What does a default interpolation occur for?

A default interpolation occurs for metrics categorized as gauges or rates due to their nature of representing continuous data points over time. Gauges measure a value at a specific point in time and can fluctuate, while rates provide an average over a defined interval. In these cases, Datadog uses interpolation to draw a smooth line between data points, helping visualize trends and patterns effectively.

Default interpolation is essential as it enables users to view their time series data in a more coherent manner, especially when there are gaps or irregularities in data points. Interpolating gauges or rates can ensure that trends are discernible and that insights can be derived more easily from the display, which is crucial for monitoring metrics in real-time.

Other types of metrics, such as counts or histograms, do not benefit from this default interpolation in the same way. Counts are typically discrete values representing events that occur, while histograms aggregate data into defined buckets, making them less suited for smooth interpolation and thus are typically used without default methods applying to their representation.