Permutive: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Updated: 26 Aug 2025
Overview
Permutive is a privacy-first audience platform that helps publishers and their partners build, activate, and measure first-party audiences in real time—without third-party cookies. This FAQ answers common questions about onboarding, access, deployment, privacy, identity, segments/cohorts, activation, insights, and support.
Contents
Getting Started & Access
Q: Who is Permutive for?
A: Primarily digital publishers and their partners (advertisers/SSPs) who need to build privacy-safe, first-party audience strategies, deliver addressable activation, and get real-time insights.
Q: How do I get access to the Permutive dashboard?
A: An admin on your account can invite you via Settings → Team → Add Member. You’ll receive an invitation email to create a login.
Q: I’m new—how do I start onboarding?
A: If you’re an existing customer, submit a support request and state “Request to start onboarding” with your org/workspace details, target timelines, and key contacts. If you’re not yet a customer, request a demo from the Permutive website.
Q: Which environments does Permutive support?
A: Web (JavaScript tag), Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), and Facebook Instant Articles (FIA) are supported. Integrations include major ad servers/SSPs and data partners.
Onboarding & Implementation
Q: What does the onboarding process include?
A: Typical steps include technical discovery, tag/SDK deployment, consent configuration, event/schema setup, audience build-out, activation wiring (e.g., ad server key-values, deals), and go-live validation.
Q: What is required to deploy the Permutive Web SDK?
A: You’ll need your organization ID, workspace ID, and a public workspace API key. The main tag should load early (preferably in the head) so cohorts are ready before ad requests. For GAM targeting, implement the GAM connector and cache snippet as advised.
Q: How do we verify a correct deployment?
A: Use browser dev tools to confirm:
- Consent behavior (no events before consent in applicable regions; Pageview immediately after consent).
- Web SDK loads without errors (20x/30x responses).
- Pageview events are collected with any custom properties you’ve configured.
- Targeting key-values appear on ad requests where applicable.
Q: Do you support single sign-on (SSO) and 2FA?
A: Yes. SSO and two-factor authentication can be enabled at the workspace level.
Identity & Privacy
Q: Does Permutive rely on third-party cookies?
A: No. Permutive is a privacy-first platform designed to operate without third-party cookies.
Q: What is PXID?
A: PXID is Permutive’s privacy-preserving identifier used within its identity framework. It supports consistent recognition of users in a publisher’s first-party context.
Q: Can Permutive recognize users across a publisher’s domains?
A: Yes. Permutive’s identity framework supports cross-domain recognition within a publisher’s owned sites (subject to your setup and policies).
Q: How does consent affect data collection?
A: In GDPR/UK/CCPA regions, no events are sent before consent. After consent, a Pageview is recorded immediately and segmentation occurs in milliseconds.
Q: How long does Permutive retain data?
A: Permutive maintains historical data for segmentation and analytics as designed—speak with your CSM for your specific retention configuration and policies.
Segments, Cohorts & Modeling
Q: What’s the difference between a Segment and a Cohort?
A:
- Segment: Your first-party audience defined by rules (events/properties).
- Cohort: A standardized audience construct used within Permutive’s Audience Platform for publisher or advertiser use cases (e.g., mapped to IAB Taxonomy or built from seed data).
Q: Why is “Predicted audience” sometimes larger than “Live audience”?
A: Predicted is an estimate; Live counts actual users entering the segment. If a user leaves before segmentation completes, predicted can exceed live. This can also occur on brand-new segments or in AMP flows.
Q: How fast are segments updated?
A: Segmentation occurs in milliseconds after events are received, enabling activation on the first pageview where possible.
Q: How long do segments take to propagate globally?
A: Typically within minutes. Allow a few minutes after creation or changes for global propagation.
Q: I’m getting “Error 409” when creating a segment. Why?
A: Segment names must be unique. Rename (e.g., add a version suffix).
Activation & Integrations
Q: How are audiences passed to Google Ad Manager (GAM)?
A: Permutive attaches cohort/segment key-values to GAM ad requests via the GAM connector and cache snippet. Ensure relevant reactions are enabled in the UI so GAM receives the cohorts.
Q: Which SSPs and deal setups are supported?
A: Xandr and Google Ad Manager are commonly used for deal setup. Each cohort maps to a unique targeting value; deals should include this value. Add the final deal ID and floor to the connection to enable activation.
Q: Can advertisers bring CRM data to build cohorts?
A: Yes. Advertisers can provision CRM seed data (in line with applicable privacy laws) to build modeled cohorts that can be activated via publisher connections.
Insights & Reporting
Q: Which time zone do dashboards use?
A: Insights typically display in UTC.
Q: What is included in reporting?
A: Real-time audience growth, index/overlap analyses, campaign insights (with caveats for video or third-party-hosted creatives), and other engagement metrics. Speak with your CSM for advanced or custom reporting.
Q: Can segments be sent to third-party analytics tools?
A: Yes. Segments can be passed to platforms like Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics for reporting within those systems.
Security & Compliance
Q: How do we process Subject Access Requests (SAR) or deletion requests?
A: Catalog the relevant user IDs/aliases and submit to Permutive via your established privacy workflow. Permutive will confirm access/deletion within agreed timelines.
Q: Is Permutive a data processor or controller?
A: Permutive acts as a data processor on behalf of its publisher customers (controllers) under applicable privacy laws. Your DPA and product documentation detail responsibilities.
Q: What data should we avoid sending?
A: Do not send sensitive personal data (e.g., financial, health, biometric, political/religious beliefs, sexual orientation). Follow your internal policies and Permutive’s implementation guidance.
Accounts & Workspace Management
Q: How do I add or remove users?
A:
- Add: Settings → Team → Add Member, then assign permissions/workspaces as needed.
- Remove: Workspace admins can manage user access; contact support if your policy requires a formal request.
Q: Can I enforce SSO and 2FA?
A: Yes. Coordinate with your admin/IT and Permutive Support/CSM to enable SSO and enforce 2FA.
Q: What roles/permissions exist?
A: Workspaces support role-based permissions (read/write) across features. Your admin or CSM can provide the current permission model and best-practice configurations.
Troubleshooting
Q: Cohorts aren’t appearing in GAM requests. What should I check?
A:
- Confirm consent flow and that Pageview events are being recorded.
- Ensure the Web SDK loads before ad calls and the GAM connector/cache snippet are implemented.
- Verify the cohort’s GAM reaction is enabled.
- Confirm no schema errors are rejecting events.
Q: Predicted vs. Live numbers are far apart.
A: Check event timing (e.g., short sessions), AMP flows, and segment age (<30 days). Recalculate estimates and verify segment logic.
Q: Low match rates with second-party data.
A: Validate ID syncs, taxonomy alignment, recency of data, and whether all eligible users are addressable (consent, device/browser constraints).
Q: The Chrome extension isn’t showing Pageview.
A: Use DevTools Network tab to verify Pageview; the extension can show false negatives depending on timing.
Support & Contact
Q: How do I submit a ticket?
A: Use the Support Portal. Include clear context: organization/workspace, environment (web/AMP/FIA), target dates, and affected pages/partners. Attach screenshots/har files where helpful.
Q: How do I start or accelerate onboarding?
A: Open a ticket titled “Request to start onboarding,” include your technical contacts, timelines, SSP/ad server context, and any SSO/security requirements.
Q: How do I view my tickets?
A: Sign into the Support Portal to see open and past requests.
Q: What are the support channels?
A:
- Support Portal (preferred for tracking)
- Email (as provided by your engagement)
- Live chat (via the bottom-right widget on Support pages)
- Your Customer Success Manager (for strategic guidance)
If you’re not yet a customer, request a demo from the Permutive website to begin.
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