Cardinality and Cost Control on a Datadog-Based Gaming Platform
Overview
What this challenge is about.
Receive an anonymized export of Datadog metric inventory (metric names, tag-cardinality counts, monthly cost per metric, team owner). Identify the top 30 cost-driver metrics, classify each as essential / over-tagged / candidate-for-retirement. Design a per-team cardinality budget framework (allocations, overage handling, exception process). Propose a 60-day reduction plan covering metric retirement, tag elimination, dynamic-instance-tag suppression, and a code-review checklist for new metrics. Deliver: 12-page audit, budget framework (4 pages), 8-page 60-day reduction plan, and a deck for engineering leadership.
The Brief
What you'll do, and what you'll demonstrate.
Audit Datadog cardinality and ship a per-team budget framework + 60-day reduction plan that flattens the bill without losing operational visibility.
Earning criteria — what you'll demonstrate
- Audit metric cardinality systematically across teams
- Identify tag dimensions whose cost outpaces operational value
- Design a team-level budget framework with overage governance
- Plan a reduction without losing the visibility on-call relies on
Program Fit
Where this fits in your program.
Sharpens the same skills your degree expects you to demonstrate.
Skills
Skills you'll demonstrate.
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Careers
Roles this prepares you for.
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