e50192e9fd
Docs: rewrite data source intro (#61639)
* Docs: rewrite data source intro
- Include more than just "databases", which was overly narrow
- Try to make doc a "TL;DR" of the essential information
* docs, link data source to build plugin task
* Reduce jargon and sentence length
* Link out to different features
* Data source, docs turn examples into list
And trim language
* Better phrasing to introduce query editor
Old way implied that Grafana provides all query editors,
which isn't true of custom plugins.
* use relref for in-repo anchor
* remove double "in"
Co-authored-by: Eve Meelan <81647476+Eve832@users.noreply.github.com>
* Simplify list
Co-authored-by: Eve Meelan <81647476+Eve832@users.noreply.github.com>
* Restructure intro, clarify plugins and their URLs
* Add and configure
It's sometimes both.
* Apply suggestions from code review
Co-authored-by: Christopher Moyer <35463610+chri2547@users.noreply.github.com>
* makes prettier
Co-authored-by: Eve Meelan <81647476+Eve832@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Christopher Moyer <35463610+chri2547@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Chris Moyer <chris.moyer@grafana.com>
(cherry picked from commit fb6df56464)
Co-authored-by: Matt Dodson <47385188+MattDodsonEnglish@users.noreply.github.com>
85 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
85 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
---
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aliases:
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- data-sources/
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- overview/
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title: Data sources
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weight: 60
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---
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# Data sources
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Grafana comes with built-in support for many _data sources_.
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If you need other data sources, you can also install one of the many data source plugins.
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If the plugin you need doesn't exist, you can develop a custom plugin.
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Each data source comes with a _query editor_,
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which formulates custom queries according to the source's structure.
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After you add and configure a data source, you can use it as an input for many operations, including:
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- Query the data with [Explore]({{< relref "../explore" >}}).
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- Visualize it in [panels]({{< relref "../panels-visualizations" >}}).
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- Create rules for [alerts]({{< relref "../alerting" >}}).
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This documentation describes how to manage data sources in general,
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and how to configure or query the built-in data sources.
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For other data sources, refer to the list of [datasource plugins](/grafana/plugins/).
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To develop a custom plugin, refer to [Build a plugin]({{< relref "../developers/plugins/" >}}).
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## Manage data sources
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Only users with the [organization administrator role]({{< relref "../administration/roles-and-permissions#organization-roles" >}}) can add or remove data sources.
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To access data source management tools in Grafana as an administrator, navigate to **Configuration > Data Sources** in the Grafana sidebar.
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For details on data source management, including instructions on how to add data sources and configure user permissions for queries, refer to the [administration documentation]({{< relref "../administration/data-source-management" >}}).
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## Use query editors
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{{< figure src="/static/img/docs/queries/influxdb-query-editor-7-2.png" class="docs-image--no-shadow" max-width="1000px" caption="The InfluxDB query editor" >}}
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Each data source's **query editor** provides a customized user interface that helps you write queries that take advantage of its unique capabilities.
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You use a data source's query editor when you create queries in [dashboard panels]({{< relref "../panels-visualizations/query-transform-data" >}}) or [Explore]({{< relref "../explore/" >}}).
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Because of the differences between query languages, each data source query editor looks and functions differently.
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Depending on your data source, the query editor might provide auto-completion features, metric names, variable suggestions, or a visual query-building interface.
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For example, this video demonstrates the visual Prometheus query builder:
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{{< vimeo 720004179 >}}
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For general information about querying in Grafana, and common options and user interface elements across all query editors, refer to [Query and transform data]({{< relref "../panels-visualizations/query-transform-data/" >}}).
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## Built-in core data sources
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These built-in core data sources are included in the Grafana documentation:
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- [Alertmanager]({{< relref "./alertmanager/" >}})
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- [AWS CloudWatch]({{< relref "./aws-cloudwatch/" >}})
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- [Azure Monitor]({{< relref "./azure-monitor/" >}})
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- [Elasticsearch]({{< relref "./elasticsearch/" >}})
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- [Google Cloud Monitoring]({{< relref "./google-cloud-monitoring/" >}})
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- [Graphite]({{< relref "./graphite/" >}})
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- [InfluxDB]({{< relref "./influxdb/" >}})
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- [Jaeger]({{< relref "./jaeger/" >}})
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- [Loki]({{< relref "./loki/" >}})
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- [Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL)]({{< relref "./mssql/" >}})
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- [MySQL]({{< relref "./mysql/" >}})
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- [OpenTSDB]({{< relref "./opentsdb/" >}})
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- [PostgreSQL]({{< relref "./postgres/" >}})
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- [Prometheus]({{< relref "./prometheus/" >}})
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- [Tempo]({{< relref "./tempo/" >}})
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- [Testdata]({{< relref "./testdata/" >}})
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- [Zipkin]({{< relref "./zipkin/" >}})
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## Special data sources
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Grafana also includes three special data sources:
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- **Grafana:** A built-in data source that generates random walk data and can poll the [Testdata]({{< relref "./testdata/" >}}) data source.
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This helps you test visualizations and run experiments.
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- **Mixed:** An abstraction that lets you query multiple data sources in the same panel.
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When you select Mixed, you can then select a different data source for each new query that you add.
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- The first query uses the data source that was selected before you selected **Mixed**.
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- You can't change an existing query to use the Mixed data source.
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- Grafana Play example: [Mixed data sources](https://play.grafana.org/d/000000100/mixed-datasources?orgId=1)
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- **Dashboard:** A data source that uses the result set from another panel in the same dashboard.
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