Key Adobe Analytics Update Dimensions Now Restricted to Data Warehouse

Starting May 2025, Adobe Analytics will begin automatically classifying certain high-cardinality custom dimensions, such as eVars and props, as Data Warehouse-only. These variables will no longer be available in Analysis Workspace if they consistently exceed low-traffic limits and offer no recurring reporting value.

This change reinforces the need for structured data governance and real-time visibility across the MarTech stack, an area supported by a strong real-time actionability and insights approach.

How Adobe is Redefining Dimension Visibility in Workspace

Adobe will flag a dimension as Data Warehouse-only if:

  • It reaches the low-traffic threshold within the first few days of the month

  • More than 90% of its values are unique, appearing only once during the month


Examples include timestamp-based values, UUIDs, or click/session IDs. These high-cardinality variables are often used for internal technical identifiers but offer little value in standard dashboards. They overload the Workspace interface without contributing to trend visibility or decision-making.

These dimensions will remain available in Data Warehouse reports, where low-traffic limitations do not apply. However, they will be hidden from Workspace, which is commonly used by business and marketing teams for day-to-day performance tracking.

Real-World Use Case From Adobe

A multinational e-commerce company used custom eVars to track unique session identifiers (UUIDs) for session-level behavior analysis. Because these UUIDs were generated per session, the eVar exceeded Adobe’s low-traffic threshold within the first 48 hours of each month, causing over 95% of values to be grouped under “Low-Traffic” in Analysis Workspace.

This made more than 90% of session-level data unreadable in dashboards, blocking the marketing team’s ability to personalize content or evaluate session-based trends in real time.

What they did:


They migrated UUID tracking to Adobe’s Data Warehouse, where low-traffic limits don’t apply. This unlocked 100% of their session-level data for reporting and segmentation, while removing unnecessary load from Workspace.

Key results:

  • 100% visibility restored for UUID data in Data Warehouse

  • 20% reduction in Workspace load time by removing high-cardinality dimensions

  • Enhanced personalization accuracy by reconnecting user sessions to behavioral context

  • Improved compliance posture by securely isolating user identifiers from dashboard users

This reflects Adobe’s best practice: use Data Warehouse for high-cardinality dimensions like UUIDs to preserve reporting clarity and compliance integrity.

Strategic Implications Across Analytics and Compliance

This update impacts the granularity of behavioral analytics in standard reports. Data used for real-time personalization, targeting, or attribution could suddenly disappear from view. Without MarTech alignment, dashboards may become incomplete or misleading.

It also risks breaking high-level KPIs if they depend on dimensions no longer accessible in Workspace. Executive reports may lose context, leading to strategic blind spots in performance tracking.

For technical teams, silent variable deactivation could corrupt dashboards or break calculated metrics, making proactive governance essential.

For legal departments, removing user-level identifiers from Workspace supports privacy-first principles. However, if those identifiers are used for audit or consent tracking, secure access through Data Warehouse or Customer Journey Analytics (CJA) is critical.

Where UUIDs and high-cardinality data go now

This visual summary highlights how Adobe’s update shifts high-cardinality variables like UUIDs from Workspace to Data Warehouse, and why it matters for performance and compliance.

 After the updates, these variables will now be automatically hidden from Workspace and made available only in Data Warehouse, improving dashboard clarity, enforcing governance, and maintaining access through backend workflows.

Impact:

  • Clearer dashboards

  • Reduced noise and maintenance

  • Stronger compliance and tracking discipline


Steps to Secure Reporting Clarity and Compliance

This change reshapes how data flows through your organization, from real-time dashboards to compliance oversight. It's a shift with implications far beyond analytics configuration.

Key actions to maintain visibility and compliance:

  • Remove consent IDs and personal data from real-time dashboards

  • Identify disappearing metrics and adjust reporting

  • Use categorized or repeatable values in dashboards

  • Audit high-cardinality variables in Adobe Analytics

  • Migrate UUIDs to secure backend workflows like Data Warehouse

How This Update Improves Performance and Compliance

Benefit Description
More relevant metrics Filters out one-time values from Workspace, improving clarity and ensuring dashboards reflect meaningful patterns
Streamlined MarTech governance Encourages more intentional variable design, reduces tracking noise, and promotes long-term data structure consistency
Enhanced data privacy Reduces exposure of personal identifiers in front-end reporting tools, supporting GDPR, CCPA, and Law 25 compliance
Faster reporting Lightens dashboard load and complexity, resulting in quicker load times and simplified ongoing maintenance

Adobe’s latest innovations reinforce smarter analytics and governance

Adobe isn’t just limiting dimensions,  it’s also innovating how organizations access, manage, and act on data. Recent advancements like AI-powered analytics via the Data Insights Agent, expanded governance features in Data Warehouse (e.g., global sharing toggles and destination tracking), and seamless integration with Microsoft 365 tools are reshaping how teams interact with analytics.

 These innovations strengthen metadata management, enhance cross-platform orchestration, and reduce reliance on manual queries, all supporting a more agile, privacy-first, and compliant MarTech stack. They help enterprise teams not only adapt to architectural changes but also optimize the way data drives decision-making across the organization.

Adobe's Innovations Enhancing Data Governance and Reporting

AI-Powered Insights with Data Insights Agent

Adobe has introduced the Data Insights Agent, an AI-driven assistant within Customer Journey Analytics. This tool allows users to interact with their data using natural language queries, uncovering MarTech insights, receiving recommendations, and understanding business impacts more intuitively. By simplifying complex data analysis, it empowers teams to make informed decisions swiftly. 

Enhanced Data Warehouse Accessibility and Management

Recent updates to Adobe Analytics' Data Warehouse have introduced features aimed at improving data accessibility and administrative control:

  • "Make available to users in your organization" Toggle: This feature enables users to share their data requests across the organization, promoting collaboration and reducing data silos.

  • "Show all destinations" Toggle: Administrators can now view all report destinations, enhancing oversight and ensuring data is directed appropriately.

Key Benefits:

  • Streamlined data sharing processes within the organization.

  • Improved governance over data distribution and access.

  • Enhanced transparency and accountability in data management.

Integration with Microsoft 365 via Adobe Marketing Agent

Adobe's integration with Microsoft 365 introduces the Adobe Marketing Agent, allowing users to access complex business data through straightforward, conversational queries within familiar tools like Microsoft Teams and Excel. This integration bridges the gap between data analysis and daily business operations. 

Key Benefits:

  • Seamless access to analytics within everyday productivity tools.

  • Reduced learning curve for data analysis among business users.

  • Faster insights leading to more agile business strategies

MarTech Expert Tips

Stay ahead of Adobe’s evolving architecture with these expert-level recommendations. These tips are designed to help you preserve visibility, maintain performance, and ensure your analytics foundation remains built for scale

.

  • Make your metrics work harder
    Eliminate high-cardinality values like UUIDs or timestamps in Workspace. Use classifications or calculated metrics to summarize behavior meaningfully.

  • Build governance that scales
    Document every variable. Label them as Workspace-safe or Data Warehouse-only to enforce consistency across platforms.

  • Secure privacy by design
    Keep consent IDs and device identifiers in backend tools with restricted access. Never expose them in live dashboards.

  • Streamline your reporting load
    Use Adobe’s Inventory Tool to detect and remove obsolete props, eVars, and segments that slow down Workspace.

  • Design for longevity, not shortcuts
    Architect your MarTech implementation to separate operational KPIs from raw data. This ensures clarity, speed, and long-term maintainability.


Why Real-Time Actionability Requires MarTech Clarity

This change highlights a broader truth about  MarTech ecosystems: not all data belongs in real-time dashboards. When everything is tracked but nothing is governed, visibility is lost. Adobe’s update enforces a clear separation between operational reporting and raw data collection.

A strong real-time actionability and insights approach helps enterprises restructure analytics for clarity, speed, and governance. By aligning variable design and optimizing cross-platform visibility, teams ensure that every metric in Workspace serves a strategic purpose, and every critical identifier remains accessible where it matters most.

Sources: https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/analytics/release-notes/previous/2025? , https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/analytics/technotes/low-traffic?.

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