app-feedback.md

copyright	lastupdated
years 2015, 2017, 2019	2019-02-19

{:new_window: target="_blank"} {:shortdesc: .shortdesc} {:screen:.screen} {:codeblock:.codeblock}

Monitoring applications with Mobile Analytics

{: #monitoring-applications-with-mobile-analytics}

The {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_full}} provides monitoring and analytics for your mobile applications. You can record application logs and monitor data with the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} Client SDK. Developers can control when to send this data to the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} Service. When data is delivered to {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}}, you can use the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} console to get analytics insights about your mobile applications, devices, and application logs. {: shortdesc}

Setting alerts

{: #alerts}

You can set thresholds in alert definitions in the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} console to better monitor your activities.

You can configure thresholds, which if exceeded, trigger alerts to notify the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} console monitor. The triggered alerts can be visualized on the console, or the alerts can be handled by a custom webhook. This feature provides a proactive means of detecting application log errors and application crashes server log errors. Reactive thresholds and alerts keep you from having to sift through your data and set thresholds at a wide spectrum of granularity.

Creating an alert definition for application logs

{: #alert-def-client-logs notoc}

You can create an alert definition that is based on application logs.

In this example, you use application log data to create an alert definition. The alert monitors all application logs that were received in the last 5 minutes, and continues to check every 5 minutes, until the alert definition is disabled or deleted. An alert is triggered for each device that sent 3 or more application error logs with the same application name and version.

1. In the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} console, click Definitions to go to the Alert Definitions page.

2. Click Create Alert to create an alert.

3. Provide the following values:

   • Alert Name: Alert for app logs
   • Message: Error Message Alert
   • Query Frequency: 5 minutes
   • Event Type: App Logs
     • Property: Log Level
       • Value: Error
       • Threshold

         • Threshold Type: Total for Application Instance

           Note: If you choose the Average for Application option, the app logs are averaged by the number of devices. For example, if you have two devices, and one device sends six app logs while the other device sends three app logs, the average is 4.5 app logs.

         • Operator: is greater than or equals 3

4. Click Next and provide the following value:

   • Method: Analytics Console Only

     Note: Choose the Analytics Console and Network Post option if you want to additionally send a POST message with a JSON payload to your customized URL. The following fields are available if you choose this option:

     • Network Post URL
     • Headers
     • Authentication Type

5. Click Save.

You created an alert definition to trigger an alert at the end of each 5 minute interval if the number of app logs reached your threshold of 3 or more error logs.

Creating an alert definition for application crashes

{: #alert-def-app-crash notoc}

You can create an alert definition based on application crashes.

In this example, you use application crash data to create an alert definition. The alert monitors all application crashes in the last 2 minutes, and continues to check every 2 minutes, until the alert definition is disabled or deleted. An alert is triggered for each application that crashed 5 or more times. For more information about application crashes, see Application crashes.

1. In the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} console, click Definitions to display the Alerts Definitions page.
2. Click Create Alert.
3. Provide the following values:
   • Alert Name: Alert for Application Crashes
   • Message: App Crash Alert
   • Query Frequency: Application Crashes
     • Query Frequency: 2 minutes
   • Event Type: Application Crashes
     • Application Name: Any application
     • Application Version: Any version
   • Threshold
     • Threshold Type: Crash Count
     • Operator: is greater than or equals 5
4. Click the Distribution Method tab, and provide the following value:

• Method: Analytics Console Only

  Note: Choose the Analytics Console and Network Post option if you want to additionally send a POST message with a JSON payload to your customized URL. The following fields are available if you choose this option:

  • Network Post URL (required)
  • Headers (optional)
  • Authentication Type (required)

5. Click Save.

Managing alert definitions

{: #managing-alert-definitions notoc}

In this example, you manage your alert definitions from the Alert Management page.

1. In the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} console, click Logs. This action opens the Alert Logs page.
2. Optional: Toggle the check-box under the Enabled column to enable or disable a specific alert definition.
3. Optional: Click the Duplicate icon if you want to create a copy of an alert definition and change some values.
4. Optional: Click the Pencil icon if you want to edit an alert definition.
5. Optional: Click the Trash icon if you want to delete an alert definition.

Viewing alert details

{: #viewing-alert-details notoc}

In this example, you view the details of your triggered alerts from the Alert Log page.

1. In the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} console, click Logs. This action brings up the Alert Log page.

2. Click the + icon for any of the alerts. This action displays the Alert Definition and Alert Instances sections.

   Note: If the corresponding alert definition was not deleted or modified, you can edit the alert definition by clicking Edit Alert. Otherwise, the Edit Alert button is unavailable and the following message displays:

   This alert definition has since been modified or deleted.

3. Optional: Select an alert and click the Trash icon to delete the alert.

Monitoring application crashes

{: #monitor-app-crash}

You can view information about your application crashes in the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} console to better monitor and troubleshoot your applications.

Application crash monitoring

{: #app-crash notoc}

On the Crashes page, The Crash Overview table shows the following data columns:

• Application: application name
• Crashes: total number of crashes for that app
• Total Uses: total number of times a user opens and closes that app
• Crash Rate: percentage of crashes per use

You can quickly see information about your application crashes the Crashes table. The Crashes bar graph shows a histogram of crashes over time.

You can display crash data in two ways:

1. Display crash rate: crash rate over time
2. Display total crashes: total crashes over time

App crash troubleshooting

{: #app-crash-troubleshooting notoc}

The Troubleshooting page in the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} console offers a granular view of your app crashes, using the Crash Summary table.

The Crash Summary table is sortable and includes the following data columns:

• Crashes
• Devices
• Last Crash
• Application
• OS
• Message

Click the + icon next to any entry to display the Crash Details table, which includes the following columns:

• Time Crashed
• Application Version
• OS Version
• Device Model
• Device ID
• Download: link to download the logs that led up to the crash

Expand any entry in the Crash Details table to get more details, including a stacktrace.

Note: The data for the Crash Summary table is populated by querying the fatal level app logs. If your application does not collect fatal application logs, no data is available.

Monitoring network requests

{: #monitor-network-requests}

View network request data for your applications in the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} console.

Data is available for the following measurements:

• Round Trip Time - defines the length of time, measured in ms, that it takes for your app to make network requests.
• Request Count - displays how often an app makes network requests. Data also displays as an average.

Exporting data to Db2 Warehouse

{: #dashdb}

The metrics you see in the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} console are just a sample of the insights that you can glean from your mobile data. You can automatically pipe your mobile data to the {{site.data.keyword.IBM}} Db2 Warehouse, where you can customize your analyses, aggregate your data with other public and private data sources, and apply leading-edge analytics to derive deep, detailed, and sophisticated insights to help you understand and drive your business.

Set up IBM Db2 Warehouse in the {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} console by clicking Db2 Warehouse on Cloud on the Export page. After you complete the setup, new data that is sent to {{site.data.keyword.mobileanalytics_short}} is also forwarded to Db2 Warehouse within 1-2 hours.