Inspect Module
Introduction
The inspect module is a tool that allows you to look at events occurring in realtime. This can be used for troubleshooting ad behaviour, validating parameters are being populated correctly and getting a quick glance at volume over the last 24 hours.
Getting Started
To access the Inspect tool, first log in to your Watching That account. Then, navigate to the Inspect tab located in the top menu bar of the platform. If your organisation uses multiple data sources, make sure to select the correct one before you begin your analysis.
Key Features
Session Sidebar
When you click on a session, a detailed sidebar opens, giving you a clearer view for analysing the session. Use the Field dropdown to quickly review any individual field within that session.
Session Actions
There are three actions available in the sidebar that allow easy filtering within the initial view of the Inspect tool:
+ filters for sessions that include only that field and value combination (i.e. include filtering)
– filters out sessions that include that field and value combination (i.e. exclude filtering)
The filter icon filters for sessions that include that field, regardless of value
Copying the JSON
If you want to view the raw session string, you can use the Copy JSON button. This copies the JSON for the selected session to your clipboard, allowing you to view it in a JSON parsing tool or another application.
Walking the Session Tree
Inspect stores events across multiple databases — Content, Ad Break, Ad, and Bids — each representing a different level of the ad serving lifecycle. The Session Tree lets you navigate between these levels directly from any session, so you can trace what happened across the full chain without manually switching databases and re-entering filters.
At the bottom of every session, you'll see navigation links to the related sessions in other databases. Clicking a link takes the current session's database primary key, adds it as a filter, and switches you to the relevant database — showing you the corresponding sessions automatically.
The links are bidirectional. From any starting point, you can navigate to any other enabled database:
Starting from | You can jump to |
|---|---|
Content | Ad Sessions, Ad Break Sessions, Bid Sessions |
Ad Break | Content Session, Ad Sessions, Bid Sessions |
Ad | Content Session, Ad Break Sessions, Bid Sessions |
Bids | Content Session, Ad Break Sessions, Ad Sessions |
r
Which links appear
The navigation links are dynamic — they reflect whichever databases are enabled for your data source. If your setup includes Content, Ad Break, Ad, and Bids, you'll see links to all of them. If only some are enabled, only the relevant links appear.
Cross-data-source navigation
If your organisation uses multiple data sources and there is a common joining identifier between them, Watching That can configure session tree navigation across data sources as well. Contact your account manager or support to set this up.
Things To Watch Out For
If the results you are seeing are not what you expect, make sure you have made the correct selections in the left hand sidebar.
FAQs
Q: Can I export the sessions in bulk?
A: This is currently not available but is something we are reviewing as feature update.
Q: Why don't I see navigation links on my sessions?
A: The session tree links only appear for databases that are enabled on your data source. If you're missing a link you'd expect, contact your account manager to check your database configuration.