Logging and Application Insights

Every tier logs through Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.ILogger: the Core orchestrator and value coordinator, the Configuration catalog store and validator, the Foundry value provider, and every target adapter. The libraries depend only on the logging abstractions, so the host chooses the destination.

How logging flows

flowchart LR
    Core[UniDataGen.Core] --> ILogger
    Config[UniDataGen.Configuration] --> ILogger
    Foundry[UniDataGen.Generation.Foundry] --> ILogger
    Targets[UniDataGen.Targets] --> ILogger
    ILogger[ILogger abstraction] --> Factory[ILoggerFactory at the host]
    Factory --> AI[Application Insights]
    Factory --> UI[Host UI or console]

UniDataGen.Observability wires Application Insights through AppInsightsLogging.CreateFactory. It reads the connection string from the argument or the APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING environment variable. A DelegateLoggerProvider forwards formatted messages to a host-supplied sink, which is how the WinForms client mirrors logs into its in-app log box.

What each host does

Host	Application Insights	Local output
WinForms	Connection-string field on the toolbar	In-app log box
PowerShell	-AppInsightsConnectionString or the environment variable	Verbose stream
Functions	Worker Application Insights integration, set the app setting	Function host logs
Foundry tool	The environment variable	Console, always on

Structured properties

Logs carry named properties so a single run is traceable end to end:

Property	Where	Meaning
RunId	Run scope	A correlation id minted per run.
Industry, SourceType	Run scope	The run selection.
Entity, Mode	Entity scope	The entity and its generation mode.
TargetType	Sink logs	The target being written.

Levels

Level	Used for
Information	Run lifecycle, sink open, and each write.
Debug	Per-tick accrual and per-batch detail.
Warning	Identity-pool warm-up and runs with no enabled targets.
Error	Failures, with the exception attached.

Example query

In Application Insights, find every write for one run:

traces
| where customDimensions.RunId == "the-run-id"
| order by timestamp asc