How long do configuration changes take to show in the portal?

Configuration changes that impact the tag (btt.js) have to propagate out to users before the data will reflect those changes. Common configuration changes include modifications to page name rules, traffic medium rules, and most changes made in the Site Settings page. Here is a high-level overview of how long each step of the process takes, beginning immediately after you click “Save” on a configuration change:

1. It usually takes between 5 and 30 minutes for the change to appear in btt.js
2. Once the change is in btt.js, traffic from new users will reflect those changes and will begin to show in certain parts of the portal
1. Users with cached versions of the tag will usually continue to use the cached version for awhile before picking up a new copy of btt.js
2. This assumes there are enough new users to generate traffic (if your site is low-volume, such as a pre-production site, then it may take a bit longer to see data associated with those changes in the portal)
3. This is easiest to see in parts of the portal that display raw data (such as when your time period is less than 6 hours)
3. After that, it takes 2-3 hours for data to reflect those changes in the rest of the portal
1. Our aggregation processes usually run once per hour, and we aggregate trafifc by session (where each session can last 2-3 hours), so it takes 2-3 hours for changes to be reflected in aggregated data
2. This also assumes there are enough users to generate traffic (low-volume sites might take a bit longer to see data associated with those changes in the rest of the portal)

These are typical timelines and can change depending on the amount of traffic generated. For time-sensitive configuration changes (such as those related to an upcoming sale or an entirely new page name), we recommend making the configuration change in the portal beforehand, so that btt.js is updated and ready to go when you deploy the new page/sale/etc.

There are a few exceptions to these typical timelines in cases where you are not making a configuration change to the btt.js tag. One example of this is changes made in the Post-Process Filters page, which take place immediately. Some fields in the Site Settings page will not change btt.js and will take place immediately, such as the Filter Size setting and the Display Names of the Custom Number/Category/Variable fields (although changes to the Value of the Custom Number/Category/Variable fields will trigger a tag update).