# Working with threshold alerts in Amazon Quick Sight
Threshold alerts


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|  Applies to:  Enterprise Edition  | 

To stay informed about important changes in your data, you can create threshold alerts using KPI, Gauge, Table, and Pivot table visuals in an Amazon Quick Sight dashboard. With these alerts, you can set thresholds for your data and be notified by email when your data crosses them. You can also view and manage your alerts at anytime in a Quick Sight supported web browser.

For example, let's say that you're a customer success manager for a large organization and you want to know when the number of tickets in a support queue exceeds a certain number. Let's say too that you have a dashboard with a KPI, Gauge, Table or Pivot table visual that tracks the number of tickets in this queue. In this case, you can create an alert and be notified by email when the number exceeds the threshold you specified. That way, you can take action as soon as you're notified.

You can create multiple alerts for a single visual. If the visual is updated or deleted by the author after you create an alert, your alert settings don't change. When you create an alert, the alert takes on any filters applied to the visual at that time. If you or the author changes the filter, your existing alert doesn't change. However, if you create a new alert, your new alert takes on the new filter settings.

For example, let's say you have a dashboard with a filter control that you can use to switch the data for each visual in the dashboard from one US city to another. You have a KPI visual on the dashboard that shows average flight delays, and you're interested in delays for flights leaving from Seattle, Washington, in the US. You change the filter control to Seattle and set an alert on the visual. This alert tracks flight delays from Seattle. Tomorrow, let's say that you want to also track flight delays from Portland, Oregon, so you change the filter control to Portland and create another alert. This new alert tracks flight delays from Portland. You now have two alerts, one on Seattle and one on Portland, working independently.

Threshold alerts are not available in the `eu-central-2` Europe (Zurich) region.

For more information on KPI, Gauge, Table, or Pivot table visuals, see [Visual types in Amazon Quick Sight](working-with-visual-types.md).

**Note**  
You can't create alerts for visuals in an embedded dashboard or from the Quick mobile app.  
For table visuals, threshold alerts can't be created for values that are located in the `Group by` field well. Alerts can only be created for values that are located in the `Value` field well.  
KPI visuals that don't use a date-time field as a trend don't support alerts. An example is a KPI that shows the difference in flights between carriers X and Y instead of a KPI that shows the difference in flights between dates A and B. 

Use the sections below to create and configure threshold alerts for KPI, Gauge, Table, and Pivot table visuals in Quick Sight.

**Topics**
+ [

# Alert Permissions
](threshold-alerts-permissions.md)
+ [

# Creating Alerts
](threshold-alerts-creating.md)
+ [

# Managing Threshold Alerts
](threshold-alerts-managing.md)
+ [

# Investigating Alert Failures
](threshold-alerts-failures.md)
+ [

# Alert Scheduling
](threshold-alerts-scheduling.md)
+ [

# Using Quick action connectors in threshold alerts
](action-connectors-in-threshold-alerts.md)

# Alert Permissions


If you're an administrator, you can control who in your organization can set threshold alerts in Quick Sight by creating a custom permissions policy. To set custom permissions in Quick, choose your user name at the upper-right corner of any Quick page, choose **Manage Quick**, and then choose **Custom permissions**.

# Creating Alerts


Use the following procedure to create threshold alerts for KPI or Gauge visuals in a dashboard.

**To create an alert**

1. Open Quick and navigate to the dashboard that you want.

   For more information about viewing dashboards as a dashboard subscriber in Quick, see [Interacting with Amazon Quick Sight dashboards](exploring-dashboards.md).

1. In the dashboard, select the visual that you want to create an alert for, open the menu at the upper-right, and choose **Create alert**.

1. On the menu at upper-right on the visual, choose the **Create alert** icon.

   Alternatively, you can choose the alert icon in the blue toolbar at upper right. Then, in the **Create alert** page that opens, select the KPI, Gauge, Table or Pivot table visual that you want to create an alert for, and then choose **Next**.

   You can also create alerts on table or pivot table visuals by selecing a cell and choosing **Create alert**. You can only create alerts for single cells. Alerts can't be created for entire columns or for values that use a custom aggregation. For more information about custom aggregations, see [Aggregate functions](calculated-field-aggregations.md).

1. On the **Create alert** page that opens at right, do the following:

   1. For **Name**, enter a name for the alert.

      By default, the visual name is used for the alert name. You can change it if you want.

   1. For **Value to track**, choose a value that you want to set the threshold for. The information presented will vary based on the visual type you're creating an alert for.

      The values that are available for this option are based on the values the dashboard author sets in the visual. For example, let's say you have a KPI visual that shows a percent difference between two dates. Given that, you see two alert value options: percent difference and actual.

      If there is only one value in the visual, you can't change this option. It is the current value and it is displayed here so that you can use it as a reference while you choose a threshold. For example, if you're setting an alert on average cost, this value will show you what the current average cost is (say, \$15). With this reference value you can make more informed decisions while setting your threshold.

   1. For **Condition**, choose a condition for the threshold. 

      You can choose the following conditions.
      + **Is above** – Sets a rule that the alert triggers if the alert value goes above the threshold you set.
      + **Is below** – Sets a rule that the alert triggers if the alert value goes below the threshold that you set.
      + **Is equal to** – Sets a rule that the alert triggers if the alert value is equal to the threshold you set.

   1. For **Threshold**, enter a value to prompt the alert.

   1. For **Notification preference**, choose how often you want to be notified about a breach to the threshold you set.

      You can choose from the following options.
      + **As frequently as possible** - This option alerts you whenever the threshold is breached. If you choose this option, you might get alerts multiple times a day.
      + **Daily at most** - This option alerts you once per day when the threshold is breached.
      + **Weekly at most** - This option alerts you once per week when the threshold is breached.

   1. (Optional) Choose **Email me when there is no data** - When you select this option, you're notified when there's no data to check your alert rule against.

   1. Choose **Save**.

      A message at upper-right appears indicating that the alert has been saved. If your data crosses the threshold you set, you get a notification by email at the address that's associated with your Quick account. 

# Managing Threshold Alerts


You can edit your existing alerts, turn them on or off, or view the history of times when the alert was triggered. Use the following procedures to do so.

**To edit an existing alert**

1. Open Quick, choose **Dashboards**, and then navigate to the dashboard that you want to edit an alert for.

1. On the Dashboards page, choose **Alerts** at upper-right.

1. On the **Manage alerts** page that opens, find the alert that you want to edit, and then choose **Edit **beneath the alert name.

   You can edit the alert name, condition, and threshold.

1. Choose **Save**.

**To view the history of when an alert was triggered**

1. Open Quick, choose **Dashboards**, and then navigate to the dashboard that you want to view alert history for.

1. On the Dashboards page, choose **Alerts** at upper-right.

1. On the **Manage alerts** page that opens, find the alert that you want to view the history for, and then choose **History** beneath the alert name.

**To turn on or turn off an existing alert**

1. Open Quick, choose **Dashboards**, and navigate to the dashboard that you want to turn on or turn off an alert for.

1. On the Dashboards page, choose **Alerts** at upper-right.

1. On the **Manage alerts** page that opens, find the alert that you want to turn on or off, and then select or clear the toggle by the alert name.

   The alert is turned on when the toggle is blue, and turned off when the toggle is gray.

**To delete an existing alert**

1. Open Quick, choose **Dashboards**, and navigate to the dashboard that you want to delete an alert from.

1. On the Dashboards page, choose **Alerts** at upper-right.

1. On the **Manage alerts** page that opens, find the alert that you want to turn on or off, choose the three-dot menu next to the alert, and then choose **Delete** from the dropdown.

# Investigating Alert Failures


When an alert fails, Quick sends you an email notification about the failure. Alerts can fail for many reasons, including the following:
+ The dataset the alert is using was deleted.
+ The owner of the alert lost permissions to the dataset or to certain rows or columns in the dataset.
+ The owner of the alert lost access to the dashboard.
+ There is no data for the data tracked by the alert.

When a failure occurs, Quick sends you a notification and disables the alert if the reason for the failure isn't likely to be fixed. For example, if the alert fails due to the loss of access to a dashboard, or if the dashboard was deleted. Otherwise, Quick attempts to check your data for threshold breaches again. After four failures, Quick turns off the alert and notifies you that the alert is turned off. If the alert can be checked again, Quick sends you a notification.

To investigate why an alert failed, check that you still have access to the dashboard. Also check that you have permissions to the correct dataset and to the correct rows and columns in the dataset. If you have lost access or permissions, contact the dashboard owner. If you have the necessary access and permissions, you might need to edit your alert to avoid future alert failures.

# Alert Scheduling


When you create an alert, Quick checks your data for any breaches against the thresholds you set based on when your dataset is scheduled to refresh. The information presented in the alert varies based on the visual type that you're creating an alert for. For SPICE datasets, alert rules are checked after a successful refresh of your SPICE dataset. For direct query datasets, alert rules are checked at a random time between 6:00 PM and 8:00 AM in the AWS Region that holds the dataset by default.

If you're a dataset owner, you can set an alert evaluation schedule in the dataset settings. See the following procedure to learn how.

**To set an alert evaluation schedule for a dataset**

1. In Quick, choose **Data** in the navigation bar at left.

1. Choose the dataset that you want to schedule alert evaluations for.

1. Choose **Set alert schedule**.

1. In the **Set alert schedule** page that opens, do the following.
   + For **Time zone**, choose a time zone.
   + For **Repeats**, choose how often you want the data to be evaluated.
   + For **Starts**, enter the time that you want the alert evaluation to start.

# Using Quick action connectors in threshold alerts
Use action connectors in threshold alerts

## Prerequisites


Before you begin, make sure to [create at least one action connector](builtin-services-integration.md).

The connector must meet these requirements:
+ Uses the **Service Auth** authentication method
+ Uses one of the following integrations:
  + Atlassian Jira Cloud
  + Microsoft Outlook
  + Salesforce
  + ServiceNow

## Enable Quick actions on a dashboard to use action connectors


**To enable Quick actions on a dashboard to use action connectors**

1. If a dashboard exists, go to the source analysis of the dashboard. Otherwise, [create a new analysis](quickstart-createanalysis.md).

1. Choose **Publish**.

1. Choose between **New Dashboard** or **Replace existing dashboard**.

1. Choose the **Enable Quick actions** checkbox under **Dashboard options**.

1. Choose **Publish dashboard**.

## Use action connectors in a threshold alert


**To use action connectors in a threshold alert**

1. Open a dashboard with the **Enable Quick actions** publishing option turned on.

1. Hover over a visual that supports threshold alerts. The types of visuals that support alerts can be found [here](threshold-alerts.md).

1. Choose the bell icon.

1. The **Create alert** pane opens at right.

1. Choose **Add Action**.

1. A menu appears with a list of all supported action connectors and actions.

1. Choose the desired action from the list.

1. An **Action** form appears in the right pane.

1. Enter all the information you need to include with the action.

1. Some fields allow the inclusion of autofill values. Choose **Autofill** to open the menu. Choose the values you need and they will be added to your entered text.
   + **Value**: Injects the current value that was used by the alert to evaluate the alert condition
   + **Alert name**: Injects the alert name
   + **Condition**: Injects the alert condition
   + **Threshold**: Injects the threshold value
   + **All**: Injects all of the above

1. Some actions support the ability to include an attachment. You can optionally attach a PDF of the current dashboard sheet with these actions by selecting the **Include this sheet as PDF** checkbox.

1. Choose **Add action** to add the action to the alert.

1. Back at the **Create alert** pane, the configured action is added to the alert at the bottom.

1. Configure all the other desired fields of the alert and choose **Save**.

1. When your configured threshold is breached, this action should get invoked. To learn more about when a threshold alert is evaluated, see [Alert Scheduling](threshold-alerts-scheduling.md).

## Security and customizations


**Custom Permissions/Capability Customization**
+ **Actions** capability: You cannot see or use actions if your user or role is restricted the permission to use the Actions capability
+ **Export To PDF** capability:
  + New actions on alerts: You will not see the option to attach a PDF of the sheet while adding a new action to an alert if your user or role is restricted the permission to use the **Export To PDF** capability.
  + Existing actions on alerts: If you have existing alerts with actions containing PDF attachments then those actions will be sent out without the PDF attachments when your user or role gets restricted from using the **Export To PDF** capability.

To learn more about custom permissions, see [Creating a custom permissions profile in Amazon Quick](create-custom-permissions-profile.md).

**Row Level Security (RLS) / Column Level Security (CLS)**
+ New actions on alerts: If your dashboard contains a dataset with RLS or CLS, then
  + You cannot add actions to new alerts that track the dataset with RLS or CLS
  + You can add actions to new alerts that track a different dataset without RLS or CLS, but you cannot include PDF attachments in these actions
+ Existing actions on alerts: If you add RLS or CLS to a dataset after creating alerts with actions, then
  + Existing actions on alerts tracking that dataset will stop working completely
  + Existing actions on alerts tracking a different dataset on the same dashboard will be sent out without any PDF attachments

To learn more about RLS, see [Using row-level security in Amazon Quick](row-level-security.md).

To learn more about CLS, see [Using column-level security to restrict access to a dataset](row-level-security.md).

**Dashboard publishing options**
+ Enable PDF generation for interactive sheets
  + New actions on alerts: You will not see the option to attach a PDF of the sheet while adding a new action on alert if your dashboard has the **Enable PDF generation for interactive sheets** publishing option disabled.
  + Existing actions on alerts: If you have existing alerts with actions containing PDF attachments, then those actions will be sent out without the PDF attachments when the **Enable PDF generation for interactive sheets** publishing option gets disabled on your dashboard.
+ Enable Quick actions
  + New actions on alerts: You will not see the option to add an action to the alert if your dashboard has the **Enable Quick actions** publishing option turned off.
  + Existing actions on alerts: Your existing actions on alerts will stop working completely when the **Enable Quick actions** publishing option gets disabled on your dashboard.

To learn more about dashboard publishing options, see [Publishing dashboards](creating-a-dashboard.md).