Screening Task Failure Handling Guide: Common Error Causes and Retry Strategies

In overseas marketing and community operations, batch screening is a critical step in the customer acquisition process. Whether you’re using KK-DATA to screen valid Telegram users or verify WhatsApp number activity, the ability to quickly identify the cause of a failed screening task and restore the workflow directly affects operational efficiency. This article systematically outlines the main factors leading to task anomalies and provides reusable troubleshooting checklists and retry strategies to help you reduce duplicate work and avoid wasted balance.

Common Types and Symptoms of Failed Screening Tasks

Task failure doesn’t always mean a system fault. In most cases, failures stem from data file or account balance issues. Understanding what different statuses indicate helps you quickly decide on the next step.

Task Stuck in “Processing” Beyond Expected Time

A normal screening task, depending on data volume (e.g., 10,000 Telegram checks), usually completes within 10–30 minutes. If the task status remains “Processing” for over an hour without change, possible reasons include:

• Data volume near the limit: A single task supports up to about 1 million numbers. When approaching the limit, processing time may extend to several hours, but it won’t stall indefinitely.
• Temporary system load: During peak hours (e.g., weekday mornings), tasks may queue for longer.
• Network fluctuations or file encoding issues: Some file format errors can cause the parsing phase to hang without triggering a failure status.

Recommendation: If there’s no progress after an hour, first refresh the console to see if the status has updated. If it’s still “Processing,” try canceling the task and resubmitting it, while checking the file for compliance. Canceling a task does not incur charges (except for the lines already detected).

Task Returns “Failed” or “Error” Status

This type of issue usually comes with a clear message. Enter the task details page or check notifications; you’ll see something like “Insufficient balance,” “File format error,” or “Number limit exceeded.” If the message isn’t obvious, look in the “Error Log” area for detailed codes or reasons.

Common error scenarios include:

• Insufficient balance: The balance at submission is lower than the estimated cost, so the system rejects the task directly.
• Data format error: The CSV or TXT file contains non-numeric characters, blank lines, or Chinese commas.
• All numbers are invalid: If input numbers are mostly invalid or non-existent, the system may flag the task as abnormal and terminate it (to help save your balance).

Data Source Issues Leading to Task Anomalies (Including Troubleshooting Checklist)

Overseas numbers come from various sources: random generation, database exports, API collection, etc. Data quality issues are the most common cause of failure. Let’s break it down.

File Format and Encoding Issues

KK-DATA supports CSV and TXT files, which must be UTF-8 encoded with one number per line. The following checklist helps you self-check before submission:

• Is the file UTF-8 encoded? (When saving with Windows Notepad, select UTF-8.)
• Does each line contain only pure digits, with no spaces or characters beyond line breaks?
• Does it include country codes? International format should start with ”+”, e.g., +8613800138000; if using pure digits, ensure they include the country code (e.g., starting with 86, without ”+”).
• Are there empty lines at the end of the file? Some editors add them automatically; they should be removed.
• Does it contain duplicate numbers? Duplicates don’t cause failure but waste detection quota. It’s recommended to preprocess with a data deduplication repository.

Number Count Exceeds Single-Task Limit

A single screening task supports up to about 1 million numbers. Tasks exceeding this limit are automatically rejected or stuck in the queue. You need to split large files into multiple sub-files of fewer than 1 million numbers and submit them in batches. When batch submitting, it’s recommended to space each batch 5–10 minutes apart to reduce instantaneous system load.

Extremely Low Number Quality Leads to All Invalid

If the input numbers have a very high proportion of invalid entries (e.g., over 90%), the system may consider the task abnormal and proactively terminate it to avoid charges without meaningful results. In this case, the task status becomes “Failed” or “No valid data.” Solution: first extract 100 numbers as a test to confirm at least a certain percentage are valid before processing the full dataset.

Balance and Billing Related Failures

Insufficient balance is the second most common cause of failure after data format issues. Understanding the billing mechanism helps you avoid mid-task interruptions.

Insufficient Balance When Submitting a Task

When creating a screening task in the console, the estimated cost is displayed. The task can only be submitted if the balance ≥ estimated cost. If prompted insufficient balance, you need to top up first. KK-DATA supports USDT (TRC20) recharge, with a minimum of about 50 USDT (exact amount shown on the recharge page). After recharging, the balance updates automatically, no need to contact support.

Task Interrupted Mid-Execution Due to Balance Running Out

Balance is deducted in real-time based on the number of checks. If the balance is sufficient at the start but runs out during execution (e.g., balance exactly equals estimated cost but actual checks are slightly more), subsequent checks stop immediately, and completed checks are charged as usual. Therefore, it’s recommended to keep the balance at least 1.2 times the estimated cost, especially for large tasks.

Platform System Limitations and Error Message Interpretation

Occasionally, temporary system-level restrictions may occur. Understanding common messages helps avoid unnecessary resubmissions.

Error Message	Meaning	Recommended Action
”Task timeout”	Data volume too large or slow system response	Split the task, reduce per-batch count
”Server busy”	Transient load peak	Wait 10–30 minutes, then retry
”Concurrent task limit exceeded”	Too many tasks submitted simultaneously	It’s recommended to run at most 3 tasks per account concurrently
”File parsing failed”	File encoding or format issue	See “File Format and Encoding Issues” checklist

For transient hints like “Server busy,” retry without modifying the file. But for “Concurrent task limit exceeded,” wait for current tasks to finish or cancel some.

How to Systematically Troubleshoot Task Failures (Step-by-Step Guide)

When a task fails, follow this standardized process:

1. Open the console task list: Find the failed task, click the task ID to enter the details page.
2. Check status description or error log: On the details page, look for “Error reason” or “Log” area, and note the specific prompt.
3. Check if balance is sufficient: View account balance to confirm it’s greater than the estimated cost.
4. Check the original data file: Open the file with a text editor, verify UTF-8 encoding, no extra characters, one number per line.
5. Run a small test: Extract 100 numbers from the original file and submit a separate test task. If the test succeeds, the issue likely lies in data volume or overall file quality; if the test fails, the issue is with individual number formats.
6. Adjust based on results: If the test succeeds, ensure total count doesn’t exceed 1 million and keep balance sufficient for batch submission. If the test still fails, contact support with the task ID and a sample of the test file.

Retry Strategies and Best Practices

Simply resubmitting the same failing task often wastes time and balance. The following strategies increase success rates.

Three Things to Check Before Retrying

1. Data compliance: Check file format and number quality using the checklist above. For anormal records, pre-clean using a data deduplication repository to remove obviously non-compliant numbers.
2. Sufficient balance: Confirm account balance is at least 1.2 times the estimated cost.
3. Partial results already available: If the task failed due to balance running out, some numbers might have already been checked. Resubmitting would cause duplicate detection and charges. First, check the “Export” button on the task details page to see if partial results can be used.

Recommended Batch Retry Method

For large files (over 500,000 numbers), it’s recommended to retry in batches:

• Split the file into batches of 50,000–100,000 numbers each.
• Submit each batch 5–10 minutes apart to avoid concurrency limits.
• Before each batch submission, use the results from the previous batch to verify file format correctness.

This significantly reduces the risk of a partial file anomaly causing the entire task to fail, and makes it easier to identify the problematic batch.

Contacting Technical Support

If the problem persists after the above checks, reach out to the support team via official channels. Providing the following information speeds up troubleshooting:

• Task ID (required, located at the top of the task details page)
• Screenshot of the failure (including time and status prompt)
• Brief description (e.g., “File of 1 million Chinese numbers, prompted ‘file parsing failed’”)

Official Telegram customer service: @kkdata_robot
Documentation center: https://docs.kkdata.cc/
Console: https://app.kkdata.cc/

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: The task has been stuck on “Processing” for over an hour. Is it a failure?
A: Most screening tasks complete in 10–30 minutes. If over an hour without change, refresh the console or check notifications. If the status hasn’t changed, try canceling the task and resubmitting, and also check if the number count is too high or file encoding is an issue.

Q: After a task fails, will the balance consumed be refunded?
A: Only successfully completed detections deduct balance. A failed task (status “Failed”) or one you manually cancel does not incur charges. However, if a task is interrupted mid-execution due to insufficient balance, the completed portion will be charged based on actual counts.

Q: How can I see the detailed reason for a task failure?
A: Go to the task list in the console, click the task ID to enter the details page. Usually, the error reason is displayed in the “Error Log” or “Status Description” area (e.g., “File format not supported,” “Number count exceeds limit”). If no clear message appears, contact support with the task ID.

Q: I submitted my own number file and all failed. What’s the cause?
A: The most common causes are file format errors (e.g., missing line breaks, Chinese punctuation), numbers missing country codes (e.g., Chinese numbers should include 86), or numbers being invalid. First, extract 100 numbers as a test and check that the file encoding is UTF-8.

Q: Can I directly duplicate the original task for a retry?
A: Yes, you can duplicate the task, but it’s recommended to first modify the number file or adjust the count. Directly duplicating the same parameters may lead to the same failure. Be sure to troubleshoot the original failure cause first.

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If you encounter other issues while handling task failures, feel free to consult the KK-DATA documentation or directly contact Telegram support @kkdata_robot.