Time Series Data: Analytics for Continuous Monitoring Time series data are measurements collected from a process over time. They help teams watch performance, detect problems, and plan ahead. Common sources include sensors, logs, stock prices, and user activity. With continuous monitoring, you see how metrics move, not just a single point in time.
Core concepts Time stamps: each value carries a time mark. Regular vs irregular intervals: some streams use fixed steps, others arrive irregularly. Missing data: gaps happen; you can impute, interpolate, or explicitly note the gaps. Practical steps Define clear metrics: uptime, temperature, latency, or throughput. Build a simple data pipeline: collect, store, refresh, and protect data quality. Visualize trends: line charts reveal direction and seasonality. Analyze seasonality and trend: separate components to understand recurring cycles. Detect anomalies: use thresholds, rolling statistics, or simple change detection. Set alerts and runbooks: notify when something unusual happens and how to respond. Example: Temperature in a data center Imagine sensors report room temperature every 5 minutes. You calculate a 60-minute rolling average and a 60-minute standard deviation. If the latest reading sits well above the moving mean (for example, beyond mean plus two standard deviations), an alert is triggered. A quick dashboard slice shows a steady line that suddenly spikes, guiding engineers to check cooling or airflow.
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