Lilly Tech Systems
Visualization Intermediate
Effective visualization transforms complex network data into intuitive, actionable insights. This lesson covers dashboard design principles, Grafana configuration for network monitoring, and techniques for presenting data to different audiences.
Dashboard Design Principles
- Hierarchy — Start with high-level KPIs, drill down to details. Top-level shows overall health, lower levels show per-device metrics
- Context — Always show baselines and thresholds alongside current values
- Audience — NOC operators need real-time alerts; executives need trend summaries
- Clarity — One chart should answer one question. Avoid overloading dashboards
Chart Types for Network Data
| Chart Type | Best For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Time Series | Metrics over time | Interface utilization over 24 hours |
| Heatmap | Patterns across two dimensions | Traffic volume by hour and day of week |
| Topology Map | Network structure and status | Device connectivity with health colors |
| Sankey Diagram | Traffic flow between zones | Bandwidth between data centers |
| Gauge | Current status vs. threshold | Current CPU utilization at 73% |
| Bar Chart | Comparing categories | Top 10 bandwidth consumers |
Grafana for Network Monitoring
Grafana is the most popular open-source visualization platform for network data. Key features include:
- Native support for InfluxDB, Prometheus, Elasticsearch, and many more data sources
- Template variables for dynamic device/interface selection
- Alerting rules with notification channels (Slack, PagerDuty, email)
- Dashboard-as-code with JSON models for version control
Dashboard-as-Code: Store Grafana dashboard JSON in Git alongside your infrastructure code. This enables version control, peer review, and automated deployment of monitoring dashboards.
Next Step
Learn how to apply predictive analytics to forecast network behavior and anticipate issues.
Next: Predictive Analytics →