agent-framework/dotnet/samples/Durable/Workflow/ConsoleApps/09_Observability

Observability Sample

This sample demonstrates how to enable OpenTelemetry observability for durable workflows. It shows how to capture and export traces from workflow execution, including executor dispatch, edge routing, and Durable Task orchestration replays.

Key Concepts Demonstrated

• Configuring OpenTelemetry tracing for durable workflows
• Subscribing to Microsoft.Agents.AI.Workflows* activity sources for workflow-level telemetry
• Exporting traces via OTLP (for Aspire Dashboard)
• Optionally exporting traces to Azure Monitor (Application Insights)
• Correlating all workflow spans under a single trace ID

Overview

The sample implements a simple text processing pipeline that runs as a durable workflow:

UppercaseExecutor --> ReverseTextExecutor

Executor	Description
UppercaseExecutor	Converts input text to uppercase
ReverseTextExecutor	Reverses the text

For input "Hello, World!", the workflow produces "!DLROW ,OLLEH".

Observability Setup

The sample configures OpenTelemetry to capture traces from:

1. Workflow-level telemetry (Microsoft.Agents.AI.Workflows*): Captures executor execution, edge routing, and workflow lifecycle events.
2. Durable workflow telemetry (Microsoft.Agents.AI.DurableTask*): Captures durable orchestration lifecycle, executor dispatch, and edge routing within the durable execution environment.
3. Application-level telemetry: Custom spans for each workflow invocation with input/output tags.

Traces are exported to:

• Aspire Dashboard (default): Via OTLP exporter to http://localhost:4317
• Azure Monitor (optional): If APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING is set

Environment Setup

See the README.md file in the parent directory for information on configuring the Durable Task Scheduler.

Aspire Dashboard

To visualize traces, start an Aspire Dashboard:

docker run --rm -it -d -p 18888:18888 -p 4317:18889 --name aspire-dashboard mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspire-dashboard:9.0

Then open http://localhost:18888 in your browser.

Learn more: Aspire Dashboard Standalone

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
DURABLE_TASK_SCHEDULER_CONNECTION_STRING	No	Connection string for the Durable Task Scheduler. Defaults to local emulator.
OTLP_ENDPOINT	No	OTLP exporter endpoint. Defaults to http://localhost:4317.
APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING	No	Application Insights connection string. If set, traces are also sent to Azure Monitor.

Running the Sample

cd dotnet/samples/Durable/Workflow/ConsoleApps/09_Observability
dotnet run --framework net10.0

Sample Output

Operation/Trace ID: abc123def456...

Durable Workflow Observability Sample
Workflow: UppercaseExecutor -> ReverseTextExecutor
Traces are exported via OTLP to: http://localhost:4317

Enter text to process (or 'exit' to quit):
> Hello, World!
Starting workflow for input: "Hello, World!"...
Run ID: xyz789...
Waiting for workflow to complete...
  [UppercaseExecutor] Processing: "Hello, World!"
  [UppercaseExecutor] Result: "HELLO, WORLD!"
  [ReverseTextExecutor] Processing: "HELLO, WORLD!"
  [ReverseTextExecutor] Result: "!DLROW ,OLLEH"
Result: !DLROW ,OLLEH

> exit

After running, open the Aspire Dashboard to view the trace. You will see spans for:

• The root main activity
• Individual ProcessText activities for each invocation
• Workflow executor spans (UppercaseExecutor, ReverseTextExecutor)
• Edge routing spans between executors