---
title: "Dashboards & Querying"
slug: "dashboards-querying"
updated: 2026-06-09T16:28:42Z
published: 2026-06-09T16:28:42Z
canonical: "kb.kentik.com/dashboards-querying"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.kentik.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Dashboards & Querying

Once you have configured the [**Kentik Connect Datasource**](/v1/docs/grafana) for Grafana, you can move beyond the bundled dashboards to build custom panels that fit your specific observability needs.

## Building Custom Panels

When creating a new panel, select **Kentik** from the data source dropdown. The v2 data source includes a rich query editor that allows you to slice and group your network telemetry. Key features of the editor include:

- **Data Mode Toggle:** Switch between time-series (Graph) and summary (Table) output per panel.
- **Top-N Control:** Set the maximum number of results returned per query.
- **Filter Builder UI:** Add robust WHERE-clause style filters using dimension, operator, and value pickers with AND/OR conjunctions.
- **Multi-Dimension Support:** Select up to 8 dimensions per query to group traffic as a combination (similar to an SQL `GROUP BY`).
- **Metrics**: You can only select one metric per query (e.g., you cannot query Bits/s and Packets/s in the exact same query block).
- **Filter Conjunctions**: The AND/OR conjuction operator applies **globally** to all filters in that query. You cannot mix AND/OR statements within a single filter block.

## Using the "Alias By" Feature

The query editor includes an **Alias By** field to smartly label your time-series data. Simply type `$` or `{{` in the field to trigger an autocomplete dropdown of available tokens.

There are three main types of tokens you can use:

- `{{field}}` **(Dimension Token):** Pulls the dimension value directly from the series. (e.g., `{{Source Port}}` resolves to `443`).
- `$col` / `$metric_group` **(Built-in Tokens):** Pulls the aggregate column label (e.g., `$col` resolves to `Max bits/s`) or the metric group name (e.g., `SNMP Device CPU (%)`).
- `$var` **(Grafana Variables):** Injects standard Grafana dashboard variables into your series names.

![Kentik settings in Grafana for customizing dashboards (e.g. dropdowns for Data Mode, Sites, Devices)](https://cdn.us.document360.io/082e25b5-afce-42d4-8f47-70bd3f1d02b7/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1780414719808.png)

### **Practical “Alias By” Examples**

- **Device and Interface:**
  - **Syntax***:* `{{device}} / {{interface}}`
  - **Output***:* `core-router-01 / xe-0/0/1`
- **Network traffic by AS with the aggregate label:**
  - **Syntax***:* `{{SrcAS}} ($col)`
  - **Output***:* `15169 (Max bits/s)`
- **Geographic context with a static prefix:**
  - **Syntax***:* `Inbound {{SrcGeoCountry}} ($col)`
  - **Output***:* `Inbound United States (Max bits/s)`

> [!NOTE]
> **Note**: The alias engine features intelligent fallback resolution. It does not require exact field name matches, and if a token cannot be resolved, it will remain visibly unresolved in your legend so you can easily spot errors.

## Portal Drilldown

Panels powered by the v2 Kentik Connect Data Source support automatic portal drilldowns. When you interact with a data point on your Grafana panel, the plugin will automatically generate a link that routes you to the correct regional Kentik portal (US, EU, or Custom) with the exact time range and filters applied, allowing for seamless deep-dive troubleshooting.

Next, review [**Troubleshooting**](/v1/docs/troubleshooting-grafana) information for the Kentik Connect Datasource for Grafana.