Heatmap Widget

Example heatmap graph visualization

The heatmap widget shows metrics aggregated across multiple tags. Use heatmap widgets to visualize OpenTelemetry histograms, distribution metrics, high resolution and data display.

Setup

Configuration

Configure your metric query as usual. Graph OpenTelemetry histograms by using the ‘counters’ histogram mode.

Make a selection in the “avg/max/min/sum by/etc.” control to see your data across the associated tags.

Options

Y-axis controls

Y-axis controls are available through the UI and the JSON editor.

They allow you to:

  • Clip the y-axis to specific ranges.
  • Automatically change y-axis bounds based on an absolute value threshold. This threshold can be applied to one or both ends of the graph (lower and upper) to remove the “outlier” series.
  • Change the y-axis scale from linear to log, pow, or sqrt.

Change the Y-axis scale by expanding the Y-Axis Controls button.

The following configuration options are available:

OptionRequiredDescription
Min/MaxNoSpecify the minimum and / or maximum value to show on y-axis. It takes a number or Auto as the default value.
ScaleNoSpecifies the scale type. Possible values:
- linear: A linear scale (default)
- log: A logarithmic scale
- pow: A Power of 2 scale (2 is default, modify in JSON)
- sqrt: A square root scale
Always include zeroNoAlways include zero or fit the axis to the data range. The default is to always include zero.

Note: Because the mathematical log function doesn’t accept negative values, the Datadog log scale only works if values are of the same sign (everything > 0 or everything < 0). Otherwise an empty graph is returned.

API

This widget can be used with the Dashboards API. See the following table for the widget JSON schema definition:

Expand All

Field

Type

Description

custom_links

[object]

List of custom links.

is_hidden

boolean

The flag for toggling context menu link visibility.

label

string

The label for the custom link URL. Keep the label short and descriptive. Use metrics and tags as variables.

link

string

The URL of the custom link. URL must include http or https. A relative URL must start with /.

override_label

string

The label ID that refers to a context menu link. Can be logs, hosts, traces, profiles, processes, containers, or rum.

events

[object]

List of widget events.

q [required]

string

Query definition.

tags_execution

string

The execution method for multi-value filters.

legend_size

string

Available legend sizes for a widget. Should be one of "0", "2", "4", "8", "16", or "auto".

requests [required]

[object]

List of widget types.

apm_query

object

The log query.

compute

object

Define computation for a log query.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

interval

int64

Define a time interval in seconds.

group_by

[object]

List of tag prefixes to group by in the case of a cluster check.

facet [required]

string

Facet name.

limit

int64

Maximum number of items in the group.

sort

object

Define a sorting method.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

order [required]

enum

Widget sorting methods. Allowed enum values: asc,desc

index

string

A coma separated-list of index names. Use "*" query all indexes at once. Multiple Indexes

multi_compute

[object]

This field is mutually exclusive with compute.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

interval

int64

Define a time interval in seconds.

search

object

The query being made on the logs.

query [required]

string

Search value to apply.

event_query

object

The event query.

search [required]

string

The query being made on the event.

tags_execution [required]

string

The execution method for multi-value filters. Can be either and or or.

formulas

[object]

List of formulas that operate on queries.

alias

string

Expression alias.

cell_display_mode

enum

Define a display mode for the table cell. Allowed enum values: number,bar,trend

cell_display_mode_options

object

Cell display mode options for the widget formula. (only if cell_display_mode is set to trend).

trend_type

enum

Trend type for the cell display mode options. Allowed enum values: area,line,bars

y_scale

enum

Y scale for the cell display mode options. Allowed enum values: shared,independent

conditional_formats

[object]

List of conditional formats.

comparator [required]

enum

Comparator to apply. Allowed enum values: =,>,>=,<,<=

custom_bg_color

string

Color palette to apply to the background, same values available as palette.

custom_fg_color

string

Color palette to apply to the foreground, same values available as palette.

hide_value

boolean

True hides values.

image_url

string

Displays an image as the background.

metric

string

Metric from the request to correlate this conditional format with.

palette [required]

enum

Color palette to apply. Allowed enum values: blue,custom_bg,custom_image,custom_text,gray_on_white,grey,green,orange,red,red_on_white,white_on_gray,white_on_green,green_on_white,white_on_red,white_on_yellow,yellow_on_white,black_on_light_yellow,black_on_light_green,black_on_light_red

timeframe

string

Defines the displayed timeframe.

value [required]

double

Value for the comparator.

formula [required]

string

String expression built from queries, formulas, and functions.

limit

object

Options for limiting results returned.

count

int64

Number of results to return.

order

enum

Direction of sort. Allowed enum values: asc,desc

default: desc

number_format

object

Number format options for the widget.

unit

 <oneOf>

Number format unit.

Option 1

object

Canonical unit.

per_unit_name

string

The name of the unit per item.

type

enum

The type of unit scale. Allowed enum values: canonical_unit

unit_name

string

The name of the unit.

Option 2

object

Custom unit.

label

string

The label for the custom unit.

type

enum

The type of custom unit. Allowed enum values: custom_unit_label

unit_scale

object

The definition of NumberFormatUnitScale object.

type

enum

The type of unit scale. Allowed enum values: canonical_unit

unit_name

string

The name of the unit.

style

object

Styling options for widget formulas.

palette

string

The color palette used to display the formula. A guide to the available color palettes can be found at https://docs.datadoghq.com/dashboards/guide/widget_colors

palette_index

int64

Index specifying which color to use within the palette.

log_query

object

The log query.

compute

object

Define computation for a log query.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

interval

int64

Define a time interval in seconds.

group_by

[object]

List of tag prefixes to group by in the case of a cluster check.

facet [required]

string

Facet name.

limit

int64

Maximum number of items in the group.

sort

object

Define a sorting method.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

order [required]

enum

Widget sorting methods. Allowed enum values: asc,desc

index

string

A coma separated-list of index names. Use "*" query all indexes at once. Multiple Indexes

multi_compute

[object]

This field is mutually exclusive with compute.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

interval

int64

Define a time interval in seconds.

search

object

The query being made on the logs.

query [required]

string

Search value to apply.

network_query

object

The log query.

compute

object

Define computation for a log query.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

interval

int64

Define a time interval in seconds.

group_by

[object]

List of tag prefixes to group by in the case of a cluster check.

facet [required]

string

Facet name.

limit

int64

Maximum number of items in the group.

sort

object

Define a sorting method.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

order [required]

enum

Widget sorting methods. Allowed enum values: asc,desc

index

string

A coma separated-list of index names. Use "*" query all indexes at once. Multiple Indexes

multi_compute

[object]

This field is mutually exclusive with compute.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

interval

int64

Define a time interval in seconds.

search

object

The query being made on the logs.

query [required]

string

Search value to apply.

process_query

object

The process query to use in the widget.

filter_by

[string]

List of processes.

limit

int64

Max number of items in the filter list.

metric [required]

string

Your chosen metric.

search_by

string

Your chosen search term.

profile_metrics_query

object

The log query.

compute

object

Define computation for a log query.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

interval

int64

Define a time interval in seconds.

group_by

[object]

List of tag prefixes to group by in the case of a cluster check.

facet [required]

string

Facet name.

limit

int64

Maximum number of items in the group.

sort

object

Define a sorting method.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

order [required]

enum

Widget sorting methods. Allowed enum values: asc,desc

index

string

A coma separated-list of index names. Use "*" query all indexes at once. Multiple Indexes

multi_compute

[object]

This field is mutually exclusive with compute.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

interval

int64

Define a time interval in seconds.

search

object

The query being made on the logs.

query [required]

string

Search value to apply.

q

string

Widget query.

queries

[ <oneOf>]

List of queries that can be returned directly or used in formulas.

Option 1

object

A formula and functions metrics query.

aggregator

enum

The aggregation methods available for metrics queries. Allowed enum values: avg,min,max,sum,last,area,l2norm,percentile

cross_org_uuids

[string]

The source organization UUID for cross organization queries. Feature in Private Beta.

data_source [required]

enum

Data source for metrics queries. Allowed enum values: metrics

name [required]

string

Name of the query for use in formulas.

query [required]

string

Metrics query definition.

Option 2

object

A formula and functions events query.

compute [required]

object

Compute options.

aggregation [required]

enum

Aggregation methods for event platform queries. Allowed enum values: count,cardinality,median,pc75,pc90,pc95,pc98,pc99,sum,min,max,avg

interval

int64

A time interval in milliseconds.

metric

string

Measurable attribute to compute.

cross_org_uuids

[string]

The source organization UUID for cross organization queries. Feature in Private Beta.

data_source [required]

enum

Data source for event platform-based queries. Allowed enum values: logs,spans,network,rum,security_signals,profiles,audit,events,ci_tests,ci_pipelines,incident_analytics

group_by

[object]

Group by options.

facet [required]

string

Event facet.

limit

int64

Number of groups to return.

sort

object

Options for sorting group by results.

aggregation [required]

enum

Aggregation methods for event platform queries. Allowed enum values: count,cardinality,median,pc75,pc90,pc95,pc98,pc99,sum,min,max,avg

metric

string

Metric used for sorting group by results.

order

enum

Direction of sort. Allowed enum values: asc,desc

default: desc

indexes

[string]

An array of index names to query in the stream. Omit or use [] to query all indexes at once.

name [required]

string

Name of the query for use in formulas.

search

object

Search options.

query [required]

string

Events search string.

storage

string

Option for storage location. Feature in Private Beta.

Option 3

object

Process query using formulas and functions.

aggregator

enum

The aggregation methods available for metrics queries. Allowed enum values: avg,min,max,sum,last,area,l2norm,percentile

cross_org_uuids

[string]

The source organization UUID for cross organization queries. Feature in Private Beta.

data_source [required]

enum

Data sources that rely on the process backend. Allowed enum values: process,container

is_normalized_cpu

boolean

Whether to normalize the CPU percentages.

limit

int64

Number of hits to return.

metric [required]

string

Process metric name.

name [required]

string

Name of query for use in formulas.

sort

enum

Direction of sort. Allowed enum values: asc,desc

default: desc

tag_filters

[string]

An array of tags to filter by.

text_filter

string

Text to use as filter.

Option 4

object

A formula and functions APM dependency stats query.

cross_org_uuids

[string]

The source organization UUID for cross organization queries. Feature in Private Beta.

data_source [required]

enum

Data source for APM dependency stats queries. Allowed enum values: apm_dependency_stats

env [required]

string

APM environment.

is_upstream

boolean

Determines whether stats for upstream or downstream dependencies should be queried.

name [required]

string

Name of query to use in formulas.

operation_name [required]

string

Name of operation on service.

primary_tag_name

string

The name of the second primary tag used within APM; required when primary_tag_value is specified. See https://docs.datadoghq.com/tracing/guide/setting_primary_tags_to_scope/#add-a-second-primary-tag-in-datadog.

primary_tag_value

string

Filter APM data by the second primary tag. primary_tag_name must also be specified.

resource_name [required]

string

APM resource.

service [required]

string

APM service.

stat [required]

enum

APM statistic. Allowed enum values: avg_duration,avg_root_duration,avg_spans_per_trace,error_rate,pct_exec_time,pct_of_traces,total_traces_count

Option 5

object

APM resource stats query using formulas and functions.

cross_org_uuids

[string]

The source organization UUID for cross organization queries. Feature in Private Beta.

data_source [required]

enum

Data source for APM resource stats queries. Allowed enum values: apm_resource_stats

env [required]

string

APM environment.

group_by

[string]

Array of fields to group results by.

name [required]

string

Name of this query to use in formulas.

operation_name

string

Name of operation on service.

primary_tag_name

string

Name of the second primary tag used within APM. Required when primary_tag_value is specified. See https://docs.datadoghq.com/tracing/guide/setting_primary_tags_to_scope/#add-a-second-primary-tag-in-datadog

primary_tag_value

string

Value of the second primary tag by which to filter APM data. primary_tag_name must also be specified.

resource_name

string

APM resource name.

service [required]

string

APM service name.

stat [required]

enum

APM resource stat name. Allowed enum values: errors,error_rate,hits,latency_avg,latency_distribution,latency_max,latency_p50,latency_p75,latency_p90,latency_p95,latency_p99

Option 6

object

A formula and functions metrics query.

additional_query_filters

string

Additional filters applied to the SLO query.

cross_org_uuids

[string]

The source organization UUID for cross organization queries. Feature in Private Beta.

data_source [required]

enum

Data source for SLO measures queries. Allowed enum values: slo

group_mode

enum

Group mode to query measures. Allowed enum values: overall,components

measure [required]

enum

SLO measures queries. Allowed enum values: good_events,bad_events,good_minutes,bad_minutes,slo_status,error_budget_remaining,burn_rate,error_budget_burndown

name

string

Name of the query for use in formulas.

slo_id [required]

string

ID of an SLO to query measures.

slo_query_type

enum

Name of the query for use in formulas. Allowed enum values: metric,time_slice

Option 7

object

A formula and functions Cloud Cost query.

aggregator

enum

Aggregator used for the request. Allowed enum values: avg,last,max,min,sum,percentile

cross_org_uuids

[string]

The source organization UUID for cross organization queries. Feature in Private Beta.

data_source [required]

enum

Data source for Cloud Cost queries. Allowed enum values: cloud_cost

name [required]

string

Name of the query for use in formulas.

query [required]

string

Query for Cloud Cost data.

response_format

enum

Timeseries, scalar, or event list response. Event list response formats are supported by Geomap widgets. Allowed enum values: timeseries,scalar,event_list

rum_query

object

The log query.

compute

object

Define computation for a log query.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

interval

int64

Define a time interval in seconds.

group_by

[object]

List of tag prefixes to group by in the case of a cluster check.

facet [required]

string

Facet name.

limit

int64

Maximum number of items in the group.

sort

object

Define a sorting method.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

order [required]

enum

Widget sorting methods. Allowed enum values: asc,desc

index

string

A coma separated-list of index names. Use "*" query all indexes at once. Multiple Indexes

multi_compute

[object]

This field is mutually exclusive with compute.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

interval

int64

Define a time interval in seconds.

search

object

The query being made on the logs.

query [required]

string

Search value to apply.

security_query

object

The log query.

compute

object

Define computation for a log query.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

interval

int64

Define a time interval in seconds.

group_by

[object]

List of tag prefixes to group by in the case of a cluster check.

facet [required]

string

Facet name.

limit

int64

Maximum number of items in the group.

sort

object

Define a sorting method.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

order [required]

enum

Widget sorting methods. Allowed enum values: asc,desc

index

string

A coma separated-list of index names. Use "*" query all indexes at once. Multiple Indexes

multi_compute

[object]

This field is mutually exclusive with compute.

aggregation [required]

string

The aggregation method.

facet

string

Facet name.

interval

int64

Define a time interval in seconds.

search

object

The query being made on the logs.

query [required]

string

Search value to apply.

style

object

Widget style definition.

palette

string

Color palette to apply to the widget.

show_legend

boolean

Whether or not to display the legend on this widget.

time

 <oneOf>

Time setting for the widget.

Option 1

object

Wrapper for live span

live_span

enum

The available timeframes depend on the widget you are using. Allowed enum values: 1m,5m,10m,15m,30m,1h,4h,1d,2d,1w,1mo,3mo,6mo,week_to_date,month_to_date,1y,alert

Option 2

object

Used for arbitrary live span times, such as 17 minutes or 6 hours.

type [required]

enum

Type "live" denotes a live span in the new format. Allowed enum values: live

unit [required]

enum

Unit of the time span. Allowed enum values: minute,hour,day,week,month,year

value [required]

int64

Value of the time span.

Option 3

object

Used for fixed span times, such as 'March 1 to March 7'.

from [required]

int64

Start time in seconds since epoch.

to [required]

int64

End time in seconds since epoch.

type [required]

enum

Type "fixed" denotes a fixed span. Allowed enum values: fixed

title

string

Title of the widget.

title_align

enum

How to align the text on the widget. Allowed enum values: center,left,right

title_size

string

Size of the title.

type [required]

enum

Type of the heat map widget. Allowed enum values: heatmap

default: heatmap

yaxis

object

Axis controls for the widget.

include_zero

boolean

Set to true to include zero.

label

string

The label of the axis to display on the graph. Only usable on Scatterplot Widgets.

max

string

Specifies maximum numeric value to show on the axis. Defaults to auto.

default: auto

min

string

Specifies minimum numeric value to show on the axis. Defaults to auto.

default: auto

scale

string

Specifies the scale type. Possible values are linear, log, sqrt, and pow## (for example pow2 or pow0.5).

default: linear

{
  "custom_links": [
    {
      "is_hidden": false,
      "label": "Search logs for {{host}}",
      "link": "https://app.datadoghq.com/logs?query={{host}}",
      "override_label": "logs"
    }
  ],
  "events": [
    {
      "q": "",
      "tags_execution": "string"
    }
  ],
  "legend_size": "string",
  "requests": [
    {
      "apm_query": {
        "compute": {
          "aggregation": "avg",
          "facet": "@duration",
          "interval": 5000
        },
        "group_by": [
          {
            "facet": "resource_name",
            "limit": 50,
            "sort": {
              "aggregation": "avg",
              "facet": "@string_query.interval",
              "order": "desc"
            }
          }
        ],
        "index": "days-3,days-7",
        "multi_compute": [
          {
            "aggregation": "avg",
            "facet": "@duration",
            "interval": 5000
          }
        ],
        "search": {
          "query": ""
        }
      },
      "event_query": {
        "search": "",
        "tags_execution": ""
      },
      "formulas": [
        {
          "alias": "string",
          "cell_display_mode": "number",
          "cell_display_mode_options": {
            "trend_type": "area",
            "y_scale": "shared"
          },
          "conditional_formats": [
            {
              "comparator": ">",
              "custom_bg_color": "string",
              "custom_fg_color": "string",
              "hide_value": false,
              "image_url": "string",
              "metric": "string",
              "palette": "blue",
              "timeframe": "string",
              "value": 0
            }
          ],
          "formula": "func(a) + b",
          "limit": {
            "count": "integer",
            "order": "string"
          },
          "number_format": {
            "unit": {
              "per_unit_name": "bytes",
              "type": "canonical_unit",
              "unit_name": "bytes"
            },
            "unit_scale": {
              "type": "canonical_unit",
              "unit_name": "bytes"
            }
          },
          "style": {
            "palette": "classic",
            "palette_index": 1
          }
        }
      ],
      "log_query": {
        "compute": {
          "aggregation": "avg",
          "facet": "@duration",
          "interval": 5000
        },
        "group_by": [
          {
            "facet": "resource_name",
            "limit": 50,
            "sort": {
              "aggregation": "avg",
              "facet": "@string_query.interval",
              "order": "desc"
            }
          }
        ],
        "index": "days-3,days-7",
        "multi_compute": [
          {
            "aggregation": "avg",
            "facet": "@duration",
            "interval": 5000
          }
        ],
        "search": {
          "query": ""
        }
      },
      "network_query": {
        "compute": {
          "aggregation": "avg",
          "facet": "@duration",
          "interval": 5000
        },
        "group_by": [
          {
            "facet": "resource_name",
            "limit": 50,
            "sort": {
              "aggregation": "avg",
              "facet": "@string_query.interval",
              "order": "desc"
            }
          }
        ],
        "index": "days-3,days-7",
        "multi_compute": [
          {
            "aggregation": "avg",
            "facet": "@duration",
            "interval": 5000
          }
        ],
        "search": {
          "query": ""
        }
      },
      "process_query": {
        "filter_by": [],
        "limit": "integer",
        "metric": "system.load.1",
        "search_by": "string"
      },
      "profile_metrics_query": {
        "compute": {
          "aggregation": "avg",
          "facet": "@duration",
          "interval": 5000
        },
        "group_by": [
          {
            "facet": "resource_name",
            "limit": 50,
            "sort": {
              "aggregation": "avg",
              "facet": "@string_query.interval",
              "order": "desc"
            }
          }
        ],
        "index": "days-3,days-7",
        "multi_compute": [
          {
            "aggregation": "avg",
            "facet": "@duration",
            "interval": 5000
          }
        ],
        "search": {
          "query": ""
        }
      },
      "q": "jvm.heap.memory",
      "queries": [],
      "response_format": "timeseries",
      "rum_query": {
        "compute": {
          "aggregation": "avg",
          "facet": "@duration",
          "interval": 5000
        },
        "group_by": [
          {
            "facet": "resource_name",
            "limit": 50,
            "sort": {
              "aggregation": "avg",
              "facet": "@string_query.interval",
              "order": "desc"
            }
          }
        ],
        "index": "days-3,days-7",
        "multi_compute": [
          {
            "aggregation": "avg",
            "facet": "@duration",
            "interval": 5000
          }
        ],
        "search": {
          "query": ""
        }
      },
      "security_query": {
        "compute": {
          "aggregation": "avg",
          "facet": "@duration",
          "interval": 5000
        },
        "group_by": [
          {
            "facet": "resource_name",
            "limit": 50,
            "sort": {
              "aggregation": "avg",
              "facet": "@string_query.interval",
              "order": "desc"
            }
          }
        ],
        "index": "days-3,days-7",
        "multi_compute": [
          {
            "aggregation": "avg",
            "facet": "@duration",
            "interval": 5000
          }
        ],
        "search": {
          "query": ""
        }
      },
      "style": {
        "palette": "string"
      }
    }
  ],
  "show_legend": false,
  "time": {
    "live_span": "5m"
  },
  "title": "string",
  "title_align": "string",
  "title_size": "string",
  "type": "heatmap",
  "yaxis": {
    "include_zero": false,
    "label": "string",
    "max": "string",
    "min": "string",
    "scale": "string"
  }
}

Further Reading

Additional helpful documentation, links, and articles:

Learn more about heatmapsDOCUMENTATION more more Building Dashboards using JSONDOCUMENTATION more more Visualize user behavior with Datadog HeatmapsBLOG more more
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