This book introduces you to the concept of observability pipelines, which help slash costs, improve performance, and get the right data, to the right destinations, in the right formats, at the right time. Observability is the practice of interrogating your environment without knowing in advance the questions you need to ask. That means making choices and living with the consequences. These choices almost always present tradeoffs. More data means more money. Standardizing on one platform limits flexibility and dropping data may limit what you can learn from your environment.