The DevOps Handbook – Anticipating Problems

Identifying Gaps

Telemetry plays a crucial role in identifying and filling gaps across different levels of an application. Joe Zack explains that these levels include business metrics like sales transactions and new registrations, application metrics such as timing and errors, and infrastructure metrics covering databases and operating systems 1. Michael Outlaw adds that while telemetry is essential, it can be challenging to implement effectively, especially in environments where it isn't tied to specific commits or changes 2.

It's tough only because, like, I haven't been in an environment where I've seen it done.

--- Michael Outlaw

By addressing these gaps, organizations can ensure a more holistic approach to their operations.

   

Business Metrics

Gathering telemetry for business metrics is as important as technical metrics. Michael Outlaw highlights the need to track organizational goals such as new user registrations, session lengths, and abandoned carts 3. These metrics should be actionable to avoid becoming mere vanity metrics. Joe Zack mentions tools like Airbrake and Jira that can help correlate telemetry data with specific deployments or changes 2.

If they're not actionable, they're vanity metrics. They mean nothing.

--- Joe Zack

This approach helps teams quickly identify and address issues, improving overall business performance.