# Choose Destinations ## Overview Destinations define what you want to connect to: either specific applications your users need to access or cloud provider regions where your services are hosted. ## Destination Options Provider Intelligence supports three types of destination combinations. Select from applications, cloud regions, or both, or choose to leave the destination fields empty for a broader comparison. ### Applications Popular SaaS and business applications (such as Microsoft 365, Webex, Salesforce, Google Workspace). Choose application destinations when, for example: * Your users need to access specific SaaS tools. * You want to optimize for application performance metrics like page load time and Time to First Byte (TTFB). See [Prioritize Metrics](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/internet-insights/provider-intelligence/build-a-query/prioritize-metrics) to understand which metrics are measured and when. * You need to validate which provider offers the best experience for critical business applications. ### Cloud Regions Specific geographic regions for major cloud providers like AWS us-east-1, Azure westeurope, or GCP asia-southeast1. Choose cloud region destinations when, for example: * You host applications or services in specific cloud provider regions. * You're a service provider evaluating peering partners to your infrastructure. * You need to optimize connectivity to your own cloud-hosted resources. ### Both (Applications and Cloud Regions) Any combination of applications and cloud regions. Select both when, for example, you want to evaluate providers for a branch office that needs to access both Microsoft 365 and your applications hosted in AWS us-west-2. When you select both: * The default [**Summary View**](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/internet-insights/provider-intelligence/view-results/destination-views#summary-view) aggregates performance across your selected destinations. * Results are calculated on whichever of your selected destinations have test data available. This means overall scores might not factor in all selected destinations for all providers (though always contain at least one). The query follows an `OR` logic rather than an `AND` logic. * The [**Universal Application Summary**](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/internet-insights/provider-intelligence/view-results/destination-views#universal-application-summary) provides additional context about *all* applications available in our dataset that the available providers connect to (not just your chosen ones). * You can select each individual destination in the results table to view its raw metrics. By selecting destinations, you tailor your analysis to the services your users actually access, ensuring that provider comparisons reflect real-world business needs. See [Destination Views](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/internet-insights/provider-intelligence/view-results/destination-views) for more information. ### No Destinations Destinations are optional. If you don't select any destinations, Provider Intelligence automatically displays your results using the [**Universal Application Summary**](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/internet-insights/provider-intelligence/view-results/destination-views#universal-application-summary) view, which includes data for any application in our dataset with test coverage from the selected locations. This is useful when you: * Want the broadest possible comparison of service providers. * Don't have specific applications or cloud regions in mind. * Want to see general internet connectivity performance. ## Why Destinations Matter Not all providers perform equally across all destinations. For example: * A provider might have excellent peering to AWS us-east-1 but poor connectivity to GCP europe-west1. * Providers in some countries might restrict access to specific applications. Selecting destinations allows you to: * **Prioritize business-critical services**: Evaluate providers based on the apps your users use most. * **Identify peering gaps**: Discover which service providers have direct peering relationships with your cloud providers. * **Optimize for specific workloads**: Compare performance for latency-sensitive apps (for example, video conferencing) vs. bulk data transfers (for example, backup to cloud storage). ## How to Select Destinations ![Cloud region and application destination fields in the query builder](/files/eSbZvLefQhvDZdvyvBBU) 1. In the **Cloud Region(s)** or **Application(s)** fields, scroll or start typing a cloud region or application name, for example “us”. 2. Select from the autocomplete suggestions, for example “us-east-1”. 3. Repeat to add multiple destinations. 4. Click out of the dialog to save your selections. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/internet-insights/provider-intelligence/build-a-query/choose-destinations.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.