Grafana Vectorstore Dashboard: Preselect Default Collection

The Problem with an Empty Slate: Why Your Grafana Vectorstore Dashboard Needs a Default

When you first load your Grafana vectorstore dashboard, you're greeted with a bit of a blank canvas. This isn't ideal, especially when you're trying to get a quick overview of your vector data. The core issue lies in the collection variable, which, by default, loads with an empty value. This means that crucial panels like the “Embeddings Collection - Vector Count” and other related visualizations simply show “no data.” Imagine walking into a control room and seeing all the monitors blank – not exactly the most informative start! This behavior forces users to perform an extra, manual step: selecting a collection from the dropdown. While it might seem like a minor inconvenience, in a fast-paced environment where quick access to information is key, this friction can add up. We want our dashboards to be informative from the get-go, providing immediate insights without requiring users to hunt for the right settings. This isn't just about aesthetics; it's about efficiency and usability. A dashboard should tell a story from the moment it loads, and currently, our vectorstore dashboard is waiting for a prompt before it can even begin. The current setup suggests a potential oversight in the initial configuration, where the system isn't making an educated guess about what data is most likely to be of interest. In many cases, there's a primary or default collection that users frequently monitor. By not preselecting this, we're missing an opportunity to enhance the user experience significantly. This article will dive into why preselecting a default collection is a simple yet powerful change that can dramatically improve the utility and user-friendliness of your Grafana vectorstore dashboard.

Current Behavior: The Empty Variable Conundrum

Let's break down why your Grafana vectorstore dashboard is currently showing empty panels on initial load. The root of the issue lies in how the collection variable is defined and how Grafana handles variable selections. Currently, the collection variable is populated using the label_values(qdrant_collection_vectors_count, collection) function. This PromQL query is designed to pull all unique collection labels from the qdrant_collection_vectors_count metric. The problem arises on the very first load of the dashboard. At this point, before any user interaction, the variable is initialized as empty. Consequently, when Grafana attempts to render the panels that rely on this collection variable, it effectively passes an empty string (collection="") to the underlying queries. Since there are no metrics tagged with an empty collection name (which is logical, as collections always have names!), these panels understandably return “no data.” This creates a frustrating experience for users who expect to see information readily available. They open the dashboard, see blank charts, and then have to remember to go to the variables dropdown, locate the collection selector, and manually choose the collection they are interested in. This is particularly problematic if there's a primary collection, like embeddings, that most users are concerned with. The dashboard could be showing valuable data, but it's hidden behind this initial empty state. It's like having a powerful tool but not knowing how to turn it on. The current behavior highlights a common pitfall in dashboard design: assuming that the user will always know what to do next. While experienced users might be familiar with this quirk, new users or those under pressure could easily be confused or frustrated. This isn't a problem with the data itself or the Prometheus scraping; the metrics are there, waiting to be displayed. It's purely a matter of user interface configuration and setting sensible defaults to ensure that the dashboard is immediately useful upon loading.

Expected Behavior: Instant Insights with a Smart Default

Imagine loading your Grafana vectorstore dashboard and seeing the key metrics instantly. That's the goal of the expected behavior. Instead of facing blank panels and the need for manual intervention, we want the dashboard to be immediately informative. The ideal scenario is that the collection dropdown is pre-populated with a sensible default value. Think of it like your email client opening directly to your inbox, rather than an empty folder. In the context of the vectorstore dashboard, a common and highly relevant collection is often named embeddings. Therefore, the expected behavior is to default the collection variable to embeddings (or any other value that makes logical sense for your specific setup). When the dashboard loads, Grafana will automatically select embeddings as the current value for the collection variable. This means that all the panels, such as the gauges and timeseries charts that display vector counts and other relevant statistics, will immediately query and render data for the embeddings collection. No extra clicks, no “no data” messages – just immediate, actionable insights. This change transforms the dashboard from a tool that requires configuration to a tool that provides information. It enhances the user experience by reducing friction and saving valuable time. For teams relying on this dashboard for monitoring, this means faster troubleshooting, quicker performance checks, and a more streamlined workflow. The ability to see data immediately allows users to grasp the current state of their vector database at a glance. This isn't about hiding information or forcing a specific view; it's about providing a smart starting point. If a user needs to investigate other collections, they can still easily switch to them using the dropdown. But for the majority of use cases, having the most relevant collection pre-selected significantly improves the dashboard's immediate utility. This proactive approach to dashboard design ensures that the tool is as effective as possible right from the first interaction.

Proposed Change: A Simple Fix for a Smoother Experience

The fix for this user experience issue is remarkably straightforward and involves a minor adjustment to the Grafana dashboard's JSON configuration. The goal is to ensure that the collection variable has a predefined, selected value upon loading, rather than starting empty. Specifically, the change needs to be made within the infra/grafana/dashboards/vectorstore-status.json file. Within this JSON configuration, we need to locate the definition for the collection variable. Grafana dashboard variables have a property that allows you to specify a current selection and also mark it as selected. By setting the current value to embeddings (or your chosen default collection) and ensuring it's marked as selected, we instruct Grafana to use this value by default. This tells Grafana,