Today I spoke at the NYC Code Camp. My talk was Telemetry: Beyond Logging to Insight and focused on Event Tracing for Windows (ETW), ETW support in .NET 4.5, some .NET 4.5.1 additions, Semantic Logging Application Block (SLAB), Semantic Logging, and a number of other tools and ideas for using logging and other means to generate insight and answer questions. In order to allow this, “logging” needs to be structured, which ETW facilitates. In order for the structured data to make sense, developers need to be disciplined, which the Semantic Logging mindset supports.

The talk abstract and the slide deck used are both included below.

ABSTRACT

What is my application doing? This question can be difficult to answer in distributed environments such as the cloud. Parsing logs doesn’t cut it anymore. We need insight. In this talk we look at current logging approaches, contrast it with Telemetry, mix in the Semantic Logging mindset, and then use some new-fangled tools and techniques (enabled by .NET 4.5) alongside some old-school tools and techniques to see how to apply this goodness in our code. Event Tracing for Windows (ETW), the Semantic Logging Application Block, and several other tools and technologies will play a role.

DECK

Telemetry with Event Tracing for Windows (ETW), EventSource, and Semantic Logging Application Block (SLAB) — NYC CC — 14-September-2013 — Bill Wilder (blog.codingoutloud.com)