Multi-sandbox event-forwarding data collection
This blueprint shows how data collected with Experience Platform Web and Mobile SDKs can be configured to collect a single event and forward to multiple AEP sandboxes. This blueprint is specific to multi-sandbox data collection that uses Event Forwarding to accomplish this goal.
In addition to replicating the event with Event Forwarding features, you can add to, filter, or manipulate the original collected data that meet requirements for other sandboxes.
Event Forwarding uses a separate property that contains the Data Elements, Rules, and Extensions necessary for your data requirements. With an incoming event, your Event Forwarding property can collect the data and manage as needed prior to forwarding.
Your destination sandbox requires a HTTP streaming end point configured that is used by the Adobe Cloud Connector extension.
Use cases
-
Global data reporting - When using multiple sandboxes to isolate operating environments and the need to consolidate data collection to one sandbox for cross sandbox reporting. Routing an Experience Edge Event through Event Forwarding to a reporting sandbox allows each sandbox operating environment to send data as it is collected in real time to a reporting sandbox.
-
Manage data collection across sandboxes based on different data rules for each sandbox operating environment.
Applications
- Experience Platform Data Collection
- Event Forwarding
- AEP Extension
- Cloud Connector Extension
Considerations
With Event Forwarding as the approach to sending data to multiple sandboxes, there are considerations that must be taken into account with your solution architecture.
No HIPAA Data
Event Forwarding is not considered HIPAA Ready and should not be used in any HIPAA use cases where HIPAA data is collected.
However, the infrastructure used for Event Forwarding is deemed HIPAA-ready and is solely at the discretion of the customer. While your Event Forwarding Tag property resides in the Event Forwarding system, the entire data payload collected is sent to the Event Forwarding system for processing. This process makes Event Forwarding concerning for HIPAA use cases. With the entire payload shipped to the Event Forwarding system, this process would include any HIPAA values. Even though the Event Forwarding rules filter that data prior to sending to its destination, that HIPAA data is still shipped to a non-HIPAA-ready infrastructure. However, the payload data is never stored and is simply a pass-through.
Different datastreams and streaming end points
As data flows through datastreams from the Platform Edge Network, when using Event Forwarding to another AEP sandbox, a requirement is to never use the same datastream or streaming end point as the datastream making the original collection. This can be detrimental to the AEP instance and potentially triggering a DoS situation.
Estimated traffic volumes
Traffic volumes are required for review with each use case. This is important as high volumes could result in a throttling situation and customers are notified if this occurs.
Architecture
-
Collecting and sending event data to the Platform Edge Network is required to use Event Forwarding. You can use Adobe tags for client-side or the Platform Edge Network Server API for server-to-server data collection.
The Platform Edge Network API can provide a server-to-server collection capability. This, however, requires a different programming model to implement. Refer to Edge Network Server API Overview.
-
Collected payloads are sent from tags implementation to the Platform Edge Network to the Event Forwarding service and processed by its own Data Elements, Rules, and Actions. To read more about the differences, see Tags and Event Forwarding.
-
An Event Forwarding property is also required to receive collected event data from the Platform Edge Network, whether that event data was sent to the Platform Edge Network by a deployed Tags implementation or a server-to-server collection.
Authors define the data elements, rules and actions used to enrich the event data prior to forwarding to the second sandbox. Consider using the custom code JavaScript data element to help with structuring your data for sandbox ingestion. Combined with Platform data prep capabilities, you have several options to manage your data structure.
-
Currently, the use of the Adobe Cloud Connector Extension is required within the Event Forwarding Property. After the rules process or enrich the event data, the Cloud Connector is used within a fetch call configured for a POST, sending the payload to the second sandbox.
-
A streaming endpoint for data ingestion is required for the second sandbox. You can also consider Data Prep capabilities in AEP to help with ingestion and mapping of Event Forwarding payloads to XDM. Refer to the AEP documentation Create a HTTP API Streaming Connection using the UI