Working with Application Insights graphs

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Working with Application Insights graphs

    Application Insights graphs offer time-series visualizations of your ServiceNow instance's performance and health metrics. These graphs refresh automatically every five minutes and provide both aggregated (overview) and detailed node-level insights. Note that starting with the Zurich release, Application Insights is deprecated and no longer supported. ServiceNow recommends evaluating the Instance Observer product available in ServiceNow Impact packages for enhanced monitoring capabilities. Consult your Account team for Impact package options.

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    Overview graphs

    The Overview tab presents an aggregated, instance-level summary combining metrics from Events, ECC Queue, and Session Info. These graphs help you:

    • Analyze individual and relational performance trends over selectable time ranges (1, 7, or 30 days)
    • Overlay diagnostic events to identify causation and correlations
    • Proactively monitor performance during critical activities like system updates or heavy user traffic
    • Interact with graphs to view detailed metrics at specific points or nodes
    • Adjust and narrow time ranges dynamically

    Detail graphs

    The Events, ECC Queue, and Session Info tabs offer detailed metrics at the node level with enhanced controls to:

    • Compare individual node metrics to median, 1-day moving average, and 95th percentile thresholds to quickly identify outliers or issues
    • Overlay diagnostic events for root cause analysis
    • Group nodes by similar performance values to identify patterns (enabled by default when seven or more lines exist)
    • Apply custom filters to focus on specific nodes or conditions, such as online status
    • View associated events or transactions within 10-minute windows by selecting data points
    • Sort, filter, and group detailed metrics in accompanying tables for easier analysis

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    Using Application Insights graphs enables ServiceNow customers to effectively monitor instance health, identify performance trends and anomalies, and correlate events for troubleshooting. This proactive monitoring supports better decision-making during maintenance, updates, and peak usage. With the transition away from Application Insights, customers should plan to adopt Instance Observer for continued and improved insights.

    View key performance metrics for your instance using Application Insights graphs.

    Starting with the Zurich release, Application Insights is no longer deployed, enhanced, or supported. It is recommended to evaluate the Overview of Instance Observer product available with the ServiceNow Impact packages. Work with your Account team to review Impact packages.

    For details, see the Deprecation Process [KB0867184] article in the Now Support Knowledge Base.

    Application Insights provides time-series data in a collection of graphs that help you visualize the performance and health of your instance. The graphs are automatically refreshed every five minutes.

    Overview graphs

    You can view a summary of the overall health and performance of your instance on the Overview tab. It provides in an aggregated instance-level view by combining metrics from the Events, ECC Queue, and Session Info tabs.

    Use the overview graphs to do the following:

    • Analyze how metrics have been performing over time individually and in relation to each other.
    • View trends or patterns between different data sets by overlaying metrics and diagnostic events.
    • Closely and proactively monitor the instance when performing any impactful activity such as a system update or during periods of heavy user traffic.
    • Overlay diagnostic events to help you determine causation and correlation.
    • Compare metrics or focus on a specific metric by selecting which graph lines to display from the legend above the graph.
    • Change the time period by selecting a different day range from the date picker. The default value is 1 day, but you can also change the time period to 7 days or 30 days.
    • View the details for all metrics at a point in time by pointing your cursor anywhere on the graph.

      View node-level details for a metric by pointing your cursor and selecting a data point. The corresponding detail graph on the Events, ECC Queue, or Session Info tab is displayed.

    • Narrow the time range by selecting the left or right side of the time line below the graph and dragging across. Shift the time range by dragging this view along the axis.

    Detail graphs

    Each graph on the Events, ECC Queue, and Session Info tabs provides a detailed view of metrics for one or more nodes.

    Use the detail graphs to do the following:

    • Compare a specific metric to the median, 1-day moving average, or the 95th percentile value
    • View trends or patterns by overlaying metrics and diagnostic events
    • Determine whether performance degradation is happening on one node or across all nodes
    • View detailed statistics for each node to monitor system health over time

    Detail graphs include the same controls as overview graphs but provide additional functionality.

    • See trends, issues, and system health for nodes and agents with similar performance values by selecting Group By Performance. If there are seven or more lines on the graph, this option is selected by default.
    • Overlay diagnostic events to help you determine causation and correlation.
    • Add a custom filter to display data for specific nodes. For example, display the average transaction time for nodes where the status is online.
    • Compare the performance of different nodes to the 1-day moving average by selecting which graph lines to display from the legend above the graph.

      The 1-Day Moving Average line represents the average value across all nodes over one day.

    • Change the time period by selecting a different day range from the date picker. The default value is 1 day, but you can also change the time period to 7 days or 30 days.
    • View the details for an agent or node by pointing your cursor anywhere on the graph.

      Compare the metric to the following horizontal lines on the graph:

      • Median: The middle value.
      • 95th percentile: The 95th percentile value. A metric with a data point above this line is likely a cause for concern.

      View a list of associated events or transactions within a 10-minute period by pointing your cursor and selecting a data point.

    • Narrow the time range by selecting the left or right side of the time line below the graph and dragging across. Shift the time range by dragging this view along the axis.

    The median, average, and 95th percentile values for each node are displayed in the table below the detail graph.

    • To sort records in the list, select the column header.
    • To filter the list using a value in a field, right-click in the field and select Show Matching or Filter Out.
    • To group records in the list by label, select the column options menu and then select Group by.
    • To filter records in the list, select the column options menu and then select Filter. Enter a condition and value.