Data Freshness

Data freshness refers to how close the displayed data is to real time — the lag between when an event happens and when it appears in a report.

Data freshness is a requirement, not an absolute virtue; for monitoring a live campaign even a few seconds of lag is too much, while for a monthly report a few minutes of lag matters not at all. This is why tools usually have two layers: a real-time view with very low lag and a historical view that settles once processing completes. The common trap is comparing a real-time number with a historical one and being surprised by the gap; that gap is usually not an error but the result of processing delay and data finalization. So when today's number differs from the number you see for that same day tomorrow, first ask whether the data has settled or is still processing, rather than blaming the tool.