Data Types

The counter type represents values that continue to increase over time. The device may present this type as a non-negative integer with either a 32-bit or 64-bit maximum. Meridian stores both of these in the same way. You can use COUNTER, COUNTER32, and COUNTER64 interchangeably in data collection definitions to refer to the counter data type.

When a counter reaches its upper limit, its value resets to zero and continues to increment.

The gauge type represents values that may fluctuate up or down to reflect the current state of a given metric. The device may present this type as a non-negative number with either a 32-bit or 64-bit maximum. Meridian stores both of these in the same way. You can use GAUGE, GAUGE32, and GAUGE64 interchangeably in data collection definitions to refer to the gauge data type.

The integer type represents numbers between -2^31 and 2^31-1 (-2.147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 decimal). Meridian stores these values in the same way. You can use INTEGER, INTEGER32, and INTEGER64 interchangeably in data collection definitions to refer to the integer type.

You can also use integers to represent a named-number enumeration status value.

The IpAddress type represents a 32-bit internet address.

The OctetString type represents arbitrary binary or textual data presented as a hex string.

Meridian only supports opaque values that encode floating point numbers. Floating point values (like the gauge data type) reflect the current state of a given metric.

String values are stored differently from the numeric data types. Only the most recent string value is persisted to the disk.

You can retrieve stored values with the Resources API.

The TimeTicks type represents values that compare hundredths of seconds between two epoch timestamps.