Analyze and visualize monitoring data
This article describes built-in features for visualizing and analyzing collected data in Azure Monitor. Visualizations like charts and graphs can help you analyze your monitoring data to drill down on issues and identify patterns. You can create custom visualizations to meet the requirements of different users in your organization.
Built-in analysis features
This table describes Azure Monitor features that provide analysis of collected data without any configuration.
| Component | Description | Required training and/or configuration |
|---|---|---|
| Overview page | Most Azure services have an Overview page in the Azure portal that includes a Monitor section with charts that show recent critical metrics. This information is intended for owners of individual services to quickly assess the performance of the resource. | This page is based on platform metrics that are collected automatically. No configuration is required. |
| Metrics Explorer | You can use Metrics Explorer to interactively work with metric data and create metric alerts. You need minimal training to use Metrics Explorer, but you must be familiar with the metrics you want to analyze. | - Once data collection is configured, no other configuration is required. - Platform metrics for Azure resources are automatically available. - Guest metrics for virtual machines are available after an Azure Monitor agent is deployed to the virtual machine. - Application metrics are available after Application Insights is configured. |
| Log Analytics | With Log Analytics, you can create log queries to interactively work with log data and create log search alerts. | Some training is required for you to become familiar with the query language, although you can use prebuilt queries for common requirements. You can also add query packs with queries that are unique to your organization. Then if you're familiar with the query language, you can build queries for others in your organization. |
Built-in visualization tools
Azure workbooks
Azure Workbooks provide a flexible canvas for data analysis and the creation of rich visual reports. You can use workbooks to tap into multiple data sources from across Azure and combine them into unified interactive experiences. They're especially useful to prepare end-to-end monitoring views across multiple Azure resources. Insights use prebuilt workbooks to present you with critical health and performance information for a particular service. You can access a gallery of workbooks on the Workbooks tab of the Azure Monitor menu and create custom workbooks to meet the requirements of your different users.
Azure dashboards
Azure dashboards are useful in providing a "single pane of glass" of your Azure infrastructure and services. While a workbook provides richer functionality, a dashboard can combine Azure Monitor data with data from other Azure services.
Power BI
Power BI is useful for creating business-centric dashboards and reports, along with reports that analyze long-term KPI trends. You can import the results of a log query into a Power BI dataset. Then you can take advantage of its features, such as combining data from different sources and sharing reports on the web and mobile devices.
Choose the right visualization tool
| Visualization tool | Benefits | Recommended uses |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Workbooks | Native Azure dashboarding platform | Use as a tool for engineering and technical teams to visualize and investigate scenarios. |
| Autorefresh | Use as a reporting tool for App developers, Cloud engineers, and other technical personnel | |
| Out-of-the-box and public GitHub templates and reports | ||
| Parameters allow dynamic real time updates | ||
| Can provide high-level summaries that allow you to select any item for more in-depth data using the selected value in the query | ||
| Can query more sources than other visualizations | ||
| Fully customizable | ||
| Designed for collaborating and troubleshooting | ||
| Azure dashboards | Native Azure dashboarding platform | For Azure/Arc exclusive environments |
| No added cost | ||
| Supports at scale deployments | ||
| Can combine a metrics graph and the results of a log query with operational data for related services | ||
| Share a dashboard with service owners through integration with Azure role-based access control | ||
| Power BI | Rich visualizations | Use for external visualizations aimed at management and executive levels |
| Supports BI analytics with extensive slicing and dicing | Use to help design business centric KPI dashboards for long term trends | |
| Integrate data from multiple data sources | ||
| Results cached in a cube for better performance | ||
| Extensive interactivity, including zoom-in and cross-filtering | ||
| Share easily throughout your organization |
Other options
Some Azure Monitor partners provide visualization functionality. An Azure Monitor partner might provide out-of-the-box visualizations to save you time, although these solutions might have an extra cost.
You can also build your own custom websites and applications using metric and log data in Azure Monitor using the REST API. The REST API gives you flexibility in UI, visualization, interactivity, and features.