---
name: cloud-logs-data-usage-enable-metrics
title: Enabling system metrics
description: In IBM Cloud Logs, you can enable data usage metrics to collect predefined metrics that you can use to monitor your data usage. Then, you can use these metrics in custom dashboards, insights, and alerts.
last-updated: 2026-09-30
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-logs?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# Enabling system metrics
{: #data-usage-enable-metrics}

In IBM Cloud Logs, you can enable data usage metrics to collect predefined metrics that you can use to monitor your data usage. Then, you can use these metrics in custom dashboards, insights, and alerts.
{: shortdesc}


## Prereqs
{: #data-usage-enable-metrics-prereqs}

To configure this feature, you must attach a metrics bucket to your IBM Cloud Logs instance. For more information, see [Configuring the metrics bucket](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-logs?topic=cloud-logs-configure-metrics-bucket&format=markdown).
{: attention}

## System metrics in an IBM Cloud Logs instance
{: #data-usage-enable-metrics-1}

The following metrics are generated when you enable Data Usage metrics:
- `cx_data_usage_bytes_total`: Tracks your total data usage in bytes.
- `cx_alerts`: Tracks when an alert is triggered or resolved into a gauge-type metric.


The information that is gathered on the system metrics include the following labels:

| Label	| Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `pillar` | Type of traffic \n Valid values are: `logs`, `metrics`  |
| `subsystem_name` | Subsystem that generates logs. \n Only valid for pillar set to `logs`. |
| `application_name` | Application that generates logs \n Only valid for pillar set to `logs`. |
| `priority` | TCO priority \n Valid values are: `high` for Priority insights, `medium` for Analyze and alert, `low` for Store and search, `blocked` |
| `severity` | Log severity \n Valid values are: `critical`, `error`, `warn`, `info`, `debug`, `trace` \n Only valid for pillar set to `logs`. |
| `blocking_reason_type` | The reason why traffic is blocked. \n Valid values are: `tco_policy` or `parsing_rule`. |
| `blocking_reason_name` | The name of the TCO policy or parsing rule which is blocking traffic. |
{: caption="Data Usage metric labels" caption-side="top"}



## Enabling Data Usage metrics in an IBM Cloud Logs instance
{: #data-usage-enable-metrics-data-usage}

Complete the following steps to enable collection of the Data Usage metric `cx_data_usage_bytes_total`:

1. Navigate to your IBM Cloud Logs instance: **Observability** > **Logging** > **Cloud Logs** > *Your Service Instance* > **Open Dashboard**.

2. Select the **Usage** icon ![Data pipeline icon](/icons/data-pipeline.svg "Data pipeline") > **Data Usage**.

    The *Data Usage* page opens.

    ![Data Usage](/images/data-usage.png "Data Usage"){: caption="Data Usage" caption-side="bottom"}

3. Select **Settings**. The Data usage settings page opens.

4. In the *Data Usage visibility > Enable metrics* section, switch on the toggle **Enable metrics**.

    ![Enable Data Usage](/images/data-usage-enable.png "Enable Data Usage"){: caption="Enable Data Usage" caption-side="bottom"}


After you enable data usage metrics, it can take up to two hours to see metrics.
{: note}


## Enabling the cx_metrics metric in an IBM Cloud Logs instance
{: #data-usage-enable-metrics-alerts}

Complete the following steps to enable the alerts metric `cx_metrics` in an IBM Cloud Logs instance:

1. Navigate to your IBM Cloud Logs instance: **Observability** > **Logging** > **Cloud Logs** > *Your Service Instance* > **Open Dashboard**.

2. Select the **Person** icon ![Person icon](/icons/preferences.png "Person icon").

    ![Preferences](/images/preferences-1.png "Preferences"){: caption="Preferences" caption-side="bottom"}

3. Select **Preferences**.

4. In the *Alerts* section, enable the toggle to create a [gauge-type](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-logs?topic=cloud-logs-widget_gauge&format=markdown) metric called `cx_alerts`.

    ![cx_alerts metrics](/images/cx-alerts-enable.png "cx_alerts metrics"){: caption="cx_alerts metrics" caption-side="bottom"}



If enabled, the metric is generated whenever an alert is triggered or resolved.
{: note}

You can add this metric to [custom dashboards](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-logs?topic=cloud-logs-create_dashboards&format=markdown).