AppDynamics Integration

Owned by Admin Istrator (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Apr 05, 2023 by Caleb Miller
12 min read

Caveat: each of the following integration directions was based on the UI when it was written. The UIs may change by the time you read this, so UI updates are beyond the scope of these articles. Please go to the integration target sites for their latest information on integration directions.

AppDynamics integration provides access to AppDynamics data via a dashboard containing AppDynamic metrics and allows you to compare check metrics against AppDynamics Business Transactions response times. You can also trigger and view AppDynamics Snapshots.

With the AppDynamics internal application metrics, you can correlate Synthetic Monitoring metrics with AppDynamics internal application metrics.

Feature Overview

Introduction

AppDynamics is the leading provider of application performance management for modern application architectures. The integration of Synthetic Monitoring and AppDynamics delivers a complete performance monitoring solution.

Benefits

Reduce mean time to resolution

Pinpoint problems instantly, find the root cause in a matter of seconds, and troubleshoot issues faster than ever before.

Understand the user journey

Gain newfound insight into the end-user experience. Correlate browser, mobile, and API synthetic checks with your AppDynamics transactions in your Apica dashboard.

Keep your data secure

Have tight security requirements? We offer on-premise deployment so you can augment your AppDynamics data with secure internal synthetic checks.

Some sample views:

Integration Dashboard

Check Result

Integration Information Needed

Browser Check

AppDynamics New Integration Process

AppDynamics

This Section focuses on the New Integration + AppDynamics checks process, which uses a configured AppDynamics integration to provide AppDynamics application performance monitoring information.

An Example AppD Integration Results View of an AppD Check:

The AppD Wizard

An AppDynamics check accesses AppDynamics data for application performance monitoring.

Step

Screenshot

Step

Screenshot

Step 1: Name and Description

In the first step, you can name the check and add a description.

Step 2: Command and Location

In the second step, you provide integration settings. This AppDynamics section contains Critical/Fundamental settings related to proper AppDynamics integration.

  • AppDynamics Base URL: the AppDynamics controller address.

  • AppDynamics Account/Username: The user name for access to the controller.

  • AppDynamics Password: Password for access to the controller.

  • Application: Name of the application.

  • AppDynamics Path: Full path to the metric you wish to use.

    • Available metrics can be viewed in the AppDynamics Metric Browser.

  • Statistics: Type of data for the metric.

    • Value/Maximum/Minimum

  • Interval (min): Time between data retrievals.

  • Use Private Location: Internal location to run the test from.

    • This will require allowing the IP.

Step 3: Options

In the third step, you can configure

  • how often the check is to run,

  • set threshold values for check notifications, and

  • add it to one or more Monitor Groups.

  • Polling Interval: The time between data retrieval.

  • High Warning Threshold: Severity level Threshold calculation method and settings. A warning is triggered above this value.

  • High Error Threshold: Severity level Threshold calculation method and settings. Error is triggered above this value.

  • Low Warning Threshold: Severity level Threshold calculation method and settings. A warning is triggered below this value.

  • Low Error Threshold: Severity level Threshold calculation method and settings. Error is triggered below this value.

  • Monitor Groups: Monitor Groups for the check.

Step 4: Confirmation

The final step shows all configurations made and allows you to go back to revise the check or move forward and create it.

AppD Configuration:

Step/Configuration

Screenshot

Step/Configuration

Screenshot

Execution Behavior

The Execution Behavior section defines how the check will be run.

  • Use Private Location: Internal location to run the test from.

  • This will require allowing the IP.

  • Enable Failover: Use Failover for the check.

  • Polling Interval: Time between data retrieval.

  • Max Attempts: The number of attempts for the check run.

  • This setting applies to the primary location only, not any failover locations.

  • Attempt Pause: The delay between attempts.

Scheduling when to Run Checks

In the Schedule section, you can define time periods where the check runs should deviate from the basic AppD Configuration: Execution Behavior settings.

  • Inclusion Periods: Time period(s) when the check will run at the defined frequency.

  • Exclusion Periods: Time period(s) when the check will not run.

Integration Information

This section contains fundamental information about the check:

  • Name of the Check

  • Check Description

  • Whether or not the Check is Enabled

Monitor Groups

In this section, selected and available Monitor Groups are shown.

Monitor groups are a way of organizing checks into manageable groupings or thematic units.

Monitoring groups are used in the Dashboard to organize checks in separate display widgets and lists and the Manage view to structure checks for a better overview.

You can have as many groups as you like, and any check can be a member of any number of groups.

Top-Level Groups

The Top-Level Groups are the primary organizing level. They can contain any number of Subgroups.

Subgroups

Subgroups provide a slightly more fine-grained organization and are placed inside Top-Level Groups.

Subgroups are at the lowest level and cannot contain other subgroups.

Access

Users can have access to monitor groups either as either a co-owner or as a user (non-co-owner).

Various Settings

This section contains additional, general configuration settings for the check.

  • Time Zone: Time zone to use when originating the check.

  • Result Unit: Unit of measure to display for the check result.

  • None: No unit.

  • %: Percentage.

  • b: Bytes.

  • h: Hours.

  • Mbit / s: Megabit / second.

  • ms: Milliseconds.

Setting the SLA

The SLA section allows you to defined the Service Level Agreement (SLA) target values for the check.

  • Target SLA %: The primary SLA target percentage.

  • Target SLA % (2nd): Secondary SLA target percentage.

The AppD Toolbar

The toolbar provides access to the check result view and shows icons for location and check type.

Verify Connection

In this section, you configure what hostnames to ping (and verify the site is up) after a failed check result.

  • Verify Ping: List of hostnames to Ping to after a failed result.

Schedule Syntax

The periods are configured as semicolon-separated strings specifying the date and time ranges.

Syntax: PERIOD [ ; PERIOD ]

PERIOD ::= ( WEEK-DAY-LIST | MONTH-DAY-LIST | DATE-LIST ) : TIME-RANGE WEEK-DAY-LIST ::= WEEK-DAY-SPEC [ , WEEK-DAY-LIST ]* WEEK-DAY-SPEC ::= ( WEEK-DAY | WEEK-DAY-RANGE ) WEEK-DAY-RANGE ::= WEEK-DAY - WEEK-DAY WEEK-DAY ::= ( mon | tue | wed | thu | fri | sat | sun ) MONTH-DAY-LIST ::= MONTH-DAY-SPEC [ , MONTH-DAY-LIST ]* MONTH-DAY-SPEC ::= ( MONTH-DAY | MONTH-DAY-RANGE ) MONTH-DAY-RANGE::= MONTH-DAY - MONTH-DAY MONTH-DAY ::= 0-31 (Note: Month day 0 means last day of month) DATE-LIST ::= DATE-SPEC [ , DATE-LIST ]* DATE-SPEC ::= ( DATE | DATE-RANGE ) DATE-RANGE ::= DATE - DATE DATE ::= [yy]yy-mm-dd TIME-RANGE ::= TIME-SPEC - TIME-SPEC TIME-SPEC ::= hh[:mm[:ss]]

Example:

mon-fri:21:30-22; sun:15-17; 0-1:12-18; 2018-04-01-2018-04-30:18-23

Section

Description

Section

Description

 mon-fri:21:30-22

 Every Monday to Friday between 21:30 and 22:00.

 sun:15-17

Sundays between 15:00 and 17:00.

 0-1:12-18

 The last and first day of each month, between noon and 18.

 2018-04-01-2018-04-30:18-23

 Between 18:00 and 23:00 on each day of April 2018.

Note: The Semicolon; separator is needed between periods, but not at the end.

AppDynamics Setup

Setup

The first time you open the integration view, you need to set the integration up, by adding (at least) one server.

AppDynamics Setup

Options

Item

Description

Item

Description

Account

AppDynamics account.

Username

AppDynamics username.

Password

AppDynamics password.

Url

AppDynamics controller URL.

Default Application

AppDynamics application to use as the standard in checks.

Share Settings

Make the server available to all users (required for use in browser checks).

Buttons

Button

Action

Description

Button

Action

Description

Get Applications

Populate the dropdown list with applications from the AppDynamics account.

Save

Store the changes.

Cancel

Stop editing and ignore all changes.

When the AppDynamics Snapshots option is enabled, a transaction snapshot provided by AppDynamics is included in check results.

Where the Option is in the Edit Check View

When selecting this option, this additional configuration also needs to be set:

Item

Description

Item

Description

AppDynamics Server

Address to the AppDynamics server.

AppDynamics Application Name

Application name as set up in AppDynamics.

For more information, see Transaction Snapshots in the AppDynamics documentation.

Add Server

Add Server

All the required settings to add a server can be configured from the dialog.

AppDynamics Setup

To add a server:

  • Click Add Server

The Server settings dialog is shown

  • Enter an account name

  • Enter a user with access to the API

  • Enter a password for the user

  • Enter the URL for the server

  • Click Get Applications

  • Select the desired application from the dropdown menu.

  • If you want all users in your account to share the same settings:

  • Mark the Share Settings checkbox

  • Click Save

Data Collector

Data Collector

When creating browser checks using AppDynamics snapshots, you need to make sure that there is an appropriate Data Collector configured for the Application.

HTTP Header

When the AppDynamics integration is enabled in a browser check, all the requests sent for the check contain a HTTP Header named ApicaGUID, containing a GUID for the request.

This header can be discovered by AppDynamics to trigger snapshots.

Create Data Collector

To create a data collector:

  • Log in to your AppDynamics account

  • Select Applications

  • Pick the relevant application 

  • Select Configure

  • To find the data collectors section, open the >> dropdown menu

  • Select Data Collectors

  • Expand the HTTP Request Data Collectors section

  • Click Add

  • Enter a collector Name

  • If you want the collector to apply to all business transactions created later*:*

  • Mark the **Apply to new Business Transactions** checkbox

  • Add ApicaGUID in the Headers box

  • Click Create HTTP Request Data Collector

Next, you need to select which existing Business Transactions the collector should apply to:

  • Select Business Transactions in the NOT using this Data Collector list 

  • Click Add

  • Click Save

AppDynamics is now activated to create a snapshot when Synthetic Monitoring checks are being executed against an AppDynamics-enabled website.

Summary information about snapshots can be viewed inside the details of a result:

Clicking the provided link Open snapshot in AppDynamics in the result details will take you to the snapshot in your AppDynamics dashboard:

In the snapshot view you can access all relevant ApDynamics features.

Edit Server

Existing server settings can be modifed by changing the server setup.

Change Setup

To change the settings for a server:

  • Click Setup

The Server settings dialog is shown

  • Click Edit for the server to change

  • Change the settings as needed

  • Click Save

  • Click Dashboard to return to the dashboard

AppDynamics Dashboard

An AppDynamics dashboard, featuring various AppDynamics metrics and graphs, is included in Synthetic Monitoring.

View

Overview

Filter

The filter section lets you choose between servers and applications to show in the dashboard.

 

Table

The table(s) show the business transactions configured in the selected AppDynamics server.

The AppDynamics Dashboard Charts

Charts

For each business transaction tier, a number of charts display AppDynamics performance data.

View

The AppDynamics Dashboard Filter

Filter

The filter section lets you choose between servers and applications to show in the dashboard.

View

Item

Description

Item

Description

Server

 AppDynamics Controller address.

Application

 AppDynamics Application.

Setup

Configuration of Edit Server.

Interval

Duration of time to display in the dashboard.

Refresh

Update all data according to the selected interval.

The AppDynamics Dashboard Table

Table

The table(s) show the business transactions configured in the selected AppDynamics server.

View

AppDynamics Results

Results

With AppDynamic integration, you can include snapshots in the Check Results graph, with the option to drill down into AppDynamics reporting.

Overview

Compare

Using the Compare feature, you can combine AppDynamics data with existing result charts.

 

Snapshots

Snapshots included in the results chart provide access to more detailed AppDynamics information.

Results Compare

Compare

Using the Compare feature, you can combine AppDynamics data with existing result charts.

View

Include AppDynamics data

Start with the results chart for the desired check.

  • Click Compare

  • If you have several servers, choose one of them

  • Choose an application

  • Choose the business transaction to display

  • Mark checkboxes if you want to include errors and/or normal snapshots

  • Click Apply

The AppDynamics graph is displayed below the check graph.

Results Snapshots

Snapshots

Snapshots included in the results chart provide access to more detailed AppDynamics information.

Example

The icons are clickable and provide access to the AppDynamics drill-down.

 

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