Visualize time series with charts

A time series chart visualizes time series data returned by a query. The chart depicts each returned time series as either a line or bar chart representing each data point or interval, with time depicted along the X axis and values along the Y axis. Time series charts are the default panel type when creating new panels in Chronosphere Observability Platform.

Use time series charts to analyze trends and patterns in data over spans of time. For example, you can render time series data about a service's resource consumption to identify points in time where unexpected demand exhausted capacity and reduced the service's performance or availability.

When combined with other charts in a dashboard, you can focus on that point in time and correlate the event with other time series visualizations. Dashboards also support variables that can dynamically replace values in the panel and its query with those defined by the dashboard's editor and selected by its viewers.

For details about the configuration options common to all panels, see Panels.

Add a time series chart to a dashboard

Use a time series chart's tooltip

When you hold the pointer over a time series's line or bar, Observability Platform displays a tooltip that includes the date and time where the cursor is pointing. The tooltip also displays the value of that series at that point in time. If multiple series are under the cursor, Observability Platform displays the values for each series. Moving the cursor along the series updates the values in the tooltip to the new point in time.

To pin the tooltip to a specific point in time, click the chart. The tooltip remains visible until you click Unpin inside the tooltip.

To configure which series Observability Platform includes in the tooltip, see Modify a time series chart's tooltip.

Configure a time series chart

Modify a time series chart's colors

The Advanced tab in a time series chart's Edit panel interface contains a Color Overrides section where you can add, remove, and configure colors. You can apply color overrides to a specific series or all series that match a regular expression.

Modify a time series chart's legend

The Legend section in a time series chart's Settings tab controls whether to display a legend alongside the chart, and if so it also configures where and how it appears.

• Show: Toggles whether to display the legend. Defaults to disabled.

• Position: Selects whether to display the legend Below or to the Right of the chart. Defaults to Below.

• Mode: Selects whether to display the legend as a List of time series with a color swatch associating it with a line or bar on the chart, or as a Table with a header row. Defaults to List.

• Size: Defines the legend's size relative to the chart as either Small or Medium. Defaults to Small.

• Values: Toggles whether to display certain values for each time series, such as its average, minimum, maximum, and total values, in the legend. Defaults to showing no values.

  • Avg: The series' mean value, excluding null values.
  • First: The series' first value.
  • First *: The series' first numeric value.
  • Last: The series' last value.
  • Last *: The series' last numeric value.
  • Min: The series' minimum value.
  • Max: The series' maximum value.
  • Total: The sum of all values in the series.

  Units, abbreviations, and decimal places configured in the Y axis settings also apply here.

Modify a time series chart's visual representation

The Visual section in a time series chart's Settings tab controls how Observability Platform visualizes the query's time series results in the chart.

• Display: Toggles whether to visualize the data as a Line or Bar chart. Defaults to line.
• Line Width: Defines the series' width in pixels. In the Settings tab, use the slider to define a value between 0 and 3. Defaults to 1.5.
• Area Opacity: Defines the opacity of the space beneath each line, from fully transparent (0) to fully opaque (1). The fill color for each series is the same as its line or bar color. Defaults to 0.
• Stack Series: Determines whether to display each series' value independently of the rest (None) or stacked cumulatively on top of each other (All). Defaults to None.
• Color Palette: Determines the chart's color palette. The Classic palette uses six colors and prioritizes readability, while the Consistent palette includes more colors and lets you assign a color to a series consistently across multiple panels. Defaults to Classic.
• Show Points: Determines whether to render data points as dots on the chart. Auto renders data points only if doing so doesn't degrade browser performance. Always and Never respectively render or hide data points regardless of the number of data points. Defaults to Auto.
• Null Behavior: Determines how to chart data points with null values. To connect points in a Line chart even if there are null values between data points, select Connected. To treat null values as zeroes, select Null as zero. Defaults to Auto, which disconnects the series in a Line chart if any points are null.

Modify a time series chart's Y axis

The Y axis section in a time series chart's Settings tab controls whether Observability Platform renders a chart's Y axis, and if so what information it includes.

These settings apply to all values on the chart regardless of time series, and includes any values you enabled in the chart's legend.

• Show: Toggles whether to show the Y axis on the chart. Defaults to true.
• Abbreviate: Toggles whether to abbreviate units on the Y axis. For example, if you enable Abbreviate, Observability Platform renders a value of 100000000 as 100M. You can toggle this setting only if you set the Unit to Decimal or Bytes; Time units are always abbreviated and Percent values don't require it. Defaults to true.
• Unit: Defines the unit used to render the Y axis. This has the most significant effect when you enable Abbreviate. Defaults to Decimal.

  • Decimal: Base 10 values. Observability Platform renders a value of 1000000 as 1M.

  • Bytes: As decimal multiple-byte units. Observability Platform renders a value of 1000000 as 1MB.

  • Time: Determines the unit of time that Observability Platform uses to interpret a numeric value. The unit you select isn't necessarily the unit Observability Platform displays.

    For example, if you select Nanoseconds, Observability Platform interprets a numeric value of 120 as 120 nanoseconds and renders it as 120ns. If you select Days, Observability Platform interprets the same value as 120 days and renders it as 4 months.

    The available Time units are Nanoseconds, Microseconds, Milliseconds, Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years.

  • Percent: Interprets the value as a percentile, representing 0% to 100% on a range of either 0.0 to 1.0 (Percent (0.0-1.0)) or 0 and 100 (Percent (0-100)).

    For example, Observability Platform renders a value of 1.0 in Percent (0.0-1.0) as 100%, and in Percent (0-100) as 1%.

• Decimals: Defines how many decimal places Observability Platform renders for
• values. Default renders decimal places only if necessary and rounds to the nearest value. Numeric values from 0 to 4 render the corresponding number of decimal places.
• Label: Renders the given text vertically next to the Y axis. Defaults to no value.
• Min and Max: Define the minimum and maximum values, respectively, to render on the chart. Observability Platform doesn't render values smaller than the minimum or larger than the maximum. Defaults to no value, which dynamically changes the axis's range to display all data.

Modify a time series chart's tooltip

The Tooltip section in a time series chart's Settings tab determines whether to render a tooltip when you move the cursor over the chart and which time series it displays.

The Mode toggle has three available states, which you can toggle by clicking them:

Regardless of this setting's value, the tooltip and chart always highlight the time series that's directly beneath the cursor.

Modify a time series chart's thresholds

The Thresholds section in a time series chart's Settings tab defines values where Observability Platform renders threshold lines over the chart. You can define threshold values as either absolute numeric values or percentiles. Observability Platform renders threshold lines as dashed lines.

The threshold's Mode defines whether all thresholds use Absolute numeric values, which is the default mode, or Percent values. Percent values are relative to the Y axis' minimum and maximum.

To create a new threshold:

1. Click the plus sign (+) in the Thresholds section header.

2. In the field that appears, enter a value where you want Observability Platform to render the threshold line.

3. Optional: Click the color indicator, depicted as a colored circle, to open a color selector and choose a color for the threshold line.

4. Optional: Click the caret (>) to expand the threshold definition, and enter text in the Label field to display on the chart if the threshold is met. This text displays when you hold the pointer over the area of the chart exceeding the threshold.

   Drag the Area opacity slider to highlight the background of the area exceeding the threshold.

5. In the Edit panel dialog, click Apply to save your changes.

6. After you've finished editing the panel, click Save on the dashboard to save your changes.

To delete a threshold line, click the caret (>) to expand the threshold definition, and then click the Delete icon on its corresponding row of the Thresholds section.