Alert Side Panel

The Alert Side Panel provides comprehensive information about individual alerts and offers various actions you can take to manage them. It opens when you click on any alert in the Alert Browser.

Accessing the Side Panel

  • Click on any alert row in the Alert Browser
  • Use keyboard navigation (arrow keys + Enter)
  • Right-click menu and select “View Details”
  • Deep link directly to specific alerts

Panel Sections

1. Alert Header

The top section displays key alert information at a glance:

  • Alert Name: Full alert title and description
  • Severity Badge: Color-coded severity indicator
  • Status Badge: Current alert status with timestamp
  • Alert ID: Unique identifier for reference
  • Quick Actions: Primary action buttons (Acknowledge, Suppress, Close)

2. Alert Details Tab

Basic Information

  • Created Time: When the alert was first generated
  • Last Updated: Most recent modification
  • Duration: How long the alert has been active
  • Source: Monitoring tool or integration that generated the alert
  • Monitor: Specific monitor or check that triggered the alert

Resource Information

  • Resource Name: Affected resource identifier
  • Resource Type: Category of the resource
  • Resource Group: Logical grouping
  • Location: Physical or virtual location
  • Environment: Production, staging, development, etc.

Technical Details

  • Metric: Performance metric that triggered the alert
  • Threshold: Configured threshold values
  • Current Value: Actual value that triggered the alert
  • Unit: Measurement unit for the metric
  • Condition: Triggering condition (greater than, less than, etc.)

Classification

  • Problem Area: Associated problem area (if configured)
  • Correlation ID: Related alert group identifier
  • Tags: Custom tags applied to the alert
  • Categories: Alert categorization labels

3. Actions Tab

The Actions tab provides various operations you can perform on the alert:

Primary Actions

  • Acknowledge: Mark alert as acknowledged

    • Add acknowledgment notes
    • Set acknowledgment duration
    • Notify team members

  • Suppress: Temporarily hide the alert

    • Specify suppression duration
    • Add suppression reason
    • Set automatic un-suppression conditions

  • Close: Mark alert as resolved

    • Select close reason
    • Add resolution notes
    • Specify root cause

  • Assign: Assign alert to user or team

    • Select assignee from dropdown
    • Add assignment notes
    • Set priority level

Advanced Actions

  • Escalate: Move alert to next escalation level

    • Choose escalation path
    • Add escalation notes
    • Set escalation timeline

  • Create Incident: Convert alert to incident

    • Set incident priority
    • Assign incident team
    • Add incident description

  • Create Change Request: Link to change management

    • Associate with planned changes
    • Set change priority
    • Add change justification

  • Add to Maintenance: Associate with maintenance window

    • Link to maintenance schedule
    • Set maintenance type
    • Add maintenance notes

Notification Actions

  • Send Notification: Manual notification sending

    • Select recipients
    • Choose notification method
    • Add custom message

  • Add Comment: Add internal comments

    • Visible to team members
    • Timestamp and user tracking
    • Rich text formatting

4. History Tab

The History tab shows the complete timeline of the alert:

Event Timeline

  • Status Changes: All status transitions with timestamps
  • Assignment Changes: Who was assigned when
  • Escalations: Escalation events and levels
  • Comments: All comments added to the alert
  • Actions Taken: Complete audit trail of actions

Occurrence History

  • First Occurrence: Initial alert generation
  • Subsequent Occurrences: Repeat occurrences of the same condition
  • Resolution Attempts: Previous resolution efforts
  • Pattern Analysis: Frequency and timing patterns

Shows alerts related to the current alert:

Correlation Groups

  • Correlated Alerts: Alerts identified as related
  • Problem Area Alerts: Other alerts in the same problem area
  • Resource Alerts: All alerts for the same resource
  • Time-Based Relations: Alerts occurring around the same time

Dependency Mapping

  • Upstream Dependencies: Resources this alert depends on
  • Downstream Impact: Resources affected by this alert
  • Service Mapping: Service topology relationships

6. Metrics and Graphs Tab

Visual representation of the alert data:

Performance Charts

  • Metric Timeline: Historical metric values
  • Threshold Visualization: Threshold lines and violations
  • Trend Analysis: Performance trends over time
  • Comparative Data: Comparison with baseline values

Alert Frequency

  • Occurrence Patterns: When similar alerts typically occur
  • Frequency Charts: How often this type of alert happens
  • Seasonal Trends: Time-based patterns and cycles

7. Knowledge Base Tab

Contextual information and documentation:

Runbooks

  • Associated Runbooks: Relevant troubleshooting procedures
  • Resolution Steps: Step-by-step resolution guidance
  • Knowledge Articles: Related documentation

Historical Resolutions

  • Previous Solutions: How similar alerts were resolved
  • Success Rates: Effectiveness of different solutions
  • Time to Resolution: Historical resolution times

Action Features

Bulk Actions

When multiple alerts are selected:

  • Apply actions to all selected alerts
  • Confirm bulk operation impact
  • Track bulk action results

Conditional Actions

Set up automatic actions based on conditions:

  • Time-based actions (auto-close after X hours)
  • Metric-based actions (escalate if value exceeds threshold)
  • Status-based actions (notify when acknowledged)

Action Templates

Save frequently used action combinations:

  • Standard acknowledgment with specific notes
  • Common suppression periods and reasons
  • Escalation paths for different alert types

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Tab: Move between sections
  • Arrow Keys: Navigate within sections
  • Esc: Close the side panel
  • Enter: Activate selected action

Quick Actions

  • A: Acknowledge alert
  • S: Suppress alert
  • C: Close alert
  • E: Escalate alert
  • N: Add comment/note

Mobile and Responsive Features

Mobile Optimization

  • Touch-friendly action buttons
  • Swipe gestures for tab navigation
  • Optimized layout for small screens
  • Essential information prioritized

Responsive Design

  • Adapts to different screen sizes
  • Collapsible sections for space efficiency
  • Scalable text and buttons
  • Optimized for tablet viewing

Customization Options

Panel Layout

  • Choose which tabs to display
  • Reorder tabs based on preference
  • Set default tab when opening panel
  • Configure panel width and height

Information Display

  • Customize which fields are shown
  • Set field order and grouping
  • Choose detail level (basic/advanced)
  • Configure refresh intervals

Integration Features

External Tools

  • Link to monitoring tools: Direct links to source systems
  • ITSM Integration: Create tickets in external systems
  • Chat Integration: Send alert details to team chat
  • Calendar Integration: Link to maintenance schedules

API Access

  • Get alert details via REST API
  • Perform actions programmatically
  • Integrate with custom tools
  • Automate workflow processes

Best Practices

Efficient Use

  1. Use keyboard shortcuts for quick navigation
  2. Review history before taking actions
  3. Check related alerts for broader context
  4. Add meaningful comments for team collaboration
  5. Use appropriate action reasons for audit trails

Team Collaboration

  1. Clear acknowledgment notes help team coordination
  2. Timely status updates keep everyone informed
  3. Escalation paths should be well-defined
  4. Knowledge sharing through comments and resolutions

Performance

  1. Close panel when not needed to improve browser performance
  2. Use filters to reduce data loading
  3. Batch actions for multiple similar alerts
  4. Regular cleanup of old comments and notes

Troubleshooting

Panel Not Loading

  • Check browser console for errors
  • Verify network connectivity
  • Clear browser cache
  • Try refreshing the page

Missing Information

  • Verify user permissions
  • Check data source availability
  • Confirm integration status
  • Contact administrator if needed

Slow Performance

  • Limit concurrent open panels
  • Check system resources
  • Verify network speed
  • Consider browser optimization

Next Steps