Distributed Tracing with Dynatrace® Platform

This guide explains how to configure the Dynatrace Platform for ThousandEyes Distributed Tracing integration. This integration helps you trace requests across services and identify whether issues are caused by the network or the application layer.

Requirements

Before you start, ensure the following requirements are met:

• The monitored endpoint is configured correctly. See Monitored Endpoint Requirements.

• You have access to Dynatrace.

  • Your Dynatrace tenant must include the Grail functionality, available with a Dynatrace Platform Subscription (DPS) license.

  • Your user account must have the following permissions: Standard User, Read Spans, and All Grail data read access.

• You have created a ThousandEyes test with distributed tracing.

Configuration Steps

Step 1: Create a Dynatrace Platform Token

Create a Dynatrace platform token with the correct scopes to retrieve traces from Grail.

1. Go to Dynatrace platform tokens.

2. Enter a name and expiration time.

3. In token scopes, select storage:spans:read and storage:buckets:read.

4. Generate the token and copy it.

Your user account must include the scopes required by the API. To view or edit your permissions, see Edit existing users in Dynatrace. If you don’t have permission, contact your administrator.

For more information, see Permissions in Grail.

Step 2: Create the Dynatrace Platform Integration in ThousandEyes

1. In ThousandEyes, go to Manage > Integrations > Integrations 2.0.

2. Create a Generic Connector with the following details:

   • Target URL: https://<ENVIRONMENT>.apps.dynatrace.com. Replace <ENVIRONMENT> with your Dynatrace environment ID (for example, eff91928).

   • Authentication:

     • In Auth Type, select Bearer Token.

     • For the token value, enter the platform token you created.

     

     Dynatrace Platform Generic Connector
3. Create an operation:

   1. Click + New Operation.

   2. Choose Dynatrace® Platform for ThousandEyes Distributed Tracing.

   3. Enter an Operation Name.

   4. Enable the operation.

   

   Dynatrace Platform Operation

Step 3: View the Service Map

Service Map

1. Open the Service Map tab in ThousandEyes.

2. Use the map to analyze the trace path. You can identify:

   • The services involved in the request.

   • Any latency issues, highlighted in red if thresholds are exceeded.

   • Any errors between services, shown as red lines if a request fails.

   • Trace metadata, such as the trace ID and request flow details.

Step 4: Debug the Trace in Dynatrace

In the Service Map tab in ThousandEyes, click the link to open the trace in the Dynatrace distributed tracing app. You can then:

• Drill into service-level trace data.

• Use Dynatrace's trace search, filters, and dashboards for deeper analysis.

Trace in Dynatrace