# \[apm\] Question to event.outcome relationship between transaction and span **URL:** \ **Category:** APM\ **Tags:** java\ **Created:** [March 23, 2023, 3:27pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apm-question-to-event-outcome-relationship-between-transaction-and-span/328363 "2023-03-23T15:27:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dacothe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dc4da7/32.png) [@dacothe](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dacothe)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 3:27pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apm-question-to-event-outcome-relationship-between-transaction-and-span/328363/1 "2023-03-23T15:27:44Z")
**Kibana version** : 7.16.3 **Elasticsearch version** : 7.16.3 **APM Server version** : 7.16.3 **APM Agent language and version** : Java 1.30 **Browser version** : Chrome 110.0.5481.100 **Original install method (e.g. download page, yum, deb, from source, etc.) and version**: SpringBoot - Application JRE11 (2.6.13) with maven Hello all, I am currently having a hard time understanding the assignment of the `event.outcome` field for a transaction of type `http-request`. From your point of view, what should be the value of the `event.outcome` field of a transaction when our microservice makes a REST call to another microservice and the microservice acknowledges the request with HTTP.NOT\_FOUND (code 404)? The REST call is captured in a span below the transaction. If I understand the documentation ([apm/tracing-instrumentation-http.md at main · elastic/apm · GitHub](https://github.com/elastic/apm/blob/main/specs/agents/tracing-instrumentation-http.md#outcome)) correctly, then in the above case the span must be set to `event.outcome: failure`. What does this then mean for the parent transaction above it - `event.outcome:failure`? The question arises for us because we see in our data that the transaction is set to `event.outcome: success` even though a span listed below it has been assigned `event.outcome: failure`. Thank you for some feedback! Kind regards, Thilo ---
**Author:** ![Sylvain\_Juge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/sylvain_juge/32/55521_2.png) [@Sylvain\_Juge](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Sylvain_Juge)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apm-question-to-event-outcome-relationship-between-transaction-and-span/328363/2 "2023-03-23T16:16:29Z")
Hi @dacothe , welcome to our forum ! For HTTP transactions and spans, the outcome depends on the status code and side of the HTTP request. - when a service is receiving an HTTP request (service provides an HTTP endpoint), the 4xx errors are considered to be client-side errors, thus are not failures - when a service is making an HTTP request (service uses an HTTP client), the 4xx errors and 5xx errors are failures. This behavior is defined [in agent specification](https://github.com/elastic/apm/blob/main/specs/agents/tracing-instrumentation-http.md#outcome), with [examples in agent tests](https://github.com/elastic/apm/blob/main/tests/agents/gherkin-specs/outcome.feature#L48-L68) ---
**Author:** ![dacothe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dc4da7/32.png) [@dacothe](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dacothe)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 7:20am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apm-question-to-event-outcome-relationship-between-transaction-and-span/328363/3 "2023-04-04T07:20:04Z")
Hi Sylvain, That sums it up - thank you for this clear explanation! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 3:20am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apm-question-to-event-outcome-relationship-between-transaction-and-span/328363/4 "2023-04-25T03:20:07Z")
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