> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.enginsight.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.enginsight.com/docs/manual/english/platform-usage/host-detail-view/monitoring/custom-metrics.md).

# Custom Metrics

Custom metrics are user-defined metrics that you can define using the [extracted fields](/docs/manual/english/platform-usage/hosts/management/plugins/add-plugin.md#extracted-fields) from executed plugin scripts. You can monitor and show them in the **Custom Metrics** dashboard.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Please note**: To monitor and show custom metrics for a host, you must assign that host to the respective [plugins](/docs/manual/english/platform-usage/hosts/management/plugins.md).
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
The retention period for custom metrics is 14 days by default. You can adjust this period in the configuration file.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="success" icon="lightbulb" %}
For more information on how to change the retention periods for Enginsight log entries, see our Knowledge Base: [How can I adjust the retention periods for my Enginsight logs?](https://docs.enginsight.com/docs/knowledge-base/english/logging/how-can-i-adjust-the-retention-periods-for-my-enginsight-logs)
{% endhint %}

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<i class="fa-compass">:compass:</i> Navigate to **Hosts** → **Overview** and click the name of a host to open the host detail menu on the [Dashboard](/docs/manual/english/platform-usage/host-detail-view/dashboard.md). Then click **Monitoring** → **Custom Metrics** in the host detail menu to show various line charts with custom metrics that are monitored on the host. If you have not created any custom metrics yet, this view is empty.

<figure><img src="https://2423388680-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FV7OrHgKXA0t1jankQBYf%2Fuploads%2F4tFr6Kl4nQykqHMvYfIc%2Fenginsight-screenshot-host%20detail%20view-monitoring-custom%20metrics.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=32e09858-e5fc-400b-b2b4-ba8713843d3b" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

## Navigation

### Defining Start and End Time

<i class="fa-computer-mouse">:computer-mouse:</i> Click <i class="fa-calendar-days">:calendar-days:</i> **Start Time** or <i class="fa-calendar-days">:calendar-days:</i> **End Time** in the upper-right corner to define the start or end of the period to be analyzed. The date picker opens.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Relative Time Period" %}
Define a **Relative Time Period** manually. You can also select a relative time range from one of the available **Templates**.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="https://2423388680-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FV7OrHgKXA0t1jankQBYf%2Fuploads%2FrrYJOLp7HuEQorpFUCX2%2FEnginsight-EN-Date%20Picker-Relative%20Time%20Period.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=1018f4bd-8137-4bba-a2c8-8fd8202538a4" alt="" width="235"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

<i class="fa-computer-mouse">:computer-mouse:</i> Click the field with the default setting **Days Ago** to expand a list of all available time ranges. Select a time range.

In the number field, enter the number of seconds, minutes, hours, days, or weeks you want to show. The default value is **1**.

<i class="fa-computer-mouse">:computer-mouse:</i> Click **Apply** to confirm your settings.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Absolute Time Period" %}
Select a date from the calendar view.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="https://2423388680-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FV7OrHgKXA0t1jankQBYf%2Fuploads%2Fp2GTtoSJ59r7MIYreBFZ%2FEnginsight-EN-Date%20Picker-Absolute%20Time%20Period.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=e00bb0e2-c7ed-4ddb-9629-e02b34df20e6" alt="" width="232"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

<i class="fa-computer-mouse">:computer-mouse:</i> Optionally, click <i class="fa-clock">:clock:</i> **Time** to set an exact time in the 24-hour format using the clock face. First, select an hour. The clock face then switches to the minute view. Select the required minutes.

<i class="fa-computer-mouse">:computer-mouse:</i> Click **Apply** to confirm your settings.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

<i class="fa-computer-mouse">:computer-mouse:</i> Click <i class="fa-arrow-rotate-left">:arrow-rotate-left:</i> **Reset** in the upper-right corner to reset the settings for the selected time range.

<i class="fa-computer-mouse">:computer-mouse:</i> Click <i class="fa-arrows-rotate-reverse">:arrows-rotate-reverse:</i> **Refresh** in the upper-right corner to update all data for the selected period.

***

## Custom Metrics: Tiles

For each monitored custom metric, a tile with a line chart is created.&#x20;

<div align="left"><figure><img src="https://2423388680-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FV7OrHgKXA0t1jankQBYf%2Fuploads%2FWdITE4vupOpXOOCSKYPn%2Fenginsight-screenshot-host%20detail%20view-monitoring-custom%20metrics-tiles.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=e9c50efc-f828-4831-895d-73098508a0f4" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

Each tile is structured as follows:

* **Title**: The name of the field extracted from the respective plugin script.
* **Y-axis**: The unit used for the value.
* **X-axis**: The selected time range.
* **Value**: The monitored value whose progression is shown in the line chart.

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## Further Resources

**Knowledge Base:**

* [How can I adjust the retention periods for my Enginsight logs?](https://docs.enginsight.com/docs/knowledge-base/english/logging/how-can-i-adjust-the-retention-periods-for-my-enginsight-logs)

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