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Dynatrace

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Dynatrace is a software intelligence platform that monitors and optimizes application performance, development and security, IT infrastructure, and user experience. The Dynatrace Software Intelligence Platform maps, and monitors applications, microservices, container orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes, and IT infrastructure running in multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud environments, and provides automated problem remediation.

Nobl9 integration with Dynatrace allows users to fetch metric datapoints via metric v2 API with a one-minute resolution. Users can provide a custom selector (by providing value for the metricSelector parameter of the API).

Dynatrace parameters and supported features in Nobl9
General support:
Release channel: Stable, Beta
Connection method: Agent, Direct
Replay and SLI Analyzer: Supported
Event logs: Supported
Query checker: Supported
Query parameters retrieval: Supported
Timestamp cache persistence: Supported
Query parameters:
Query interval: 1 min
Query delay: 2 min
Jitter: 15 sec
Timeout: 30 sec
Agent details and minimum required versions for supported features:
Environment variable: DYNATRACE_QUERY_DELAY
Plugin name: n9dynatrace
Replay and SLI Analyzer: 0.66.0
Maximum historical data retrieval period: 28 days
Query parameters retrieval: 0.73.2
Timestamp cache persistence: 0.65.0
Additional notes:
Only metrics obtained with the metricSelector clause are supported
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caution

Dynatrace's metricSelector allows you to query for multiple metrics at once. Note that Nobl9 treats SLO data points as time series. Effectively, it means that Nobl9 rejects any datapoint with a timestamp already stored for a given SLO.

To avoid uncertainty, query for data points for only one metric.

Authentication​

When setting up the Nobl9 agent or direct connection to your Dynatrace instance, you must provide an access token with metrics.read scope activated. For details on how to get your token, refer to the Dynatrace API - Tokens and authentication | Dynatrace documentation.

Adding Dynatrace as a data source​

You can add the Dynatrace data source using the direct or agent connection methods.

Direct connection method​

Direct connection to Dynatrace requires users to enter their credentials which Nobl9 stores safely.

Nobl9 Web​

To set up this type of connection:

  1. Navigate to Integrations > Sources.
  2. Click .
  3. Click the required Source button.
  4. Choose Agent.
  1. Select one of the following Release Channels:
    • The stable channel is fully tested by the Nobl9 team. It represents the final product; however, this channel does not contain all the new features of a beta release. Use it to avoid crashes and other limitations.
    • The beta channel is under active development. Here, you can check out new features and improvements without the risk of affecting any viable SLOs. Remember that features in this channel can change.

  2. Add the URL to connect to your data source (mandatory).
    Depending on the type of environment, the URL must match one of the following formats:

    • SaaS: <https://{your-environment-id}.live.dynatrace.com>

    • Managed: <https://{your-domain}/e/{your-environment-id}>

    • Environment ActiveGate: <https://{your-activegate-domain}/e/{your-environment-id}>

  3. Enter the Dynatrace Token (mandatory).
    To use the Dynatrace API, you must provide an access token with metrics.read scope activated. For more information, refer to the Authentication section above.

  1. Select a Project.
    Specifying a project is helpful when multiple users are spread across multiple teams or projects. When the Project field is left blank, Nobl9 uses the default project.
  2. Enter a Display Name.
    You can enter a user-friendly name with spaces in this field.
  3. Enter a Name.
    The name is mandatory and can only contain lowercase, alphanumeric characters, and dashes (for example, my-project-1). Nobl9 duplicates the display name here, transforming it into the supported format, but you can edit the result.
  4. Enter a Description.
    Here you can add details such as who is responsible for the integration (team/owner) and the purpose of creating it.
  5. Specify the Query delay to set a customized delay for queries when pulling the data from the data source.
    • The default value in Dynatrace integration for Query delay is 2 minutes.
    info
    Changing the Query delay may affect your SLI data. For more details, check the Query delay documentation.
  6. Enter a Maximum Period for Historical Data Retrieval.
    • This value defines how far back in the past your data will be retrieved when replaying your SLO based on this data source.
    • The maximum period value depends on the data source.
      Find the maximum value for your data source.
    • A greater period can extend the loading time when creating an SLO.
      • The value must be a positive integer.
  7. Enter a Default Period for Historical Data Retrieval.
    • It is used by SLOs connected to this data source.
    • The value must be a positive integer or 0.
    • By default, this value is set to 0. When you set it to >0, you will create SLOs with Replay.
  8. Click Add Data Source.
caution

When you run Replay for the Maximum Period for Historical Data Retrieval for Dynatrace (28 days), remember that due to Dynatrace limitations, there may be 1h of degraded resolution at the beginning of the selected time range.

sloctl​

The YAML for setting up a direct connection to Dynatrace looks like this:

apiVersion: n9/v1alpha
kind: Direct
metadata:
  name: dynatrace-direct
  displayName: Dynatrace direct
  project: dynatrace-direct
spec:
  description: Direct integration with Dynatrace
  sourceOf:
    - Metrics
  dynatrace:
    url: "https://{your-environment-id}.live.dynatrace.com"
    dynatraceToken: ""
  queryDelay:
      unit: Minute
      value: 720
  logCollectionEnabled: false # boolean, defaults to 'false'. Set to true if you'd like your source to collect logs. Available for data sources connected using the direct method only. Reach out to support@nobl9.com to activate it.
  historicalDataRetrieval:
    maxDuration:
      value: 28
      unit: Day
    defaultDuration:
      value: 7
      unit: Day
FieldTypeDescription
queryDelay.unit
mandatory
enumSpecifies the unit for the query delay. Possible values: Second | Minute.
• Check query delay documentation for default unit of query delay for each source.
queryDelay.value
mandatory
numericSpecifies the value for the query delay.
• Must be a number less than 1440 minutes (24 hours).
• Check query delay documentation for default unit of query delay for each source.
logCollectionEnabled
optional
booleanOptional. Defaults to false. Set to true if you'd like your direct to collect event logs. Contact us to activate it.
releaseChannel
mandatory
enumSpecifies the release channel. Accepted values: beta | stable.
Source-specific fields
dynatrace.dynatraceURL
mandatory
stringInterface URL. Depending on the environment, the expected URL format is:
• SaaS: https://{your-environment-id}.live.dynatrace.com
• Managed: https://{your-domain}/e/{your-environment-id}
• ActiveGate: https://{your-activegate-domain}/e/{your-environment-id}
dynatrace.dynatraceToken
mandatory
string, secretA hash that can be generated in the Dynatrace UI. See authentication for more details.
Replay-related fields
historicalDataRetrieval
optional
n/aOptional structure related to configuration related to Replay.
❗ Use only with supported sources.
• If omitted, Nobl9 uses the default values of value: 0 and unit: Day for maxDuration and defaultDuration.
maxDuration.value
optional
numericSpecifies the maximum duration for historical data retrieval. Must be integer ≥ 0. See Replay documentation for values of max duration per data source.
maxDuration.unit
optional
enumSpecifies the unit for the maximum duration of historical data retrieval. Accepted values: Minute | Hour | Day.
defaultDuration.value
optional
numericSpecifies the default duration for historical data retrieval. Must be integer ≥ 0 and ≤ maxDuration.
defaultDuration.unit
optional
enumSpecifies the unit for the default duration of historical data retrieval. Accepted values: Minute | Hour | Day.

Agent connection method​

Nobl9 Web​

Follow the instructions below to set up an agent connection.

  1. Navigate to Integrations > Sources.
  2. Click .
  3. Click the required Source button.
  4. Choose Agent.
  1. Select one of the following Release Channels:
    • The stable channel is fully tested by the Nobl9 team. It represents the final product; however, this channel does not contain all the new features of a beta release. Use it to avoid crashes and other limitations.
    • The beta channel is under active development. Here, you can check out new features and improvements without the risk of affecting any viable SLOs. Remember that features in this channel can change.

  2. Add the URL to connect to your data source.

  1. Select a Project.
    Specifying a project is helpful when multiple users are spread across multiple teams or projects. When the Project field is left blank, Nobl9 uses the default project.
  2. Enter a Display Name.
    You can enter a user-friendly name with spaces in this field.
  3. Enter a Name.
    The name is mandatory and can only contain lowercase, alphanumeric characters, and dashes (for example, my-project-1). Nobl9 duplicates the display name here, transforming it into the supported format, but you can edit the result.
  4. Enter a Description.
    Here you can add details such as who is responsible for the integration (team/owner) and the purpose of creating it.
  5. Specify the Query delay to set a customized delay for queries when pulling the data from the data source.
    • The default value in Dynatrace integration for Query delay is 2 minutes.
    info
    Changing the Query delay may affect your SLI data. For more details, check the Query delay documentation.
  6. Enter a Maximum Period for Historical Data Retrieval.
    • This value defines how far back in the past your data will be retrieved when replaying your SLO based on this data source.
    • The maximum period value depends on the data source.
      Find the maximum value for your data source.
    • A greater period can extend the loading time when creating an SLO.
      • The value must be a positive integer.
  7. Enter a Default Period for Historical Data Retrieval.
    • It is used by SLOs connected to this data source.
    • The value must be a positive integer or 0.
    • By default, this value is set to 0. When you set it to >0, you will create SLOs with Replay.
  8. Click Add Data Source.
caution

When you run Replay for the Maximum Period for Historical Data Retrieval for Dynatrace (28 days), remember that due to Dynatrace limitations, there may be 1h of degraded resolution at the beginning of the selected time range.

sloctl​

The YAML for setting up an agent connection to Dynatrace looks like this:

apiVersion: n9/v1alpha
kind: Agent
metadata:
  name: dynatrace
  displayName: Dynatrace Agent
  project: dynatrace
spec:
  sourceOf:
    - Metrics
    - Services
  releaseChannel: stable
  queryDelay:
      unit: Minute
      value: 720
  dynatrace:
    url: https://your-environment-id.live.dynatrace.com
  historicalDataRetrieval:
    maxDuration:
      value: 28
      unit: Day
    defaultDuration:
      value: 7
      unit: Day
FieldTypeDescription
queryDelay.unit
mandatory
enumSpecifies the unit for the query delay. Possible values: Second | Minute.
• Check query delay documentation for default unit of query delay for each source.
queryDelay.value
mandatory
numericSpecifies the value for the query delay.
• Must be a number less than 1440 minutes (24 hours).
• Check query delay documentation for default unit of query delay for each source.
releaseChannel
mandatory
enumSpecifies the release channel. Accepted values: beta | stable.
Source-specific fields
dynatrace.dynatraceURL
mandatory
stringInterface URL. Depending on the environment, the expected URL format is:
• SaaS: https://{your-environment-id}.live.dynatrace.com
• Managed: https://{your-domain}/e/{your-environment-id}
• ActiveGate: https://{your-activegate-domain}/e/{your-environment-id}
Replay-related fields
historicalDataRetrieval
optional
n/aOptional structure related to configuration related to Replay.
❗ Use only with supported sources.
• If omitted, Nobl9 uses the default values of value: 0 and unit: Day for maxDuration and defaultDuration.
maxDuration.value
optional
numericSpecifies the maximum duration for historical data retrieval. Must be integer ≥ 0. See Replay documentation for values of max duration per data source.
maxDuration.unit
optional
enumSpecifies the unit for the maximum duration of historical data retrieval. Accepted values: Minute | Hour | Day.
defaultDuration.value
optional
numericSpecifies the default duration for historical data retrieval. Must be integer ≥ 0 and ≤ maxDuration.
defaultDuration.unit
optional
enumSpecifies the unit for the default duration of historical data retrieval. Accepted values: Minute | Hour | Day.
warning

You can deploy only one agent in one YAML file by using the sloctl apply command.

Agent deployment​

When you add the data source, Nobl9 automatically generates a Kubernetes configuration and a Docker command line for you to use to deploy the agent. Both of these are available in the web UI, under the Agent Configuration section. Be sure to swap in your credentials (e.g., replace <DYNATRACE_TOKEN> in the following YAML with your Dynatrace access token with metrics.read scope activated).

If you use Kubernetes, you can apply the supplied YAML config file to a Kubernetes cluster to deploy the agent. It will look something like this:

# DISCLAIMER: This deployment description contains only the fields necessary for the purpose of this demo.
# It is not a ready-to-apply Kubernetes deployment description, and the client_id and client_secret are only exemplary values.

apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: nobl9-agent-nobl9-dev-mydynatrace-b
  namespace: default
type: Opaque
stringData:
  dynatrace_token: <DYNATRACE_TOKEN>
  client_id: "unique_client_id"
  client_secret: "unique_client_secret"
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: nobl9-agent-nobl9-dogfood-default-dynatrace-agent
  namespace: default
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      nobl9-agent-name: dynatrace-agent
      nobl9-agent-project: default
      nobl9-agent-organization: nobl9-dogfood
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        nobl9-agent-name: dynatrace-agent
        nobl9-agent-project: default
        nobl9-agent-organization: nobl9-dogfood
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: agent-container
          image: nobl9/agent:0.82.2
          resources:
            requests:
              memory: "350Mi"
              cpu: "0.1"
          env:
            - name: N9_CLIENT_ID
              valueFrom:
                secretKeyRef:
                  key: client_id
                  name: nobl9-agent-nobl9-dogfood-default-dynatrace-agent
            - name: N9_CLIENT_SECRET
              valueFrom:
                secretKeyRef:
                  key: client_secret
                  name: nobl9-agent-nobl9-dogfood-default-dynatrace-agent
            - name: DYNATRACE_TOKEN
              valueFrom:
                secretKeyRef:
                  key: dynatrace_token
                  name: nobl9-agent-nobl9-dogfood-default-dynatrace-agent
            # The N9_METRICS_PORT is a variable specifying the port to which the /metrics and /health endpoints are exposed.
            # The 9090 is the default value and can be changed.
            # If you don’t want the metrics to be exposed, comment out or delete the N9_METRICS_PORT variable.
            - name: N9_METRICS_PORT
              value: "9090"

Creating SLOs with Dynatrace​

Nobl9 Web​

Follow the instructions below to create your SLOs with Dynatrace in the UI:

  1. Navigate to Service Level Objectives.

  2. Click .

  3. In step 1 of the SLO wizard, select the Service the SLO will be associated with.

  4. In step 2, select Dynatrace as the Data Source for your SLO, then specify the Metric. You can choose either a Threshold Metric, where a single time series is evaluated against a threshold, or a Ratio Metric, which allows you to enter two time series to compare (for example, a count of good requests and total requests).

    1. Choose the Data Count Method for your ratio metric:
      • Non-incremental: counts incoming metric values one-by-one. So the resulting SLO graph is pike-shaped.
      • Incremental: counts the incoming metric values incrementally, adding every next value to previous values. It results in a constantly increasing SLO graph.

  5. Enter a Metric Selector, or Metric selector for good counter and Metric selector for total counter for the metric you selected.

    • Metric selector selects metrics for the query by their keys.
    • You can select up to 10 metrics for one query. metricSelector can be obtained from the Dynatrace v2 API. In the Custom chart area, select the Try it out button. Then, in the Data Explorer, select the Code tab.

    For more information and query samples, refer to the Creating Dynatrace SLOs with sloctl section below.

    SLI values for good and total
    When choosing the query for the ratio SLI (countMetrics), keep in mind that the values ​​resulting from that query for both good and total:
    • Must be positive.
    • While we recommend using integers, fractions are also acceptable.
      • If using fractions, we recommend them to be larger than 1e-4 = 0.0001.
    • Shouldn't be larger than 1e+20.

  6. In step 3, define a Time Window for the SLO.

  • Rolling time windows are better for tracking the recent user experience of a service.

  • Calendar-aligned windows are best suited for SLOs that are intended to map to business metrics measured on a calendar-aligned basis, such as every calendar month or every quarter.

  1. In step 4, specify the Error Budget Calculation Method and your Objective(s).

    • Occurrences method counts good attempts against the count of total attempts.
    • Time Slicesmethod measures how many good minutes were achieved (when a system operates within defined boundaries) during a time window.
    • You can define up to 12 objectives for an SLO.

    See the use case example and the SLO calculations guide for more information on the error budget calculation methods.

  2. In step 5, add the Display name, Name, and other settings for your SLO:

    • Create a composite SLO
    • Set notification on data, if this option is available for your data source.
      When activated, Nobl9 notifies you if your SLO hasn't received data or received incomplete data for more than 15 minutes.
    • Add alert policies, labels, and links, if required.
      You can add up to 20 links per SLO.

  3. Click Create SLO.

sloctl​

Here’s an example of Dynatrace using a rawMetric (threshold metric):

apiVersion: n9/v1alpha
kind: SLO
metadata:
  name: dynatrace-slo-example
  project: dynatrace
spec:
  service: dynatrace-service
  indicator:
    metricSource:
      name: dynatrace
  timeWindows:
    - unit: Day
      count: 7
      isRolling: true
  budgetingMethod: Occurrences
  objectives:
    - displayName: Good
      op: lte
      rawMetric:
        query:
          dynatrace:
            metricSelector: builtin:synthetic.http.duration.geo:filter(and(in("dt.entity.http_check",entitySelector("type(http_check),entityName(~"API Sample~")")),in("dt.entity.synthetic_location",entitySelector("type(synthetic_location),entityName(~"N. California~")")))):splitBy("dt.entity.http_check","dt.entity.synthetic_location"):avg:auto:sort(value(avg,descending)):limit(20)
      value: 150
      target: 0.50
    - displayName: Moderate
      op: lte
      rawMetric:
        query:
          dynatrace:
            metricSelector: builtin:synthetic.http.duration.geo:filter(and(in("dt.entity.http_check",entitySelector("type(http_check),entityName(~"API Sample~")")),in("dt.entity.synthetic_location",entitySelector("type(synthetic_location),entityName(~"N. California~")")))):splitBy("dt.entity.http_check","dt.entity.synthetic_location"):avg:auto:sort(value(avg,descending)):limit(20)
      value: 200
      target: 0.75
    - displayName: Annoying
      op: lte
      rawMetric:
        query:
          dynatrace:
            metricSelector: builtin:synthetic.http.duration.geo:filter(and(in("dt.entity.http_check",entitySelector("type(http_check),entityName(~"API Sample~")")),in("dt.entity.synthetic_location",entitySelector("type(synthetic_location),entityName(~"N. California~")")))):splitBy("dt.entity.http_check","dt.entity.synthetic_location"):avg:auto:sort(value(avg,descending)):limit(20)
      value: 300
      target: 0.95

Metric specification from Dynatrace requires one field:

  • dynatrace.metricSelector – mandatory, string. You can try out your metricSelector in the Data Explorer tool. In the Custom chart area, click the Try it out button. Then, in the Data Explorer, select the Code tab:
Image 1: Data Explorer tool

Dynatrace metricSelector is a powerful instrument for specifying which metrics you want to read with the GET metric data points. By using metricSelector, you can transform the resulting set of data points. For more details, go to Metrics API - Metric Selector | Dynatrace documentation.

Querying the Dynatrace server​

Nobl9 calls the Dynatrace server every minute to retrieve the raw data.

For a more in-depth look, consult additional resources:
Get metric data pointsDynatrace docsMetrics API - metric selectorDynatrace docsMetrics API - get metricsDynatrace docsAgent metricsAgentCreating SLOs via TerraformTerraformCreating agents via TerraformTerraform
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