Microsoft has a new SDK for finding out what users are doing with your apps. The Application Insights SDK is in preview and confusingly it already has an "old version".

We first heard about Application Insights when Visual Studio Online was announced in November. At the time the preview SDK came as part of the package for collaborating in the cloud that also included the former Visual Team Studio. What it does was described as collecting "live telemetry" data from both development, test and production environments and it worked with .NET and Java applications running on Windows Server and Azure for both web and phone apps.  

Application Insights is still at the pre-release stage and has just reached version 0.10.0 of its new version, which as well as bringing new functionality and new concepts, has a change to its basic architecture. The main difference of the new version of the SDK is that data sent to it will only be visible through the Microsoft Azure Preview Portal and, whereas Application Insights for Visual Studio Online is not going to be developed further, Application Insights in Microsoft Azure Preview is gradually building up new features.

The Azure version already has more powerful analysis of metrics and events but as yet it doesn't monitor Windows Store and Windows Phone Apps, which as supported in the VSO version. Another reason for sticking with the VSO version for existing projects, or creating new projects with it is that the new version ential having a subscription to Microsoft Azure.

So what does Application Insights do?

According to Joshua Webb on the MSDN blog:

It lets you gather information about your application’s usage and behavior in the wild. You can find out how people are using your app, understand what is failing, and identify areas for improvement.

Webb also says that the easiest way to acquire the AppInsights SDK is to add it to your project using Visual Studio 2013 Update 3. Alternatively, you can manually add the NuGet packages from the public NuGet feed. He points out that as it is an early version you can influence the direction the SDK takes by providing feedback.

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