Why can't I retrieve data points for CloudWatch metrics in the CloudWatch console?

Resolution

There are several reasons why a data point from the default or custom metric might be missing or incorrect.

To troubleshoot missing data points, take the following actions:

• Confirm that the metric namespace, metric name, and key-value pairs that the dimension uses to retrieve the metric are correct.
• If a specific unit pushes the data points to a metric, then confirm that the unit that you use to retrieve the metric is the same.
  Note: You can keep the unit blank.
• If the metric is high resolution, then confirm that the data points are pushed with the --storage resolution parameter set to 1.
  Note: Because CloudWatch doesn't store subminute data points, you can't retrieve them.
• The number of times that data points are pushed to the metric determines the highest granularity of the metric. For example, you set the period as 1 minute for a metric, and the data point is pushed every 5 minutes. The metric doesn't capture the data point every minute. The data point value that's represented is still 5 minutes.
• If an AWS service pushes the data to an event-driven metric, then check the source service's documentation. Check when the service pushes data points to the metric and whether the service expects the metric to have missing data points.
• For custom metrics, make sure to check the source, such as the unified CloudWatch agent or custom script that pushes the metric logs. Confirm that the source is operating as expected for the specific duration.
• Check the metric retention periods. For data points that are pushed at a subminute interval, you can retrieve them as subminutes only for 3 hours. After 3 hours, CloudWatch aggregates the subminute data points into 1-minute data points that you can retrieve for 15 days. After 15 days, CloudWatch aggregates the 1-minute data points into 5-minute data points that you can retrieve for 63 days. After 63 days, CloudWatch aggregates the 5-minute data points into 1-hour data points that you can store for 455 days (15 months). After 455 days, CloudWatch deletes older data, and you can no longer retrieve them.