Thanks for all the responses Eric. Much appreciated. I appreciate that v2010 is very quick. That's great, (makes development much easier) but slow report generation would not be a barrier in my case.
Barriers to a v2010 solution are: 1) Scope / Effort: New accounts are launched without my awareness. So there would have to be a component that a) audits accounts under an MCC b) creates a new report definition for new accounts (which must be specific to the way that MCC's reporting is used) c) keeps track of similar report IDs so they can be grouped across accounts, d) checks to ensure all reports are gathered successfully before aggregation / loading. If a partial load were processed, that would cause big problems. It's not enough to just create the reports once and write something to pull and aggregate them. 2) Reliability: I'm very confident in the work I do, but anyone would prefer a server side feature used widely and the oversight that comes with widespread use to a client side workaround with a single user. 3) Useful life: if the next revision to v2010 will have cross client reporting and is right around the corner, this solution represents a good chunk of work with a short shelf life. v13 may be an option (haven't much looked into it), but that's going to have a limited useful life as well. There just aren't enough hours in the day. -Jonah On Nov 11, 5:42 pm, AdWords API Advisor <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Jonah, > > Thank you for giving us some insight into the way cross-client > reporting is used and the importance it has to your business. > Regarding your questions: > > 1) I don't have any information about features of the AdWords web > interface. These questions should be directed to the general AdWords > forum: > > http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/AdWords?hl=en > > 2) Ditto. > > 3) There are plans for the v2010 reporting system to support cross- > client reports. > > 4) I don't have any estimates as to when this functionality will be > ready, but I know it is actively being worked on. > > The same information available in cross-client reports can be obtained > by making many single-client reports and aggregating together the data > client-side. Because of how much faster the v2010 reporting system we > believe that this process may actually take less time then using the > cross-client feature of the v13 reporting system. What are the > barriers you see to implementing such a system? > > Best, > - Eric > > On Nov 10, 11:45 am, jonahviakeyboard <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Hi Eric, > > > The word 'client' has more than one meaning. I think that's part of > > where the trouble originates. To the API, it refers to an account > > number. But in the agency parlance (and in a setup with nested MCCs), > > the client is an organization. That organization often has many Google > > account numbers; 'cross-client' reporting has become the expectation. > > > The MCC's has been used to group accounts (which may represent > > franchises, locations, divisions, etc.) of the same physical client > > for years. The elimination of the Report Center undermines the MCC's > > organizational capabilities, by the API's inability to deliver > > information at the group level. With organizational structures long > > standing and very resistant to change, the elimination of the Report > > Center brings the API's shortcomings to center stage. > > > I'm sorry my last response whined - not my intent. I understand that > > there's no way the Report Center will be preserved, or that the API > > will be improved in time. My objective is to explain how agencies rely > > on the MCC organizationally for group reporting uses - not just > > consolidated billing, campaign management, or user access. Hopefully, > > the reporting uses will be considered in the next version of the API. > > > A few answers will help me prepare for the future. > > 1) On what date will the Report Center be eliminated? > > 2) On this date, will all grandfathered scheduled emails cease to > > include attachments? (I expect yes, but worth asking) > > 3) Are there plans for the API to support cross-client/MCC reporting? > > 4) When (ANY rough guess is better than none) might the beta of that > > API version become available? > > > Thanks for the help. > > > -Jonah > > On Nov 4, 1:23 pm, AdWords API Advisor <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > Hi Jonah, > > > > The v2010* ReportDefinitionService doesn't support cross-client > > > reporting in any form at the moment, so you will need to request an > > > individual report per-account. However, because report generation is > > > much faster in v2010* the overall time it takes to get the data should > > > not be dramatically affected. > > > > Best, > > > - Eric > > > > On Nov 2, 7:49 pm, jonahviakeyboard <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Eric, yes, you can still get them through the UI in a scheduled email, > > > > but at the account level, not at the MCC level. Stuck at the account > > > > level, the new email report deliveries come with a download link > > > > behind a login, not attachments (which could be extracted > > > > programmatically) in the old Report Center. Campaign reports as well > > > > cannot be downloaded at the MCC level through the API, but work > > > > through the UI. > > > > > As mentioned, the Destination URL report definition created from the > > > > UI is different (and better for my needs) than the one created by the > > > > API. Turns out that a UI created Destination URL report can be > > > > downloaded through the API...but only at the account level. I've got a > > > > few dozen accounts under one MCC and need accurate and comprehensive > > > > daily URL reports for all accounts. And new accounts get launched > > > > without my knowledge. With many accounts, the new report center email > > > > delivery is not a solution. The API does not have reasonable a > > > > solution. But the old Report Center met my needs just fine. > > > > > On Oct 27, 5:20 pm, AdWords API Advisor <[email protected]> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > Hi All, > > > > > > In addition, although the old reports center is going away, you can > > > > > still schedule these reports to be emailed to you on regular > > > > > intervals. When you are at the Dimensions -> Destination URL screen, > > > > > click the icon that looks like a down arrow going into an inbox, and > > > > > expand the "Email and schedule report" section. > > > > > > Best, > > > > > - Eric > > > > > > On Oct 27, 4:31 pm, AdWords API Advisor <[email protected]> > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > Hi All, > > > > > > > Report definitions are shared between the UI and API, but I don't > > > > > > believe this type of report can be turned into a report definition > > > > > > yet. I am not aware of any plans to add this report type to the > > > > > > API, > > > > > > but I will bring it up with the rest of the team. > > > > > > > Best, > > > > > > - Eric > > > > > > > On Oct 27, 12:49 pm, Terence <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > I am in the exact same boat as Jonah. AdWords used to send me > > > > > > > complete Destination URL reports via email, but the old Report > > > > > > > Center > > > > > > > is being discontinued and reports will no longer be attached to > > > > > > > emails. So I too am looking to the API to download the > > > > > > > Destination > > > > > > > URL. > > > > > > > > I'm really hesitant about Eric's suggested solution. Seems very > > > > > > > hacky > > > > > > > and prone to errors. Has anyone found a better solution to > > > > > > > getting a > > > > > > > comprehensive and accurate Destination URL report via API yet? > > > > > > > > On Oct 24, 7:27 pm, jonahviakeyboard <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Thanks Eric. > > > > > > > > > In my first test, your suggestion worked - at least in terms of > > > > > > > > the > > > > > > > > sum of clicks and media. So it is comprehensive. I haven't had > > > > > > > > the > > > > > > > > chance to test activity by Desination URL to see if it is > > > > > > > > accurate. > > > > > > > > Assuming yes, the next step is to write something that will > > > > > > > > request > > > > > > > > both sets, combine them, and remove intersections. Then iterate > > > > > > > > through many accounts and aggregate results. Certainly seems > > > > > > > > more > > > > > > > > cumbersome and prone to error than the single report I can get > > > > > > > > from > > > > > > > > the UI. > > > > > > > > > I currently receive a daily Destination URL report that spans > > > > > > > > many > > > > > > > > accounts. It is my understanding that the new version of the > > > > > > > > report > > > > > > > > center will not send email attached reports - that the API is > > > > > > > > the > > > > > > > > solution. That's what brought about my first question. > > > > > > > > > As an alternative to your suggestion to replicating the UI's > > > > > > > > Destination URL report, is it possible to schedule a > > > > > > > > Destination URL > > > > > > > > report through the UI, and then download it through the API? > > > > > > > > How can > > > > > > > > one get the RVal ID of a report schedule from the UI? That > > > > > > > > route would > > > > > > > > certainly be much easier. Would that RVal ID change (daily) as > > > > > > > > the > > > > > > > > report is regenerated? > > > > > > > > > Or, are there plans to include a new report type or option in a > > > > > > > > future > > > > > > > > API release that would replicate the UI's version of a > > > > > > > > Destination URL > > > > > > > > report? (You said 'yet', so I'm hopeful) > > > > > > > > > Many thanks. > > > > > > > > > On Oct 20, 6:21 pm, AdWords API Advisor > > > > > > > > <[email protected]> > > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Hi Jonah, > > > > > > > > > > Unfortunately the API doesn't have a report that exactly > > > > > > > > > matches the > > > > > > > > > Destination URL dimension screen in the UI. Your attempts so > > > > > > > > > far have > > > > > > > > > been good, but the main problem is that there isn't support > > > > > > > > > for > > > > > > > > > CriterionUserList (Audience) criteria in the reporting system > > > > > > > > > yet. > > > > > > > > > What may work is the following: > > > > > > > > > > Use the AD_PERFORMANCE_REPORT and include the KeywordId > > > > > > > > > field. This > > > > > > > > > will segment the statistics by the criteria that triggered the > > > > > > > > > impressions. I'm not 100% sure, but I think this field will > > > > > > > > > work for > > > > > > > > > any type of criterion, CriterionUserList included. You can > > > > > > > > > then use > > > > > > > > > this ID to cross reference the results from a KEYWORDS / > > > > > > > > > PLACEMENT > > > > > > > > > report or the AdGroupCriterionService to get the destination > > > > > > > > > URLs of > > > > > > > > > the criteria. > > > > > > > > > > Best, > > > > > > > > > - Eric Koleda, AdWords API Team > > > > > > > > > > On Oct 18, 7:37 pm, jonahviakeyboard <[email protected]> > > > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > Hi, > > > > > > > > > > > With the API, I want to reproduce the UI report generated by > > > > > > > > > > navigating Campaigns->Dimensions->Destination URL. I > > > > > > > > > > thought this > > > > > > > > > > should be easy to do - expected a URL_PERFORMANCE_REPORT. > > > > > > > > > > But this > > > > > > > > > > returns the URLs from which some of my ads were clicked > > > > > > > > > > (display and > > > > > > > > > > content, I suppose), not the destination URL. > > > > > > > > > > > I've spent a great deal of time tinkering with different > > > > > > > > > > variations of > > > > > > > > > > report requests, trying both v201008 and v201003. Two > > > > > > > > > > requests get me > > > > > > > > > > close to the truth as reported in the UI: > > > > > > > > > > > First is an AD_PERFORMANCE_REPORT with DestinationURL as a > > > > > > > > > > dimension > > > > > > > > > > Second is a KEYWORDS_PERFORMANCE_REPORT with DestinationURL > > > > > > > > > > as a > > ... > > read more » -- =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Also find us on our blog and discussion group: http://adwordsapi.blogspot.com http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AdWords API Forum" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api?hl=en
