# Threshold Alert Escalation

Normally, an alert is triggered whenever the threshold is breached. In cases where system metrics produce one-time spikes, even though there is no actual system impact, this can result in false alarms.

To improve alert accuracy and reduce false positives:

* The threshold override can be updated to generate alerts only if the issue persists.
* An escalation rule can be configured to trigger a Critical Alert only when the alert count exceeds a defined value within a specific time window.

[Thresholds](https://docs.itconductor.com/user-guide/notifications/threshold-overrides) in IT-Conductor have dedicated escalation configurations that allow for complex rule definitions, such as considering prior values, frequency, and persistence of conditions.

This flexibility makes it possible to:

* Differentiate between one-off and recurring issues.
* Ensure only sustained problems trigger escalations.

#### What are escalation rules in IT-Conductor?

Escalation rules define how alerts progress in severity and priority while a warning or alarm condition persists.

When the threshold override **Escalate Alerts** checkbox is enabled:

* The Escalation Rules tool becomes visible in the threshold override toolbar.
* Defined escalation rules are applied as long as the warning or alarm condition persists.
* These rules determine how alerts are generated, determining alert escalation level and priority.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:**

* Alerts with Priority ≥ High and Escalation Level > 0 are not auto-resolved.
* Escalation attributes influence notification priority and incident workflow.
* [Subscriptions](https://docs.itconductor.com/user-guide/notifications/subscriptions) can target a certain level of alert escalation, preventing notifications on alerts with a lower level of escalation.
  {% endhint %}

#### Use Case: PagerDuty Integration <a href="#practical-use-case-pagerduty-integration" id="practical-use-case-pagerduty-integration"></a>

In many IT operations environments, IT-Conductor alerts are integrated with [PagerDuty](https://docs.itconductor.com/user-guide/notifications/integration-providers/pagerduty) to manage on-call notifications.

**Scenario**

PagerDuty is configured to trigger a call to the SAP Basis team whenever an alert is raised in production systems.

**Expectations**

* The team wants to be notified only when a critical production issue persists.
* A one-time occurrence should raise only a Warning Alert, not a Critical Alert or PagerDuty incident.

**Solution**

With IT-Conductor’s escalation rules capability:

* A Warning Alert is generated for one-time events.
* A Critical Alert (which triggers PagerDuty) is only raised if the issue repeats multiple times over a set duration.

### Configure Threshold Alert Escalation

To configure threshold alert escalation, start by enabling the *Escalation Rules* tool, then create a new escalation rule.

#### Enable Escalation Rules

1. Navigate to the service grid and select the metric to configure with a threshold alert escalation. Click <img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2FbrOs2LgoCZkn2KqyAzJe%2Fthresholds-icon.png?alt=media&#x26;token=c01242d8-2d2e-473a-a805-94469eb794d9" alt="" data-size="line">**Threshold Overrides**, then select <img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2FbrOs2LgoCZkn2KqyAzJe%2Fthresholds-icon.png?alt=media&#x26;token=c01242d8-2d2e-473a-a805-94469eb794d9" alt="" data-size="line">**Overrides**.

<figure><img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2FIhMAWT4hiRuN2QuMj1iq%2Fpage-out-overrides.png?alt=media&#x26;token=cba32c1c-bbfe-4d7e-be45-5c4f1c58d559" alt=""><figcaption><p>Figure 1: Navigating to Page Out Overrides from Service Grid</p></figcaption></figure>

2. Select the threshold override you want to modify, click <img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2FbrOs2LgoCZkn2KqyAzJe%2Fthresholds-icon.png?alt=media&#x26;token=c01242d8-2d2e-473a-a805-94469eb794d9" alt="" data-size="line">**Threshold Default Settings**, then select <img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2FuHYv3MBa7TEUIc3aL73C%2Fchange-icon.gif?alt=media&#x26;token=efe10078-139b-4865-a615-2917930d3861" alt="" data-size="line"> **Modify.**

<figure><img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2FTwkMXqyHAdMTY0aOkEMb%2Fmodify-page-out-rate-override.png?alt=media&#x26;token=8fa82047-1f2a-4c93-9388-c4ce1d9740c7" alt=""><figcaption><p>Figure 2: Selecting Modify to Edit the Page Out Rate Override</p></figcaption></figure>

3. Tick the **Escalate** checkbox, then click <img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2FKGMKWbeytvsPZu8WBj0y%2Fsave-icon.gif?alt=media&#x26;token=2a566496-96e3-4381-b49d-5ec8d6972f88" alt="" data-size="line"> **Save** to enable escalation rules.

<figure><img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2FBgoYEYXUXZwKLJ2NlWJt%2Fenabling-escalate-alerts-option.png?alt=media&#x26;token=40e228f9-2619-4812-96ff-2627820c4a30" alt=""><figcaption><p>Figure 3: Enabling Escalation Rules</p></figcaption></figure>

Once enabled, <img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2FOBoEio3dBvw2VwCUVEVT%2Fescalate-icon.gif?alt=media&#x26;token=a360ce03-ebac-40c5-aa20-a6720d1d94fa" alt="" data-size="line"> **Escalation Rules** will appear in the threshold toolbar.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** Make sure to define the threshold **Warning Value**, and select the desired option in the **Alert On** dropdown menu. See [Alerts](https://docs.itconductor.com/user-guide/notifications/alerts) for more information.
{% endhint %}

#### Create New Threshold Alert Escalation Rule

1. Click <img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2FOBoEio3dBvw2VwCUVEVT%2Fescalate-icon.gif?alt=media&#x26;token=a360ce03-ebac-40c5-aa20-a6720d1d94fa" alt="" data-size="line"> **Escalation Rules** to access the list of existing escalation rules.

<figure><img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2FOutNbvsoemZoESv4cKFR%2Fescalation-rules-tool.png?alt=media&#x26;token=68cd25d6-ca11-47d6-a06a-f7c419216f9f" alt=""><figcaption><p>Figure 4: Accessing Escalation Rules</p></figcaption></figure>

2. Click <img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-7f816831472c5030e6dfbcb513035d87da645a67%2Fadd.png?alt=media" alt="" data-size="line"> **Create New Object** to start adding a new escalation rule.

<figure><img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2FRSl8wwDm0MP1F5XmXPyo%2Fcreate-new-escalation-rule.png?alt=media&#x26;token=43429b01-917a-4309-8938-97767e8ae2ff" alt=""><figcaption><p>Figure 5: List of Escalation Rules</p></figcaption></figure>

3. Fill out all the necessary information in the **Create Threshold Alert Escalation** wizard. Once completed, click <img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-7f816831472c5030e6dfbcb513035d87da645a67%2Fadd.png?alt=media" alt="" data-size="line">  to save the configuration.

<figure><img src="https://377464071-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FXhp08OmU8050PePmMgDt%2Fuploads%2FC3v9AQSjmty36OYkWzgK%2Fcreate-threshold-alert-escalation-wizard.png?alt=media&#x26;token=cd49fc80-f900-4304-8d45-f9e79e682707" alt=""><figcaption><p>Figure 6: Create Threshold Alert Escalation Wizard</p></figcaption></figure>

* **Description** – refers to a short description for the escalation rule.
* **Level** – refers to the escalation level applied when the rule is triggered.
* **Intervals** – refers to the look-back aggregation interval count used for monitoring alert conditions.
* **Alert Count** – refers to the number of alerts within the defined look-back interval that will trigger escalation.
* **Escalation Priority** – refers to the priority assigned to the escalation alert.
* **Escalate Severity** – refers to the severity level set for the escalation alert.
* **Escalation Message** – refers to the message content displayed when an escalation alert is generated.

Once created, the **Escalation Rule** is applied to the associated monitor.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Best Practices:**

* Review escalation thresholds periodically based on alert trends or environmental patterns.
* Use historical alert data to fine-tune frequency count, time interval, and escalation priority.
* Document and communicate escalation logic with both monitoring and incident response teams.
  {% endhint %}


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