How to Set Up Pub/Sub as a Server Side Destination

Follow the step by step guide to launching your Pub/Sub Server-Side Tracking

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Note: The pub/sub connector is likely to be used only by technology partners and clients with a data team that wants raw access to our event stream.

This connection is unlike any other because it does not connect the merchant to a channel (like Facebook); rather, it provides a raw export of the event data that Elevar generates. This export is similar to a BigQuery export from GA4 but bypasses GA4.

Overview

This connection works by sending event data from Elevar’s servers into a clients GCP project. In order to facilitate this connection, we need the client to perform the following steps.

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Learn About the Events and Properties Elevar Sends to Pub/Sub

Read this guide to learn more about the specific events and properties Elevar sends to Pub/Sub.

Prerequisites:

  • Install the Shopify Source on your store. Follow our guide on How to Install the Shopify Source
  • If you don't already have a Google Cloud Project (GCP) that you'd like to use create a new one in the Google Cloud Platform by following this guide
    • In your GCP project create a new topic by following this guide and give Elevar’s service account ([email protected]) publisher permissions to the topic. To do this add the IAM role roles/pubsub.publisher to the topic. Information on this can be found here
    • Provide Elevar with your GCP project name and your topic name
    • Handle events (Sample GIST:
const {PubSub} = require('@google-cloud/pubsub');

async function listenForMessages() {
  const pubsub = new PubSub();
  const subscriptionName = 'elevar-event-subscription';
	const subscription = pubsub.subscription(subscriptionName);

  const messageHandler = (message) => {
    // Handle event 
    message.ack();
  };

  subscription.on('message', messageHandler);
}

listenForMessages();

Add Pub/Sub as a Server-Side Destination

Locate Pub/Sub Destination:

  • On the homepage of your Elevar Account, locate the "My Tracking" button from the left-hand menu.
  • Once, in "My Tracking" select the "Add Destination" button in the upper right hand corner of the page.
    • A side bar pop-up window will appear, titled "Add Destination".
    • Within this pop-up, use the search function and type "Pub/Sub".
    • Once the Pub/Sub destination appears from the search function, click on it.
      • (See Figure 1)

Step 1 screenshot

Figure 1

Get Started:

  • After locating and clicking on the Pub/Sub destination, you will be taken to overview screen.
  • Click the "Get Started" button in the lower left-hand corner of the Overview box.
    • (See Figure 2)

Step 2 screenshot

_Figure 2_

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Integration Notes: Action Required Prior to Installation

If you don't already have a Google Cloud Project (GCP), please create one, as well as a new topic in the project. And grant [email protected] publisher permissions to that topic.

Read this step to ensure that you have completed this.

Entering Pub/Sub Settings

Pub/Sub Settings:

  • To get started, you will need to enter your Pub/Sub settings for the integration.
  • If you have "Markets" enabled in your Shopify Source, you will see the "Markets" section in your Pub/Sub destination.
    • Select either the "All Markets", "Specific market(s)", or the "No Market ID" button to specify which markets will send data to Pub/Sub.
    • If you have selected "All Markets" navigate to the section titled "Destination Label" and use the text box to enter a label. This is how your destination name will appear across the Elevar app (e.g., My Tracking, Reports, History) and helps to identify your destination across our app, especially when you have multiple instances of the same destination.
    • If you have selected "Specific market(s)", navigate to the section titled "Market Groups" and use the drop down menu to select the market groups to specify which market's data will be sent to this destination. Then, navigate to the box titled "Destination Label" and use the text box to enter a label. This is how your destination name will appear across the Elevar app (e.g., My Tracking, Reports, History) and helps to identify your destination across our app, especially when you have multiple instances of the same destination.
  • Once you have entered all of the required information for your Pub/Sub settings, click on the "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of the section.
    • (See Figure 3)

Step 2 screenshot

Figure 3

Select Events:

  • Once you have entered your Pub/Sub Settings, you have to select the Event settings.
    • Either click on the button labeled "Use best practices" or "Customize".
  • Under the "Breakdown" menu, you will need to name each event you are passing to Pub/Sub. These events should match the event name for your event based conversions in Pub/Sub.
  • After selecting what events you want to send, click on the "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of this section.
    • (See Figure 4)

Step 3 screenshot

Figure 4

Consent Mode:

  • After selecting the Events settings, you will be prompted to enable Consent Mode.
  • To enable Consent Mode, click on the "Yes, enable for this destination" button. If you do not want to enable Consent Mode, click on the "No" button.
    • If consent is required, select what categories you’d like the shopper to agree to before tracking fires. [Learn More]
  • Once you have all of selected all of the information for enabling Consent Mode, click on the "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of this section.
    • (See Figure 5)

Step 4 screenshot

_Figure 5_

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Enabling Consent Mode:

By enabling consent mode, your marketing data processing will depend on:

  • Your consent platform configuration
  • How your visitors interact with the cookie banner
  • What geolocation they visit the store from

That's why you may see a decrease in data across your marketing platforms and lower marketing campaign performance.

For EU Stores: If you are making your tracking setup consent compliant for the first time, you may see a 10-80% decrease in data across all of your marketing destinations.

Filter Transactions:

  • After selecting details for Consent Mode, you need to choose whether or not to filter transactions.
  • Currently, our recommended practices suggests clicking the button labeled, "Yes, Block some transactions", and blocking exchange & historical import orders.
  • Once you have all of selected all of the information for Filtered Transactions, click on the "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of this section.
    • (See Figure 6)

Step 5 screenshot

Figure 6

Subscriptions:

  • If you sell subscription products, navigate to the section of the page titled "Do you sell subscription products?" and select the "Yes, using unified Shopify checkout" button. Then, navigate to the section titled, "Would you like to send recurring transactions?" select either the button labeled "No, block" or "Yes, send".
  • If you do not sell subscriptions, select the button labeled "No".
  • Once you have all of selected all of the information for Subscriptions, click on the "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of this section.
    • (See Figure 7)

Step 4 screenshot

Figure 7

Go Live:

  • After completing all of the previous Pub/Sub Setup Steps, an Overview page will appear.

  • If all of the details within the Configuration Summary look correct, then click on the button labeled "Go Live" at the bottom of this section.

  • A pop-up window will appear, asking for a confirmation of your changes.

  • Click on the button labeled "Yes, Go Live".

    • (See Figure 8)

Step 7 screenshot

Figure 8