---
title: Set thresholds for an alert condition
source: https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/create-alert/set-thresholds/set-thresholds-alert-condition
---

When you create a condition, you set personalized **thresholds** that determine what will open an alert event. This document explains what thresholds are and how to set them.

## What is a threshold? [#threshold-definition]

For a [condition](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/using-new-relic/welcome-new-relic/get-started/glossary#alert-condition), thresholds are the settings that determine what opens an [alert event](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/new-relic-solutions/get-started/glossary#alert-event). Depending on a policy's [issue creation preference](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/organize-alerts/specify-when-alerts-create-events), and any [workflows](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/get-notified/alert-event-workflows/) you may have configured, an alert event may result in:

-   The creation of an issue
-   Notifications being sent

### There are two types of thresholds: [#threshold-types]

-   **Static**: One value set by you.
-   **Anomaly**: An [anomaly](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts-applied-intelligence/new-relic-alerts/advanced-alerts/other-condition-types/create-anomaly-alert-conditions/#set-anomaly-thresholds) threshold uses past data to dynamically predict the data's near-future behavior. This will adjust over time as it learns the patterns of your data.

### Examples of thresholds: [#threshold-examples]

-   An application's average web response time is greater than 5 seconds for 15 minutes.
-   An application's error rate per minute hits 10% or higher at least once in an hour.
-   An application's AJAX response time deviates a certain amount from its expected behavior.

Besides a critical threshold level, you can also set thresholds for a less serious [warning level](#threshold-levels).

## View and set thresholds [#viewing-thresholds]

Thresholds are set during the process of [creating a condition](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/new-relic-alerts/defining-conditions/define-alert-conditions):

| Goal                                               | Instructions                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| -------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Set thresholds for a new condition                 | Set thresholds as part of the process of [creating a condition](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/create-alert/create-alert-condition/alert-conditions).                                                                                                          |
| View and update thresholds for existing conditions | To view a condition’s thresholds: [find that condition in the UI](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/create-alert/create-alert-condition/alert-conditions/#edit-existing-alert-condition). To update thresholds, select a condition’s thresholds and make changes. |

To learn more about specific alert condition types (like anomaly and NRQL), see [Types of conditions](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/create-alert/create-alert-condition/alert-conditions/#condition-types).

Details about other functionality and rules:

**Use the alerts API**

You can list and edit conditions with [the alerts API](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/rest-api-alerts/new-relic-alerts-rest-api/rest-api-calls-new-relic-alerts).

**Set thresholds**

You can set thresholds for two levels: critical and warning. At least one threshold must be set.

| Threshold level                                                                                                                                 | Details                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| ![icon-alert-critical.png](https://docs.newrelic.com/images/accounts_icon_alerts-critical.webp "Alerts v3: Critical alert icon") Critical (red) | Optional. It will open a critical priority level alert event and send notifications depending on the policy's [issue creation preference setting](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/organize-alerts/specify-when-alerts-create-events) and any [workflow](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/get-notified/alert-event-workflows/) you may have configured. Lost signal thresholds, when triggered, also open critical priority level alert events. See [below](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/create-alert/set-thresholds/set-thresholds-alert-condition/#signal-loss) for more details. |
| ![icon-alert-warning.png](https://docs.newrelic.com/images/accounts_icon_alert-warning.webp "Alerts v3: Warning alert icon") Warning (yellow)   | Optional. It will open a high priority level alert event and may send notifications depending on the policy's [issue creation preference setting](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/organize-alerts/specify-when-alerts-create-events) and any [workflow](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/get-notified/alert-event-workflows/) you may have configured. Use a warning threshold if you want to monitor when a system behavior is concerning or noteworthy but not important enough to require a critical-level threshold.                                                                    |

**Loss of signal (NRQL only)**

A loss of signal is a period of time when no data is received by New Relic. This could be the result of an entity or service going offline, a problem with an agent or collector, or networking problems in a data center or the internet. You can use loss of signal detection to create a new alert event when a signal stops unexpectedly. You may also want to use this to determine when an ephemeral service stops and set the action to close any open alert events that exist for this condition. Another option in the loss of signal settings is to skip opening an alert event when a signal is expected to terminate. See the [loss of signal documentation](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts-applied-intelligence/new-relic-alerts/alert-conditions/create-nrql-alert-conditions/#signal-loss) for more information.

You may also need to configure loss of signal if you're using `count(*)` or `uniqueCount(*)` in your query. See [NRQL conditions and query order of operations](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts-applied-intelligence/new-relic-alerts/alert-conditions/create-nrql-alert-conditions/#query-order) for more details.

**Set time intervals**

Different condition types have different minimum time intervals. For example, some condition types have a minimum time interval of 5 minutes (for example, APM metric alert conditions), and others have a minimum time interval of 1 minute (for example, NRQL alert conditions). The same happens with the maximum time interval, where the amount is 120 minutes.

**Set URL for runbook instructions**

For how to set this via the UI, see [Runbook instructions](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/new-relic-alerts/defining-conditions/provide-runbook-instructions-alert-activity).