--- title: Metrics description: 'Control metrics cost in the TCO Optimizer: see each metric''s and APM service''s share of usage, block costly metrics with block policies, and set the predefined Dynamic TCO rules for metrics, on the same screen as logs, traces, and RUM.' url: https://coralogix.com/docs/user-guides/account-management/tco-optimizer/metrics/ product: dataengine feature: TCO Optimizer feature_id: tco-optimizer feature_identifier: dataengine/tco-optimizer last_updated: '2026-11-12' --- # Control metrics cost in the TCO Optimizer The **Metrics** page of the TCO Optimizer shows how much each metric and APM service contributes to your metrics usage, and lets you block the costly ones from the same screen you use for logs, traces, and RUM. Each metric or APM service you block becomes its own block policy, so you can see at a glance what is blocked and remove a block when you need the data again. This is the only place to block a metric. [Metric usage analysis](https://coralogix.com/docs/user-guides/account-management/payment-and-billing/metrics-usage-analyzer.md) still reports usage and shows which metrics are blocked, but blocking and unblocking happen here. ## What you need * `METRICS.TCO:READPOLICIES` to view the **Metrics** page, its policies, and its statistics. * `METRICS.TCO:UPDATEPOLICIES` to create and delete block policies and to change Dynamic TCO rules for metrics. For the roles that include these permissions, see [Permissions](https://coralogix.com/docs/user-guides/account-management/tco-optimizer.md#permissions). ## Open the Metrics page 1. Navigate to **Data Flow**, then **TCO Optimizer**. 2. In the left navigation, select **Metrics**. The page has two views: * **Metric policies**: the Dynamic TCO rules for metrics and block policies in force. The header shows the number of block policies. * **Statistics**: usage by metric or APM service for one day, where you can select rows and turn them into block policies. The **Filters** section in the left navigation narrows both views by **Metric**, **Service**, and **Priority**. ## Find costly metrics in Statistics Select **Statistics** to explore usage by metric and APM service. The data is aggregated over one UTC day. * Use the **Metrics** and **APM services** switch to choose what each row represents. * Use the day picker to select the day. The arrows move to the previous or next day. * Search by metric, APM service, or policy name. * Under **Group by**, select **Priority** to group rows by the priority their data is stored at. The table includes these columns. Hover the info icon in a column header for its definition. | Column | What it shows | | ------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Metric** or **APM service** | The metric name as ingested, or the APM service that emits the metrics. | | **Affecting policy** | The block policy that applies to the row, **Dynamic rules** when one of those rules sets its priority, or **None** when nothing acts on it. Select a policy name to open it in **Metric policies**. | | **Priority** | The priority the data is stored at, or **High** when nothing acts on it. | | **Usage** and **% Usage** | The volume of metrics data sent on the selected day, and its share of total metrics usage. | | **Samples** and **% Samples** | The metric data points ingested on the selected day, and their share of the total. | | **Dimensions** and **Variations** | For metrics only: the count of unique label names, and the count of unique label combinations. | | **Cardinality** and **% Cardinality** | For metrics: the count of unique time series, an approximation with a 1% error margin, and its share of the total. For APM services, these columns are **Time series** and **% Time series**. | Rows are sorted by **Usage**, highest first, so the most costly metrics appear at the top. ## Block a metric or APM service You can block from **Statistics** or start from **Metric policies**. ### Block from Statistics 1. In **Statistics**, select the checkbox of each metric or APM service you want to block. You can select up to 50 rows at a time. Rows that are already blocked can't be selected, and their tooltip names the policy that blocks them. 2. Select **Create policy**. The **New metric policy** panel opens with your selection in **Filters**. 3. Review the **Preview** and select **Create**. ### Block from Metric policies 1. In **Metric policies**, select **Create policy**. 2. In **Filters**, select `metric.name` or `service.name`, then select or type the names to block. The list suggests names from your usage and skips names that are already blocked. You can add up to 50 names. 3. Review the **Preview** and select **Create**. ### What the New metric policy panel contains * **Quota label**: the panel header shows the units of your daily quota available to metrics, out of the whole daily quota, for example **Metrics ยท Unallocated pool 2,809 / 4,280**. **Unallocated pool** appears only when metrics have no quota rule. Hover the info icon for a card that names the pool, **Reserved for metrics** or **Unallocated pool**, with its units, a sentence explaining why that pool applies, one row per slice of the quota bar with the pool in use highlighted, and a **Quota Rules** link to reserve units for metrics. * **Details**: the policy name is filled in for you. Each policy is named after the metric or service it blocks. * **Filters**: one condition on `metric.name` or `service.name`, matched with **Is**. Each selected metric or service is saved as its own policy. * **Action**: **Block** is the only action. **Route & Store** is shown but can't be selected, because metric policies can only block for now. * **Preview**: the impact over the **Last 7 days**. The **Overview** tab shows **Total data sent**, **% Usage**, and the **Data sent over time** and **Units over time** charts. The **Breakdown** tab lists **Metric** or **APM service**, **Usage**, **% Usage**, and **Samples** for each selected name. When you select several names, the button reads **Create N policies**, and a confirmation lists the policies that will be created, one per name. The new policies appear in the **Policies** table. ## What blocking does A block policy drops the matched metrics at ingestion. All data the filter matches is permanently dropped and reaches no destination or storage system, which is what the panel warns before you create the policy. Queries, dashboards, and alerts that read a blocked metric stop receiving new data for it, and the data cannot be recovered later. Blocking is not free. As with logs, traces, and RUM, it removes storage and retention charges but not the ingestion processing cost. See [Blocked](https://coralogix.com/docs/user-guides/account-management/tco-optimizer.md#blocked) for how that works per data type. The residual rate for metrics is not published, so to confirm how blocked metrics are counted for your account, contact your Coralogix account representative. Metric policies don't set quota-based priorities, and the Overview's **Daily team quota** and **Daily quota left** cards don't include metrics. ## Manage block policies The **Policies** table in **Metric policies** lists one policy per blocked metric or APM service, with its **Policy name**, **Filters**, **Action**, **Destinations**, and **Priority**. Search the table by policy name, `metric.name`, or `service.name`. Block policies can't be edited, disabled, or reordered. To stop blocking a metric or APM service, delete its policy: 1. In the **Policies** table, select the **Delete policy** icon on the policy row. 2. Confirm with **Delete**. The metric or service is ingested again. ## Dynamic TCO rules for metrics **Metric policies** also shows a **Dynamic rules** table. These are predefined rules that act on every metric based on how it is used: | Rule | What it matches | | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------- | | **Unused (not queried in 14 days)** | Metrics that no query has read in the last 14 days. | | **Only broken queries (no success)** | Metrics that are queried, but never successfully. | The rules apply from top to bottom, and the first matching rule sets the priority. You can't add, remove, or reorder them. With `METRICS.TCO:UPDATEPOLICIES`, you can set a rule's **Priority** to **Block**, **Low**, or **Medium**, and turn it on or off with the **Enabled** toggle. When a block policy and a dynamic rule both match a metric, the block policy takes precedence. ## Metrics on the Overview page With Metrics enabled, the [Overview](https://coralogix.com/docs/user-guides/account-management/tco-optimizer/usage-overview-and-statistics.md#usage-overview) page adds a **Metrics** chart split by priority next to the Logs, Traces, and RUM charts, and **Feature set by priority** gets a **Metrics** tab. **Usage by priority**, **Data blocked today**, and **Yearly savings** include metrics volume. ## Metric Data page With Metrics enabled, you block and unblock metrics and APM services in the TCO Optimizer. On the **Metric Data** page, the block and unblock actions are no longer offered, blocked status is still shown, and a banner links to the TCO Optimizer. ## Related resources * [TCO Optimizer](https://coralogix.com/docs/user-guides/account-management/tco-optimizer.md) * [Usage overview and statistics](https://coralogix.com/docs/user-guides/account-management/tco-optimizer/usage-overview-and-statistics.md) * [Metric usage analysis](https://coralogix.com/docs/user-guides/account-management/payment-and-billing/metrics-usage-analyzer.md)