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Explore is Sift’s workspace for visualizing and investigating high-rate timeseries telemetry. Engineers use it to load data from Assets and Runs, arrange Panels, perform calculations, and share findings without exporting data or switching tools.

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Data sources

A data source defines the telemetry context for an Explore session. It determines which Channels are available for analysis.

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Replace data source

A data source can be replaced mid-session without rebuilding the Panel layout.

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Share

The Share feature in Explore captures the current workspace state and generates a shareable URL. Recipients open the workspace in the exact state it was shared, with no manual reconfiguration required.

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User settings

User settings let you define personal default display preferences for Explore across two areas: general settings that apply to all Panels, and default settings per Panel type. Defaults apply to your account only. Individual Panel settings can still be overridden at any time. User settings are stored in the browser and do not carry over to other computers. Clearing the browser cache resets all User settings to their defaults. User settings are accessed from the Explore toolbar by clicking User Settings.

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General settings

The following settings are available under User Settings and apply globally across all new Panels in Explore.

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Channel Name Delimiter options

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Chart type settings

Default settings can be configured per Panel type. Select a Panel type from the Chart Type Settings dropdown to configure its defaults. Settings vary by Panel type and correspond to the individual Panel settings for each type. All Panel types are supported.

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Live mode

Live mode monitors real-time telemetry as it streams into Sift. All Panel types support Live mode.

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Panels

Panels are the individual visualization units in an Explore workspace. Each Panel is independently configurable. Changing settings on one Panel does not affect other Panels.

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Panel types

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Layout

Panels can be added, split, and repositioned freely within the workspace. Add a Panel Panels can be added at any time using the Add button in the workspace toolbar. Split a Panel Split options appear when right-clicking a Panel tab. A split duplicates the Panel in the selected direction. The new Panel is independent and can be configured separately. Reposition a Panel Panels can be moved to the top, bottom, left, or right of the workspace.

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Sync Panels

Syncing aligns the time range across multiple Panels. Adjusting the time window in one Panel updates all synced Panels.

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Range controls

Range controls are available in the Timeseries, FFT, and Scatter Plot Panels.

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Panel settings

Each Panel type has its own settings organized into tabs. Settings are independent per Panel.

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Timeseries: General tab

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Timeseries: Time-alignment tab

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Timeseries: Channel tab

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Options: Group by

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Options: Sampling method

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Histogram: General tab

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Histogram: Time-alignment tab

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Geo Map: General tab

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Geo Map: Time-alignment tab

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Table: General tab

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Table: Channels tab

Filter Filters isolate data points that meet specific numerical criteria per Channel before rows are created. Row creation trigger Determines when a specific Channel contributes to generating a new row. Configured per Channel.

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FFT: General tab

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FFT: Time-alignment tab

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FFT: Channel tab

Group by options

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Scatter Plot: General tab

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Scatter Plot: Time-alignment tab

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Metrics: General tab

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File Viewer: General tab

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Panel Configurations

Panel Configurations save and reuse a Panel’s visualization setup. Configurations can be applied to any Run or Asset. Compatibility with Explore (legacy) Views from Explore (legacy) are automatically available as Panel Configurations in Explore. New Views created in Explore (legacy) continue to generate corresponding Panel Configurations.

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Panel export

Export is available for Timeseries Panels only. Exports run in the background. Limitations
  • Nested Calculated Channels cannot be exported and are excluded.
  • Relative Time mode is not supported for export.

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Channels

Channels are the individual telemetry signals available for plotting. They are listed in the Channels tab, organized in a Channel tree by default.

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Channel tab views

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Plotting

Channels can be plotted by clicking or dragging from the Channels tab onto any Panel. A data source (Asset or Run) must be selected before Channels are available.

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Axis assignment

Applies to the Timeseries Panel. Channels can be assigned to up to 8 Y-axes. Channels can be reassigned to a different axis by dragging the Channel entry in the Timeseries legend and selecting a target axis.

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Bulk axis and style assignment

Simultaneous axis and style configuration for all Channels. Available in Timeseries and FFT Panels.

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Calculated Channels

Calculated Channels are derived signals created by applying CEL expressions to raw Channel data. They appear in the Calculated Channels tab.

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Types

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Temporary Calculated Channel fields

The following fields are available when creating a temporary Calculated Channel in Explore. For full Calculated Channel settings and behaviors, see Calculated Channels settings.

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Runs

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Time alignment

Time alignment synchronizes multiple Runs to a shared reference point (T-0) for direct comparison. The selected alignment applies to all Runs in the Panel. Timeseries Panel shortcuts The following shortcuts are available directly from the Timeseries Panel without opening Panel settings.

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Run from selection

A new Run can be created from a specific time window within an existing Run plotted in Explore.

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Annotations

Annotations mark specific times or time ranges in a Run. They can be plotted on the Timeseries Panel only and used as T-0 alignment points for Run comparison. In Live mode, live Rules are not rendered; alerts appear as toast notifications.

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Annotation types

Explore supports the following Annotation types.

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Annotation fields

The following fields are available when creating or editing an Annotation. Available fields vary by Annotation type.

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Dynamic URLs

Use dynamic URLs to open Explore with preconfigured telemetry data. By navigating to the /explore route with query parameters, you can automatically load specific Runs or Assets, Channels, Panel types, and optional time ranges, allowing users to open the exact data needed for analysis without manual setup. For example, the following URL opens a Timeseries Panel with a single Channel on a single Run: 
https://{domainName}/explore \
  ?method=single \
  &runs=runName \
  &channels=channelName \
  &panelType=timeseries

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URL structure

Use the /explore route with the required query parameter method=single to launch Explore with preconfigured data. Additional query parameters define Runs or Assets, Channels, Panel type, and optional time range. Construct the URL using the following format: 
https://{domainName}/explore?method=single \
  &runId={uuid1,uuid2,...} \
  &runIds={uuid1,uuid2,...} \
  &runs={runNameOrUUID1,runNameOrUUID2,...} \
  &assetId={uuid1,uuid2,...} \
  &assetIds={uuid1,uuid2,...} \
  &assets={assetNameOrUUID1,assetNameOrUUID2,...} \
  &channels={[prefix:]channelNameOrUUID,...} \
  &channelId={[prefix:]uuid,...} \
  &channelIds={[prefix:]uuid,...} \
  &panelType=timeseries|table|histogram|fft|scatter-plot|geo-map|metrics \
  &startTime=YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ \
  &endTime=YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ
  • Format: Line breaks and backslashes (\) are shown for readability. In actual use, the URL must be a single continuous string joined with &, without spaces or backslashes.
  • Parameter order: Parameters can appear in any order, but the URL must start with domainName/explore?method=single.
  • Channel name matching: Provide Channel names through channels. channelId and channelIds accept Channel UUIDs only. Channel names are matched case-insensitively.

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URL parameters

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Channel axis assignment

In the Timeseries Panel, Channels can be plotted on multiple Y-axes by adding an axis prefix before the Channel name or UUID. If no prefix is provided, the Channel plots on the default axis L1. Axis prefixes are case-sensitive and work with both Channel names and UUIDs.

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Scatter Plot Channel roles

In the Scatter Plot Panel, assign each Channel to an axis or visual encoding using a role prefix before the Channel name or UUID:
  • Role prefixes are case-insensitive and work with both Channel names and UUIDs.
  • All prefixed Channels populate a single trace group. When a color: Channel is provided, points are colored with a Viridis gradient by default.
  • A Channel without a recognized prefix is treated as a plain name or UUID. Scatter Plot sharelinks use a single Run; if multiple Runs are selected, the first is used.

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Geo Map Channel roles

In the Geo Map Panel, assign each Channel to a coordinate or visual encoding using a role prefix before the Channel name or UUID:
  • Role prefixes are case-insensitive and work with both Channel names and UUIDs.
  • All prefixed Channels populate a single coordinate set.
  • When a color: Channel is provided, points are colored with a Viridis gradient by default.
  • If no role prefixes are provided, the Geo Map Panel automatically detects latitude and longitude Channels by name.

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Channel selection by Panel type

Each Panel type displays only the Channels it supports; Channels of an incompatible data type are ignored. For example, the Histogram, FFT, Scatter Plot, Geo Map, and Metrics Panels do not display string Channels, so a string Channel passed to one of them is dropped. The Histogram Panel displays a single Channel. If more than one Channel is provided, the first compatible Channel is used and a warning appears.