> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://braintrust.dev/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Span Name Filtering Not Working on Monitoring Page:

export const plans_0 = "Any"

export const deployments_0 = "Any"

export const data_plane_version_0 = undefined

export const use_case_0 = "Use case - Monitoring page filtering with span-level metrics when `Trace level metrics` feature flag is enabled"

<Note>
  **Applies to:**

  * Plan - {plans_0}
  * Deployment - {deployments_0}
  * {data_plane_version_0}
  * {use_case_0}
</Note>

Summary

Span name filtering on the monitoring page fails to exclude child spans when the `Trace level metrics` feature flag is enabled. This feature flag aggregates metrics at the trace level rather than span level, preventing span-level filters like `is_root = true` from working correctly. Disable the `Trace level metrics` feature flag to restore span-level filtering functionality.

<Note>
  Self-hosted deployments on data plane versions earlier than v2.0 will not have trace-level metrics active regardless of the feature flag setting, and trace-level filters in charts will have no effect.
</Note>

## Resolution Steps

### If you need span-level filtering to work

#### Step 1: Navigate to Feature Flags

Go to **Settings** > **Feature flags** in your Braintrust account.

#### Step 2: Disable Trace Level Metrics

Find the `Trace level metrics` feature flag and toggle it to the **off** position.

#### Step 3: Verify Filtering Works

Return to the monitoring page and apply your span name filter with `is_root = true`. The metrics should now filter correctly to show only root-level spans.

### If you need trace-level aggregation

#### Step 1: Understand the Trade-off

When `Trace level metrics` is enabled, the dashboard aggregates metrics at the trace level (entire request/conversation) rather than the span level (individual LLM calls or tool invocations). This means span-level filtering will not work as expected.

#### Step 2: Use Alternative Filtering

Instead of filtering by span name, use trace-level filters to segment your data. Consider using SQL filters or tag filters on trace-level attributes.

## Understanding Trace-Level vs Span-Level Metrics

### Span-Level Metrics (Default)

When `Trace level metrics` is disabled:

* Metrics aggregate at the individual span level
* Each LLM call, tool invocation, or operation is counted separately
* Filtering by `is_root = true` shows only top-level spans
* Useful for analyzing individual operations and their performance

### Trace-Level Metrics

When `Trace level metrics` is enabled:

* Metrics aggregate at the trace level (entire request/conversation)
* All spans within a trace are grouped together
* Span-level filters like `is_root` do not affect aggregation
* Useful for analyzing end-to-end request performance