specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: CJ Affiliate
providerId: cj-affiliate
created: '2026-07-05'
modified: '2026-07-05'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Affiliate Marketing
- Affiliate Network
- Commission
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of CJ Affiliate. CJ is an affiliate marketing network rather than
  a usage-metered API vendor, so there is no per-call API invoice to manage. The
  relevant financial flows are commission economics: publishers earn commissions
  (revenue) on the sales and leads they drive, and advertisers pay CJ network
  fees plus performance commissions (cost). The developer APIs are the
  instrumentation for that economy - the Commission Detail API is the primary
  source of near-real-time commission / transaction data used to reconcile
  earnings and spend. "FinOps" here means treating the Commission Detail data as
  the ledger you reconcile against, not managing a metered API bill.
notes: >-
  There is no reconciled per-request API price. Cost / revenue attribution comes
  from commission records (advertiser, publisher, action status, amounts), not
  from an API usage meter. Verify commission terms per program in the CJ
  interface.
sources:
- https://www.cj.com/
- https://developers.cj.com/
- https://developers.cj.com/graphql/reference/Commission%20Detail
- https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: CJ Affiliate
serviceCategory: Marketing and Advertising
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Commission-Based
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: CJ Affiliate Network
  ServiceCategory: Marketing and Advertising
  ProviderName: CJ Affiliate
  PublisherName: CJ Affiliate
  InvoiceIssuerName: CJ Affiliate
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  PricingCategory: Commission-Based
meters:
- name: publisher_commissions
  description: Commission earned by a publisher on tracked sales / leads, from the Commission Detail API.
  unit: currency
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - publisher
  - advertiser
  - actionStatus
- name: advertiser_commissions
  description: Commission owed by an advertiser on tracked performance, from the Commission Detail API.
  unit: currency
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - advertiser
  - publisher
  - actionStatus
- name: sale_amount
  description: Gross sale amount underlying tracked actions.
  unit: currency
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - advertiser
  - publisher
- name: corrections
  description: Adjustments (returns, cancellations, corrections) reducing recognized commission.
  unit: currency
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - advertiser
  - correctionReason
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Pull Commission Detail (publisherCommissions / advertiserCommissions) on a schedule to see near-real-time earnings and spend before they post in the interface.
- name: Allocation
  description: Attribute commissions by advertiser, publisher / website, and action tracker to map revenue and cost to campaigns and cost centers.
- name: Optimization
  description: Track action status transitions (new to locked to closed) and corrections to forecast realizable commission and focus on high-yield programs.
- name: Accountability
  description: Reconcile Commission Detail records against the CJ interface monthly and assign owners per program / property.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com