Deep Dive: Payloads Explorer
Payloads Explorer
This page is under construction! I'm working on it :)
The Payloads Explorer lets you browse, search, and debug all the data your devices have sent. It's your window into what's actually happening in your project.
Accessing the Payloads Explorer
From your project page, click the Payloads card to open the explorer.
Valid Payloads vs Validation Failures
The explorer has two main tabs:
- Valid Payloads - Data that matched a schema and was stored successfully
- Validation Failures - Data that didn't match any active schema
Use the Validation Failures tab to debug issues when your device isn't sending data in the expected format.
Filtering Payloads
Date Range
Use the From Date and To Date fields to narrow down your search. By default, payloads from the last 24 hours are shown.
Click Apply Date Filter to fetch payloads for your selected range.
Filter by Schema
When viewing valid payloads, you can filter by schema using the tabs below the date filter. Click All Schemas to see everything, or click a specific schema name to see only payloads that matched that schema.
Sort Order
Toggle between Newest First and Oldest First using the sort button. Newest first is the default.
View Modes
For valid payloads, you can switch between two view modes using the toggle in the top-right corner:
Table View
The default view. Shows payloads in a spreadsheet-like table with columns for each field in your data. Great for quickly scanning values across many payloads.
Columns are automatically generated based on the fields present in your payloads. The column headers show the user-defined name from your schema (if configured), otherwise the raw field key.
Raw View
Shows each payload as raw JSON in an expandable accordion. Click a timestamp to expand and see the full payload. Useful for debugging complex nested data or copying the exact JSON.
Understanding Validation Failures
When a payload doesn't match any active schema, it's stored as a validation failure. This helps you debug issues without losing data.
Each validation failure shows:
- Timestamp - When the payload was received
- Schema - Which schema it was validated against
- Error count - How many fields had validation errors
- Raw payload - The exact JSON that was sent
- Validation errors - Detailed error messages for each field
Common Validation Errors
- Type mismatch - Sent a string when a number was expected (or vice versa)
- Missing required field - A required field wasn't included in the payload
- Validator failed - The value didn't pass a validator (e.g., number out of range, string doesn't match pattern)
- Unknown field - A field was sent that isn't defined in the schema (if strict mode is enabled)
Check your schema's field types and validators if you're seeing unexpected validation failures. The error messages tell you exactly what went wrong.
Pagination
For large result sets, payloads are paginated. Use the page controls at the top and bottom of the list to navigate.
You can change the page size (25, 50, 100, or 250 payloads per page) using the Page Size dropdown.
Tips
- Use the Validation Failures tab when setting up a new device to quickly spot formatting issues
- Filter by schema when you have multiple device types sending data
- Use Raw view to copy exact JSON for debugging or reproducing issues
- The table view columns are dynamic - they adapt to whatever fields are in your payloads