> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.moleculedata.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.moleculedata.com/understanding-your-data.md).

# Understanding Your Data

New to advertising? Start here. What the numbers mean, which one to trust, and how to turn them into a decision.

You do not need a marketing background to run profitable ads. You do need to know what three or four numbers mean, and which one to trust when they disagree.

These pages are the short version. Each one ends at the screen in Molecule Data where it pays off.

## Start here

[**Why your numbers don't match**](/understanding-your-data/why-your-numbers-dont-match.md) — Meta says 40 sales, your store says 25. Why every platform over-counts, and which number belongs in which decision.

[**How attribution works**](/understanding-your-data/how-attribution-works.md) — what a touch is, what the nine attribution methods actually do to your numbers, and which one to pick when you are starting out.

[**Net ROAS**](/understanding-your-data/net-roas.md) — the number that counts what you keep instead of what you billed, and the one-line formula that tells you whether an ad is profitable.

[**Every metric, explained**](/understanding-your-data/every-metric-explained.md) — every number on the dashboard, how it is calculated, and what it is good for.

[**Customer value: LTV, cohorts and payback**](/understanding-your-data/customer-value-ltv-cohorts-payback.md) — why an ad that loses money on the first order can still be a good ad, and how to tell.

[**Your first two weeks**](/understanding-your-data/your-first-two-weeks.md) — a day-by-day path from a fresh account to confident decisions.

{% hint style="info" %}
If you read only one of these, read **Net ROAS**. It ends with your break-even number, which turns every other report in the product into a yes or no.
{% endhint %}

Once the numbers make sense, [Running Your Ads](/running-your-ads.md) shows how to act on them: make a creative, launch it, measure it and improve it, all inside Molecule Data.