Identify & Fix Data Gaps with the Data Gap Analyzer

The Data Gap Analyzer helps you identify missing data across your datasets and trigger targeted backfills to fill those gaps — without reprocessing everything.

Instead of guessing what's missing or running a broad re-sync, the Data Gap Analyzer gives you a visual overview of data health for each dataset, so you can see exactly which accounts and date ranges have gaps and take action on just those specific gaps if necessary.

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How to Access the Data Gap Analyzer

The Data Gap Analyzer is available on the Dataset Details page for any connector-based dataset.

1. Navigate to Data Cloud in NinjaCat.
2. Open the dataset you want to inspect.
3. On the Dataset Details page, click the Data Checks tab (next to the Sync Details tab).

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Note

The Data Checks tab only appears for datasets that use a connector as their data source. Custom datasets (such as those built from Google Sheets, FTP, or email) will not display this tab.

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Reading the Data Health Heatmap

The Data Gap Analyzer displays a heatmap — a horizontal bar chart where each row represents an account (or all data combined), and the bar shows data availability over a selected time range.

Color Coding

Each segment's width is proportional to the number of days it covers within the selected time range.

What the Colors Mean

A blue segment means there is a gap in the data for that account and date range. However, a gap does not automatically mean something is broken. Gaps can occur for a variety of reasons, including:

• Authorization issues — credentials may have expired or permissions changed.
• API quota limits — the data source may have throttled requests.
• No data from the source — the advertiser may not have had activity on those dates (e.g., weekends, paused campaigns).
• Privacy or reporting constraints — some platforms limit data availability.

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Treat gaps as "investigate this," not "this is broken."

The Data Gap Analyzer is a diagnostic starting point. Use it to identify where to look, then determine the cause before taking action.

Credential Error Indicators

If an account row has a credential error, the account label text will appear in dark red, with additional error details available when you hover over it. This typically means the data source authentication needs to be refreshed.

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Filtering and Grouping Data

The Data Gap Analyzer provides two controls to customize your view:

Time Range

Select how far back you want to look. Available options include the last 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, and more — giving you visibility into up to 2 years of data health history.

Group By

Choose how data is organized in the heatmap:

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Hovering for Details

Hover over any segment in the heatmap to see specific details:

• Date range — The exact start and end dates of the segment.
• Account information — The advertiser network ID or account associated with the row.
• Pipeline execution details — Additional context about recent data processing activity for that date, which can help you understand whether data was attempted and what happened.

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Triggering a Targeted Backfill

When you identify a data gap, you can trigger a targeted backfill to re-request data for just that specific gap — rather than reprocessing the entire dataset.

Steps to Backfill

1. Click on a blue (missing) segment in the heatmap.

   • A Backfill Missing Data modal will appear, pre-filled with the date range and scope from the segment you clicked.

2. Review the backfill settings:

   • Scope — Choose whether to backfill for a specific connection, account, or all accounts.
   • Date Range — Adjust the start and end dates if needed (they are pre-filled from the selected gap).

3. Click "Backfill" to submit the request.

4. Wait for processing. It may take several minutes for the backfill results to appear. You can check progress in the Sync Details tab on the same page.

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Backfill Limitations

Targeted backfills are not available for all dataset types. Datasets sourced from FTP, Amazon S3, or email connectors do not support backfills through this interface because those data sources require the external system to re-send the data.

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Tips for Using the Data Gap Analyzer

• Start with the Connection view to get a broad picture, then switch to the Account view to drill into specific problem areas.
• Check credential errors first — if an account label appears in dark red, resolving the authentication issue may fix the data gaps automatically on the next sync.
• Use targeted backfills for recent gaps — if you see a gap from the last few days, a targeted backfill is usually the fastest resolution.
• Don't backfill everything at once — targeted backfills are designed to be precise. Backfilling only the gaps you need keeps processing efficient and avoids unnecessary API calls to data sources.
• Revisit after backfilling — after triggering a backfill, return to the Data Checks tab after a few minutes to verify that the gap has been filled.