Any application can fail, regardless of how much performance testing it undergoes. The Sisense platform is no different, and failures can have various causes. For instance:
- Too many simultaneous queries;
- Large volumes of data;
- Communication failure between application services;
- Communication failure with data warehouse or database;
- Server hardware problems.
The problem is, sometimes, the symptoms fly under the radar. The customer only realizes something is missing when the dashboard data is out of date, or a dashboard they only use once a month is unavailable, or a server error causes the application to stop working over the weekend. Fortunately, Sisense provides a set of mechanisms for easier application monitoring. With the proper notification system, we can stay ahead of the problem and fix errors before the customer notices them—or better yet, before they even happen.
After delivering a working application to a customer, we often stop monitoring it, especially if everything runs smoothly in the first few weeks. That’s why it’s not unusual to think everything will stay fine forever.
If something goes wrong, someone will notice it. Or will they?
In this sequence of beliefs, people often think that when something goes wrong, someone notices it, even if that someone is the end customer. When that happens, fine, we focus on finding a solution. Once the problem has been solved, we forget about it again. After all, the problem was an isolated case, it won’t happen again. Until an unhappy customer reports that the problem reemerged or that something else went awry.
Our first impulse is to solve it as quickly as possible, enabling the customer to use the application again. But what if the problem is one of those silent issues we mentioned earlier in this post? The customer will grow increasingly impatient. The project the staff was working on starts running late, since they lost a whole day trying to solve a problem that should never have come up. The customer has to cancel a meeting with the board, since they can’t access the data—or worse, the error happens during the meeting. The end result: your reputation takes a hit just because you failed to anticipate and solve a problem before it came to your customer’s attention.
Sisense uses a wide range of resources, both in terms of hardware and databases, file systems, and protocols such as SSH, HTTP, and others. Monitoring these resources may not be so easy.
Of course, we should keep in mind that Sisense is a complex application. Monitoring them all in order to prevent problems is nearly impossible. Even with monitoring, one should keep it updated and reboot the system once a week to terminate blocked processes and clear up the memory.
Increase efficiency and cut costs with BlueBot
Infusing analytics into corporate routines is a key challenge. One aspect of that goal is making it easier to manage resources in the Sisense platform and lowering friction in everyday processes. This is precisely how BlueBot by BlueMetrics works.
With BlueBot, users can connect to Sisense in order to monitor the platform and perform routine tasks directly via Slack. This makes the process much easier, saves time, and helps foster an analytics culture among teams and throughout the company. In addition, BlueBot helps increase efficiency and cut costs.
Start and stop builds
Easily start and stop an Elasticube build using Slack slash commands.
Show build status
Real-time status information about Elasticube build process started from Slack.
Manage build schedules
Schedule Elasticube builds through Slack and see the build status once they run.
Show server resource usage
Show CPU and RAM usage for the Sisense server, and query and build pods activities in real-time.
Count on BlueMetrics and make your work easier on Sisense
Need any help with work using Sisense? Or even in other IT areas, including outsourcing high-quality IT services? BlueMetrics is a Sisense Silver Partner, with wide experience in the platform and numerous projects delivered throughout the world. Fill out the form below and let’s set up a meeting!
