Catchpoint's Tests Smartboard is designed to help you quickly identify the cause of performance issues detected by a specific test. When you receive an alert or see concerning test results in your Dashboards, a good first troubleshooting step is to view the Smartboard for that test, locate the issue in the timeline, and then use the filters and visualization tools to see if you can narrow down the potential causes of the issue.
Let's look closer at each of the sections in the Tests Smartboard. Note that some sections are only applicable to certain test types.
Source
This is the specific test whose data is being rendered in the Smartboard. You can change the source by clicking on the "Source" button in the upper left, then selecting the desired data source. When you make a selection, the Smartboard refreshes all sections with data from the new source.
Timeline
All Tests Smartboards begin with an interactive timeline. This timeline plots a line graph representing Test Time (ms) (with the exception of the BGP Test, which plots \#Announcements.) The timeline helps you spot trends in test performance. Any spikes in the data indicate times when one or more test runs took longer than usual.
All graphs and tables displayed in the Smartboard are generated using test data from within your selected time window (last 24 hours by default.) The selected time window is indicated by the shaded region on the timeline. You can change the time window by clicking and dragging either edge of the shaded area, or by making a selection in the date/time fields at the upper left and clicking Go.
When you make a new selection, the Smartboard refreshes with data from the new time window.
Filters
To Filter the data displayed, simply click into the "Add Filters" field type in the name of the filtering option you want.
Alternatively, you can access filtering options by clicking the "Filters" button below the timeline, which opens the Filters blade:
In addition to filtering on specific items, you can select the "Trim" option to reduce the range of values displayed for specific metrics.
You can see what filters you have applied by clicking "Selected."
Summary Tab
The Summary Tab displays an overview of your selected test's performance. It contains the following sections:
Key Metrics
A series of charts displaying essential information about performance during the selected timeframe.
Scatterplot
A chart showing results for each individual test run for a selected metric. You can hover over a dot in the chart to view details about the test run and access its full record.
Map
A world map showing where test runs during the selected timeframe originated. The dots on the map are also color-coded to indicate any performance issues.
Experience Score
A gauge visualization that indicates the overall user-experience of the selected test during the selected timeframe.
Key Events
This table lists any errors, trend shifts, or other significant events that may have occurred during the selected timeframe. You can click any item in the table to get more details.
Network Tab
The Network Tab displays detailed information about the network routing for the selected test. It consists of the following sections:
Filter Tables
These tables enable you to filter the data displayed by Node, City, Country, ISP, or the specific ISP for each test run.
Network Visualization
This is a powerful visualization tool that shows you the exact routes taken from test nodes to remote hosts.
You can choose whether to view the path by AS (Autonomous System) or IP Network by selecting the desired view in the upper-left corner of this section.
This visualization has its own timeline similar to the one at the top of the Smartboard. Click and drag the vertical blue bars to adjust the selected timeframe. The network paths taken during the selected timeframe are displayed below the timeline:
ASN View
IP Network View
You can hover your mouse over any AS or IP node to see specific details about performance for that hop.
