Azure Monitor annotations

Annotations overlay rich event information on top of graphs. You can use Azure Monitor Log Analytics queries to create annotations that mark important events, deployments, alerts, or other significant occurrences on your dashboards.

Before you begin

Ensure you have configured the Azure Monitor data source.
You need access to a Log Analytics workspace containing the data you want to use for annotations.
Annotations use Log Analytics (KQL) queries only. Metrics, Traces, and Azure Resource Graph queries are not supported for annotations.

Create an annotation query

To add an Azure Monitor annotation to a dashboard:

Open the dashboard where you want to add annotations.
Click Dashboard settings (gear icon) in the top navigation.
Select Annotations in the left menu.
Click Add annotation query.
Enter a Name for the annotation (e.g., “Azure Activity”, “Deployments”).
Select your Azure Monitor data source.
Choose the Logs service.
Select a Resource (Log Analytics workspace or Application Insights resource).
Write a KQL query that returns the annotation data.
Click Apply to save.

Query requirements

Your KQL query should return columns that Grafana can use to create annotations:

Column	Required	Description
`TimeGenerated`	Yes	The timestamp for the annotation. Grafana uses this to position the annotation on the time axis.
`Text`	Recommended	The annotation text displayed when you hover over or click the annotation.
Additional columns	Optional	Any other columns returned become annotation tags.

Note
Always include a time filter in your query to limit results to the dashboard’s time range. Use the $__timeFilter() macro.

Annotation query examples

The following examples demonstrate common annotation use cases.

Azure Activity Log events

Display Azure Activity Log events such as resource modifications, deployments, and administrative actions:

AzureActivity
| where $__timeFilter(TimeGenerated)
| where Level == "Error" or Level == "Warning" or CategoryValue == "Administrative"
| project TimeGenerated, Text=OperationNameValue, Level, ResourceGroup, Caller
| order by TimeGenerated desc
| take 100

Deployment events

Show deployment-related activity:

AzureActivity
| where $__timeFilter(TimeGenerated)
| where OperationNameValue contains "deployments"
| project TimeGenerated, Text=strcat("Deployment: ", OperationNameValue), Status=ActivityStatusValue, ResourceGroup
| order by TimeGenerated desc

Application Insights exceptions

Mark application exceptions as annotations:

AppExceptions
| where $__timeFilter(TimeGenerated)
| project TimeGenerated, Text=strcat(ProblemId, ": ", OuterMessage), SeverityLevel, AppRoleName
| order by TimeGenerated desc
| take 50

Custom events from Application Insights

Display custom events logged by your application:

AppEvents
| where $__timeFilter(TimeGenerated)
| where Name == "DeploymentStarted" or Name == "DeploymentCompleted"
| project TimeGenerated, Text=Name, AppRoleName
| order by TimeGenerated desc

Security alerts

Show security-related alerts:

SecurityAlert
| where $__timeFilter(TimeGenerated)
| project TimeGenerated, Text=AlertName, Severity=AlertSeverity, Description
| order by TimeGenerated desc
| take 50

Resource health events

Display resource health status changes:

AzureActivity
| where $__timeFilter(TimeGenerated)
| where CategoryValue == "ResourceHealth"
| project TimeGenerated, Text=OperationNameValue, Status=ActivityStatusValue, ResourceId
| order by TimeGenerated desc

VM start and stop events

Mark virtual machine state changes:

AzureActivity
| where $__timeFilter(TimeGenerated)
| where OperationNameValue has_any ("start", "deallocate", "restart")
| where ResourceProviderValue == "MICROSOFT.COMPUTE"
| project TimeGenerated, Text=OperationNameValue, VM=Resource, Status=ActivityStatusValue
| order by TimeGenerated desc

Autoscale events

Show autoscale operations:

AzureActivity
| where $__timeFilter(TimeGenerated)
| where OperationNameValue contains "autoscale"
| project TimeGenerated, Text=strcat("Autoscale: ", OperationNameValue), Status=ActivityStatusValue, ResourceGroup
| order by TimeGenerated desc

Customize annotation appearance

After creating an annotation query, you can customize its appearance:

Setting	Description
Color	Choose a color for the annotation markers. Use different colors to distinguish between annotation types.
Show in	Select which panels display the annotations.
Filter by	Add filters to limit when annotations appear.

Best practices

Follow these recommendations when creating annotations:

Limit results: Always use take or limit to restrict the number of annotations. Too many annotations can clutter your dashboard and impact performance.
Use time filters: Include $__timeFilter() to ensure queries only return data within the dashboard’s time range.
Create meaningful text: Use strcat() or project to create descriptive annotation text that provides context at a glance.
Add relevant tags: Include columns like ResourceGroup, Severity, or Status that become clickable tags for filtering.
Use descriptive names: Name your annotations clearly (e.g., “Production Deployments”, “Critical Alerts”) so dashboard users understand what they represent.