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Understanding Data Discrepancies Between Clarisights and Source Platforms

You may occasionally notice that numbers in Clarisights don't exactly match what you see in the source platform (e.g., Facebook Ads Manager, Google Ads UI). Small discrepancies are normal and expected. This article explains the most common causes.

1. Timezone Differences

Clarisights stores data in UTC by default. If your source platform reports in a different timezone (e.g., your Facebook account is set to US/Pacific), the same day's data may be split differently between the two systems.

How to check: Compare data for a week or month rather than a single day. Timezone-related discrepancies cancel out over longer periods.

2. Attribution Windows and Lookback

Platforms like Facebook and Google continuously update conversion data as attribution windows close. Clarisights re-pulls data with a lookback window (typically 7–60 days), but there may be a delay between when the source platform updates a conversion and when Clarisights picks it up.

How to check: Wait 24–48 hours and compare again. If you need an immediate sync, contact the Clarisights team to trigger a manual backfill.

3. Currency Conversion Timing

Clarisights converts currencies using the exchange rate for each specific day. If the source platform uses a different rate or a different conversion date, spend figures may differ slightly.

For more details, see Currency Conversion.

4. API vs. UI Differences

Clarisights pulls data from each platform's reporting API, which sometimes returns slightly different numbers than the platform's own UI. Known examples:

  • Facebook: The Ads Manager UI may include estimated or sampled data that differs from API results

  • Google Ads: The UI may show "auto-applied" changes or real-time data that the API hasn't finalized yet

  • TikTok: Attribution models in the UI may differ from what's available via the API

5. Dashboard Filters

Before investigating a discrepancy, make sure you're comparing the same scope:

  • Are any tab filters or widget filters active in Clarisights that narrow down the data?

  • Are you comparing the same ad accounts? Clarisights may include/exclude accounts that aren't visible in your source platform view.

  • Are you comparing the same date range in both systems?

How to Investigate

  1. Compare week-level or month-level data to eliminate timezone noise

  2. Check filters in both Clarisights and the source platform

  3. Export raw data from both systems for the same date range and account, and compare row by row

  4. If the discrepancy is large (>5%) or persistent, contact us with the report URL, date range, and the source platform screenshot showing the expected numbers

What's a Normal Discrepancy?

Discrepancies of 1–3% on daily data are generally expected due to timezone and attribution timing. Discrepancies should be near zero when comparing weekly or monthly aggregates for the same accounts and date range.