Tracking errors and reasons

When a tracking request does not do what you expected, PalDock records why in two places.

• The tracking log records what happened to the request itself.
• The conversion log records what happened to the conversion the request created.

A request can be accepted and the conversion still end up invalid, so always check both. See Tracking and Conversion Logs.

What the endpoint returns

• 200 OK: the request changed something, either the conversion or its transaction.
• 204 No Content: the request was accepted, but nothing changed. Usually the values sent were the same as the ones already stored.
• 400 Bad Request: an update request that could not find the conversion to update.
• 422 Unprocessable Entity: the request failed validation, for example a missing identifier or an unknown conversion type.

Treat 204 as a warning rather than a success. It means the advertiser is sending data that has no effect.

Request outcomes in the tracking log

• Ok: the request was processed and something changed.
• No change: the request was valid but nothing needed updating.
• Unmatched: PalDock could not find the conversion the request refers to. This is the most common failure. See below.
• Filtered: the request did not meet the conditions of the postback it was sent to, for example the wrong source, offer, or advertiser.
• In progress: a scenario is still running. The final outcome is recorded when it finishes.
• Fail: the request or the scenario ended with an error. The log row carries the error message.

Why a request comes back Unmatched

• The Origin ID was wrong, expired, or belonged to a different workspace.
• Only the External ID was sent, without the Advertiser ID. On its own the External ID is not unique.
• The conversion the advertiser refers to was never created, for example because the pixel was blocked.
• Several conversions match the identifier and PalDock cannot tell which one is meant. See Conversion IDs explained.

Conversion statuses

Some statuses mean the conversion is fine (status ok), others mean it is invalid (status fail). An invalid conversion is stored and visible, but no commission runs on it, so no transaction is created.

Checklist when nothing happens

1. Find the request in the tracking log. If it is not there at all, it never reached PalDock. Check the pixel, the CSP, or the advertiser’s firewall.
2. If the outcome is Filtered, compare the request against the conditions on that postback.
3. If it is Unmatched, check which identifiers the advertiser is sending.
4. If it is Ok or No change, move to the conversion log and read the status.
5. If the conversion is valid but there is still no transaction, the cause is on the commission side. See How PalDock picks a commission.