What is the default time aggregation for a count metric in Datadog?

The default time aggregation for a count metric in Datadog is sum. This means that when you create a graph or a dashboard showing count metrics, the data points displayed will represent the total number of events over the specified time period rather than averaging them or showing individual counts.

This default behavior is particularly useful in scenarios where you want to know the total occurrences of an event, as it allows you to track the total volume of data or events happening over time. For instance, if you are monitoring the number of requests to a web service, using sum as the default aggregation will provide clear insights into high traffic periods by summing all incoming requests during the time frame selected.

Other aggregation methods, such as average, count, or minimum, serve different purposes but are not the default for count metrics. Average would provide the mean of the counts, count would simply reiterate the count of the data points within the time period, and minimum would show the smallest data point in the aggregation interval, which does not align with the goal of tracking total occurrences effectively.