Unique counts from the Branch API don't always match the Branch dashboard, because of the way the API handles time ranges. This article explains why, and why event counts in Funnel can be higher than in the Branch dashboard.
Why unique counts from the API don't add up
Limited time window: The Branch API only lets you pull data for 7 days at a time. If you want data for a month, you have to make several requests, one for each 7-day period, and then combine them.
Difference from the Branch dashboard: In the Branch dashboard, you can set a custom time range, like a whole month, and get the data for that period in one go. The API is limited to 7-day periods, so the data you pull through the API won't match the dashboard unless you look at the exact same 7-day period in both.
Unique counts don't add up: Unique counts represent distinct users or events. Adding up the unique counts for each 7-day period doesn't give you the correct unique count for the whole month. For example, if a user visited on March 1 and again on March 15, they count as unique in both 7-day periods (March 1 to 7 and March 15 to 21). For the whole month, they should only count once. Adding up smaller unique counts can therefore count the same user twice and inflate the total.
Example
Goal: You want to know how many unique users visited in March.
Using the Branch dashboard: You set the date range to March 1 to 31, and the dashboard shows 100 unique users in March.
Using the API: You can only pull 7 days at a time, so you make four API requests:
March 1 to 7: 50 unique users
March 8 to 14: 30 unique users
March 15 to 21: 40 unique users
March 22 to 28: 60 unique users
Adding these together (50 + 30 + 40 + 60) gives you 180 users. That's more than the dashboard shows, because some users were counted in more than one week.
In short, because of the Branch API's 7-day limit and the way unique counts work, you can't add up smaller periods to get an accurate monthly unique count.
Why Funnel shows higher numbers than the Branch dashboard
The Branch connector in Funnel imports total (non-deduplicated) event counts and revenue. The Branch dashboard shows unique counts by default, which count each user only once. When you compare the two, event counts and revenue in Funnel are higher than in the Branch dashboard. The difference is usually largest for purchases and revenue.
Choose the option that matches your goal:
Match the Branch dashboard to Funnel: In your Branch dashboard, switch the report view from Unique to Totals. You don't need to change anything in Funnel.
Get unique counts in Funnel: Request the Branch Query Analytics connector. Its unique counts follow the 7-day limit described above, so you can't add them up over longer date ranges without inflating the count.
Next steps
To see what data you can get from Branch Query Analytics through a data request, see Branch Query Analytics: Dimensions and metrics.