Why It Matters
Analytics are only as reliable as the data behind them.- Stale data misleads: A “last 7 days” analysis is useless if the most recent 3 days haven’t synced
- Proactive visibility prevents bad decisions: Catching a sync issue before a board meeting is better than discovering it afterward
- Scoping saves time: Knowing which domains are ready helps you focus on answerable questions
Data Health tells you whether the pipeline is working. Attribution Health tells you whether your tracking is capturing marketing touchpoints. Both matter — a table can be perfectly fresh but still show 40%
(direct) / (none) if UTM tracking isn’t set up properly.What We Check
| Dimension | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Freshness | Has the table been updated recently? We flag tables that haven’t refreshed in 14+ days. |
| Availability | Does the table contain data, or is it empty? |
| Domain Readiness | Which analytical areas are usable — orders, customers, ads, attribution, etc.? |
When Data Updates
Key tables refresh daily. Our SLA guarantees fresh data through the previous day based on your reporting timezone.- Through yesterday — Complete and reliable. This is what we guarantee.
- Today’s data — Incomplete. Don’t use current-day data for analysis.
Real-time isn’t the goal. We optimize for accuracy over speed — ensuring data is correctly transformed, deduplicated, and enriched before it reaches your warehouse.
Platform-Specific Timing
Some platforms have longer sync windows due to API limitations:| Platform | Typical Lag |
|---|---|
| Shopify, Klaviyo, Meta, Google Ads | 24 hours |
| Amazon Seller/Vendor Central, Amazon Ads | 24–72 hours (API rate limits) |
| GA4 | 24–48 hours |
Why 14 Days?
Key tables — orders, customers, sessions, ad spend — should have fresh data every day. That’s the normal operating state for an active e-commerce business. The 14-day threshold exists for secondary tables that may not see daily activity:- A new subscription program might not have orders every day yet
- Refunds tables depend on actual refund volume
- Some niche integrations only fire on specific events
If a core table (orders, customers, ad performance) is stale, that’s almost always a pipeline issue. If a secondary table is stale, check whether you’d expect activity — it might just be low volume.
Common Scenarios
| What You See | What It Likely Means |
|---|---|
| Orders table is stale | E-commerce platform sync may be delayed or disconnected |
| Attribution table fresh but coverage low | Pipeline works, but tracking may not — check Attribution Health |
| Ad performance empty for a platform | That integration may not be connected |
| Multiple tables 14+ days stale | Broader pipeline issue — recent analyses across domains are affected |
| Single table stale, others fine | Platform-specific issue (API error, auth expiration, rate limits) |
What To Do If Data Is Degraded
1
Check specific tables
Ask “Which tables are stale?” to identify exactly what’s affected. Is it one platform or multiple?
2
Scope your analysis
Avoid date ranges that depend on stale data. If orders haven’t synced since Jan 15, don’t analyze Jan 16–20.
3
Check Attribution Health
If data is fresh but results look wrong (e.g., high
(direct) / (none)), the issue may be tracking, not pipeline.4
Escalate if persistent
If staleness persists beyond 24–48 hours, reach out to your SourceMedium team — there may be an integration issue requiring admin attention.
Example Questions
You can ask about data health in natural language:- “How is my data health?”
- “Can I trust my last 7 days of data?”
- “Which tables are fresh?”
- “What data do I have available?”
- “Are my tables up to date?”
- “When was my orders data last updated?”
Data Health vs Attribution Health
| Data Health | Attribution Health | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Table freshness and availability | Tracking and UTM coverage quality |
| Question it answers | ”Is my data pipeline working?" | "Is my marketing attribution accurate?” |
| When to check | Before any analysis | When results look wrong despite fresh data |
| What fixes it | Wait for sync, or escalate integration issue | Fix UTM tagging, landing page parameters |
Related Resources
Attribution Health
Diagnose and improve tracking coverage for marketing attribution.
Data Freshness
Details on refresh schedules and platform-specific timing.
Why (direct) / (none) Happens
Common causes of missing attribution and how to fix them.
Data Architecture
How SourceMedium structures and transforms your data.