Amazon offers CloudWatch for aggregating and analyzing performance through the CloudWatch console, command line, or CloudWatch API. You can also use it to set alarms and perform tasks. It performs specified actions on certain events.

Cloudwatch Console

Utilize CloudWatch by accessing the Management Console, and then opening the CloudWatch console at .

You can then perform the following steps −

• Select Metrics from the navigation pane.

• Under DynamoDB metrics within the CloudWatch Metrics by Category pane, choose Table Metrics.

• Use the upper pane to scroll below and examine the entire list of table metrics. The Viewing list provides metrics options.

In the results interface, you can select/deselect each metric by selecting the checkbox beside the resource name and metric. Then you would be able to view graphs for each item.

API Integration

You can access CloudWatch with queries. Use metric values to perform CloudWatch actions. Note DynamoDB does not send metrics with a value of zero. It simply skips metrics for time periods where those metrics remain at that value.

The following are some of the most commonly used metrics −

• ConditionalCheckFailedRequests − It tracks the quantity of failed attempts at conditional writes such as conditional PutItem writes. The failed writes increment this metric by one on evaluation to false. It also throws an HTTP 400 error.

• ConsumedReadCapacityUnits − It quantifies the capacity units used over a certain time period. You can use this to examine individual table and index consumption.

• ConsumedWriteCapacityUnits − It quantifies the capacity units used over a certain time period. You can use this to examine individual table and index consumption.

• ReadThrottleEvents − It quantifies requests exceeding provisioned capacity units in table/index reads. It increments on each throttle including batch operations with multiple throttles.

• ReturnedBytes − It quantifies the bytes returned in retrieval operations within a certain time period.

• ReturnedItemCount − It quantifies the items returned in Query and Scan operations over a certain time period. It addresses only items returned, not those evaluated, which are typically totally different figures.

Note − There are many more metrics that exist, and most of these allow you to calculate averages, sums, maximum, minimum, and count.