Data Collector FAQ and Troubleshooting
Quick links
Q: Where do I get the Merchant ID?
A Sandbox Boarding Information document will be sent following the initial kick-off call with the Merchant ID and URLs associated with the DC and RIS processes. A separate document for production will be sent with the production service URLs once the test transaction have been certified.
Q: Why does Kount require a redirect?
The redirect gathers device information without interfering with the order process. The redirect also
obfuscates the communication between Kount and the customer.
Q: How do I receive a login to the AWC?
Kount will create the initial administrator user. Once the user has been created an automated e-mail will be sent requesting a password creation.
Q: Should I send production traffic to the test environment to test with?
Production traffic should not be sent to the test environment due to the possibility of skewed scoring from the test orders.
Q: Where should I place the iframe on my website?
If multiple forms of payment methods are available, i.e. Credit Card, PayPal, Bill Me Later, the iframe should be included on the page where the payment method is chosen. If only a single payment method is used, i.e. Credit Card, then the iframe should be included on the page where the customer inputs their credit card information.
⚠️ Place the iframe only on one page. Do not place the image on multiple form pages on your website.
Q: Are there size restrictions on the iframe?
Yes, the iframe must be at least 1x1 pixels in size.
Q: Does it matter where the iframe shows up on the web page?
No, this is left to the merchant to decide.
Q: Why an iframe?
If a user were to source the page there would be no mention of Kount in the source. It also eliminates the possibility of being indexed by various search engines or crawlers.
Q: Why are there two files in the iframe?
The logo.gif file is a fallback in case iframes have been disabled or the browser does not support iframes.
Q: Are both the iframe and image required?
Yes both are required to ensure that a connection is made by the customer device.
Q: Why don’t I just use the image, we don’t have any iframes anywhere else on our site.
The manner in which iframes are handled by browsers provides greater insight to Kount.
Q: Why do the .htm and .gif files get interpreted as server side code?
By using .htm and .gif file extensions there is less concern from end users that may inspect the source code.
Q: What does the session identifier do?
The session identifier is used to join the device data with the order data sent by the RIS process. When the RIS process posts data to Kount it must use the session identifier that was created when the customer initiated the DC HTML.
Q: Does the session identifier need to be unique?
Yes, the session identifier must be unique over a thirty day time period. If there are duplicate session identifiers, device data originating from the DC process may be erroneously connected to RIS order data.
Q: Are there limitations on the session identifier?
Yes, it must be alpha-numeric with a minimum of one character and a maximum of 32 characters long.
Q: What should I use for the session identifier?
The merchant determines, as long as the limitation guidelines are followed. Many merchants use a portion of the application session that is generated when the page is created as the session identifier.
Q: What happens when a user leaves the page after a session identifier has been created then returns to finish the order?
There can be multiple session identifiers created, only the last session will be used to join with the RIS transaction.
Q: Does it matter where the image is displayed on the page?
It is recommended to display the iframe below the fold of the initial web page but can be located anywhere on the page.
Q: Why does the merchant need to give Kount the path to an image for the redirection?
Kount must have this path to finish the 302 redirect for the image to load. If the path has not been supplied to Kount a broken image icon will be displayed on the merchant page.
Q: Does the image need to be accessible via the Internet?
Yes the image must be publicly available from the Internet.
Q: Why does the path need to be HTTPS?
If the image is not secure, a notification will appear alerting the customer that there are unsecure items on the check out form.
Q: Does it matter what the name of the file is?
If a customer were to inspect the source of the page there should be no indication of interaction from Kount. To alleviate the possibility of a merchant’s customer questioning the interaction between Kount and the merchant do not include any reference to Kount in the file name.
Q: Do you have an example of an image?
Yes, it can be provided upon request. Please contact your Client Success Manager for further details. See example below (Secure Payments):
Q: Is the correct Kount URL being used?
Verify that the correct Kount Data Collector URL is being used, test URL or production URL.
Q: Have you provided Kount with the HTTPS URL path to the image?
If the URL path has not been set there will be a broken image displayed on the page.
Q: Is the image available via the Internet?
Test this by pasting the path of the URL in a browser on an external network and verify that the image appears.
Q: Have appropriate DNS entries, NATs, and firewall settings been configured correctly?
Due to the security concerns regarding test environments or production environment the merchant’s network operations may need to verify that proper access is available.
Q: Are the logo.htm and logo.gif files being interpreted as server-side code?
If the files are not interpreted as server-side code, when requested the files will serve up the source code instead of performing the redirect. This can be tested by pointing the browser directly to the logo.htm or logo.gif URLs and verify that the static image appears. If source code appears, then the files are not being interpreted correctly. This can also be tested via a UNIX wget command.
Q: Does the redirect contain the correct Merchant ID?
Verify that the redirect Merchant ID is the correct six digit ID supplied by Kount.
Q: Is the Session ID created in the DC process the same session ID being sent with the RIS post?
Ensure that the Session ID being created and stored during the DC process is the correct one being used in the RIS post to Kount and adheres to the session ID requirements.
Q: Only part of the device data is collected, Javascript, Time Zone and other details seem to be missing?
The logo.gif server side script is calling the log.gif instead of the logo.htm. See the "Server Side Code Examples" section.
Q: Why do some of the items within the Extended Variables gadget not display or display as N/A?
A fully qualified path must be used within the scr value of the iFrame.
