What is a Callback?
A callback (known to some as a postback) is a ping made between one server and another. A callback can occur manually, or it can be automatically, and is triggered when a particular action or event is completed within an app.
Why Are Callbacks Useful?
Callbacks are important for anyone using server-based technology to provide real-time reporting for business intelligence purposes.
From a purely mechanical perspective, callbacks are the method by which data is pulled from a server to another. This means they are a necessity for anyone wishing to feed information into tools or dashboards attached to the server, such as a mobile analytics dashboard.
But from a broader perspective, the presence of consistently triggered callbacks helps businesses to feel confident about the quality of their data. Rather than questioning whether figures are accurate, business professionals logging into dashboards benefitting from automated callbacks know with reasonable certainty that their data is accurate.
This has a significant additional effects on a business’s confidence in using data to inform performance. By knowing that data about an app’s performance is being updated in real-time when significant actions occur, professionals can respond as quickly to any changes.
If an update is pushed that causes users to churn due to a technical problem, a company running callbacks on crash reports could spot the challenges early. Equally, an app developer running callbacks on in-app purchases might notice a spike after a push notification campaign – information that can be acted on immediately if necessary.
Considerations When Talking About Callbacks
Businesses need to consider when they want callbacks triggered. While it is possible to trigger callbacks on just about any event, requesting callbacks on everything presents companies with two potential challenges:
- Requesting callbacks on everything will put internal servers under pressure. This could mean that anything accessing the server (including the app itself) could be affected by callback traffic, potentially slowing performance.
- Requesting callbacks on everything might cloud successful analysis. Businesses need to weigh up whether analyzing everything or looking for certain key actions will help their processes more.
Reference: “Adjust,” Retrieved – 23 April 2018