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Derived attributes standardize and consolidate how Chronosphere Observability Platform works with telemetry attributes without modifying the underlying data. You can define a centralized derived attribute, and Observability Platform resolves it at the query level from anywhere else in the platform. Observability Platform lists all derived attributes in the Derived tab of the Attributes Catalog.
Derived labels are now part of derived attributes, as the metric label telemetry type. For configuration-as-code methods and examples for derived labels, see the Derived labels documentation.
Use derived attributes to:
  • Query multiple telemetry attributes under one name. You can map many redundant or related telemetry values to a single derived value, and then query only that derived value as a single source of truth. You can replace complex, brittle, expensive, or redundant references to many values with a single derived value.
  • Modify queryable data without re-instrumenting its sources. You can rename and consolidate telemetry data by creating a derived attribute from the data, instead of changing the data at the source.
  • Use a consistent vocabulary for data across Observability Platform. Derived attributes work the same way as any other type of telemetry attribute across all Observability Platform tools.

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How derived attributes can help you

Values like prod, production, and prod-eu might all refer to the same deployment. To query across these inconsistencies, you might use verbose workarounds in every query that references them, such as: 
{__name__="request_errors",cluster=~"prod|production|prod-eu"}
Should another value, such as prod-apac, be introduced, you then need to find every such query and add it to the list of matches. At a higher level, the cluster source key in metric labels might also refer to the same concept as the environment source key in trace tags. Derived attributes can map all of these disparate telemetry concepts to a unified, consistently addressable name that you can reference in queries. For example, a derived attribute named env can map both cluster and environment source keys to the set of inconsistent deployment values. The same query then becomes: 
{__name__="request_errors",env="production"}
Observability Platform applies this mapping to every query that references env, and the original data remains unchanged. If another deployment value is added, you only need to update the env derived attribute to propagate the change to every query that references it.

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View derived attributes

The Attributes Catalog’s Derived tab lists all derived attributes in a single table, and provides tools to create, view, update, and delete them depending on your permissions and how each attribute is managed.
To view the derived attributes catalog:
  1. In the navigation menu, click System Library > Attributes Catalog.
  2. Click the Derived tab to view the table of derived attributes.
The table has the following columns, and can be sorted by clicking the column’s header:
  • Label name: A link to the derived attribute’s details panel.
  • Values: The number of values mapped to the attribute.
  • Mapped telemetry: The derived attribute’s telemetry type.
  • Managed: How the derived attribute was created, which also defines how it can be modified. Attributes managed by the UI can be edited and deleted from the UI, while attributes managed by Terraform must be modified or deleted by Terraform.
To access additional tools and information about a derived attribute, click its row’s three vertical dots icon.
  • To view a derived attribute’s details, select View details.
  • To view a derived attribute’s definition as a Terraform resource, Chronoctl YAML, or API-compatible JSON, click View code config.
  • To open a derived attribute in the Telemetry Usage Analyzer, click Open in Usage Analyzer.
  • For UI-managed derived attributes only:
    • To edit a derived attribute, click Edit derived attribute.
    • To delete a derived attribute, click Delete derived attribute.
Click the Rows per page dropdown to change the number of displayed rows, and click the Previous page and Next page buttons to navigate between table pages.

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Create a derived attribute

To create a derived attribute in the Observability Platform user interface:
  1. In the Attributes Catalog, select the Derived tab.
  2. Click Create derived attribute.
  3. Enter a name for the attribute in the Derived attribute name field.
  4. Optional: Describe the derived attribute in the Description field.
  5. Add at least one source key. See Source keys for details.
  6. Optional: Add custom value mappings. See Custom mappings for details.
  7. Click Create to save and activate the derived attribute.
Creating a derived attribute that shares its name with an existing label can cause unexpected behaviors. Rules that expect a specific set of labels might not match when the derived attribute is present.

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Source keys

Source keys are the metric labels that comprise a derived attribute. Each derived attribute must have at least one source key.

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Create a source key

To add a metric label as a source key:
  1. Click Add metric label.
  2. Enter the source label name.
  3. Optional: Add filters to limit which time series the derived attribute applies to. Each filter specifies a label name and a glob pattern for matching values.

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Reorder source keys

When multiple source keys could apply to the same data, the source key at the top of the list takes priority. To change a source key’s order in the list:
  • Click and drag it by its Drag to reorder handle to its new row.
  • Click the Move up and Move down buttons on its row to reorder it one row at a time.

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Remove a source key

To remove a source key:
  1. Click the Remove icon on its row. A dialog appears to confirm the source key’s removal, which will also remove any value mappings for that source.
  2. Click Remove to confirm the source key’s deletion.
You can also remove a source key by clicking the three vertical dots icon on the source key’s column in the Value section and clicking Remove source key. A derived attribute must have at least one source key. If only one source key remains, Observability Platform deactivates all source key removal controls.

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Value mappings

A value mapping maps one or more source key values to a derived value. A derived attribute’s custom value mappings each map one or more source values to a derived value. After you add source keys to a derived attribute, Observability Platform displays a preview of default value mappings generated by consolidating all observed values across all source keys. When the same value appears in multiple source keys, those are grouped into a single default mapping. A custom value mapping can create a new relationship between one or more source values and a derived value. For example, a derived value can combine multiple equivalent values into a single value, which can simplify queries for that value. A derived value can also rename a value with an obscure name to a more accurate name in Observability Platform, even if you don’t have access to modify the source.

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Filter value mappings

To filter the list of value mappings, click the Search values field in the Values section and begin entering text. The table of custom and default value mappings updates to display only the rows with matching derived or source values. To return to the unfiltered view, delete the contents of the Search values field.

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Manually create a custom value mapping

To manually define a custom value mapping:
  1. In the Values section, click + Add custom value mapping to create a new custom value mapping row.
  2. In the Derived value field, enter a target value that Observability Platform produces when source data matches.
  3. For each source key column, select one or more source values or enter a source value pattern. A pattern can be a comma-delimited list of source values, and can use glob syntax to match values from the corresponding source key.
You can add custom mappings for values that don’t yet exist in your data. When matching data arrives, the derived attribute maps the data to the target value.

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Create a custom value mapping by merging value mappings

You can create a custom value mapping by merging multiple other value mappings:
  1. In the Values section, click the selection boxes for each value mapping that you want to merge. Your selection can include both default and custom value mappings.
  2. Click Merge selected.
The merged row contains all source value patterns from the selected rows. This either creates a new custom value mapping or updates an existing custom value mapping if one was included in the selection.

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Create a custom value mapping by customizing a default mapping

To rename a default value mapping, create a new custom value mapping and populate it with the default mapping’s values.
  1. In the Values section, click the selection boxes for each default value mapping that you want to customize.
  2. Click Customize defaults. This moves the default value mapping to a new custom value mapping with the same values.
  3. Modify the Derived values column’s value to rename the mapping.
You can also customize a default value mapping by clicking the three vertical dots icon on its row and clicking Customize.

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Remove a custom value mapping

To remove a custom value mapping:
  1. In the Values section, click the selection boxes for each custom value mapping that you want to remove.
  2. Click Remove custom.

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Ordering

When custom value mappings use glob patterns, the order of rows determines precedence. If a source value matches patterns in multiple rows, the first matching row applies. Overlapping glob patterns within the same source key column aren’t allowed. To change a custom value mapping’s order in the list:
  • Click and drag it by its Drag to reorder handle to its new row.
  • Click the Move up and Move down buttons on its row to reorder it one row at a time.

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Edit a derived attribute

To edit a derived attribute in the Observability Platform user interface, the attribute must have been created in the user interface. To modify derived attributes created and managed by Terraform, you must update and apply its Terraform resource. To edit a derived attribute in the Observability Platform user interface, you must have administrative privileges.
  1. In the Attributes Catalog, click the Derived tab.
  2. Click the three vertical dots icon for the attribute you want to edit.
  3. Click Edit derived attribute.
  4. Modify the attribute configuration.
  5. Click Save.
A confirmation dialog displays the entities that use the attribute, including dashboards, monitors, SLOs, recording rules, drop rules, and aggregation rules.

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Delete a derived attribute

When a derived attribute is deleted, all entities that reference it are affected. To delete a derived attribute in the Observability Platform user interface, you must have administrative privileges.
  1. In the Attributes Catalog, select the Derived tab.
  2. Click the three vertical dots icon for the attribute you want to delete.
  3. Select Delete derived attribute.
  4. Review the impact summary, which lists the number of dashboards, monitors, SLOs, recording rules, drop rules, and aggregation rules that use the attribute.
  5. Click Delete to confirm.
Deleting a derived attribute doesn’t delete the underlying source keys or their data. However, you should update any queries or tools that referenced the derived attribute if you intend to continue using them to track that data.