Try it free

Visual Resolution Path

  • Latest Dynatrace
  • Explanation
  • 2-min read

The Visual Resolution Path (VRP) is an in-context Smartscape Smartscape view that allows you to access the resolution path of a problem directly from any app on the Dynatrace platform. With the in-context Visual Resolution Path view, you can see the problem's resolution path and gain immediate insights into the issue without leaving your current context and going to Problems app - new Problems.

From the Visual Resolution Path, you can trigger additional intents and drill-downs for deeper exploration. Alongside the displayed entities, it includes a timeline of the underlying problem events. This provides a comprehensive, in-context view of the problem and its resolution journey.

For more details about problems and problem resolution, see Root Cause Analysis.

Visual Resolution Path support in Dynatrace apps

From the problem details in any Dynatrace application, you can drill down to the Visual Resolution Path.

Some problems don't have a detected root cause. If the problem's root cause wasn't detected, the Visual Resolution Path won't be displayed.

The following are some examples of where you can open Visual Resolution Path from:

  • Smartscape Smartscape: you can open Visual Resolution Path directly from a problem node within the Problem graph view.

  • Problems app - new Problems: you can open Visual Resolution Path by selecting Maximize on the Visual resolution path in the overview tab.

    An example of triggering Visual Resolution Path from Problems app VRP overview tab
    Triggering Visual Resolution Path from Problems app VRP overview tab

Overview

The in-context Visual Resolution Path view consists of the selected problem entity represented by a group within the graph, the affected entities represented by nodes, and relationships between nodes represented by edges.

Group

The problem in the Visual Resolution Path is represented as a group within the graph. The coloring of the group reflects the current state of the problem. You can also view additional details of the problem itself in the tooltip overlay by hovering over the problem group's header.

Nodes

In the Visual Resolution Path, entities involved in the problem are located within the problem group and displayed as nodes. A problem group is populated by nodes of type SERVICES.

Edges

Edges in the Visual Resolution Path graph represent the dependency tree and relationships between the entities. These visual connections can help you understand how different components and services are interlinked.

For more information, see Root Cause Analysis.

Event timeline

In addition to the node graph view, the Visual Resolution Path in-context view features an event timeline. The collapsed view of the timeline offers a high-level overview of the problem, including the start time of all associated events and the full problem timeframe.

By expanding the timeline, you can view the individual event timelines for each of the involved entities. This provides detailed insights into how events unfolded over time and helps you to understand the problem's progression better.

Use cases

You can use Smartscape Smartscape Visual Resolution Path to:

  • View key details about the problem, including its status, category, and duration.
  • View the event timeline to gain a better understanding of the problem's progression over time.
  • Identify cascading failures by analyzing how issues in one service propagate to other connected services or applications.

Best practice tips

For efficient use of the Smartscape Smartscape Visual Resolution Path:

  • Hover over the problem group to view key details about the problem.
  • Use the problem tooltip to:
    • Explain the problem using Dynatrace Intelligence.
    • Open the problem in the dedicated Problems app - new Problems app to perform advanced analysis and troubleshooting.
  • Drill down into specific entities directly from the Visual Resolution Path to better understand performance bottlenecks, errors, or failures. This simplifies root cause analysis by guiding you to the affected systems and their dependencies.

Related topics

  • Smartscape
  • Smartscape views
  • Problem graph
  • Root cause analysis
Related tags
Application ObservabilitySmartscapeSmartscape