What does latency indicate in terms of application health according to Datadog's APM tool?

Latency is a critical metric that indicates the responsiveness of an application, specifically the time it takes for users to accomplish their goals when interacting with that application. In the context of Datadog's APM (Application Performance Monitoring) tool, latency measures how quickly requests are processed. High latency can lead to user frustration and dissatisfaction, as it suggests that the application is not performing optimally and may hinder user tasks.

In application monitoring, latency is vital because it directly impacts user experience. When latency is high, it indicates that the application may be experiencing delays, which can lead to abandonment or reduced usage. Therefore, monitoring and optimizing latency is essential for maintaining application health and ensuring that users can achieve their desired outcomes efficiently.

The other options, while relevant to application performance in different ways, do not specifically define what latency indicates. Overall application usage, the total number of issues, and average time spent within the application do not necessarily correlate directly to latency measures.