3.1. ① Free-form questions
Asking in ordinary language — the phrasings that work
This is the simplest method. You just type into the input box.
It is quick, but the answer varies with how you word it. This chapter collects the phrasings that work well.
Three things are enough
[ what ] + [ when ] + [ what you want to know ]
"How is
<app name>'s response time over the last hour?"
If one of the three is missing, the widget either asks you back or guesses. A wrong guess means asking again, so it is faster to include all three from the start.
Do not invent names — take them from the screen
<app name> and <namespace> in the examples in this document are placeholders to fill in. Do not type them literally.
Use the names that actually appear in your console: the application group list in APM, or the resource list in COP Console.
| If you do this | Result |
|---|---|
| Ask using a name that does not exist | The target is not found and you get no result |
| Use the name exactly as shown on screen | It arrives pre-filled in the confirmation dialog |
If aliases have been configured, it understands those too.
How to write the subject
| Not this | This |
|---|---|
| "How is the response time?" | "How is <app name>'s response time?" |
| "The pod won't start" | "<pod name> in <namespace> won't start" |
| "The query is slow" | "This query is slow on <DB name> — SELECT …" |
| "Check the node status" | "Check the status of node <node name>" |
The confirmation dialog is normal
Even when you name the subject, the Parameter confirmation dialog appears once. That is not a failure.
you send the question
→ Parameter confirmation dialog (the application name is pre-filled)
→ [Confirm]
→ answer
If you wrote the name correctly, the value is already there and you only press Confirm. If the field is empty, the name was not found, so pick one from the list (Chapter 306).
How to write the time
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| "now" · "currently" | The latest value |
| "the last hour" · "the last six hours" | A relative window |
| "yesterday afternoon" · "early this morning" | An approximate time |
| "over three days" | A long window |
Without a time, the widget usually assumes a recent window. If the problem happened at a known time, always say so.
How to say what you want to know
The same subject gives different answers depending on how you ask.
| Ask this | Get this |
|---|---|
| "…how is it?" | A summary of the current state |
| "…why did it get slow?" | Candidate causes — metrics that moved with it |
| "…when will it hit the limit?" | A forecast with a confidence band |
| "…is there anything unusual?" | Windows that differ from normal |
| "…how do I fix it?" | Suggested actions |
Keep follow-up questions short
The widget remembers your previous question. You do not have to repeat the subject and the time.
"How was
<app name>'s response time yesterday afternoon?" → "And what about CPU at that time?" → "And the database side?"
When the subject changes completely, press New chat. Otherwise the earlier conversation can pull the answer off course.
Questions that do not work well
| Question like this | Why |
|---|---|
| "Show me everything" | With no scope, it cannot decide what to query |
| "Why is this like this?" | It does not know what "this" is — use a button |
| Asking with a name that does not exist | The target is not found — use the name from the screen |
| Asking with the tools switched off | It does not even attempt the query (Chapter 202) |
Starting with "this" or "that" carries over the previous subject
Starting with this pod or that job reuses the subject from the previous exchange. That is convenient while you stay on one thing, but if the subject has changed and you still use it, the widget queries the wrong thing.
| Not this | This |
|---|---|
| (after talking about an app) "How many nodes does this cluster have?" | "How many nodes are there?" |
| (after looking at another pod) "Show me that pod's logs" | "Show me the logs for <pod name>" |
Name the subject when it changes. A different kind of object (pod → node) is not carried over, but the same kind is.
Asking only "why was it slow" sends it looking in the wrong place
The word slow reads as a database question. You wanted metrics, but the widget goes looking for slow queries — and if no database is connected, it comes back with nothing.
Say what you want to look at and it will not go the wrong way.
| Not this | This |
|---|---|
"Why was <app> slow yesterday afternoon?" | "How was <app>'s response time yesterday afternoon?" |
| 〃 | "Analyse the metrics for what caused <app>'s response time spike yesterday afternoon" |
| 〃 | To find the cause properly → Analysis Prompt Builder |
When you want to ask "why", the builder's correlation analysis is more reliable than a free-form question. The screen decides which metrics to look at, so it does not wander off to the wrong tool.
If there is a button, the button is better
For charts, resources, logs and SQL, do not type — press the AI button next to them. The subject, the values and the analysis instructions are handed over together, which is more accurate than typing.
Part 6 covers where they are in each console.
When a free-form question is not enough
To look at metrics from several angles, there are two better options.
| Method | When |
|---|---|
| ② Guided questions | When you want to pick what to ask from a list |
| ③ Analysis Prompt Builder | When you want correlation, forecasting or anomaly detection |
Next
- Picking from a list — ② Guided questions
- Analysing metrics — ③ Analysis Prompt Builder — overview
- Reading answers — Reading answers — tables, charts, diagrams