Dynamic Titles in Grafana: Displaying Query Results in Panel Titles
Grafana's powerful query capabilities allow you to extract data from various sources and visualize it in insightful dashboards. But what if you want to make your dashboards even more dynamic by incorporating data from your queries directly into the panel titles? This can provide a much more context-rich experience, especially when dealing with a large number of panels or when visualizing changing data.
This article will guide you through setting dynamic panel titles in Grafana using the power of variables and templating. We'll focus on using query results to display relevant information within panel titles, making your dashboards more informative and user-friendly.
Setting Dynamic Panel Titles in Grafana
Let's assume you have a panel displaying the CPU utilization of a server, and you want the panel title to dynamically display the server name based on the selected value in a server dropdown variable. Here's how you can achieve this:
1. Create a Variable
- Navigate to the "Variables" section in your Grafana dashboard.
- Create a new variable of type "Query".
- Configure the query to return a list of server names (e.g.,
SELECT DISTINCT server_name FROM cpu_utilization). - Save the variable.
2. Modify Panel Title
- Go to the panel you want to modify.
- In the "General" settings, locate the "Title" field.
- Instead of a static title, use the following templating syntax:
{{server_name}} - CPU Utilization
- Replace
server_namewith the name of your variable created in step 1.
3. Test and Enjoy!
- Save your dashboard.
- Select different server names from the dropdown variable.
- Observe how the panel title dynamically changes based on the selected server name.
Example: Using Query Results in Panel Title
Imagine you're monitoring network traffic and want to display the total traffic volume for each network interface in a separate panel. You can use the following steps:
- Create a Variable: Create a variable named "interface" of type "Query" that fetches all unique network interfaces from your data source.
- Configure Panel Titles: Create multiple panels, each representing a different network interface. Use the following templating for each panel title:
{{interface}} - Network Traffic Volume
- Result: Now, each panel will display the selected network interface name from the variable followed by "Network Traffic Volume". As you switch between interfaces using the variable, the panel titles will dynamically update to reflect the corresponding interface name.
Benefits of Dynamic Panel Titles
Using dynamic panel titles provides several advantages:
- Improved Clarity: Dynamic titles clearly indicate the context of each panel without requiring additional explanation.
- Enhanced Readability: By incorporating specific values from your data, you improve the readability and comprehension of your dashboards.
- Flexibility: Dynamic titles adapt to changes in your data, making your dashboards more responsive and informative.
Conclusion
Using Grafana's templating capabilities, you can create dynamic panel titles that incorporate information directly from your queries. This adds context, improves readability, and makes your dashboards more user-friendly and informative. By understanding the concepts of variables and templating, you can unlock the full potential of Grafana's dynamic visualization capabilities.
