Fix a couple of bugs in the logic for how AWS metric periods are calculated

CHANGELOG.next.asciidoc

@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ https://github.com/elastic/beats/compare/v8.2.0\...main[Check the HEAD diff]
 
 *Metricbeat*
 
+- Fix and improve AWS metric period calculation to avoid zero-length intervals {pull}32724[32724]
 
 *Packetbeat*
 

x-pack/metricbeat/module/aws/billing/billing.go

@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ func (m *MetricSet) Fetch(report mb.ReporterV2) error {
 	startDate, endDate := getStartDateEndDate(m.Period)
 
 	// Get startTime and endTime
-	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(m.Period, m.Latency)
+	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(time.Now(), m.Period, m.Latency)
 
 	// get cost metrics from cost explorer
 	awsBeatsConfig := m.MetricSet.AwsConfig.Copy()

x-pack/metricbeat/module/aws/cloudwatch/cloudwatch.go

@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ func New(base mb.BaseMetricSet) (mb.MetricSet, error) {
 // of an error set the Error field of mb.Event or simply call report.Error().
 func (m *MetricSet) Fetch(report mb.ReporterV2) error {
 	// Get startTime and endTime
-	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(m.Period, m.Latency)
+	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(time.Now(), m.Period, m.Latency)
 	m.Logger().Debugf("startTime = %s, endTime = %s", startTime, endTime)
 
 	// Check statistic method in config

x-pack/metricbeat/module/aws/cloudwatch/cloudwatch_test.go

@@ -1392,7 +1392,7 @@ func TestCreateEventsWithIdentifier(t *testing.T) {
 			Value: "test-ec2",
 		},
 	}
-	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(m.MetricSet.Period, m.MetricSet.Latency)
+	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(time.Now(), m.MetricSet.Period, m.MetricSet.Latency)
 
 	events, err := m.createEvents(mockCloudwatchSvc, mockTaggingSvc, listMetricWithStatsTotal, resourceTypeTagFilters, regionName, startTime, endTime)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
@@ -1432,7 +1432,7 @@ func TestCreateEventsWithoutIdentifier(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	resourceTypeTagFilters := map[string][]aws.Tag{}
-	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(m.MetricSet.Period, m.MetricSet.Latency)
+	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(time.Now(), m.MetricSet.Period, m.MetricSet.Latency)
 
 	events, err := m.createEvents(mockCloudwatchSvc, mockTaggingSvc, listMetricWithStatsTotal, resourceTypeTagFilters, regionName, startTime, endTime)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
@@ -1478,7 +1478,7 @@ func TestCreateEventsWithTagsFilter(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 
-	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(m.MetricSet.Period, m.MetricSet.Latency)
+	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(time.Now(), m.MetricSet.Period, m.MetricSet.Latency)
 	events, err := m.createEvents(mockCloudwatchSvc, mockTaggingSvc, listMetricWithStatsTotal, resourceTypeTagFilters, regionName, startTime, endTime)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, 1, len(events))
@@ -1630,7 +1630,7 @@ func TestCreateEventsTimestamp(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	resourceTypeTagFilters := map[string][]aws.Tag{}
-	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(m.MetricSet.Period, m.MetricSet.Latency)
+	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(time.Now(), m.MetricSet.Period, m.MetricSet.Latency)
 
 	cloudwatchMock := &MockCloudWatchClientWithoutDim{}
 	resGroupTaggingClientMock := &MockResourceGroupsTaggingClient{}
@@ -1644,6 +1644,6 @@ func TestGetStartTimeEndTime(t *testing.T) {
 	m.CloudwatchConfigs = []Config{{Statistic: []string{"Average"}}}
 	m.MetricSet = &aws.MetricSet{Period: 5 * time.Minute}
 	m.logger = logp.NewLogger("test")
-	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(m.MetricSet.Period, m.MetricSet.Latency)
+	startTime, endTime := aws.GetStartTimeEndTime(time.Now(), m.MetricSet.Period, m.MetricSet.Latency)
 	assert.Equal(t, 5*time.Minute, endTime.Sub(startTime))
 }

x-pack/metricbeat/module/aws/utils.go

@@ -18,22 +18,22 @@ import (
 	resourcegroupstaggingapitypes "github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/service/resourcegroupstaggingapi/types"
 )
 
-// GetStartTimeEndTime function uses durationString to create startTime and endTime for queries.
-func GetStartTimeEndTime(period time.Duration, latency time.Duration) (time.Time, time.Time) {
-	endTime := time.Now()
-	if latency != 0 {
-		// add latency if config is not 0
-		endTime = endTime.Add(latency * -1)
-	}
-
-	// Set startTime to be one period earlier than the endTime. If metrics are
-	// not being collected, use latency config parameter to offset the startTime
-	// and endTime.
-	startTime := endTime.Add(period * -1)
-	// Defining duration
-	d := 60 * time.Second
-	// Calling Round() method
-	return startTime.Round(d), endTime.Round(d)
+// GetStartTimeEndTime calculates start and end times for queries based on the current time and a duration.
+//
+// Whilst the inputs to this function are continuous, the maximum period granularity we can consistently use
+// is 1 minute. The resulting interval should also be aligned to the period for best performance. This means
+// if a period of 3 minutes is requested at 12:05, for example, the calculated times are 12:00->12:03. See
+// https://github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/blob/fdbd882cdf5c63a578caed14688cf9a456c75f2b/service/cloudwatch/api_op_GetMetricData.go#L88
+// for more information about granularity and period alignment.
+//
+// If durations are configured in non-whole minute periods, they are rounded up to the next minute e.g. 90s becomes 120s.
+//
+// If `latency` is configured, the period is shifted back in time by specified duration (before period alignment).
+func GetStartTimeEndTime(now time.Time, period time.Duration, latency time.Duration) (time.Time, time.Time) {
+	periodInMinutes := (period + time.Second*29).Round(time.Second * 60)
+	endTime := now.Add(latency * -1).Truncate(periodInMinutes)
+	startTime := endTime.Add(periodInMinutes * -1)
+	return startTime, endTime
 }
 
 // GetListMetricsOutput function gets listMetrics results from cloudwatch ~~per namespace~~ for each region.

x-pack/metricbeat/module/aws/utils_test.go

@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ func TestGetListMetricsOutputWithWildcard(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestGetMetricDataPerRegion(t *testing.T) {
-	startTime, endTime := GetStartTimeEndTime(10*time.Minute, 0)
+	startTime, endTime := GetStartTimeEndTime(time.Now(), 10*time.Minute, 0)
 
 	mockSvc := &MockCloudWatchClient{}
 	var metricDataQueries []cloudwatchtypes.MetricDataQuery
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ func TestGetMetricDataPerRegion(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestGetMetricDataResults(t *testing.T) {
-	startTime, endTime := GetStartTimeEndTime(10*time.Minute, 0)
+	startTime, endTime := GetStartTimeEndTime(time.Now(), 10*time.Minute, 0)
 
 	mockSvc := &MockCloudWatchClient{}
 	metricInfo := cloudwatchtypes.Metric{
@@ -434,3 +434,135 @@ func TestGetResourcesTags(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	assert.Equal(t, expectedResourceTagMap, resourceTagMap)
 }
+
+func parseTime(t *testing.T, in string) time.Time {
+	time, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, in)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("test setup failed - could not parse time with time.RFC3339: %s", in)
+	}
+	return time
+}
+
+func TestGetStartTimeEndTime(t *testing.T) {
+	var cases = []struct {
+		title         string
+		start         string
+		period        time.Duration
+		latency       time.Duration
+		expectedStart string
+		expectedEnd   string
+	}{
+		// window should align with period e.g. requesting a 5 minute period at 10:27 gives 10:20->10:25
+		{"1 minute", "2022-08-15T13:38:45Z", time.Second * 60, 0, "2022-08-15T13:37:00Z", "2022-08-15T13:38:00Z"},
+		{"2 minutes", "2022-08-15T13:38:45Z", time.Second * 60 * 2, 0, "2022-08-15T13:36:00Z", "2022-08-15T13:38:00Z"},
+		{"3 minutes", "2022-08-15T13:38:45Z", time.Second * 60 * 3, 0, "2022-08-15T13:33:00Z", "2022-08-15T13:36:00Z"},
+		{"5 minutes", "2022-08-15T13:38:45Z", time.Second * 60 * 5, 0, "2022-08-15T13:30:00Z", "2022-08-15T13:35:00Z"},
+		{"30 minutes", "2022-08-15T13:38:45Z", time.Second * 60 * 30, 0, "2022-08-15T13:00:00Z", "2022-08-15T13:30:00Z"},
+
+		// latency should shift the time *before* period alignment
+		// e.g. requesting a 5 minute period at 10:27 with 1 minutes latency still gives 10:20->10:25,
+		//      but with 3 minutes latency gives 10:15->10:20
+		{"1 minute, 10 minutes latency", "2022-08-15T13:38:45Z", time.Second * 60, time.Second * 60 * 10, "2022-08-15T13:27:00Z", "2022-08-15T13:28:00Z"},
+		{"2 minutes, 1 minute latency", "2022-08-15T13:38:45Z", time.Second * 60 * 2, time.Second * 60, "2022-08-15T13:34:00Z", "2022-08-15T13:36:00Z"},
+		{"5 minutes, 4 minutes latency", "2022-08-15T13:38:45Z", time.Second * 60 * 5, time.Second * 60 * 4, "2022-08-15T13:25:00Z", "2022-08-15T13:30:00Z"},
+		{"30 minutes, 30 minutes latency", "2022-08-15T13:38:45Z", time.Second * 60 * 30, time.Second * 60 * 30, "2022-08-15T12:30:00Z", "2022-08-15T13:00:00Z"},
+
+		// non-whole-minute periods should be rounded up to the nearest minute; latency is applied as-is before period adjustment
+		{"20 seconds, 45 second latency", "2022-08-15T13:38:45Z", time.Second * 20, time.Second * 45, "2022-08-15T13:37:00Z", "2022-08-15T13:38:00Z"},
+		{"1.5 minutes, 60 second latency", "2022-08-15T13:38:45Z", time.Second * 90, time.Second * 60, "2022-08-15T13:34:00Z", "2022-08-15T13:36:00Z"},
+		{"just less than 5 minutes, 3 minute latency", "2022-08-15T13:38:45Z", time.Second * 59 * 5, time.Second * 90, "2022-08-15T13:30:00Z", "2022-08-15T13:35:00Z"},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range cases {
+		t.Run(tt.title, func(t *testing.T) {
+			startTime, expectedStartTime, expectedEndTime := parseTime(t, tt.start), parseTime(t, tt.expectedStart), parseTime(t, tt.expectedEnd)
+
+			start, end := GetStartTimeEndTime(startTime, tt.period, tt.latency)
+
+			if expectedStartTime != start || expectedEndTime != end {
+				t.Errorf("got (%s, %s), want (%s, %s)", start, end, tt.expectedStart, tt.expectedEnd)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGetStartTimeEndTime_AlwaysCreatesContinuousIntervals(t *testing.T) {
+	type interval struct {
+		start, end string
+	}
+
+	startTime := parseTime(t, "2022-08-24T11:01:00Z")
+	numCalls := 5
+
+	var cases = []struct {
+		title             string
+		period            time.Duration
+		latency           time.Duration
+		expectedIntervals []interval
+	}{
+		// with no latency
+		{"1 minute", time.Second * 60, 0, []interval{
+			{"2022-08-24T11:00:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:01:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:01:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:02:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:02:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:03:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:03:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:04:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:04:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:05:00Z"},
+		}},
+		{"2 minutes", time.Second * 60 * 2, 0, []interval{
+			{"2022-08-24T10:58:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:00:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:00:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:02:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:02:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:04:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:04:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:06:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:06:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:08:00Z"},
+		}},
+		{"3 minutes", time.Second * 60 * 3, 0, []interval{
+			{"2022-08-24T10:57:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:00:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:00:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:03:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:03:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:06:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:06:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:09:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:09:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:12:00Z"},
+		}},
+		{"5 minutes", time.Second * 60 * 5, 0, []interval{
+			{"2022-08-24T10:55:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:00:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:00:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:05:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:05:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:10:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:10:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:15:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:15:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:20:00Z"},
+		}},
+		{"30 minutes", time.Second * 60 * 30, 0, []interval{
+			{"2022-08-24T10:30:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:00:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:00:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:30:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:30:00Z", "2022-08-24T12:00:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T12:00:00Z", "2022-08-24T12:30:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T12:30:00Z", "2022-08-24T13:00:00Z"},
+		}},
+
+		// with 90s latency (sanity check)
+		{"1 minute with 2 minute latency", time.Second * 60, time.Second * 90, []interval{
+			{"2022-08-24T10:58:00Z", "2022-08-24T10:59:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T10:59:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:00:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:00:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:01:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:01:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:02:00Z"},
+			{"2022-08-24T11:02:00Z", "2022-08-24T11:03:00Z"},
+		}},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range cases {
+		t.Run(tt.title, func(t *testing.T) {
+			// get a few repeated intervals
+			intervals := make([]interval, numCalls)
+			for i := range intervals {
+				adjustedStartTime := startTime.Add(tt.period * time.Duration(i))
+				start, end := GetStartTimeEndTime(adjustedStartTime, tt.period, tt.latency)
+				intervals[i] = interval{start.Format(time.RFC3339), end.Format(time.RFC3339)}
+			}
+
+			for i, val := range intervals {
+				if val != tt.expectedIntervals[i] {
+					t.Errorf("got %v, want %v", intervals, tt.expectedIntervals)
+					break
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}