APM Performance SLO in ObserveOps
ObserveOps (formerly known as AIOps) lets you create Service Level Objectives for APM services you already monitor in the APM module. Use APM Performance SLOs to measure application reliability using trace metrics — response time, error rate, throughput, and more — and track compliance through the same SLO framework you use for infrastructure.
Prerequisites
Before you create an APM Performance SLO, confirm the following:
- At least one APM service is active and sending traces to ObserveOps.
- APM data appears in the RUM module with metrics available.
- You have the permissions to create SLO profiles in Settings.
How It Works
ObserveOps evaluates APM SLOs against counters collected under APM → Trace Metrics. You define one or more conditions using a counter, an operator, and a threshold value. ObserveOps evaluates each condition at the frequency you set — Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Quarterly — and calculates an achieved percentage against your target.
When you add multiple conditions to a single APM SLO, ObserveOps evaluates them using the same multi-condition logic it applies to infrastructure Performance SLOs. New counters added to APM Trace Metrics automatically become available for APM SLO configuration — no extra setup required.
Configure an APM Performance SLO
- Go to Settings from the main menu.
- Select Service Level Objectives, then click SLO Profile.
- Click Create SLO Profile.
- Set SLO Type to Performance.
- Select the APM tab that appears in the performance SLO configuration area.
- In the Source field, select an active APM service from the list.
- Fill in the APM condition fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Counter | Select a metric from APM Trace Metrics — e.g., response time, error rate, throughput, trace count. |
| Operator | Choose the comparison direction: >, <, >=, <=, or =. |
| Value | Enter the threshold number. Units update automatically based on the selected counter. |
| Source Filter | Filter by a specific dimension of the APM service. |
| Source | Select the specific source to evaluate from the list. If Services is selected as the source filter, all running services will be displayed. If Monitors is selected as source filter, all active monitors will be displayed. |
- To add more conditions, click Add Condition and repeat step 7 for each metric.
- Fill in the remaining SLO fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| SLO Name | A unique name for this SLO profile. |
| SLO Description | A short explanation of what this SLO measures. |
| Target (%) | The minimum compliance percentage required to meet the SLO. |
| Warning (%) | An early-alert threshold above the target. Must be higher than the target. |
| Frequency | Evaluation window: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Quarterly. |
| Start Date | The date ObserveOps begins collecting data for this SLO. Only future dates are supported. |
| Tags | Custom tags for grouping and filtering SLO profiles. |
| Notify Team | Teams or individuals to notify when the SLO breaches a threshold. |
- Click Create SLO Profile.
Your APM SLO appears in the SLO Profile list with Status: ON.
You can edit only SLO Description, Tags, and Notify Team after you create the profile.
View APM SLO Results
APM SLOs appear across all existing SLO views without extra configuration.
SLO Visualization
Open SLO → Visualization to see your APM SLO alongside infrastructure SLOs. Each APM SLO card shows:
- Target — the percentage you set
- Achieved — current compliance percentage
- Violation — percentage of time the SLO was breached
- Trend — compliance over the selected frequency window
Configured Monitor Widget
In Configured Monitor widgets for APM SLOs, Service Name replaces Monitor Name. The widget still shows Service Name, Monitor IP, Group, Tag, Status, Achieved, and Violation.
SLO History
Open SLO → History to see historical evaluations for your APM SLOs. Filter and drill down exactly as you do for infrastructure SLOs.
Service Drilldown
Click any APM SLO in the visualization or history views to open the service drilldown panel. The drilldown shows:
- Service Name, IP, Monitor Name, Group, Tag, Status
- Target, Achieved %, Violation %, Configured Conditions, and Evaluation Details
Example
Your team monitors a payment API with the APM module. You create an APM Performance SLO targeting the response_time counter with a condition < 300ms, a Daily frequency, and a 99% target. The next morning, the SLO card shows 97.3% achieved — below the 99% target — and ObserveOps notifies your on-call team before the business day begins.
Troubleshooting
APM tab does not appear in the Performance SLO form
Cause: No APM services are active in the APM module, or the APM module is not licensed. Fix: Verify that at least one APM service appears under APM → Trace Metrics with live data. If APM is not listed in your navigation, contact your ObserveOps administrator to check licensing.
Counter is not available in the Counter field
Cause: The counter is present in APM Trace Metrics for a different service, not the one you selected. Fix: Change the Source to the service that collects the metric you need. Counter availability depends on the data collected for the selected service.
APM SLO shows 0% achieved immediately after creation
Cause: SLO evaluation starts at the beginning of the next evaluation window. A Daily SLO starts collecting at midnight. Fix: Wait for the first evaluation window to complete. The SLO card will update once the first calculation runs.