Spans

A new Overview tab on the spans dataset renders aggregated span queries as sortable tables or charts — rank services by error count, surface the slowest operations, or see status-code distributions at a glance. Learn more

Break the spans matching your query down by field in a dedicated Highlights tab. Switch between Duration, Errors, and Total Requests views, and toggle Compare to previous period to surface regressions side by side—a Diff column ranks fields by how much each value changed between the two windows. Learn more

A new Signals tab on the spans dataset surfaces Rate, Errors, and Duration for the active query. A button group at the top of the tab switches between Outliers—latency percentiles, error counts, and individual span samples overlaid on a single chart—and RED metrics—Rate, Errors, and Duration as three side-by-side charts. Each chart has its own configuration, and selecting any data point opens the span drilldown on the most representative span for the active aggregation. Learn more

The Info Panel Performance section now surfaces service-level signals for the span's service, scoped to a 15-minute window around the span's start time. New fields include SLO Status (shown as X OK, Y BREACHED), Health (Healthy, Critical, Warning, or Unmonitored), and Incidents (count of active incidents, with a View Incident link per incident). Each field has a View APM Service catalog action that opens the catalog filtered by the service. The Infrastructure tab in Span related data also shows live pod and node status inline. Learn more

In the Trace Drilldown, the Color by, Depth, and Trace layout controls now appear as dropdowns directly in the action bar, so you can change them in one select instead of opening a menu. Gantt view exposes Color by and Depth; Flame view exposes Color by and Trace layout; Dependencies Span view exposes Color by. On smaller screens, the same controls remain in the menu. Learn more

In the Span related data Logs tab, the View query drawer now shows the correlation query in two formats — DataPrime and Lucene — for the Span, Trace, and Service views. Custom view stays Lucene-only because custom field mappings don't translate to a standard DataPrime expression. Copy either query, or select Open in Explore Logs to run it in the full logs experience with the time range preserved. Learn more

When a trace contains a cyclic dependency — a request that flows back through a service or span that already called it — the back-pointing edge automatically renders as a dashed line in both Service view and Span view of the Trace Drilldown Dependencies view. The dashed edge appears whenever the cycle exists; there's no toggle to enable. Use it to spot request loops that signal architectural issues and complicate troubleshooting. Learn more

A new Relation option in the Spans query builder lets you find spans based on their position within a trace. Choose from seven relation types — Root, Only root, Parent, Entry service, Child, Any, and Not any — and combine multiple filters with AND or OR. The builder generates the matching DataPrime relational query automatically, so you can switch to DataPrime at any time to inspect or refine the query. Learn more

Quick actions on graph elements — Right-click a span in Flame or Gantt, or select the 3-dots icon on a node in Dependencies, to pivot between views, open Highlights, or jump to APM. Service-view nodes in Dependencies expose APM Service Catalog, APM Service Operation, APM Database, APM Database Operation, and APM Serverless depending on service type. Gantt quick actions also include Show Surrounding Spans for traces beyond the time range or span limits. Learn more

New Dependencies controls — A new Node detail toggle in the Dependencies more actions menu controls how much information each node shows (Compact / Standard, default Standard). The 20,000-span cap now also applies to Dependencies (Span view and Service view), matching Flame and Gantt. Learn more

New Dependencies view visualizes how a request flows through your architecture at the service or span level, with Color by, Group by, Aggregation, an on-graph toolbar, and a minimap. Clicking a service name in the span header opens a searchable dropdown of spans in that service. The Trace Drilldown now opens in Gantt view by default. Learn more

Enhanced log-to-span correlation with a new three-field mapping (Logs, Span, Service) and a View by selector with four options: Custom, Span, Trace, and Service. Custom view correlates logs using your own field mappings, while Span, Trace, and Service views use standard OTel fields automatically. Learn more

AI Session tab in Related Data — When a span represents a GenAI or LLM operation, the new AI Session tab displays the associated chat, highlights the specific span, and surfaces metadata fields, evaluation scores, and tool calls — all within the trace drilldown. Learn more

Time range picker — A new time range picker in the drilldown header controls the query window for all related data. Default times are dynamic based on trace size. Maximum trace time range is 3 days; maximum span display is 20,000 spans per view. Learn more

Small spans indication in Flame view — In traces with many short-duration spans, the Flame view groups consecutive small sibling spans into a single block with a count label. Zoom in to reveal merged spans, or select the block to browse individual spans in a filterable list. Learn more

Navigate from RED Metrics to Span Drilldown — Select any data point in a RED Metrics graph in Explore Tracing to open the Span Drilldown with Group By context preserved. Aggregation type determines which span is auto-focused in the drilldown. Learn more

Investigate with the Trace Drilldown — New dedicated documentation covers the Trace Drilldown and its three main areas: trace view, Info Panel, and Related Data. Move from a selected span to correlated logs, infrastructure context, and profiling without leaving Explore Tracing. Learn more

Span Fields and Attributes — The Info Panel displays fields, tags, and metadata for the selected span or trace, including a span duration distribution heatmap to compare performance against similar spans. Learn more

Headers and Quick Actions — Use header menus to pivot to correlated logs, APM service context, or profiles, and refine your active query directly from the Trace Drilldown. Learn more

Visualize Spans and Traces — View the selected trace as a Gantt Chart, Flame Graph, or Service Dependency View to understand execution structure, timing, and service interactions. Learn more

View Related Data — Surface correlated telemetry for the selected span or trace, including logs, infrastructure context, profiling data, events, and AI insights. Learn more

Explore Tracing — New documentation for the Explore Tracing workspace, covering how to query, filter, and investigate traces and spans across distributed services. Learn more