Dynatrace Logging

Introduction

This document serves as a guide for using Dynatrace Log Monitoring in the NGSS environment. It explains how to access, query, and export logs using the Dynatrace Log Viewer Classic.

Accessing the Log Viewer

  1. Sign in to the appropriate Dynatrace environment:

  2. In the Dynatrace menu, go to:

    Observe and explore → Logs

  3. Confirm you’re viewing the correct environment using the selector in the top-right corner.

Log Viewer Interface

Querying Logs

Dynatrace supports two primary methods for querying logs:

  • UI filters: Quick field-based filtering

  • Advanced mode: Using Log Query Language (LQL)

Basic Filtering

Common fields for filtering:

  • k8s.namespace.name == "prod"

  • k8s.container.name == "ssoi-sts"

  • loglevel == "ERROR"

Use multiple filters with logical operators (AND, OR).

Basic filtering UI example

Advanced Querying with LQL

Enable advanced mode by clicking Switch to advanced mode in the Log Viewer.

Advanced Mode Toggle Button
Sample LQL Queries

Logs with error messages:

loglevel == "ERROR" AND content contains "connection refused"

Combine fields and operators:

loglevel = "ERROR" OR loglevel = "WARN" AND k8s.container.name contains "worker"
Example results view from advanced LQL

Filtering & Field Reference

Below are commonly used log fields:

Field Description

loglevel

Severity level (INFO, WARN, ERROR)

k8s.cluster.name

K8s Cluster

k8s.namespace.name

K8s namespace

k8s.deployment.name

K8s deployment

k8s.container.name

Container name

Use the "Fields" tab in the Log Viewer UI to discover available fields in your logs.

Fields Tab in Dynatrace Log Viewer

Log Details

Below are screenshots showing the full stack trace, if applicable, and the parsed fields of a log message.

Log Details
Log Stacktrace

Format Table

The Format table option allows users to customize the columns displayed in the results table by selecting from a list of Dynatrace-generated and reserved log attributes—such as dt.entity.process_group—to tailor visibility and support further use (e.g., as dimensions when creating log metrics). Simply tick or untick the checkboxes to show or hide the corresponding columns in the table, ensuring that only relevant attributes are surfaced for analysis and reporting.

Troubleshooting Tips

No logs showing up?

  • Confirm the correct environment is selected.

  • Use a broader time window or remove restrictive filters.

  • Verify your application writes logs to stdout/stderr.

Metadata fields missing?

  • Ensure OneAgent is running in full-stack mode.

  • Check log enrichment settings in Dynatrace settings under Log Monitoring → Processing rules.

Slow queries or dropped logs?

  • Reduce the time range and simplify the query.

  • Validate that log quota or retention settings are not limiting results.

  • Content queries take longer than metadata queries because of fuzzy matching.

LQL or DQL?

  • When seeking help with log queries, refer to documentation related to LQL (Log Query Language). Note that this applies to the legacy Dynatrace log viewer, not the latest Log Monitoring UI.