Accelerating PDF output in azure managed grafana

Klimeš Petr 0

We've been using azure managed grafana version 10 for a year now and despite overall satisfaction, we've had a big problem with the speed of PDF rendering during periodic email outputs. We found that version 11 is supposed to have a redesigned rendering under the feathure "newPDFRendering". So we have set up a new azure managed graphana in version 11, but the PDF rendering is perhaps even slower - only 1 simple graph renders in 50s.

I would like to ask if the new feathure "newPDFRendering" is enabled on version 11 ? Or can it be turned on somehow ? Or what should we do to be able to generate at least 10 charts in one pdf within the 90s limit.

Thank you

Best regards and have a nice day

1 answer

Pavan Minukuri 1,045 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-01-13T22:05:01.6666667+00:00

Hi @Klimeš Petr
Welcome to Microsoft Q&A, Thanks for asking question here!
To address your concerns about PDF rendering speed in Azure Managed Grafana version 11, here are the key points about the new PDFRendering feature.
1.The new PDFRendering feature is available in Grafana 11 but must be explicitly enabled through the Grafana configuration or feature toggle settings.
2.The new PDF rendering implementation improves performance, reducing rendering time for a complex dashboard with 200 panels from over seven minutes to just eleven seconds.

If you are experiencing slower rendering times, such as 50 seconds for a single graph, consider the following steps.
1.Make sure the new PDFRendering feature is enabled in your Grafana settings, found in the configuration section.
2.Simplify your dashboards, as complex queries or too many panels can slow down rendering times.
3.Check for network latency or resource limitations on the server running Grafana that could affect performance
4.Use the latest patch of Grafana 11, as updates may improve rendering times with performance enhancements and bug fixes.

To generate at least 10 charts in one PDF within a 90-second limit, consider using these strategies.
1.Break larger dashboards into smaller batches and generate PDFs separately to optimize performance.
2.Review and optimize the queries used in your panels to ensure they execute as quickly as possible.
3.Use Grafana's built-in monitoring tools to analyze performance bottlenecks during PDF generation.

Please let us if you required anything!

Reference links: https://grafana.com/blog/2024/04/09/grafana-11-release-all-the-new-features/
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/managed-grafana/troubleshoot-managed-grafana
https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/whatsnew/whats-new-in-v11-0/
https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/setup-grafana/configure-grafana/feature-toggles/
Please sign in to rate this answer.
Pavan Minukuri 1,045 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-01-14T07:08:41.6733333+00:00

Hi @Klimeš Petr We haven't heard back from you. Please reply if you have any questions in this matter and we will gladly continue the discussion.

Pavan Minukuri 1,045 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-01-15T17:44:02.5433333+00:00

Hi @Klimeš Petr We haven't heard back from you. Please reply if you have any questions in this matter and we will gladly continue the discussion.

Klimeš Petr 0 Reputation points

2025-01-15T21:41:03.6033333+00:00

Thank you for your reply.

We didn't quite understand each other. You advised me to make sure that the PDFRediting feathure is enabled. But this is exactly where my question is directed, whether or not it is enabled, because I can't edit or read feature toggles from the Grafana or azure interface (Azure Managed Grafana's Settings), or I just don't know the solution how ?

According to grafana documentation it should be possible to modify/read them:

Unfortunately this section is missing in Azure Managed Grafana, despite being an admin in grafana:

So my main questions are:

Q1: Is the feature toggle "newPDFRendering" defaully enabled in Azure Managed Grafana v11 ?

Q2: Is there anywhere to see/manage feature toggles in Azure Managed Grafana ?

Q3: Do you notice any performance issues when rendering PDF ? I tried to render to PDF only the title line, without any graph and even that took me almost 50s.

Thank you in advance for your help

Pavan Minukuri 1,045 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-01-15T21:45:23.3366667+00:00

Hi @Klimeš Petr
Can you please transfer into English!

Klimeš Petr 0 Reputation points

2025-01-15T21:47:03.0033333+00:00

iam sorry, now its translated

Pavan Minukuri 1,045 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-01-20T20:26:26.46+00:00

Hi @Klimeš Petr
Sorry for the delay!
Q1: Is the feature toggle "newPDFRendering" defaully enabled in Azure Managed Grafana v11 ?
Ans: In Azure Managed Grafana v11, the feature toggle newPDFRendering is not enabled by default. Users must manually enable this toggle to utilize the new implementation for dashboard-to-PDF rendering, which is currently available in public preview. This feature aims to significantly improve PDF generation times for complex dashboards
Q2:Is there anywhere to see/manage feature toggles in Azure Managed Grafana ?
To manage feature toggles in Azure Managed Grafana:1. Sign In: Log in as an admin or a user with featuremgmt.read and featuremgmt.write roles.

Access Feature Toggles: Go to Administration > General > Feature toggles to view and edit features.

Editing Feature Toggles: Only edit if your Grafana instance has the right feature management settings. Select a toggle, change its state, and click Save changes. Some changes may require a restart.

Feature Visibility:

Experimental: Hidden and not editable.

Private preview: Hidden and not editable.

Public preview: Visible but not editable.

General availability: Visible and editable.

Deprecated: Visible and editable.

Configuration Settings: If you can't see the feature toggle page, enable the featureToggleAdminPage toggle in the settings.

Azure Managed Grafana: Some feature toggles may have limitations or require specific Azure configurations or permissions.

Q3. Do you notice any performance issues when rendering PDF ? I tried to render to PDF only the title line, without any graph and even that took me almost 50s.

Rendering PDFs can be slow due to several factors:

Complexity: PDFs with many layers or complex graphics take longer to render.

High-Resolution Images: Large images use more memory and processing power, slowing down performance.

Vector Path Operations: Detailed vector graphics require multiple operations, which can be time-consuming.

Software and Hardware: Older software or hardware can slow down rendering, but upgrading can improve performance.

PDF Viewer: Some viewers render PDFs faster than others.

Please let me know if you required anything!

Klimeš Petr 0 Reputation points

2025-01-21T14:13:23.65+00:00

Thak you for answer.

Q1: Ok, thank you

Q2: Unfortunately I don't see a feature toggle page. According to what you write in bullet number 4, I don't know where to enable this setting. In the configuration on the azure portal I only see this:

Could you please guide me to the feature toggle page settings. Thank you.

Q3: yeah that i understand. Thx

PK

Pavan Minukuri 1,045 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-01-22T19:20:40.64+00:00

Hi @Klimeš Petr
Q2 : To enable the featureToggleAdminPage toggle in the Azure portal, follow these steps:
1.Log in to the Azure portal.
2.Navigate to your Azure App Configuration resource.
3.In the left-hand menu, select Feature manager to manage your feature flags.
4.If the toggle is not already created,
8.click on Add to create a new feature flag.
5.Enter a key name for your feature toggle (e.g., featureToggleAdminPage).
6.Set its initial state (enabled or disabled) as required.
7.After configuring the feature flag, ensure you click on Apply or Save to store your changes.
8.To view or modify feature flags, use the Configuration explorer under the Operations menu to manage views and settings.
9.Make sure your application is set up to read from Azure App Configuration and includes the required libraries for feature management. (e.g.,Microsoft.FeatureManagement).
10.This will allow your application to utilize the feature flags dynamically without needing redeploymen
Please let me know if you required anything!

Pavan Minukuri 1,045 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-01-24T01:35:53.0966667+00:00

Hi @Klimeš Petr We haven't heard back from you. Please reply if you have any questions in this matter and we will gladly continue the discussion.

Pavan Minukuri 1,045 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-01-24T20:16:29.85+00:00

Hi @Klimeš Petr We haven't heard back from you. Please reply if you have any questions in this matter and we will gladly continue the discussion.
Sign in to comment

Use comments to ask for clarification, additional information, or improvements to the question.

Share via

Accelerating PDF output in azure managed grafana

1 answer

Your answer