We’re changing the behavior of count(*) when used in dimensional metric queries effective on June 9th, 2025. The goal of this change is to make the behavior of the count(*) function align with the behavior in other types of data.
- For Alerts: To determine if alert queries need to be modified or to make changes to alert thresholds, compare the results with the same query using count(%) in place of count(*).
- For Queries and Dashboards: If the query was intended to count the number of data points, use datapointCount(); otherwise, no change is required.
What’s changing?
Currently, when executing a query such as FROM Metric SELECT count(*), the result returned is the count of the number of data points processed by the query.
After the change, count will always return the sum of the count field, which is in line with how count(*) behaves when querying other data types.
For example, the newrelic.goldenmetrics.apm.application.errorCount metric is a dimensional metric that records the number of errors seen by an application. To know how many errors have been reported across all applications in the last hour, the following query can be used:
FROM Metric SELECT count(*) WHERE metricName = 'newrelic.goldenmetrics.apm.application.errorCount' SINCE 1 hour ago
To know how many times this metric was reported over the last hour, the datapointCount() function can be used:
FROM Metric SELECT datapointCount() WHERE metricName = 'newrelic.goldenmetrics.apm.application.errorCount' SINCE 1 hour ago
What action is needed?
- Review any usage of count(*) in dimensional metrics queries, dashboards, and alert conditions to determine if any changes are needed.
- If the query was intended to count the number of data points, update the query to use the datapointCount() function instead of count(*).
- Otherwise, leave the query as-is and it will pick up the new semantics and return the sum of the count field for any matching metrics.
For ad hoc queries and dashboards: To identify queries or dashboards that are using count(*) against dimensional metric data, run a query like the following against the NrdbQuery event to get a list of uses:
FROM NrdbQuery SELECT uniques(query), latest(source.name), latest(source.dashboardId), latest(user) WHERE query.eventType = 'Metric' AND query LIKE '%count(*)%' SINCE 1 day ago LIMIT MAX
For alert conditions: To identify alerts using count(*), use the Alerts > Alert Conditions page within the New Relic UI to view and search for New Relic Query Language (NRQL) queries associated with alert conditions. Then compare the query with the same query using count(%) either within the alert condition builder or the New Relic query builder to determine whether it’s needed to modify the query or make changes to alert thresholds.
Additional Support
We understand that these changes may require some adjustments to your routine. Please know that we’re committed to supporting you throughout this process. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team.