Analyse App and Service

App Catalog

The App Catalog in vuSmartMaps™ APM is a powerful feature that empowers IT Ops, Application Owners, and Business Heads to gain comprehensive insights into their application landscape. It allows you to view all the applications in your environment, understand their criticality, and observe their performance metrics in real time. With the List-View and Graph-View options, you can quickly identify problematic applications, predict performance changes, and efficiently troubleshoot issues. This section will guide you through the functionalities and benefits of the App Catalog List View and Graph View.

App Catalog List View

The List View in the App Catalog offers a bird’s-eye view of all the applications in your environment, along with essential performance metrics and status information.

This is the default landing page after navigating to the APM, shown below:

Let’s explore the key features that make the List View a valuable tool for application observability:

1. Overview of Apps: With just a glance, you can access a comprehensive list of all applications. The easy-to-navigate tabular format ensures quick access to critical information and provides info on RED metrics.
2. Criticality-Based Ordering: To prioritize troubleshooting efforts, the List View presents apps in decreasing order of their criticality. Critical apps are outlined in red, indicating that they require immediate attention. On the other hand, apps with no issues are marked with a green outline, assuring you of their optimal performance.
3. Search Option: The List View comes equipped with powerful search functionality. Whether you need to find a specific application or locate all apps related to a particular service, the search option simplifies the process, saving you time and effort.
   
   
   
   
4. RED Metrics and Historical Comparison: Each app card displays crucial performance metrics – Request Rate, Error Rate, and P90 Latency (90th percentile latency). Additionally, you can compare these metrics historically against yesterday’s data, enabling you to detect trends and anticipate potential issues.
   
   
   
   
5. Automated Insights: The App Catalog provides automated insights for each application. These insights guide you through the next steps while troubleshooting, streamlining the resolution process, and reducing downtime.
   
   
   
   
6. Navigating to App Overview Page: To access the app overview page, simply click the arrow button located on the relevant application card. This action will seamlessly direct you to the app overview page consisting of the service catalog, service map, and traces page, automatically applying the filters associated with the chosen application. For an in-depth understanding of this page’s functionalities, refer to the comprehensive discussion in the App Overview section of this guide.
   
   
   
   
7. Navigating to Request Rate Overview Page: To swiftly access the Request Rate Overview page, click on the specific request rate metric displayed on the Application Catalog List view page. This intuitive action will seamlessly transfer you to the Request Rate Overview page, where you can delve into the details of request rates for the chosen application. For a comprehensive exploration of this page’s functionalities, refer to the dedicated Request Rate Overview section in this guide.
   
   
   
   
8. Navigating to Error Rate Overview Page: Easily navigate to the Error Rate Overview Page by clicking on the relevant error metric showcased on the Application Catalog List view page. This user-friendly approach will instantly transport you to the Error Rate Overview Page, where you can gain insights into error occurrences within the selected application. For a thorough understanding of the capabilities offered by this page, consult the detailed Error Rate Overview section in this guide.
   
   
   
   
9. Navigating to Latency Overview Page: Effortlessly access the Latency Overview Page by selecting the latency metric associated with your desired application from the Application Catalog List view page. With a simple click, you’ll be directed to the Latency Overview Page, where you can analyze latency patterns for the chosen application. To explore the extensive features of this page, refer to the detailed Latency Overview section in this user guide.
   
   
   

App Catalog Graph View

The Graph View in the App Catalog takes data visualization to the next level, offering a dynamic representation of application performance trends using line graphs. This can be navigated by clicking on the Graph button, located on the “View as” option.

Here’s how the Graph View enhances your understanding and analysis:

1. Overview of Apps: Like the List View, the Trend View also presents a list of all applications, allowing you to navigate through your environment effortlessly. This holistic view helps you stay informed about your application landscape.
2. Criticality-Based Ordering: To highlight the most critical applications, the Trend View lists apps in decreasing order of their criticality. This visual aid enables you to quickly identify and address priority concerns.
3. Search Option: The search function remains available in the Trend View as well, enabling you to search for specific apps by name. This feature ensures targeted analysis and focused attention to critical areas.
   
   
   
   
4. Line Graphs for RED Metrics: Each app card within the Trend View showcases insightful line graphs for Request Rate, Error Rate, and P90 Latency metrics. By default, the request rate metric is plotted, providing a comprehensive snapshot of your application’s performance.
   
   
   
   
5. Automated Insights: The App Catalog provides automated insights for each application. These insights guide you through the next steps while troubleshooting, streamlining the resolution process, and reducing downtime.
   
   
   
   
6. Navigating to App Overview Page: To access the app overview page, simply click the arrow button located on the relevant application card. This action will seamlessly direct you to the app overview page consisting of the service catalog, service map, and traces page, automatically applying the filters associated with the chosen application. For an in-depth understanding of this page’s functionalities, refer to the comprehensive discussion in the App Overview section of this guide.
   
   
   

By leveraging the App Catalog List View and Trend View, you gain valuable insights into your applications’ health, prioritize troubleshooting, and predict potential issues, ensuring a seamless user experience and smooth application performance.

App Overview

The App overview page in vuSmartMaps APM allows IT Ops, Application Owners, and Business Heads to access a consolidated view of all services within an application and understand their interactions. This feature enables you to observe and analyze the performance of individual services and their dependencies effectively. The App overview provides distinct views: List View on the Service Catalog page, Graph View on the Service Map page, and Traces page giving details of traces associated with a particular service, each offering unique insights into service metrics and interactions.

Service Catalog

The List View presents services in a structured tabular format, showcasing key performance metrics and historical comparisons. Here are the main functionalities of the List View:

1. Overview of Services: Instantly access a comprehensive list of all services running in a specific application. The tabular layout displays essential details, including the number of hosts, location, Request Rate, Error Rate, and P90 Latency, along with a historical comparison vs. yesterday for RED metrics.
   
   
   
2. Service Summary Dashboard: By clicking on a specific service, users are seamlessly redirected to the dedicated service summary dashboard. This feature enables you to drill down into individual service details, providing a more in-depth analysis of its performance. The details of the Service Summary page are discussed here.
   
   
   
   
3. Filter by Request (Trace): Effortlessly filter the Service catalog to focus on a specific request (trace) and view the services involved in that particular request. This feature aids in isolating performance issues and understanding the flow of requests.

User Values

1. Gain a consolidated view of all services within an application, simplifying observability and management.
2. Effortlessly drill down into specific services for more detailed performance analysis and efficient troubleshooting.
3. Benefit from the automatic Service Map to expedite issue identification, especially for critical and 3rd party services.
4. Reduce Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) by swiftly identifying failing or delayed transactions.

Service Map

The Graphical View introduces an interactive Service Map, visually representing how various services interact with each other. This graphical representation helps you understand service dependencies and interactions. The Service Map includes the following features:

1. Service Interaction Visualization: The Service Map offers a clear view of service interactions, illustrating how services interact with each other and how multiple services collaborate to process a request. Directional arrows facilitate the comprehension of the interrelation between services by indicating the flow of communication from one service to another.
   
   
   
   
2. Inclusion of 3rd Party Services: The Service Map encompasses 3rd party services like DB, Kafka, Redis, and others. You can observe their status and observe their interactions with application services, facilitating holistic performance observability.
3. Filter by Request (Trace): Effortlessly filter the Service Map to focus on a specific request (trace) and view the services involved in that particular request. This feature aids in isolating performance issues and understanding the flow of requests.
   
   
   
   
4. Service Status and Alerts: The color of the service in the Service Map turns Amber or Red based on its status and active alerts. This visual cue alerts you to critical issues that require immediate attention, enhancing incident response.
5. Detailed Service Insights: By hovering on any service, users can see RED metrics for that particular service, including its status, and currently active alerts. This feature streamlines the analysis of individual service performance.
   
   
   
   
6. Latency Visualization: The Service Map visually represents the latency between services using links connecting them. The color of these links changes based on latency SLAs or active alerts, providing quick insights into potential performance bottlenecks.

User Values

1. Visualize service interactions and dependencies, enabling a better understanding of the application’s architecture and design.
2. Identify patterns and anomalies in service interactions, facilitating the optimization of application performance.
3. Easily pinpoint critical issues through color-coded alerts, streamlining troubleshooting efforts.
4. Observe the latency between services, assisting in the identification of performance bottlenecks.

💡Note:

1. The automatic Service Map can handle up to 100 services interacting with each other.
2. Data should load in near real-time for up to 100,000 events per second (EPS).

Traces

The Traces tab presents trace details for transactions at the application level, offering insights into the traces within the app.

Effortlessly filter the traces to focus on a specific service and view the traces involved in that particular request. This feature aids in isolating performance issues and understanding the flow of requests.

Fields Displayed

1. Trace ID: This column displays the unique identifier for each transaction trace, enabling easy reference for further investigation. Clicking on a particular trace navigates you to the Trace Details page.
2. Host: The Host column indicates the host or server where the transaction was initiated. Knowing the affected host helps in identifying server-specific variations in metrics.
3. Location: The Location column provides information about the geographic location or region from which the transaction originated. This insight aids in identifying potential regional variations in metrics.
4. Service: This column specifies the service or component associated with the transaction. Understanding the service context allows you to comprehend the impact on specific application components.
5. Duration: The Duration column represents the time taken for the transaction to complete. Analyzing transaction durations helps in identifying performance-related issues.
6. Date: The Date column displays the timestamp when the transaction was initiated. It helps correlate metrics with specific time frames, aiding in time-bound analysis.
7. Operation: This column denotes the type or category of the operation. Categorizing metrics by operation assists in prioritizing and addressing critical issues.
8. Status: This column indicates the status or outcome of the transaction: success, or error. Understanding transaction status facilitates targeted issue resolution.

Service Summary

The Service Summary empowers you to observe and analyze the performance of individual services and their dependencies effectively. The Service Summary offers a consolidated view of your selected service within the application.

On the Service Summary page, you will find the following details:

1. Request Rate: Observe the rate at which requests flow through the service, providing crucial insights into the service’s workload and usage patterns.
2. Error Rate: Track the frequency of errors encountered by the service, helping you identify and resolve potential issues that impact application performance.
3. P90 Latency: Measure the 90th percentile latency of the service, giving you insights into response time for most requests, and enabling you to optimize service efficiency.
4. Trace Count: Get an overview of the total count of traces within the service running, assisting you in understanding the service’s distribution and scalability.
5. Number of Hosts: Get an overview of the total count of hosts where the service is running, assisting you in understanding the service’s distribution and scalability.

Interactivity

The Service Summary offers several interactive features for a dynamic user experience:

1. Clickable Metrics: Request Rate, Error Rate, P90 Latency, and Trace Count are clickable elements. Clicking on any of these metrics will redirect you to service-specific pages, providing in-depth analysis and historical trends for the corresponding metric. This enables you to dive deeper into service performance and understand its behavior over time.
   
   
   
   
2. Application and Service Selection: On the left side, filtering options are available, allowing you to change the selected service or application dynamically. This flexibility empowers you to explore different services and applications on the same page without losing context.
   
   
   
   
3. Application Dropdown: At the top, the App dropdown allows you to easily switch between different applications, providing you with a holistic view across your environment. This seamless navigation enhances your observation capabilities and helps you keep track of multiple applications effortlessly.
   
   
   
   
4. Request Rate, Error Rate, Latency, and Dependency Map Graphs: These graphs offer pictorial representations of the respective metrics for the selected service, aiding in quick insights. Visualizing these metrics enables you to spot trends and anomalies, facilitating proactive decision-making.
   
   
   

User Values

1. Comprehensive Snapshot: Obtain an instant snapshot of a specific service within any application, facilitating quick assessment and decision-making. This condensed overview saves time and effort in observing multiple services.
2. Cross-Application Insights: Access service snapshots for any service running in any application, ensuring thorough observability. This cross-application perspective helps you identify performance patterns across your entire environment.
3. Detailed Metrics: View a comprehensive overview of RED metrics and the number of hosts for the selected service, aiding in performance analysis. These detailed metrics equip you with actionable insights to optimize service health.
4. Historical Comparison: Compare RED metrics historically to identify trends and optimize service performance. Historical analysis empowers you to make data-driven decisions and plan for future service improvements.
5. Configurable Filtering: Utilize filtering options to tailor the view as per your specific requirements, ensuring relevant insights. This configurable approach allows you to focus on appropriate services and metrics for targeted analysis.

Further Reading

1. RED Metrics
2. Trace Details