Adobe experience platform (aep) Web SDK is the all new custom built client-side JavaScript library that helps establish connection with various services of Adobe Experience Cloud through the Adobe Experience Platform Edge Network.
Why this change?
If you use any of the adobe experience cloud products today, they come with their own set of “data-collection” approach and respective independently maintained “technical-library/extension“. This has been working however has it’s own drawback, some of which are but not limited to ..
- Multiple ways to implement different products
- Various data schema & model for each tool type
- Multiple Javascript libraries to maintain
- Elevated testing and compatibility issues
- Libraries developed and maintained independently
- Multiple request in browser, making validation hard
How is AEP Web SDK different?
AEP Web SDK is the biggest change to data collection across all of adobe digital marketing technology stack of products. In addition adobe experience platform edge network intends to make data streaming faster.
AEP Web SDK will replace all existing libraries and become single method to STREAM data to all adobe experience cloud products and data being “agnostic”can then sent to other 3rd party as required. Here’s a gist of its features.
- Rewritten from scratch
- Faster Performance
- Consent Management
- One adobe request
- One data stream
- Server Side ( Adobe launch managed)
- Send Data to Edge Network
- First Party Managed, no more 3rd party cookies
- Data sent to all adobe products
- Data can be sent to 3rd party server side
That’s in short about AEP Web SDK, read on for more detailed introduction, features and information.
What is an Web SDK?
New to Web SDK’s?, Here’s what it means!
A Web “Software Development Kit” lets you make and receive calls within the web browser, It is a COMPLETE SET OF API’s (series of related methods) that helps establish connection with the cloud and perform most of the actions one would need for an application.
In layman’s term, think about it as a KIT. Think about putting together a “Home Tools Kit”, the tools needed to make the KIT, usage instructions, and so on.
What is edge network?
What is Edge Network, how does it help data collection?
Edge computing brings computation and data storage closer to the devices where it’s being gathered, rather than relying on a central location that can be thousands of miles away. This is done so that data, especially real-time data, does not suffer latency issues that can affect an application’s performance.
Benefits of AEP Web SDK
Why AEP Web SDK?
- Adjust/remap data to adobe solution format
- Send data to non adobe servers
- Adobe Launch Server Side Management*
- Build Custom server side Launch Extensions*
*coming soon
Availability and Products supported
What available today? Which Adobe applications can send data into AEP today?
*it would be best to check with local Adobe CSM to know the availability status, you can request to be on waiting list to use some of these new features.
Adobe Experience Platform Web SDK is currently in beta and is not available to all users
The ability to deploy Adobe Analytics, Adobe Target, and Adobe Experience Manager with the Adobe Experience Platform SDK is coming soon
Implementation and getting started
Getting started with AEP Web SDK implementation?
The AEP Web SDK can be implemented using Adobe launch extension or standalone without a Tag Management solution. More information available in the help article below.
Migration from old implementation
There are quite a few consideration and no doubt going back to the drawing board to architect a framework/approach before you move to the new data collection method.
Some of the points to consider are
- 1st-party domain (CNAME) enabled across your web properties
- Visitor migration across old and new way of tracking
- Data layer framework
- Adobe analytics data requirements
- Adobe Target data requirements
- Adobe audience manager data requirements
- Third party data requirements
- Marketing Tags data requirements
- Mobile apps data collection in par with Web SDK
*A detailed post on migration in the future as this becomes available across the board.
Notes from Product & Tech Team
Here’ is some FAQ’s and walkthrough from Corey Spencer ( Product Management) and Aaron Hardy from the Tech team.
Lots of questions about the new Adobe Web SDK (alloy.js) bouncing around. I’ll try to answer a few.— coreyspencer (@coreyspencer) April 8, 2020
If you’d like to learn more about the technical aspects of the Adobe Experience Platform Web SDK, I cooked up a video for you: https://t.co/xY5OxjizFO— Aaron Hardy (@Aaronius) April 13, 2020
Official Documentation
Here’s some of the official documentation and information on what use cases are supported today by AEP Web SDK
Other links and videos
Some of the other must read articles and videos showcasing AEP Web SDK’s features
Conclusion
Exciting times ahead is what i would conclude with, personally it is amazing to see adobe come up with a custom built solution for data collection.
Stay Tuned! for more on Adobe Experience Platform and Adobe Experience Cloud posts 🙂
P.S: Feel free to add/update via comment, i will try to keep this post updated with new information 🙂
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