> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chronosphere.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create links to related information

Individually, telemetry data can provide insights into your app and its connected
services and operations. Linking these data types across Chronosphere Observability
Platform provides even greater context beyond logs, metrics, or traces on their own.

## Create links on monitors

To add dashboard and log links that expand per alert signal, use
[templated links](/investigate/alerts/monitors/annotation-links) in the monitor
editor. Responders open these links from
[alert details](/investigate/alerts/alert-details#view-an-alerts-related-information)
with labels and time ranges already applied. SLOs also use templated links
in the **SLO Definition** drawer.

For trace span links, dashboard data links, and other cross-telemetry patterns,
construct the destination URL manually.

## Create links to log data

If you want to link from other telemetry data to related logs in Logs Explorer, you
must construct a log URL. You then copy the query, decode it, and replace values with
variables in the encoded URL. The following URL is an example of the decoded base
URL:

```text wrap /TENANT/ /TIME/ /QUERY/ /FUNCTION/ theme={null}
https://TENANT.chronosphere.io/logs/explorer?start=TIME&query=QUERY|+FUNCTION
```

Replace the following:

* *`TENANT`*: Your organization name prefixed to your Observability Platform
  instance.
* *`TIME`*: The absolute or relative time interval you want the query to use, such as
  `1h` for one hour or `1d` for one day. You can also include a start and end time by
  adding `"start":"START_TIME"&"end":"END_TIME"` to your query. If you specify the
  start and end time, the values must be in Unix time as milliseconds, such as
  `1721243232284`.
* `QUERY`: The log query you want to open in Logs Explorer when someone clicks the
  link.
* `FUNCTION`: Queries in Logs Explorer separate query operators and functions with a
  pipe (`|`), as shown in the following example:

  ```text theme={null}
  httpRequest.requestMethod = "POST"
  AND httpRequest.status =~ "40*"
  AND service = "nginx"
  | summarize count()
  ```

  See [logging query syntax](/investigate/querying/query-logs/query-syntax) for more
  information.

The URL in Logs Explorer uses URL-encoded characters that can be difficult to parse
visually. You can use the base URL to create your query, or define your query in Logs
Explorer and then decode the URL with an online tool such as
[URL Decoder](https://www.urldecoder.org/). The following steps follow the URL
Decoder-based approach.

To create the URL for your query:

1. In the navigation menu, select
   **<Icon icon="compass" /> Explorers <span aria-label="and then">></span> Logs Explorer**.

2. In Logs Explorer, [construct a query](/investigate/querying/query-logs)
   to define the log data you're searching for.

3. In your browser address bar, copy the resulting URL from the Logs Explorer page.

4. In a new tab, navigate to [URL Decoder](https://www.urldecoder.org/).

5. Paste the URL you copied and click **Decode**.

   Review the decoded URL and identify the values you want to replace with variables.
   For example, the decoded URL might contain the name of a service like
   `nginx`:

   ```text theme={null}
   service+=+"nginx"
   ```

6. In the encoded URL you pasted into URL Decoder, replace any values where you want
   to use variables. For example, the encoded URL might contain the `service`
   parameter with a value of `nginx`:

   ```text /nginx/ theme={null}
   service+%3D+%22nginx%22%
   ```

   Replace `nginx` with the `{{ service }}` variable:

   ```text /{{ service }}/ theme={null}
   service+%3D+%22{{ service }}%22%
   ```

   See [logging query examples](#log-query-examples) for examples.

7. After replacing values with variables, copy the encoded URL, complete with all
   URL-encoded characters.

After constructing the URL, you can [create links](#link-between-telemetry-data-types)
between telemetry types.

## Create links from trace data

When viewing span details in Trace Explorer for a selected trace, you can add links
to related information, such as dashboards within Chronosphere Observability
Platform, related logs in Logs Explorer, external services such as related tracing
logs stored in your cloud provider, or links to other observability tools.

You can dynamically generate links to external services using templated variables,
such as `{{ trace_id }}`, `{{ service }}`, and `{{ operation }}`. When you click one
of these links that contains a variable, Observability Platform interpolates the
variables with information from the selected span. For example, Observability
Platform replaces the `{{ service }}` variable with the name of the service from the
selected span.

These links persist across all traces in Observability Platform.

1. In Trace Explorer, [define the criteria](/investigate/querying/traces#define-a-search) for your search.

2. To view a specific trace related to your search, click the **Trace list** tab and then
   select an individual trace to open the trace details page.

3. On the trace details page, in the **Links** section, click **+ Add link**.

4. Enter a display name for the link, and then define a URL for your link.

   For example, the following link opens the Services Overview dashboard scoped to
   the service in the selected span. When you click the link, Observability Platform
   replaces the `{{ service }}` variable with the name of the service from the
   selected span.

   ```text wrap theme={null}
   https://example.chronosphere.io/dashboards/services-overview/services-overview?orgId=1&var-svc={{ service }}&var-root_svc={{ service }}
   ```

5. Click **Save** to save your link.

After constructing the URL, you can [create links](#link-between-telemetry-data-types)
between telemetry types.

## Link between telemetry data types

Before linking between data types, you must construct a URL to include in your query:

* [Create links to log data](#create-links-to-log-data)
* [Create links to trace data](#create-links-from-trace-data)

You can then choose which data type to link to and from.

### Link to logs from traces

If you want to link from trace span details to related logs in Logs Explorer,
construct a URL for your logging query, and then create a link in the span details of
Trace Explorer.

These links persist across all traces in Observability Platform.

To link to logs from trace span details:

1. [Construct a URL](#create-links-to-log-data) for your logging query.

2. In Trace Explorer,
   [define the criteria](/investigate/querying/traces#define-a-search)
   for your search.

3. To view a specific trace related to your search, click the **Trace list** tab and then
   select an individual trace to open the trace details page.

4. On the trace details page, in the **Links** section, click **+ Add link**.

5. Enter a display name for the link, and then define a URL for your link.

   For example, the following link opens Logs Explorer scoped to the service in the
   selected span. When you click the link, Observability Platform replaces the
   `{{ service }}` variable with the name of the service from the selected span:

   ```text wrap /{{ service }}/ theme={null}
   https://TENANT.chronosphere.io/logs/explorer/?orgId=1&var-svc={{ service }}&var-root_svc={{ service }}
   ```

6. Click **Save** to save your link.

### Link to logs and traces from dashboards

You can create data links from dashboards to relevant traces and logs. You first
create links for the data type you want to link to, and then create a data link to
express a search in Logs Explorer or Trace Explorer.

Observability Platform takes the contextual information in dashboard metrics and uses
it to build links to search for data. Clicking the link navigates you to the
appropriate Explorer, and replaces the variables with matching criteria defined in
the search.

Data links operate on both native metrics and metrics derived from traces within
Observability Platform.

The [Trace Metrics](/control/shaping/sample-traces/trace-metrics) dashboard that Observability
Platform provides contains a data link for each of the included panels. Data links in
dashboards use [Observability Platform parameters](#data-link-parameters) to refer to
series fields, labels, and values.

<Note>
  Before creating a data link from a dashboard, you must
  [create custom variables](/observe/dashboards/customization/dashboard-variables)
  to use in your link. For example, create a `metric` variable that you can reference
  as `${metric}`. Pair this variable with the `d_metricname` parameter and reference
  the variable in your data link as `d_metricname=${metric}`.
</Note>

* **Traces**: Use the following URL as the basis for creating a data link to trace
  data from a dashboard:

  ```shell theme={null}
  /traces/?d_closeto=${__series.timestamp}&d_metricname=${metric}
  ```

* **Logs**: Use the following URL as the basis for creating a data link to log data
  from a dashboard:

  ```shell theme={null}
  /logs/explorer?start=1h&query=service+%3D+%22${service}%22&visualization=list
  ```

To create a data link from a dashboard:

1. In any dashboard panel, hold the pointer over the panel, click the <Icon icon="ellipsis-vertical" />
   three vertical dots icon, and click **Edit panel**.

2. In the **Edit Panel** screen, click the **Links** tab.

3. In the **Links** tab, click **Add link**.

4. In the **Link type** dropdown, select **Link**.

5. Define the **Name** and **URL** for your data link, which can link to traces and
   other external data sources that use the context in the graph as inputs.

   For example, the following trace URL uses the value of the `__series.timestamp`
   and `service` variables as inputs, based on the specific series in the chart (if
   the chart shows multiple series) and the name of the service in the query.

   ```shell theme={null}
   /traces/explorer?d_closeto=${__series.timestamp}& d_service=${service}
   ```

6. In the **Edit panel** screen, click **Apply**.

7. On your dashboard screen, click **Save** to save your changes.

After saving your data link, click any point in the chart you created a link for,
click the <Icon icon="link-2" /> link icon, and then click the link name to view the
contextual link to your data.

### Data link parameters

Use any of the following parameters when creating a data link from a dashboard to
trace data. You can specify parameters in conjunction with Grafana data link
[variables](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/v7.5/linking/data-link-variables/)
to refer to series fields, labels, and values.

Any parameters in the Trace Explorer search that you define when creating the
trace metric override parameters you specify in the data link URL.

* `d_closeto`: Identifies a value 10 minutes before and after the specified point
  you select in the graph. For example, `d_closeto=${__value.time}` identifies a
  time window that includes 10 minutes before and after the time you select in the
  graph.

* `d_error`: Specifies whether to include the error count in the data link. For
  example, `d_error=true`.

* `d_metricname`: The trace metric name to pull from the dashboard panel. For
  example, `d_metricname=${metric}`.

* `d_minduration`: The minimum duration for the selected metric. Use this parameter
  for charts that measure duration or latency, such as p99 or p50 duration. For
  example, `&d_minduration=${__value.numeric}`.

* `d_operation`: The operation to include in the data link. For example,
  `&d_operation=${__field.labels.to_op}` identifies the value of the `to_op` label
  for the selected time series on the dashboard panel.

* `d_service`: The service to include in the data link. For example,
  `d_service=${__field.labels.to_svc}`.

* `d_tagname`: The name of a tag. For example, `d_tagname=environment`.

* `d_tagoperator`: Use this parameter in conjunction with the `d_tagvalue`,
  `d_tagvalues`, and `d_tagname` operators to specify value match and comparison
  operators. This parameter supports the following operators:

  * **Value match**: `EXACT`, `EXACT_NEGATION`, `REGEX`, `REGEX_NEGATION`, `IN`,
    `NOT_IN`.
  * **Comparison**: `EQUAL`, `NOT_EQUAL`, `GREATER_THAN_OR_EQUAL`, `GREATER_THAN`,
    `LESS_THAN`, `LESS_THAN_OR_EQUAL`.

* `d_tagvalue`: The value of a tag. For example, `d_tagvalue=production`.

## Log query examples

The following examples show both the encoded and decoded URLs for a query in Logs
Explorer to help explain the syntax and how to replace parameter values with
variables.

<Note>
  To improve readability, each of the following examples uses carriage returns. If you
  copy any examples, remove these characters before including them in a span link so
  the URL is valid.
</Note>

The following URL defines an encoded query from Logs Explorer. This query includes
the following parameters:

* An `operation` named `/authorize-card-payment`
* A `service` named `payment_gateway_service`
* A `severity` equal to `ERROR`
* An `environment` named `production`

```text With encoding lines highlight={2-5} theme={null}
https://TENANT.chronosphere.io/logs/explorer?start=1h&visualization=list
&query=operation+%3D+%22/authorize-card-payment%22%0A
AND+service+%3D+%22payment_gateway_service%22%0A
AND+severity+%3D+%22ERROR%22%0A
AND+environment+%3D+%22production%22
```

Without URL encoding, the URL looks like this:

```text Without encoding lines highlight={2-5} theme={null}
https://TENANT.chronosphere.io/logs/explorer?start=1h&visualization=list
&query=operation+=+"/authorize-card-payment"
AND+service+=+"payment_gateway_service"
AND+severity+=+"ERROR"
AND+environment+=+"production"
```

Viewing this version of the URL helps to determine where the values are you want to
replace, such as `payment_gateway_service` or `/authorize-card-payment`.

You can then replace these values for `service` and `operation` with the
`{{ service }}` and `{{ operation }}` templated variables. The resulting URL with
variables should be similar to the following:

```text Use templated variables lines highlight={2-3} theme={null}
https://TENANT.chronosphere.io/logs/explorer?start=1h&visualization=list
&query=operation+%3D+%22{{ operation }}%22%0A
AND+service+%3D+%22{{ service }}%22%0A
AND+severity+%3D+%22ERROR%22%0A
AND+environment+%3D+%22production%22
```

Copy the resulting encoded URL, navigate to Trace Explorer, and then
[create a link](#create-links-to-log-data) in the span details. When users click the
link, Observability Platform replaces the templated `{{ service }}` and `{{ operation
}}` variables with the service and operation of the selected span.

Similarly, you can use the `{{ span_id }}` and `{{ trace_id }}` variables in your
templated link.

```text Use other templated variables lines highlight={2-3,6} theme={null}
https://TENANT.chronosphere.io/logs/explorer?start=1h
&query=operation+%3D+%22{{ operation }}%22%0A
AND+service+%3D+%22{{ service }}%22%0A
AND+severity+%3D+%22ERROR%22%0A
AND+environment+%3D+%22production%22
AND+traceID%3D%22{{ trace_id }}%22
```