Building Dashboards

This section includes the following topics:

  • Create a dashboard

  • Modify dashboard settings


Dynamic dashboards

You can create more interactive and dynamic dashboards by adding and using variables. Instead of hard-coding things like server, application, and sensor names in your metric queries, you can use variables in their place.


Before you begin

  • Ensure that you have the proper permissions.

  • Identify the dashboard to which you want to add the node.

  • Understand the query language of the target data source.

  • Ensure that data source for which you are writing a query has been added.


To create a dashboard

  • Click Dashboards in the left-side menu.

  • Click New and select New Dashboard.

  • On the empty dashboard, click + Add visualization.

  • Empty dashboard state

  • In the first line of the Query tab, click the dropdown list and select a data source.

  • Write or construct a query in the query language of your data source.

  • Click the Refresh dashboard icon to query the data source.

  • In the visualization list, select a visualization type.

  • Algology displays a preview of your query results with the visualization applied.

  • While not required, most visualizations need some adjustment before they properly display the information that you need.


Configure value mappings

  • Visualization-specific options

  • Override field values

  • Configure thresholds

  • Configure standard options

When you’ve finished editing your node, click Save to save the dashboard.

Alternatively, click Apply if you want to see your changes applied to the dashboard first. Then click the save icon in the dashboard header.

Enter a name for your dashboard and select a folder, if applicable.

Click Save.

To add more nodes to the dashboard, click Add in the dashboard header and select Visualization in the dropdown.


Configure repeating rows

You can configure Algology to dynamically add nodes or rows to a dashboard based on the value of a variable. Variables dynamically change your queries across all rows in a dashboard.

Before you begin

Ensure that the query includes a multi-value variable.

To configure repeating rows

  • Click Dashboards in the left-side menu.

  • Navigate to the dashboard you want to work on.

  • At the top of the dashboard, click Add and select Row in the dropdown.

  • If the dashboard is empty, you can click the + Add row button in the middle of the dashboard.

  • Hover over the row title and click the cog icon.

  • In the Row Options dialog box, add a title and select the variable for which you want to add repeating rows.

  • Click Update.

Note: To provide context to dashboard users, add the variable to the row title.


Move a node

You can place a node on a dashboard in any location.

  • Click Dashboards in the left-side menu.

  • Navigate to the dashboard you want to work on.

  • Click the node title and drag the node to the new location.

  • Resize a node

  • You can size a dashboard node to suits your needs.

  • Click Dashboards in the left-side menu.

  • Navigate to the dashboard you want to work on.

  • To adjust the size of the node, click and drag the lower-right corner of the node.


To access the dashboard setting page

  • Open a dashboard in edit mode.

  • Click Dashboard settings (gear icon) located at the top of the page.


Modify dashboard time settings

Adjust dashboard time settings when you want to change the dashboard timezone, the local browser time, and specify auto-refresh time intervals.

  • On the Dashboard settings page, click General.

  • Navigate to the Time Options section.

  • Specify time settings as follows.

Timezone

Specify the local time zone of the service or system that you are monitoring. This can be helpful when monitoring a system or service that operates across several time zones. Default: Algology uses the default selected time zone for the user profile, team, or organization. If no time zone is specified for the user profile, a team the user is a member of, or the organization, then Algology uses the local browser time.

Local browser time

The time zone configured for the viewing user browser is used. This is usually the same time zone as set on the computer. Standard ISO 8601 time zones, including UTC.

Auto-refresh

Customize the options displayed for relative time and the auto-refresh options

Entries are comma separated and accept any valid time unit.

Now delay

Override the now time by entering a time delay. Use this option to accommodate known delays in data aggregation to avoid null values.

Hide time picker

Select this option if you do not want Algology to display the time picker.


Add an annotation query

An annotation query is a query that queries for events. These events can be visualized in graphs across the dashboard as vertical lines along with a small icon you can hover over to see the event information.

  • On the Dashboard settings page, click Annotations.

  • Click Add annotation query.

  • Enter a name and select a data source.

  • Complete the rest of the form to build a query and annotation.

The query editor UI changes based on the data source you select.


Add a variable

Variables enable you to create more interactive and dynamic dashboards. Instead of hard-coding things like server, application, and sensor names in your metric queries, you can use variables in their place. Variables are displayed as dropdown lists at the top of the dashboard. These dropdowns make it easy to change the data being displayed in your dashboard.

  • On the Dashboard settings page,

  • Click Variable in the left side section menu and then the Add variable button.

  • In the General section, the name of the variable. This is the name that you will later use in queries.

  • Select a variable Type.

Note: The variable type you select impacts which fields you populate on the page.

Define the variable and click Update.


Dashboard links enable you to place links to other dashboards and web sites directly below the dashboard header. Links provide for easy navigation to other, related dashboards and content.

On the Dashboard settings page, click Links in the left side section menu and then the Add link button.

Enter title and in the Type field, select Dashboard or Link.

To add a dashboard link:

  • Add an optional tag. Tags are useful creating a dynamic dropdown of dashboards that all have a specific tag.

  • Select any of the dashboard link Options.

  • Click Apply.

To add a link:

  • Add a URL and tooltip text that appears when the user hovers over the link.

  • Select an icon that appears next to the link.

  • Select any of the dashboard link Options.


View dashboard JSON model

A dashboard in Algology is represented by a JSON object, which stores metadata of its dashboard. Dashboard metadata includes dashboard properties, metadata from nodes, template variables, node queries, and so on.

  • To view a dashboard JSON model, on the Dashboard settings page,

  • click JSON.


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