New in Grafana 6.3: Easy-to-Use Data Links

Grafana 6.3 introduces enhanced features for data interaction, particularly focusing on improving cross-system navigation and usability through the introduction of Panel links and Data links. These new functionalities aim to simplify the integration between Grafana and external systems by enabling users to recreate the context of their data visualized in Grafana in external systems. Data links, specifically in the Graph panel, offer access to template variables, the current time range, and series-specific variables such as series name and clicked datapoint timestamp, thus allowing for more precise contextual recreation. This update stems from collaboration with Bloomberg and feedback from the Grafana community, addressing previous limitations in linking metrics visualized in Grafana with logs in other systems like Kibana. Additionally, Data links are now more accessible via a context menu in the Graph panel, and future updates plan to extend these capabilities to other visualizations and include more series-specific variables. Grafana Labs continues to explore new ways to enhance cross-system interaction and encourages users to stay updated through their blog and social media channels.