Understanding Discrepancies in Event Funnel Metrics: Submission Example

I have an insight. Total Events for a particular event (Submission). It totals 23,900. If I do a 4 step funnel, where the first step is the same Submission event, why is the initial value of that step in the funnel only 17,980 events instead of 23,900. Note the conversion criteria is Total Conversion (not unique users).

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kapa.ai
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kapa.ai
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This discrepancy between the Insights report and the Funnel report is a common issue that many Mixpanel users encounter. The difference in numbers is likely due to how these two reports calculate and display data. Let me explain the possible reasons for this discrepancy: 1. Conversion Criteria: Even though you're using Total Conversions in the Funnel, it's important to note that Funnels and Insights calculate data differently. Funnels require users to complete steps in a specific order, while Insights simply count total events.2. Funnel Requirements: In a Funnel report, for an event to be counted in a step, it must be preceded by the events in the previous steps within the conversion window. This means that some "Submission" events might not be counted in the Funnel if they don't meet this requirement.3. Conversion Window: The Funnel report considers a specific conversion window, which might exclude some events that are included in the Insights total count.4. Filtering: There might be implicit filters applied in the Funnel that are not present in the Insights report.This behavior is explained in the Mixpanel documentation: Funnels FAQ states: "Funnels and Insights are fundamentally different when it comes to counting events. In the Funnels report, users will need to perform Step 1 event, in order for their Step 2 event to be counted. Insights, on the other hand, will count the Step 2 event, even if the user does not perform the Step 1 event. This will create some discrepancy between the Insights and Funnels report, as users are expected to trigger events in sequence in the Funnels report, whereas, they are not expected to do so in the Insights report."To troubleshoot this discrepancy, you can try the following: 1. Check if there are any filters applied to your Funnel that might be excluding some events. 2. Verify the conversion window in your Funnel to ensure it matches the time frame in your Insights report. 3. Look at the subsequent steps in your Funnel to see if there are events occurring between "Submission" and the next step that might be affecting the count.If you're still unsure about the discrepancy after checking these factors, it might be helpful to contact Mixpanel support for a more detailed analysis of your specific data and reports.
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