quality-gate-size-analysis

Analyze the agent's static quality gate on-disk size metrics, pull approved exception records from Confluence, fetch PR data from GitHub with milestone-based release attribution, and produce a cross-referenced report.

Step 1: Query Datadog Metrics

1a. Relative on-disk size (per-commit deltas)

Query datadog.agent.static_quality_gate.relative_on_disk_size filtered to ci_commit_ref_slug:main, grouped by gate_name and arch:

max:datadog.agent.static_quality_gate.relative_on_disk_size{ci_commit_ref_slug:main} by {gate_name,arch}

• Use from=now-$TIME_RANGE and to=now
• Request raw_data=true to get CSV with timestamps for spike identification
• Identify the largest single-commit jumps per gate — these are the candidates for exception correlation

1b. Absolute package size (branch comparison)

Query datadog.agent.package.size for main and relevant release branches to measure inter-release deltas:

max:datadog.agent.package.size{git_ref:main,package:datadog-agent,os:debian,arch:amd64}
max:datadog.agent.package.size{git_ref:7-XX-x,package:datadog-agent,os:debian,arch:amd64}

• Compare the stable average of each release branch to quantify the bump
• Include both the prior release and the current release branches

1c. Other useful metrics

• datadog.agent.static_quality_gate.on_disk_size — absolute on-disk size per gate
• datadog.agent.static_quality_gate.on_wire_size — compressed/network size
• datadog.agent.static_quality_gate.max_allowed_on_disk_size — configured thresholds

1d. Reference dashboard

The Agent Package size metrics dashboard contains all relevant widgets.

Step 2: Fetch Confluence Exception Records

Exception records live in the ABLD Confluence space under folder ID 5996904656.

2a. Enumerate all exception pages

Use CQL search:

ancestor = 5996904656 AND type = page ORDER BY created DESC

• cloudId: datadoghq.atlassian.net
• Exclude the [TEMPLATE] page from results

2b. Fetch each page body

For every page returned, call getConfluencePage with contentFormat=markdown to extract:

• Decision status: Approved / Pending / Declined
• Disk size increase: the number in the "Measures" or "Bounds Granted" row
• Scope: which platforms/packages are affected
• Linked PRs: PR numbers/URLs mentioned in the "Feature" or "PR" rows
• Requester: who filed the exception
• Expiry / Payback: any commitments to recover the size

2c. Build an exception table

Compile all exceptions into a structured table with columns: Title, Date, Decision, Disk Increase, Scope, PRs, Requester.

Step 3: Pull GitHub PR Data

3a. Find PRs linked from Confluence

Extract PR numbers from the Confluence pages (they appear as GitHub URLs in the exception text). For each PR:

gh pr view <NUMBER> --repo DataDog/datadog-agent --json number,title,mergedAt,milestone,labels,state

The milestone field (e.g. 7.77.0) determines which release the PR belongs to. Do NOT use labels for release attribution.

3b. Search for additional size-impacting PRs

Search for PRs merged in the time window that may have size impact but no exception:

gh pr list --repo DataDog/datadog-agent --base main --state merged \
  --search "merged:>=YYYY-MM-DD" --json number,title,mergedAt,milestone,labels

Filter for PRs with labels like qa/rc-required, component/system-probe, etc., and cross-check against the exception list.

3c. Search by feature name

For exceptions that don't directly link a PR, search by keyword:

gh pr list --repo DataDog/datadog-agent --base main --state merged \
  --search "<feature-keyword> merged:>=YYYY-MM-DD" --json number,title,mergedAt,milestone

Step 4: Cross-Reference and Correlate

4a. Match metric spikes to PRs

For each significant spike in relative_on_disk_size:

1. Identify the approximate date from the metric timestamp
2. Find PRs merged on or just before that date
3. Check if those PRs are covered by a Confluence exception

4b. Match PRs to releases via milestone

Group all size-impacting PRs by their milestone (not by label or merge date):

• milestone:7.75.0 → Release 7.75
• milestone:7.76.0 → Release 7.76
• etc.

4c. Identify gaps

Flag:

• PRs with size impact but no Confluence exception
• Confluence exceptions still in Pending status
• Exceptions with empty "Bounds Granted" fields
• PRs with no milestone set

Step 5: Generate Report

Write a markdown report to the repository root (e.g. quality_gate_size_analysis_YYYYQN.md) with these sections:

1. Executive Summary — one paragraph overview
2. Metrics Overview — absolute sizes per release branch, largest jumps table
3. Confluence Exceptions — full table split by Approved vs Pending
4. Release Attribution — PRs grouped by milestone, each linked to its exception status
5. Coverage Gaps — list of unmatched PRs or pending exceptions
6. Methodology — brief description of data sources and correlation approach

Key Details and Pitfalls

• The relative_on_disk_size metric uses ci_commit_ref_slug (not git_ref) for branch filtering.
• The package.size metric uses git_ref for branch filtering — branch names use hyphens (e.g. 7-77-x).
• The Confluence folder 5996904656 is a folder, not a page — use CQL ancestor = to search, not getConfluencePageDescendants.
• PR milestones determine release attribution, not labels. Use gh pr view --json milestone.
• The gate_name tag values look like static_quality_gate_docker_agent_amd64 — use these to distinguish between agent variants (docker, MSI, DCA, dogstatsd, IoT, heroku, FIPS).
• Some exceptions cover multiple PRs across multiple releases (e.g. PAR landed in 7.76, with follow-on work in 7.77 and 7.78).