> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.honeycomb.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Investigate Application Data in Honeycomb

> Analyze application telemetry in Honeycomb to monitor overall health, spot anomalies, and troubleshoot performance problems as they arise.

export const HnyIcon = ({alias, path, size = 16, iconColor}) => {
  const iconMap = {
    "home": "house.svg",
    "marker": "caretFilledDown.svg",
    "show-marker-options": "chatTextLeft.svg",
    "download": "arrowLineDown.svg",
    "trace-waterfall": "trace.svg",
    "show-query-details": "listDashes.svg",
    "table": "table.svg",
    "log-lines": "logLines.svg",
    "chart": "chartLine.svg",
    "show-settings": "gear.svg",
    "add": "plus.svg",
    "remove": "delete.svg",
    "persist": "caretDown.svg",
    "close": "close.svg",
    "copy": "copy.svg",
    "zoom-in": "magnifyingGlassPlus.svg",
    "zoom-out": "magnifyingGlassMinus.svg",
    "color-assignment": "drop.svg",
    "drag": "dots-six-vertical.svg",
    "drawer": "drawer.svg",
    "show-actions": "dotsThree.svg",
    "edit": "pencil.svg",
    "delete": "trash.svg",
    "move": "arrowsOutCardinal.svg",
    "show-legend": "circleInfo.svg",
    "usage-ok": "usageGood.svg",
    "usage-warning": "usageWarning.svg",
    "usage-danger": "usageDanger.svg",
    "open-query-builder": "query.svg",
    "home-menu": "house.svg",
    "query-menu": "query.svg",
    "boards-menu": "board.svg",
    "triggers-menu": "bell.svg",
    "slos-menu": "handshake.svg",
    "service-map-menu": "serviceMap.svg",
    "history-menu": "clockCounterClockwise.svg",
    "manage-data-menu": "cube.svg",
    "usage-menu": "usageGood.svg",
    "show-details": "dotsThreeVertical.svg",
    "resize-handle": "board-panel-resize-handle.png",
    "standard-dataset": "cube.svg",
    "trace-dataset": "cubeChat.svg",
    "all-datasets": "linkedSquares.svg",
    "share": "arrowBentRight.svg",
    "run-in-query-builder": "arrowSquareUpRight.svg",
    "link": "link.svg",
    "text": "text.svg",
    "receive": "arrowLineDown.svg",
    "process": "lightning.svg",
    "sample": "drop.svg",
    "send": "arrowLineUp.svg",
    "submit": "arrowUp.svg",
    "canvas-menu": "sparkle.svg",
    "canvas": "sparkle.svg",
    "private": "lockKey.svg",
    "shared": "people.svg",
    "expand": "caretDown.svg",
    "previous": "caretLeft.svg",
    "next": "caretRight.svg"
  };
  const iconBasePath = "/_assets/icons/";
  const iconPath = path || (alias ? `${iconBasePath}${iconMap[alias]}` : undefined);
  return <span className="hny-icon" style={{
    display: "inline-block",
    width: `${size}px`,
    height: `${size}px`,
    maskImage: `url(${iconPath})`,
    maskSize: "contain",
    maskRepeat: "no-repeat",
    maskPosition: "center",
    WebkitMaskImage: `url(${iconPath})`,
    WebkitMaskSize: "contain",
    WebkitMaskRepeat: "no-repeat",
    WebkitMaskPosition: "center",
    backgroundColor: iconColor || "var(--hny-icon-color)",
    verticalAlign: "middle"
  }} />;
};

Honeycomb is designed to let you explore your systems in novel ways and find problems faster. Here's a quick overview of ways to learn about and explore your data.

## Before You Begin

Before you can explore your data, you should have already [added instrumentation to your application](/get-started/start-building/application/), run it, and interacted with it by making a few requests.
Making requests to your service will generate telemetry data and send it to Honeycomb where it will appear in the Honeycomb UI within seconds.

## View Events

Start by exploring with the raw data from your applications [in Honeycomb](https://ui.honeycomb.io/).

1. From the left sidebar, go to **New Query**.
2. Select **Run Query** to run an empty query.

   <Frame>
     <img src="https://mintcdn.com/honeycomb/ZEhop91RpDyv3q2S/_assets/images/application-data/NewQuery.gif?s=b9901febb17b76af1750ad115a58f951" alt="An animated gif where after a blank new query is run, the user selects the Events tab to show the rows of available raw data." width="1570" height="810" data-path="_assets/images/application-data/NewQuery.gif" />
   </Frame>

   Events data from your application is displayed in a table.
   Take a moment to notice the fields that are included and how events are laid out.

## Group By and Filter

Choose a field and group by it to get a more granular view.
In this example, we will use `http.status_code`.

1. In **GROUP BY**, enter `http.status_code`. Select **Run Query**.
   You will see events grouped by codes like `200` or `404`, depending on your application.
2. Next to one of the rows, select the Show Actions icon (<HnyIcon alias="show-actions" />), then select **Show only events in this group**.
   You will see all events that contain that value, charted over time.

   <Frame>
     <img src="https://mintcdn.com/honeycomb/ZEhop91RpDyv3q2S/_assets/images/application-data/GroupBy.gif?s=4618bc8ea2b97fc5015d776bd329dada" alt="An animated gif where the user selects the ellipsis icon for the field and then selects the Group By http.status_code option, and the screen changes to display the results." width="1580" height="864" data-path="_assets/images/application-data/GroupBy.gif" />
   </Frame>

   View, group by, and filter your Events to highlight the basic shape of your data and the fields available for analysis.

<Tip>
  To see a richer view, make sure you [customize your instrumentation](/send-data/standardize/add-custom-instrumentation/).
</Tip>

## View a Sample Trace

Traces are visual diagrams of all the events that occur in a single operation as it traverses an application.
They are made up of the structured events (seen above) that you send, and tied together by a Trace ID.
Traces help you find the source of errors in a system, identify the slowest processes, and break down the user experience in great detail.

1. Select the **Traces** tab.
   Below the chart, you will see up to 10 of the slowest traces.
2. Select the **Trace ID** to view that trace.

   <Frame>
     <img src="https://mintcdn.com/honeycomb/ZEhop91RpDyv3q2S/_assets/images/application-data/Traces.gif?s=18f7546d5acf9a8d4f9ee087cbb8f37d" alt="An animated gif where after selecting the Traces tab, the user selects an individual trace ID to see its Trace Detail View." width="1637" height="856" data-path="_assets/images/application-data/Traces.gif" />
   </Frame>

   This view is called the trace waterfall.
   It shows the spans within the trace, how long each one took, which contain errors, and additional metadata.
   Tracing is a powerful way to find performance problems and understand how data flows through a large system.
   [Learn more about traces](/get-started/basics/observability/concepts/distributed-tracing/).

## Query and Visualize

Now that you have taken a tour of your data, query it to answer a question about your system.

For example: How many events contain a certain error?
What is the average latency and distribution of those events?

1. From the left sidebar, navigate to **New Query**.

2. In the **SELECT** clause, add:
   `COUNT`
   `AVG(duration_ms)`
   `HEATMAP(duration_ms)`

3. Select **Run Query**.

   <Frame>
     <img src="https://mintcdn.com/honeycomb/ZEhop91RpDyv3q2S/_assets/images/application-data/AskQuestion.gif?s=79428707e7d707e6ba3593e45a4fc742" alt="An animated gif where the user updates the Visualize clause to include Count, Avg(duration_ms), and Heatmap(duration_ms), selects Run Query, and views the results." width="1580" height="882" data-path="_assets/images/application-data/AskQuestion.gif" />
   </Frame>

   You will see a stack of charts: a count of events, an average latency for those events, and a heatmap of latency.

   Zoom into the chart.
   Click and drag around an area you would like to see.
   Click the Zoom In icon (<HnyIcon alias="zoom-in" />) to zoom.

   Look for patterns and outliers.
   As you add instrumentation, your charts get enriched with more data.

   <Tip>
     Querying and visualizing your data is a core practice for flexible exploration in Honeycomb.
     Many developers investigate using an iterative process called the [core analysis loop](/get-started/basics/observability/concepts/core-analysis-loop/).
   </Tip>

## Investigate Outliers

Using the heatmap of `duration_ms`, analyze outliers in your data with the [BubbleUp](/investigate/analyze/identify-outliers/) feature.

1. Drag to select an area on the heatmap with some data that looks a little different from the rest.
2. Choose **BubbleUp Outliers**.

   <Frame>
     <img src="https://mintcdn.com/honeycomb/ZEhop91RpDyv3q2S/_assets/images/application-data/BubbleUp.gif?s=c469b1de858def1535f3f1582239ee31" alt="An animated gif where the user selects the Anomalies tab, selects a range within the visualized data to use the BubbleUp feature, and examines the Dimensions results that appear below the visualized data." width="1583" height="930" data-path="_assets/images/application-data/BubbleUp.gif" />
   </Frame>

   The small charts that appear below analyze your selected events by each available dimension and measure.

   [BubbleUp](/investigate/analyze/identify-outliers/) is a unique Honeycomb approach that intelligently surfaces useful signals in your data.
   Visually identify what stands out and deep dive into your data.
   BubbleUp enables you to quickly drill into high-cardinality data like userID, loan type, system request--any attribute that is important to your business.