Chapter 13. Observatory
Every Saturday morning, I am in the habit of collecting metrics on a spreadsheet. I weigh myself, take my blood pressure, check my resting heart rate, and record how long I slept each night and how much exercise I have done. I also go for a 5 km run and record the time and how I feel. This acts as a system check. I have been doing this for several years and now I have a lot of data.
This data provides insights into what constitutes my “normal,” allowing me to perceive shifts over time and detect any abnormalities. For instance, a gradual increase in my weight could prompt me to reevaluate my diet, while an elevated blood pressure might lead me to seek medical advice. The modest effort I invest each Saturday morning offers an enlightening view of my health and fuels my motivation to continually enhance my fitness.
Monitoring the System
With the factory and citadel in place, you have an automated system for safely deploying the application and an environment in which to securely run it. However, there are a lot of moving parts, and it is going to be tough to understand what is happening. It will be difficult to notice, let alone fix problems. This is the reason to start to collect metrics and logs and make them available in a central place, as I do with my spreadsheet. By understanding what is normal and what is changing over time and noticing any anomalies, you will understand the health of the system and identify opportunities for improvement.
In an on-premises ...
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