> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://integrations.impact.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://integrations.impact.com/integration-guides/for-brands/plugin-integrations/analytics-and-attribution/integrate-with-northbeam.md).
# Integrate with Northbeam
[Northbeam](https://www.northbeam.io/) is a marketing attribution platform. When you connect your impact.com brand account, Northbeam imports your program, partner, and ad data, including spend, and attributes visits, transactions, and revenue to your impact.com partnerships alongside your other marketing channels.
Connect your impact.com brand account to Northbeam so Northbeam can import your program, partner, and ad data and attribute revenue to your partnerships.
## How it works
* Northbeam connects to impact.com with an API access token (Account SID and Auth Token) that you create in your impact.com account. Northbeam uses it to read your programs, partners, ads, actions, and reports.
* You add a Northbeam tracking parameter (`nbt`) to your program's Gateway tracking template. impact.com then appends it to every partner tracking link, so Northbeam can tie each visit and conversion back to the program, partner, and ad that drove it.
| What you set up | What you get in Northbeam | If it's missing |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| API connection | Program, partner, and ad names, plus spend data | Names and spend metrics won't appear in your Northbeam dashboard. |
| `nbt` tracking parameter | Visit, transaction, and revenue attribution to your programs and partners | Spend and revenue are reported on separate line items, which makes it very difficult to compare performance. |
### How impact.com data maps to Northbeam
| impact.com | Northbeam |
| ------------------ | -------------- |
| Program (campaign) | Campaign level |
| Partner | Ad set level |
| Ad | Ad level |
## Prerequisites
* An impact.com brand account with the **Account Administrator** or **Implementation Specialist** role. Only these roles can create API access tokens. If you don't see *API* in your settings, ask your account admin to grant you one of these roles or to create the token for you.
* A Northbeam account.
## Set up the integration
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
### Create an API access token in impact.com
In impact.com
1. From the top navigation bar, select  **\[User profile] → Settings**.
2. In the left column, scroll to *Technical*, then select [**API**](https://app.impact.com/secure/advertiser/api/fr/api-access-tokens-ui.ihtml).
3. Select **Create Access Token**.
4. Enter a **Token Name** (for example, `Northbeam`) and a **Description**, then select **Next**.
5. Add a primary contact, then select **Next**.
6. On the *API Scopes* step, select **Clear All**, then enable only the following `GET` scopes:
* **Retrieve actions**: `/Advertisers//Actions`
* **Retrieve ads**: `/Advertisers//Ads`
* **Retrieve media partners**: `/Advertisers//MediaPartners`
* **Retrieve programs**: `/Advertisers//Campaigns`
* **Reports**:
* `/Advertisers//ReportExport/{ReportId_or_Handle}`
* `/Advertisers//Reports`
* `/Advertisers//Reports/{ReportId}`
7. Select **Create**.
8. On the token's detail page, select **Credentials**, then copy the **Account SID** and **Auth Token**. You'll paste them into Northbeam in the next step.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Tip:** For more detail on tokens and scopes, see [Create an API Key](/rest-apis/api-quick-start/create-an-api-key.md).
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Connect impact.com in Northbeam
In Northbeam
1. In Northbeam, open the impact.com connection:
* **During onboarding:** Go to **Integrations → Impact**.
* **From the dashboard:** Go to [**Settings → Connections**](https://dashboard.northbeam.io/settings/connections) and select **Impact**.
2. Paste your **Account SID** and **Auth Token**.
3. Select **Connect**.
If you see *An error occurred: Invalid credentials*, check that you copied both values correctly and try again.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Add the Northbeam tracking parameter
In impact.com
Add the `nbt` parameter to your Program Tracking Template so it's appended to the click URLs of all new and existing ads.
1. From the top navigation bar, select  **\[User profile] → Settings**.
2. In the *Program Settings* column (right), scroll down to *Tracking* and select [**Gateway**](https://app.impact.com/secure/advertiser/fr/tracking-gateway-settings.ihtml).
3. Under *Program Tracking Template*, add a new parameter row:
1. Name: `nbt`
2. Value: `nb:impact::{ircid}:{irpid}:{iradid}`
4. Select **Save**.
When a partner's tracking link is clicked, impact.com fills in the dynamic values in curly brackets:
| Parameter | Populates with |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| `{ircid}` | Your impact.com program (campaign) ID |
| `{irpid}` | The ID of the partner that drove the click |
| `{iradid}` | The ID of the ad that was clicked |
{% hint style="warning" %}
**Important:** Enter the value exactly as shown, including the double colon after `impact`. Learn more about [Gateway Tracking Templates](https://help.impact.com/brand/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/account-administration/program-settings/tracking-settings/gateway-tracking-templates).
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Remove duplicate impact.com spend in Northbeam (optional)
In Northbeam
When you connect, Northbeam backfills up to 3 years of historical spend from impact.com. For example, if you connect on May 10, 2026, Northbeam imports impact.com spend back to May 10, 2023.
If you already sent impact.com spend to Northbeam through a Spend Sheet or the Spend API, remove the spend that overlaps with the backfill period to avoid double counting. Keep any records older than the backfill window.
{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Spend Sheet" %}
1. In Northbeam, go to [**Settings → Data Spreadsheets**](https://dashboard.northbeam.io/settings/data-spreadsheets).
2. Find the sheet that holds your impact.com spend.
3. Replace the overlapping impact.com spend values with `0`.
{% hint style="danger" %}
**Warning:** Don't delete any rows, columns, or cells from the Spend Sheet — only replace the overlapping values with `0`. Some Spend Sheets use formulas tied to raw data tabs, so deleting cells can break them.
{% endhint %}
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="Spend API" %}
Delete the existing impact.com spend records with Northbeam's [Delete Spend endpoint](https://docs.northbeam.io/reference/delete_spend).
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
## Confirm if your tracking works
After you connect your account and add the tracking parameter, confirm that data is flowing to Northbeam.
1. In impact.com: **Check the tracking parameter.** Select one of your live partner tracking links. On the landing page, check that the URL includes `nbt=nb:impact::` followed by your program, partner, and ad IDs — not the literal text `{ircid}`, `{irpid}`, or `{iradid}`.
2. In Northbeam: **Check the connection.** Go to [**Settings → Connections**](https://dashboard.northbeam.io/settings/connections) and check that *Impact* shows a **Connected** status. If it shows an error or a **Reconnect** prompt, select it and reconnect with your Account SID and Auth Token.
3. In Northbeam: **Check your data.** Open a view that breaks down traffic by campaign or source. Your impact.com programs and partners should appear by name, not under *unattributed* or *unknown*.
If any of these checks fail, see Northbeam's [Troubleshooting Northbeam data](https://docs.northbeam.io/docs/troubleshooting-tracking-issues) guide. For more detail on each check, see [Checking UTM tracking](https://docs.northbeam.io/docs/checking-utm-tracking) and [Checking platform connections](https://docs.northbeam.io/docs/checking-api-connections).
## Get help
* For questions about your impact.com account, API access tokens, or tracking templates, [contact impact.com support](https://app.impact.com/support/portal.ihtml?createTicket=true).
* For questions about your Northbeam dashboard or which spend values to remove, [submit a Northbeam support ticket](https://www.northbeam.io/submit-a-support-ticket) or see Northbeam's [Tracking for Impact](https://docs.northbeam.io/docs/tracking-for-impact) guide.
---
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