Capacity windows need clean events before they need bigger pipes
Headroom debates collapse when duplicate counters and missing properties pollute the utilisation stream.
Teams schedule upgrades with good intentions, then watch the justification thrash because the same link reports three utilisation numbers under slightly different event names. Application analytics for capacity only works when identity, direction, and path boundaries stay consistent.
Before you order bandwidth, audit the event dictionary. Collapse synonyms, require a stable `path` property, and document which retry bursts should not inflate utilisation. Clean inputs make modest boards more useful than ornate ones.
Once the stream is trustworthy, capacity windows become a planning tool instead of a source of argument in the change board.