Setting up an Alert with a Threshold

Certain KPIs have predefined alert(s) with thresholds. You can find the list of all available alerts in the chapter Defining Alerts. If you want to set a new alert or change the existing threshold values of an existing alert, you must use the KPI Context Menu.

Setting a Threshold

You can click Set threshold to create a new alert definition for a KPI. For more information about how alerts work, see the chapter Set up Alerts.

You can only define a new threshold for a KPI that is currently being monitored on at least one system. If this KPI is not being monitored at all, you cannot set a new threshold – you must start the monitoring of this KPI first. If the selected KPI is already being monitored and does not have an alert assigned yet, the Set threshold option is displayed when you right-click a KPI in the KPI tree.

When you click Set threshold, the Alert threshold setting window is displayed with some predefined values.

The following options are available:

  • Alert name: Shows the name of the alert.

  • Description: Shows the description of the alert that is displayed when the alert is triggered. 

  • Alert type: Specifies the type of alert. 

  • Raise alert when: Specifies the operator that is used to compare the KPI value. If this condition is met, the alert is raised. 

  • For system: Specifies a system for which is this alert suitable. If you leave this field empty, the alert is applied to any system that collects the KPI. 

  • Checking period time [min]: Specifies the frequency in minutes. This frequency defines the time period after which the alert is evaluated again.

You can click Long Description to enter custom text as an additional description.

In addition, you can also define the recipient(s) for the notification when the alert is triggered. 

If you set a new threshold value and save it, a new alert definition is created in the customizing for the selected KPI. All alerts generated in this way have the following naming convention: X<KPI_NAME(21)><NUMBER(10)> (for example XCPU_SYS0000002002). 

NOTE The numbers (21) and (10) refer to the maximum length of the string.

Changing a Threshold

You can only change the existing threshold of a KPI that is currently being monitored on at least one system. If this KPI is not being monitored at all, you cannot change the threshold – you must start the monitoring of this KPI first. If the selected KPI is already being monitored and already has an alert assigned, the Change threshold option is displayed when you right-click a KPI in the KPI tree.

When you click Change threshold, the existing thresholds are displayed in the submenu. There are two types of thresholds:

  • General settings: General settings represent a threshold that is suitable for any system. No specific system is defined for this threshold.

  • System-specific settings: The name of the specific system is displayed in the submenu above General settings. This item means that the threshold is suitable for this specific system only.

If an alert has more than one threshold defined, all existing thresholds are displayed in the following format <Alert_type>: KPI <operator> <threshold_value> (for example W: KPI > 5).

If you want to create a new alert with a new threshold value beyond the existing one, you can select click New settings. The function is the same as described above in the chapter Set Threshold.

You can change these existing threshold values by selecting any relevant record that you want to change. If you change a threshold value and save it, the existing threshold is updated in the customizing.

Deactivating a Threshold

If you want to deactivate a threshold for an existing alert, you must select an existing threshold as described in the chapter Change Threshold. When you select the threshold, the Alert threshold setting window is displayed.

This pop-up contains the additional button Deactivate, which adjusts the threshold validity. A threshold is marked as not valid as of the time when it is deactivated. When a threshold is deactivated, it is no longer used in the alerting function.