In modern IT environments, having data is not enough. The key is how it is visualized to enable agile interpretation, detect anomalies and make informed decisions. This is where Grafana comes in, one of the most widely used tools for data visualization in observability projects.
In this article we will see how to design really useful dashboards with Grafana, integrating them with tools such as Elastic Observability to monitor logs, metrics and traces in real time.
Why is visualization key to the observability strategy?
Today’s environments-multicloud, microservices, containers-generate huge amounts of data that must be interpreted quickly by technical teams. Ineffective visualization can hide critical issues and increase resolution times.
Well-designed dashboards allow:
- Detect deviations in real time
- Correlating events between different systems
- Share key information with non-technical profiles
- Prioritize alerts according to business impact
Keys to building effective dashboards with Grafana
Define what you need to visualize
Not all teams require the same information. Before creating a dashboard, ToBeIT analyzes with each client which key metrics (KPIs) are critical to their daily operations. This avoids overloaded dashboards and focuses on what is important.
Use a clear and hierarchical structure.
A quality dashboard should have a structure that makes it easy to read. What is recommended is:
- Top panels with overview (system status, availability, general health)
- Intermediate panels with details by component or service
- Bottom panels for logs and traces if necessary to go deeper
Integration with Elastic allows this structure to be automatically fed with data processed from multiple sources, without duplicating efforts.
Choose visualizations that bring clarity
Grafana offers multiple types of visualization: line graphs, tables, heatmaps, gauges, among others. Each type should be used according to the type of data you want to display. For example:
- Lines: time evolution of a metric
- Gauge or traffic lights: current status (CPU usage percentage, availability)
- Tables: errors, logs, detailed records
Add filters and dynamic variables
One of the great advantages of Grafana is the possibility of using variables. With them you can filter by environment (production, pre, dev), by region, by application, etc., without duplicating dashboards. This simplifies management and increases reuse.
Create visual and conditional alerts
In addition to displaying data, Grafana allows you to set visual conditions that highlight anomalies: colors, icons, thresholds, etc. In combination with alerts configured in Elastic, the IT team can react proactively to any deviation.
ToBeIT Customer Use Cases
At ToBeIT, we implement observability solutions with Grafana in sectors such as retail, healthcare, industry or technology. Some examples:
- User experience (UX) dashboards with Elastic APM traces
- Multi-cloud availability dashboards in AWS and Azure environments
- SAP process tracking with customized visualizations integrated with our SAP Observability Connector
Advantages of integrating Grafana into your observability strategy
- Unified visualization from multiple sources
- Increased operating efficiency
- Reduction in mean time to resolve incidents (MTTR)
- Improved collaboration between technical and business profiles
Do you want to visualize your metrics, logs and traces in a clear and effective way? At ToBeIT we are experts in integrating Grafana with solutions such as Elastic to obtain real observability in complex environments.
