Create a user alert

Create a user alert when you need to monitor metrics using custom thresholds and evaluation logic that differs from the default system alerts. User alerts let you tailor alert behavior to your operational needs, helping ensure that alerts are triggered only when meaningful conditions are met, rather than short-lived metric fluctuations.

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Alerts are currently in beta for the Databases service. Support for additional services is planned for future releases.

When creating a user alert, keep the following limits in mind:

• Metrics per alert: An alert can monitor up to 5 metrics.
• Dimension filters per alert: An alert definition can include up to 5 dimension filters.
• Entities per alert: An alert can target up to 100 entities.
• User alerts per account: Up to 100 user alerts can be created per account.
• Notification channels per alert: An alert can be associated with up to 5 notification channels.
• Recipients per channel: Up to 10 recipients can be added to a user-created notification channel.
• Access: You can create alerts only for entities within your access scope.

If you want to create more than 100 user alerts, contact Support to request an increase.

If multiple metrics are being evaluated, the minimum supported polling interval is the upper limit of the minimum aggregation interval for the selected metrics.

To create a user alert in Cloud Manager:

1. Log in to Cloud Manager

2. Expand Monitor in the main menu, and select Alerts.

3. Click Create Alert.

4. Complete the General Information section. For descriptions of each field, see Alert parameters.

5. Specify additional details depending on the scope selected:

   • Account: No additional details required. The alert applies to all entities associated with the account.
   • Regions: Select the regions to which the alert applies. The alert applies to all entities in these regions.
   • Entities: Select the individual entities to which the alert applies.

6. Specify the evaluation criteria that must be met to trigger the alert. For example, to fire an alert when CPU usage exceeds 90% for 5 polling intervals, you might configure:

   • Data field: CPU Usage
   • Aggregation type: Average
   • Operator: >
   • Threshold: 90
   • Evaluation period: 10 min
   • Polling interval: 1 min
   • Blip interval: 5
     

   For details about these values, see Alert parameters.

7. Add a notification channel:

   1. Click Add Notification Channel. The Add Notification Channel pane appears.
   2. Select the channel type. Email is currently the only supported type.
   3. Select the notification channel you wish to use.
   4. Click Add Channel to save your selection.

8. Click Submit to create the alert.

It may take up to five minutes for your new alert to be created. You can monitor the alert's status on the Definitions tab of the Alerts page. A status of In Progress means the alert is still being created. This status will change to Enabled once the alert is active.