KwickMetrics Rules: Data Range & Exclusion Settings

Data Range, Exclusions, and Evaluation Logic in Rule Sets

Overview

Data Range and Exclusion settings determine how performance data is evaluated when a Rule Set runs.

Every Rule Set evaluates metrics over a defined Lookback Period (Data Range). Optional Exclusion settings allow you to ignore specific recent days or custom dates.

Understanding how evaluation windows work is critical to ensuring that rules trigger as expected and that automation decisions are based on stable and relevant data.

Explanation

When a Rule Set executes, it does not evaluate lifetime performance. Instead, it evaluates metrics within a selected evaluation window.

This evaluation window consists of:

  1. Lookback Period (required)

  2. Optional Exclusions

The system calculates performance metrics using only the data that remains after exclusions are applied.

Evaluation Logic

The system follows this sequence during execution:

  1. Identify the configured Lookback Period.

  2. Remove any excluded days or custom dates from that period.

  3. Calculate metrics using the remaining data.

  4. Evaluate rule conditions using the calculated values.

  5. Trigger the action only if all rule conditions are satisfied.

If conditions are not met within the adjusted evaluation window, no action is executed.

Lookback Period (Data Range)

The Lookback Period defines how far back the Rule Set evaluates performance.

Examples include:

  1. Last 7 days

  2. Last 14 days

  3. Last 30 days

  4. Other supported windows depending on frequency

The selected Lookback Period applies to all conditions within that Rule Set.

Choosing a shorter Lookback Period results in faster reaction to recent performance changes.

Choosing a longer Lookback Period provides more stability and reduces sensitivity to short-term fluctuations.

Exclude Settings

Exclusions allow you to remove specific days from evaluation.

Supported exclusion options may include:

  1. Exclude the last 1–3 days.

  2. Exclude specific custom dates (up to supported limits).

  3. Limited exclusion options in Hourly mode.

Why Exclusions Matter

Exclusions are commonly used to:

  1. Avoid acting on incomplete data from recent days.

  2. Ignore unusual spikes caused by promotions or one-time events.

  3. Reduce the risk of premature automation changes.

Exclusions modify the evaluation window but do not change the execution schedule.

Hourly vs Non-Hourly Differences

Hourly Rule Sets have more restricted evaluation options.

Hourly Differences Include:

  1. Supported Lookback Period options are:

    • Today

    • Last 1–7 days

    • Last 14 days

  2. Limited Exclusion settings.

  3. Availability only when hourly data is supported and enabled.

Certain metrics, such as budget utilization metrics or Hours Since Last Change, are available only when Hourly frequency is selected.

If Hourly is not selected, these metrics will not appear in rule conditions.

Hourly Lookback Behavior

When using Hourly frequency, the Lookback Period behaves differently from non-hourly rules.

If “Last 1 Day” is selected:

  1. The system evaluates performance data from the previous full day.

  2. It also includes data from the current day up to the hour of execution.

This means evaluation is not limited strictly to the prior calendar day. It combines:

  1. Yesterday’s complete data.

  2. Today’s partial data up to the execution hour.

This behaviour ensures that hourly automation reacts to both recent full-day performance and same-day trends.

How Evaluation Affects Rule Triggering

A rule triggers only when all conditions are satisfied within the selected evaluation window.

Common reasons actions may not trigger due to evaluation settings:

  1. The Lookback Period is too short to capture meaningful performance.

  2. Excluding recent days removes critical data.

  3. Performance improved or declined outside the selected window.

  4. Hourly data is unavailable for the selected profiles.

  5. Guardrails prevent execution even if conditions are met.

Notes
Guardrails do not change condition evaluation. They only determine whether an action is executed after conditions are satisfied.

Usage

You should carefully select Data Range and Exclusion settings based on:

  1. How quickly you want automation to react.

  2. How volatile your campaign performance is.

  3. Whether recent data may be incomplete.

  4. Whether you want stable long-term decision logic or aggressive short-term adjustments.

For stable campaigns, longer evaluation windows may reduce over-adjustment.

For fast-scaling campaigns, shorter windows may allow quicker optimization.

Important Rules and Behavior

  1. The Lookback Period is required for every Rule Set.

  2. Exclusion settings are optional but directly affect calculated metrics.

  3. All rule conditions are evaluated using the same adjusted evaluation window.

  4. Exclusions remove data before metric calculation.

  5. Hourly Rule Sets have more restricted evaluation and exclusion options.

  6. If no data exists within the selected evaluation window, conditions cannot be satisfied.

  7. Execution frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Hourly) does not change how the evaluation window is calculated; it only changes when evaluation occurs.

Prerequisites

  1. Ads integration must be connected.

  2. Selected Ads Profiles must be active.

  3. Hourly data must be available if Hourly frequency is selected.

  4. The selected Lookback Period must be supported for the chosen frequency.

Summary

Data Range and Exclusion settings define how performance data is evaluated before a Rule Set determines whether to trigger actions.

By carefully selecting the Lookback Period and exclusion options, you control how sensitive or stable your automation logic becomes.

Proper configuration ensures that Rule Sets make decisions based on relevant and reliable performance data, reducing unexpected behavior and improving automation predictability.