New Log Analytics query builder simplifies writing SQL code

As a DevOps engineer, Site Reliability Engineer, or application developer, how many times have you wrestled with complex queries to get the insights you need? Have you wished that there was an easier way to troubleshoot, identify root causes, and verify fixes, without being a SQL expert? We hear you loud and clear. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce the general availability of the Log Analytics query builder, a powerful new tool designed to democratize access to your observability data in Google Cloud.

The challenge: When writing SQL is a bottleneck

Log Analytics lets you query logs, other telemetry types, and even transactional or business datasets from BigQuery in one place. However, for many users, writing SQL queries can be a significant hurdle. This is especially true when dealing with critical log data, where valuable information is often nested in JSON payloads with varying schemas. The time and effort required to write effective SQL can slow down troubleshooting and hinder the ability to diagnose issues efficiently.

The solution: An intuitive query-building experience

We designed the new query builder to break down these barriers, with an intuitive, UI-based experience that empowers users of all skill levels to get answers from their observability data quickly.

Our goals were simple:

• Lower the barrier to entry: Get started with Log Analytics for troubleshooting without a steep learning curve.

• Accelerate insights: Generate insights from your data faster, reducing the time and effort needed to create effective queries.

• Simplify JSON parsing: Easily extract and analyze valuable data from JSON payloads in your logs.

• Reduce the need for SQL: For many queries, you may not need to write a SQL, or use the builder to generate starting SQL and get a jump start to continue editing complex queries. 

With the query builder, you can analyze, chart and alert on logs with a few clicks on the UI. Save time and effort by more easily writing a SQL query to help more quickly resolve an incident.