What is happening?
The Attribution Model has stopped because one or more of your marketing channels is assigned to the "Other" category. Alvie requires every channel to be mapped to a specific, recognized category (e.g., Paid Search, Social, Display) to calculate accurate performance weights.
Error: Channel group category cannot be 'other'. Please check your channel grouping and try again.
Why did this happen? This error occurs when your Custom Channel Grouping contains a "fallback" or unclassified category.
Follow these steps to resolve the issue:
Navigate to Channel Groupings: Go to the Custom Groupings section (usually under the "Setup" or "Data Sources" menu) and find the Channel Grouping used in your failing model.
Locate the Source: Review the list of rules. Look for any channel or rule where the category is set to "Other".
Action: Reassign the Category: Click the dropdown menu and change "Other" to the most relevant predefined category (e.g., Paid Social, Organic Search, Video, etc.).
Refine the Regex: If "Other" was catching a mix of traffic, create separate rules for those sources and assign them to their specific categories.
External Steps: If you are using a Google Sheet for custom spend, ensure the "Channel" names in your sheet exactly match the names defined in your Alvie Channel Grouping rules.
Verify: Save the updated grouping, return to your Attribution Model or Budget Optimiser, and click Run now. The status should turn Healthy (Green) once the "Other" category is eliminated.
Prevention & Tips To avoid seeing this error again:
No Fallbacks: Avoid using a "catch-all" rule at the bottom of your grouping that labels everything else as "Other." Instead, proactively categorize new sources as they appear.
Review After Expansion: Whenever you launch a new marketing channel (e.g., starting ads on Reddit or Pinterest), immediately update your Alvie Channel Grouping to include it.
Still need help? If you have a channel that truly doesn't fit into any of the available categories, please reach out to the Alvie support team for guidance on the best mapping strategy.
If you encounter any further issues or need additional assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to the Alvie support team.