Datadog dashboards need to be recreated in SigNoz due to differences in query languages and dashboard schemas. However, SigNoz provides tools and templates to make this process smoother.
Prerequisites
- A SigNoz account (SigNoz Cloud or Self-Hosted).
- Access to your existing Datadog dashboards (for reference).
- Data flowing to SigNoz (metrics, traces, or logs depending on your dashboards).
Migration Strategies
Using Dashboard Templates
SigNoz provides several pre-built dashboard templates that match common Datadog dashboards:
-
Find Template
Browse the SigNoz Dashboard Templates repository to find a matching dashboard. -
Import Dashboard
- Navigate to Dashboards in SigNoz.
- Click + New Dashboard.
- Click Import JSON.
- Either paste the JSON content or upload the file from the repository.
Using the Automated Migration Tool
For faster dashboard migration, try the SigNoz Datadog Migration Tool. This tool helps translate Datadog dashboard JSON to SigNoz format.
Creating Custom Dashboards
If there is no existing template, create a custom dashboard in SigNoz.
- Follow the Manage Dashboards guide for step-by-step instructions.
- Use the Query Builder to translate your Datadog queries
Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)
You can manage your dashboards as code using the SigNoz Terraform Provider. This allows you to version control your dashboards and automate their deployment.
Feature Comparison
Dashboard Features
SigNoz supports essential dashboard features including:
- Variables: Create template variables for dynamic dashboards.
- Panel Types: Various visualization options.
- Query Builder: Construct queries visually or using PromQL/ClickHouse SQL.
Panel Types
SigNoz supports most common panel types found in Datadog:
| Panel Type | Datadog | SigNoz | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time Series | ✓ | ✓ | Both support time series visualization |
| Bar Chart | ✓ | ✓ | Both support categorical data |
| Pie Chart | ✓ | ✓ | Both support proportional data |
| Table | ✓ | ✓ | Both support tabular data |
| Histogram | ✓ | ✓ | Distribution visualization |
| Value/Query Value | ✓ | ✓ | Single value display with thresholds |
| Top List | ✓ | ✓ | Use Table panel with sorting |
| Heatmap | ✓ | - | Coming soon |
| Log Stream | ✓ | ✓ | List panel type |
| Trace Flame Graph | ✓ | ✓ | Built-in Traces Explorer |
| SLO Widget | ✓ | - | Not directly supported in SigNoz |
Please refer to the Panel Types documentation for more details.
Variables
Both Datadog and SigNoz support dashboard variables:
| Feature | Datadog | SigNoz |
|---|---|---|
| Custom variable | ✓ | ✓ |
| Query-based variable | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-value selection | ✓ | ✓ |
| All option | ✓ | ✓ |
See Manage Variables for setup instructions.
Validate
To confirm that your dashboards are migrated correctly:
- Navigate to Dashboards in SigNoz.
- Open your newly created dashboard.
- Verify that all panels are populating with data.
- Check that variables are working as expected.
- Compare visualizations with the original Datadog dashboard.
Troubleshooting
Empty Charts
If your charts are empty:
- Verify that the metrics used in the query are being received by SigNoz.
- Check the time range of the dashboard.
- Ensure that any variables used have valid values selected.
- Confirm metric names match OpenTelemetry conventions (not Datadog names).
Query Errors
If you see query errors:
- Check the syntax of your query.
- Use the Query Builder to construct valid queries interactively.
- Verify that the metric names and labels used are correct.
- Check that attributes are using OpenTelemetry naming conventions.
Metric Values Don't Match
If values differ from Datadog:
- Check aggregation functions: Datadog and SigNoz may use different defaults.
- Verify time alignment: Ensure both dashboards use the same time range.
- Check collection intervals: Different scrape intervals can cause variations.
- Review metric types: Counter vs gauge handling may differ.
Variables Not Working
If dashboard variables don't populate:
- Check the variable query syntax.
- Verify the metric/attribute exists in your data.
- Test the query directly in the Query Builder.
