The server logs report summarizes Notices, Errors, and Debug messages for clicks and conversions in your platform. Server log messages explain why a particular action occurred and can be helpful when troubleshooting tracking issues.
Below, we provide a comprehensive list of individual server log messages that can appear in this report. Messages are logged for both clicks and conversions and can be one of three types:
- Notice: Notifications for specific intended actions
- Error: Notifications for certain unexpected behaviors
- Debug: Notifications for specific tests run either by a partner or admin
To access your server logs report, go to Reports > Server Logs.
Clicks
Notice Messages
“Offer Geo-Targeting does not match Country/Region, no valid group redirect offer.”
This notice means a user clicked on a link for an offer, and the offer has a geo-targeting set that doesn’t match the user’s location. Since the offer is not in an offer group or doesn’t include an offer with geo-targeting that matches the user’s location, the user goes to a blank page and isn’t redirected anywhere. To eliminate this server response, add the offer to an offer group or disable enforce geo-targeting for the offer.
“Offer is Expired/Paused; no other offers to redirect to”
This notice means partner traffic is going to a paused offer. Since no Redirect Offer is set, the partner traffic goes to a blank page, and the user isn’t redirected anywhere. To eliminate this notice, update the offer and set a Redirect Offer. All partner traffic will then be redirected to the Redirect Offer selected.
Error Messages
“Request Invalid” / “Click Invalid”
This click error means that the link that is being requested isn’t valid. More than likely, there isn’t a valid partner ID or offer ID in the tracking link, or there is a weird character that isn’t valid for the offer ID or partner ID. Or the request includes no partner ID or offer ID because the tracking link isn’t correctly created or formatted.
“Partner not found.”
This click error means that the tracking link that is being requested is for an invalid partner ID. Either the partner ID is wrong, or the partner was deleted or blocked. Your ad servers only load partners with active, pending, and paused statuses. The ad server doesn’t load partners with any other status. So if the partner account is set to a status that your ad servers don’t load, the ad server won’t be able to find the partner. The ad server returns a blank page for these requests. If the link is supposed to work and the partner account is set to a status loaded by your ad servers, then the tracking link isn’t formatted correctly and needs to be updated.
“Offer not found.”
This click error means that the tracking link that is being requested is for an invalid offer ID. Either the offer ID needs to be corrected, or the offer was deleted or inactive. Your ad servers only load offers that have the status of active, pending, and paused. The ad server doesn’t load offers with any other status. So if the offer is set to a status that your ad servers don’t load, like deleted, then the ad server won’t be able to find the offer. The ad server returns a blank page for these requests. If the offer was active and is not deleted, you should update the offer to be paused instead of deleted. This way, you can set up a Redirect Offer, and the traffic will be forwarded to the specified redirect offer. Offers that are deleted don’t forward traffic to the redirect offer.
Debug Messages
“Test mode is enabled. Geo-targeting skipped.”
This debug notice means a partner or admin employee tests a tracking link. A test cookie is set when a partner or admin employee logs in. Then, when they test a tracking link, the ad server detects the test cookie. If the test cookie is set, geo-targeting is skipped so the partner or admin employee can test the offer.
Conversions
Notice Messages
“Request offer #… does not match session offer #…”
This notice happens when a transaction ID is called on a wrong offer postback. For example, on conversion, when a transaction ID is passed to an offer postback URL, the ad server will look up the transaction ID for the session and see what offer ID the session is tied to. If the postback URL is offer-specific and the offer ID parameter does match the offer tied to the session, the conversion will be rejected, and this error will appear in the server logs.
“Enforce Encrypted Pixel Enabled {Offer}, {Affiliate}“
When an offer has the Encrypted Conversion Tracking setting enabled, this will hash the value of the offer ID in the conversion pixel/postback URL to a shortened string. With this setting enabled, the ad server will also enforce that any conversion requests for this offer have this hashed value in the URL. When this notice occurs, conversion requests for this offer hit an unencrypted version of the URL, often a global postback URL. If your offer is set up to track with a global postback, consider disabling the “Enforce Conversion Tracking” setting. Otherwise, this is a security measure to prevent partner fraud.
“Offer Pixel #… Postback URL successful: {Server response}”
These server responses are meant to post when a partner postback URL posts a response when fired and an HTTP 200 server response is returned. Keep in mind even if the response says the postback URL was ‘successful,’ this does not ensure that the conversion was tracked successfully on the partner’s end; it means that the server hosting the partner postback came back with a normal server response and no errors in calling the URL directly.
Error Messages
“Invalid Transaction ID”
This error means the advertiser passes the wrong value into the Postback URL. Offers that user Server Postback requires you to pass the transaction ID {transaction_id} to the advertiser on click. You can pass your transaction ID into the advertiser’s system via a sub-ID. Then, when the advertiser calls the Postback URL, they need to include the transaction ID value you passed to them on click (and stored as a sub ID in their system) into the offer’s Postback URL to record a conversion. Transaction ID values are usually longer than eight characters in length. You can view the Conversion Report to see sample transaction ID values.
“No active session was found for the offer, and no transaction ID was provided.”
This notice means that the conversion pixels or postback URLs were loaded for a user who didn’t have a valid session. This means that the advertiser displays the offer’s conversion pixel or calls the offer’s postback URL for people you didn’t refer. The user never saw a creative that set a session on impression or clicked on a tracking link to create a session, but the advertiser is still displaying the offer’s conversion pixel or calling the postback URL. If these conversions were recorded, this would cause your platform to record more conversions than the advertiser will record for you since your platform didn’t refer these users to the advertiser’s offer.
"Invalid args, postback, and postback affiliate. Rejected Trans. ID#.." OR "Offer is postback affiliate, postback args used. Rejected Trans. ID #.."
This notice indicates that the arguments passed in the conversions URL did not fit the criteria of the tracking protocol set on the offer or the offer goals. Suppose the tracking protocol is set to "server postback w/transaction ID." Then, the conversion URL should not contain the argument "aff_id." On the other hand, if the tracking protocol is set to "server postback w/affiliate ID," then the "transaction_id" argument should not be in the conversion URL. Postbacks can have either the aff_id or the transaction_id, but not both.
Debug Messages
“Test mode enabled, Setting payout, revenue, and sale amount to ‘0’”
This conversion notice means an advertiser or admin employee tests an offer using the offer test link. The offer test link is found when viewing the offer conversion tracking pixel or postback URL. When viewing an offer, click on the Tracking Pixel or Postback URL link in the details panel. The tracking pixel and postback URL page display a test link that includes &source=testoffer&aff_sub=testoffer. When source equals “testoffer” or partner sub ID equals “testoffer” then the ad server sets payout, revenue, and sale amount to 0. Since it is a test conversion, these values are set to 0, so it won’t affect statistics. If you want to test an offer without test mode enabled, generate a tracking link for partner ID 1 (your partner account) and then test the offer.
“Duplicate rejected with Trans. ID #… {Offer}, {Affiliate}”
When a conversion is fired, the ad server will check to see if the transaction ID has been used to track conversions on their end. Suppose the transaction ID has been used already, and the offer has not been explicitly allowed to track multiple conversions per transaction ID. Any subsequent conversions using the same transaction ID will be rejected in that case, throwing this server log response.