Use alerts

Create alerts to track important values and get notified when they meet the conditions you set.

Alerts are a special type of favorite. You can use a dynamic period so an alert automatically moves forward over time as the underlying data updates.

Use alerts

Someone in your organization might share alerts with you, or you can create your own.

View alerts

Alerts display on your homepage on the All and Alerts tabs. If you subscribe to an alert, you receive it by email and it also displays on the Subscriptions tab on your homepage.

The alert's color indicates its current status, so you can quickly see whether the value is red, yellow, or green. Click an alert to open it and view the saved analysis point.

When you open an alert, a breadcrumb above the grid shows its place in the hierarchy. If the alert was created from a favorite, the favorite's name appears in the breadcrumb too. The breadcrumb displays only while the alert panel is open.

Depending on its delivery settings, you might also receive the alert by email.

Create an alert

There are different contexts from which to create an alert. The steps are similar, but the starting points are different.

Create an alert from an analysis point

1. Set up your grid the way you want.
2. Click Create alert in the toolbar. This option is only available in a dimension view. The Create alert panel opens next to the grid.

   
3. In the grid, select the column you want to create the alert on. By default, the Total column is selected, but you can select any value column, including a calculation column you've added to the grid.
4. In the Create alert panel, enter a name for the alert and, optionally, a description.
5. Select the metric used to calculate the value, such as Sum, Average, Count, Max, or Min.
6. Optional: Enter a prefix and suffix to display before or after the value and give it more context, such as a currency symbol.
7. Set the thresholds:

   • Select whether Higher is better or Lower is better. This determines the order of the red, yellow, and green statuses.
   • Enter the two values that define the thresholds between the three statuses.
8. Select when you want to be notified:

   • Threshold crossed: You're notified when the value moves from one status to another, for example, from green to yellow.
   • Red, Yellow, or Green: You're notified when the value is in the selected status.

   You can select multiple conditions. If you don't select a condition, you're notified every time the alert runs.
9. Optional: Under Delivery method, select Email if you also want to subscribe to the alert. Set your subscription preferences, including how and when you want to receive the email. See Manage subscriptions for more information about subscription settings.

   
10. Optional: Click Test to test the alert.
11. Click Create.

Create an alert from a favorite

Create an alert based on an analysis you've saved as a favorite.

1. Open the favorite and ensure you're in a dimension view.
2. Click Create alert in the toolbar. The Create alert panel opens next to the grid.

   
3. Set up the alert as described in steps 3–11 in Create an alert from an analysis point above.

Once created, the alert's breadcrumb shows the full hierarchy, including the originating favorite's name, whenever the alert panel is open.

Update an alert

To update only the subscription settings: On your homepage, locate the alert and click its menu button > Manage subscription. See Manage subscriptions for more information about subscription settings.

To update any other alert settings:

1. Open the alert settings in one of these ways:

   • From your homepage: Locate the alert and click its menu button > Update alert.
   • From the alert: If the Update alert panel isn't already open, ensure you're in the dimension view, then click Alert controls > Update alert.
   • From the subscription email: Click Manage alerts to open the Alerts tab on your homepage. Locate the alert and click its menu button > Update alert.
2. Edit the alert settings, including the subscription settings if required.
3. Click Update.

Delete an alert

1. Open the alert. The grid opens with the saved analysis point and the Update alert panel open.
2. Click either Create alert in the toolbar or the actions arrow. Then, under Alert, click Delete alert > Delete.