Grafana Dashboard Quiz
Test your understanding of Grafana.
- Which is NOT a method used for data source provisioning in Grafana?
- A) ConfigMap with sidecar
- B) Grafana API
- C) Environment variables
- D) provisioning directory
Show Answer
Answer: C) Environment variables
Explanation: Grafana data sources can be provisioned through YAML files in the provisioning directory, sidecar approach using ConfigMaps, or the Grafana API. Environment variables are used for Grafana configuration (grafana.ini) but are not used to directly define data sources.
- What do 'R', 'E', 'D' stand for in the RED Method?
- A) Resource, Error, Duration
- B) Rate, Error, Duration
- C) Request, Exception, Delay
- D) Response, Event, Data
Show Answer
Answer: B) Rate, Error, Duration
Explanation: The RED Method is a methodology for analyzing service-level metrics. It monitors three key metrics: Rate (request processing rate), Error (error rate), and Duration (response time). This is an effective framework for understanding microservice health.
- What configuration is needed to implement trace-to-log correlation by connecting Tempo and Loki in Grafana?
- A) Use the same database
- B) Configure tracesToLogs in Tempo data source
- C) Install a separate plugin
- D) Grafana Enterprise license
Show Answer
Answer: B) Configure tracesToLogs in Tempo data source
Explanation: Configuring the tracesToLogs section in the Tempo data source settings allows direct navigation from traces to related logs. Specify Loki with datasourceUid and set labels for connection using tags. This is a built-in Grafana feature that doesn't require additional plugins.
- What do 'U', 'S', 'E' stand for in the USE Method?
- A) User, Service, Event
- B) Utilization, Saturation, Errors
- C) Uptime, Status, Exceptions
- D) Usage, Speed, Efficiency
Show Answer
Answer: B) Utilization, Saturation, Errors
Explanation: The USE Method is a methodology for analyzing system resources. It monitors Utilization, Saturation, and Errors. By analyzing these three metrics for each resource (CPU, memory, disk, network), you can identify bottlenecks.
- What is the role of evaluation interval in Grafana Alerting?
- A) Alert message delivery interval
- B) Alert rule evaluation frequency
- C) Data retention period
- D) Dashboard refresh interval
Show Answer
Answer: B) Alert rule evaluation frequency
Explanation: Evaluation interval determines how often alert rules are evaluated. For example, setting it to 1m checks conditions every minute. This affects alert sensitivity and resource usage. Too short increases resource usage; too long delays problem detection.
- Which is NOT included in Google SRE's 4 Golden Signals?
- A) Latency
- B) Traffic
- C) Availability
- D) Saturation
Show Answer
Answer: C) Availability
Explanation: The 4 Golden Signals are Latency, Traffic, Errors, and Saturation. Availability is an important metric but is not included in the 4 Golden Signals. Availability is related to Errors but is a separate concept.
- What is the main benefit of using dashboard variables in Grafana?
- A) Improved dashboard loading speed
- B) Increased dashboard reusability through dynamic filtering
- C) Reduced data storage capacity
- D) Enhanced security
Show Answer
Answer: B) Increased dashboard reusability through dynamic filtering
Explanation: Using dashboard variables allows monitoring multiple clusters, namespaces, and services with a single dashboard. When you select a value from the dropdown, all panel queries are dynamically updated. This reduces the number of dashboards and simplifies maintenance.
- What is the role of the Exemplar feature when integrating Grafana with Prometheus?
- A) Metric data compression
- B) Linking metrics and trace data
- C) Query caching
- D) Data backup
Show Answer
Answer: B) Linking metrics and trace data
Explanation: Exemplar is a feature that links TraceIDs to Prometheus metrics. By storing sample TraceIDs in histogram or counter metrics, clicking a specific point on a metric graph in Grafana allows you to immediately query the trace data from that moment.
- Which is a correct difference between Grafana Cloud and Self-hosted Grafana?
- A) Grafana Cloud is free
- B) Self-hosted cannot install plugins
- C) Grafana Cloud provides automatic scaling and SLA
- D) Self-hosted has data source limitations
Show Answer
Answer: C) Grafana Cloud provides automatic scaling and SLA
Explanation: Grafana Cloud is a managed service providing automatic scaling, 99.9% SLA, automatic updates, etc. Self-hosted offers complete control and allows all plugin installations but requires infrastructure management. Both options support various data sources.
- What label is required on a ConfigMap when using sidecar for Grafana dashboard provisioning?
- A)
app: grafana - B)
grafana_dashboard: "true" - C)
type: dashboard - D)
provisioning: enabled
- A)
Show Answer
Answer: B) grafana_dashboard: "true"
Explanation: When using the Grafana Helm chart's sidecar feature, you need to add the grafana_dashboard: "true" label to ConfigMaps containing dashboard JSON. The sidecar container watches ConfigMaps with this label and automatically provisions dashboards.