Verifying Exposure Data (Recent Exposures)

Once your pixel exposure source is live, you'll want to confirm that data is arriving correctly. The Recent Exposures panel gives you a real-time view of incoming exposure events so you can validate your setup before a campaign goes live.

Note: The Recent Exposures panel is available for pixel sources only. If you're using an S3 snapshot source, verify your data by checking that uploaded files are accepted without errors.

Open your pixel exposure source by clicking on it in the source list. Scroll down past the source configuration to find the Recent Exposures section. The panel refreshes automatically every 5 seconds, so you can fire your pixel in another tab and watch the data appear in near real time.

Each row in the table represents a single pixel fire. The columns are:

• Created — The timestamp when MX8 received the exposure event.

• UID — The user identifier passed in the pixel URL.

• Hashed IP — The hashed version of the IP address that fired the pixel.

• Dimension columns — One column for each dimension you configured (e.g., Brand). These show the values passed through the corresponding query parameters.

Above the table you'll find three filter options:

• No filtering — Shows all recent exposures for this source. This is the default.

• Filter by an explicit IP address — Enter a specific IP to see only exposures from that address. Useful when you're testing from a known location.

• Filter by this IP address — Filters to exposures that match your current IP. This is the quickest way to verify a test pixel fire from your own browser.

When validating your setup, check for:

• UID values — Do they contain the expected identifiers, or are they showing a literal {uid} placeholder? If you see {uid} as the actual value, your ad server isn't substituting the macro before the pixel fires.

• Dimension values — Same check. If you see {brand} instead of an actual brand name, the macro replacement isn't working.

• Hashed IP — Confirm that hashed IP values are appearing. Every pixel fire should produce a hash.

• Timestamps — Verify that the Created timestamps align with when you fired the pixel. A large gap could indicate caching or redirect delays.

Literal placeholder values like {uid} or {brand} — This is the most common problem. It means your ad platform or tag manager is sending the raw pixel URL without substituting its macros. Check your platform's documentation for the correct macro syntax (e.g., %%USER_ID%%, ${BRAND}, etc.) and update the pixel URL accordingly.

No rows appearing — Confirm the source is enabled (the toggle should be on). Also, verify that the pixel URL you're hitting matches the subdomain configured for this source.

Unexpected hashed IP values — Remember that the hash is generated from the device's IP address that fires the pixel. If you're testing through a VPN or proxy, the hashed IP will reflect that exit node rather than your actual IP.

Once you've confirmed data is flowing correctly, your pixel source is ready for production use. See What Are Exposure Sources? for an overview of how exposure data connects to respondent matching.