Observability Practical By Samson Tanimawo, PhD Published Mar 18, 2026 4 min read

Trace Ratio by Percentile: A Useful Dashboard

The ratio of fast to slow traces by percentile reveals workload health. The panel and the trends to watch.

The panel

X-axis: time. Y-axis: percentage of traces in each percentile bucket.

Stacked area. Shape reveals workload changes.

Normal shape

Stable percentile distribution. The shape is consistent week over week.

Anomaly: sudden change in distribution shape. The mean might be stable but the shape shifted.

Slow-trace percentage growing: workload getting harder. Maybe new feature, maybe regression.

Slow-trace percentage shrinking: optimisation paid off. Celebrate.