Observability Analysis Language

Provide OAL(Observability Analysis Language) to analysis incoming data in streaming mode.

OAL focuses on metrics in Service, Service Instance and Endpoint. Because of that, the language is easy to learn and use.

Since 6.3, the OAL engine is embedded in OAP server runtime, as oal-rt(OAL Runtime). OAL scripts now locate in /config folder, user could simply change and reboot the server to make it effective. But still, OAL script is compile language, OAL Runtime generates java codes dynamically.

You could open set SW_OAL_ENGINE_DEBUG=Y at system env, to see which classes generated.

Grammar

Scripts should be named as *.oal

// Declare the metrics.
METRICS_NAME = from(SCOPE.(* | [FIELD][,FIELD ...]))
[.filter(FIELD OP [INT | STRING])]
.FUNCTION([PARAM][, PARAM ...])

// Disable hard code 
disable(METRICS_NAME);

Scope

Primary SCOPEs are All, Service, ServiceInstance, Endpoint, ServiceRelation, ServiceInstanceRelation, EndpointRelation. Also there are some secondary scopes, which belongs to one primary scope.

Read Scope Definitions, you can find all existing Scopes and Fields.

Filter

Use filter to build the conditions for the value of fields, by using field name and expression.

The expressions support to link by and, or and (...). The OPs support ==, !=, >, <, >=, <=, in [...] ,like %..., like ...% , like %...% , contain and not contain, with type detection based of field type. Trigger compile or code generation error if incompatible.

Aggregation Function

The default functions are provided by SkyWalking OAP core, and could implement more.

Provided functions

  • longAvg. The avg of all input per scope entity. The input field must be a long.

instance_jvm_memory_max = from(ServiceInstanceJVMMemory.max).longAvg();

In this case, input are request of each ServiceInstanceJVMMemory scope, avg is based on field max.

  • doubleAvg. The avg of all input per scope entity. The input field must be a double.

instance_jvm_cpu = from(ServiceInstanceJVMCPU.usePercent).doubleAvg();

In this case, input are request of each ServiceInstanceJVMCPU scope, avg is based on field usePercent.

  • percent. The number or ratio expressed as a fraction of 100, for the condition matched input.

endpoint_percent = from(Endpoint.*).percent(status == true);

In this case, all input are requests of each endpoint, condition is endpoint.status == true.

  • rate. The rate expressed as a fraction of 100, for the condition matched input.

browser_app_error_rate = from(BrowserAppTraffic.*).rate(trafficCategory == BrowserAppTrafficCategory.FIRST_ERROR, trafficCategory == BrowserAppTrafficCategory.NORMAL);

In this case, all input are requests of each browser app traffic, numerator condition is trafficCategory == BrowserAppTrafficCategory.FIRST_ERROR and denominator condition is trafficCategory == BrowserAppTrafficCategory.NORMAL. The parameter (1) is the numerator condition. The parameter (2) is the denominator condition.

  • count. The sum calls per scope entity.

service_calls_sum = from(Service.*).count();

In this case, calls of each service.

all_heatmap = from(All.latency).histogram(100, 20);

In this case, thermodynamic heatmap of all incoming requests. The parameter (1) is the precision of latency calculation, such as in above case, 113ms and 193ms are considered same in the 101-200ms group. The parameter (2) is the group amount. In above case, 21(param value + 1) groups are 0-100ms, 101-200ms, ... 1901-2000ms, 2000+ms

service_apdex = from(Service.latency).apdex(name, status);

In this case, apdex score of each service. The parameter (1) is the service name, which effects the Apdex threshold value loaded from service-apdex-threshold.yml in the config folder. The parameter (2) is the status of this request. The status(success/failure) effects the Apdex calculation.

all_percentile = from(All.latency).percentile(10);

percentile is the first multiple value metrics, introduced since 7.0.0. As having multiple values, it could be query through getMultipleLinearIntValues GraphQL query. In this case, p99, p95, p90, p75, p50 of all incoming request. The parameter is the precision of p99 latency calculation, such as in above case, 120ms and 124 are considered same. Before 7.0.0, use p99, p95, p90, p75, p50 func(s) to calculate metrics separately. Still supported in 7.x, but don‘t be recommended, and don’t be included in official OAL script.

all_p99 = from(All.latency).p99(10);

In this case, p99 value of all incoming requests. The parameter is the precision of p99 latency calculation, such as in above case, 120ms and 124 are considered same.

Metrics name

The metrics name for storage implementor, alarm and query modules. The type inference supported by core.

Group

All metrics data will be grouped by Scope.ID and min-level TimeBucket.

  • In Endpoint scope, the Scope.ID = Endpoint id (the unique id based on service and its Endpoint)

Disable

Disable is an advanced statement in OAL, which is only used in certain case. Some of the aggregation and metrics are defined through core hard codes, this disable statement is designed for make them de-active, such as segment, top_n_database_statement. In default, no one is being disable.

Examples

// Calculate p99 of both Endpoint1 and Endpoint2
endpoint_p99 = from(Endpoint.latency).filter(name in ("Endpoint1", "Endpoint2")).summary(0.99)

// Calculate p99 of Endpoint name started with `serv`
serv_Endpoint_p99 = from(Endpoint.latency).filter(name like "serv%").summary(0.99)

// Calculate the avg response time of each Endpoint
endpoint_avg = from(Endpoint.latency).avg()

// Calculate the p50, p75, p90, p95 and p99 of each Endpoint by 50 ms steps.
endpoint_percentile = from(Endpoint.latency).percentile(10)

// Calculate the percent of response status is true, for each service.
endpoint_success = from(Endpoint.*).filter(status == true).percent()

// Calculate the sum of response code in [404, 500, 503], for each service.
endpoint_abnormal = from(Endpoint.*).filter(responseCode in [404, 500, 503]).count()

// Calculate the sum of request type in [RequestType.PRC, RequestType.gRPC], for each service.
endpoint_rpc_calls_sum = from(Endpoint.*).filter(type in [RequestType.PRC, RequestType.gRPC]).count()

// Calculate the sum of endpoint name in ["/v1", "/v2"], for each service.
endpoint_url_sum = from(Endpoint.*).filter(name in ["/v1", "/v2"]).count()

// Calculate the sum of calls for each service.
endpoint_calls = from(Endpoint.*).sum()

// Calculate the CPM with the GET method for each service.The value is made up with `tagKey:tagValue`.
service_cpm_http_get = from(Service.*).filter(tags contain "http.method:GET").cpm()

// Calculate the CPM with the HTTP method except for the GET method for each service.The value is made up with `tagKey:tagValue`.
service_cpm_http_other = from(Service.*).filter(tags not contain "http.method:GET").cpm()

disable(segment);
disable(endpoint_relation_server_side);
disable(top_n_database_statement);