaky" implementations early, protecting the reliability of your marketing dashboards and preventing the corruption of your historical records.