Utilizing Question Logs in Rockset

At Rockset, we regularly search for methods to provide our prospects higher visibility into the product. Towards this purpose, we lately determined to enhance our customer-facing question logging. Our earlier iteration of question logs was primarily based in one in every of our shared providers referred to as apiserver. As a part of the work that apiserver would do when finishing a question execution request, it will create a log that will finally be ingested into the _events assortment. Nevertheless, there have been points that made us rethink this implementation of question logs:

1. No isolation: as a result of the question logs in _events relied on shared providers, heavy visitors from one org might have an effect on question logging in different orgs.
2. Incomplete logs: due to the problems brought on through the use of shared providers, we solely logged question errors – profitable queries wouldn’t be logged. Moreover, it was not potential for us to log information about async queries.
3. No capability to debug question efficiency – the question logs in _events solely contained primary details about every question. There was no manner for the consumer to get details about why a given question could have run slowly or exhausted compaute assets for the reason that logs contained no details about the question plan.

Improved Question Logging

The brand new question logs function addresses all of those points. The mechanisms that deal with question logs are contained fully inside your Digital Occasion versus being inside one in every of Rockset’s shared providers. This provides question logs the benefit of isolation. Moreover, each question you submit will probably be routinely logged in case you have already created a set with a question logs supply (supplied you don’t hit a price restrict).

How Question Logs Work

Question logging begins on the finish of question execution. As a part of the steps which might be run within the closing aggregator when a question has accomplished, a report containing metadata related along with your question is created. At this level, we might also have to gather info from different aggregators that had been concerned within the question. After that is achieved, the report is quickly saved in an in-memory buffer. The contents of this buffer are flushed to S3 each few seconds. As soon as question logs have been dumped to S3, they are going to be ingested into any of your question log collections which have been created.

INFO vs DEBUG Logs

Once we first designed this challenge, we had at all times meant for it to work with the question profiler within the console. This might permit our prospects to debug question bottlenecks with these logs. Nevertheless, the question profiler requires fairly a bit of knowledge, which means it will be unattainable for each question log to comprise all the data vital for the profiler. To resolve this drawback, we opted to create two tiers of question logs – INFO and DEBUG logs.

INFO logs are routinely created for each question issued by your org. They comprise some primary metadata related along with your question however can’t be used with the question profiler. When you realize that you could be wish to have the flexibility to debug a sure question with the profiler, you may specify a DEBUG log threshold along with your question request. If the question execution time is bigger than the required threshold, Rockset will create each an INFO and a DEBUG log. There are two methods of specifying a threshold:

1. Use the debug_log_threshold_ms question trace

   SELECT * FROM _events HINT(debug_log_threshold_ms=1000)
2. Use the debug_threshold_ms parameter in API requests. That is accessible for each question and question lambda execution requests.

Be aware that since DEBUG logs are a lot bigger than INFO logs, the speed restrict for DEBUG logs is way decrease. Because of this, it is strongly recommended that you simply solely present a DEBUG log threshold when you realize that this info may very well be helpful. In any other case, you run the chance of hitting the speed restrict once you most want a DEBUG log.

System Sources

As a part of this challenge, we determined to introduce a brand new idea referred to as system sources. These are sources which ingest information originating from Rockset. Nevertheless, in contrast to the _events assortment, collections with system sources are managed fully by your group. This lets you configure all the settings of those collections. We will probably be introducing extra system supply varieties as time goes on.

Getting Began with Question Logging

As a way to begin logging your queries, all that you must do is create a set with a question logs supply. This may be achieved by way of the console.

Rockset will start ingesting question logs into this assortment as you submit queries. Logs for the final 24 hours of queries can even be ingested into this assortment. Please word that it could actually take a couple of minutes after a question has accomplished earlier than the related log will present up in your assortment.

As a way to use the question profiler with these logs, open the Rockset Console’s question editor and concern a question that targets one in every of your question logs collections. The question editor will detect that you’re making an attempt to question a set with a question logs supply and a column referred to as ‘Profiler’ will probably be added to the question outcomes desk. Any paperwork which have a populated stats discipline may have a hyperlink on this column. Clicking on this hyperlink will open the question profile in a brand new tab.

Be aware that customized ingest transformations or question aliases can intrude with this performance so it is strongly recommended that you don’t rename any columns.

For an in depth dive into utilizing Rockset’s Question Profiler, please consult with the video accessible right here.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this has given you a fast look into the performance that question logs can provide. Whether or not that you must debug question efficiency or examine why beforehand accomplished queries have failed, your expertise with Rockset will probably be improved by making use of question logs.