About critical number goals and alerts
Goals and alerts are used in critical numbers to determine how the critical numbers are to be displayed and interpreted. Goal and alert settings indicate thresholds that can be used to indicate when goals are being met, when goals are in jeopardy, and when goals are not being met.
- Goals: Anything in the "Goal" range is considered good and by default is displayed using a green color.
- Alerts: Anything in the "Alert" range is considered bad and by default is displayed using a red color.
- Warnings: When both goal and alert settings have been defined, a "warning" range is generated automatically between them. This range by default is displayed using a yellow color.
If you choose to use a Goal setting without a corresponding Alert setting, anything not in the acceptable (goal) range is considered a Warning.
If you choose to use an Alert setting without a corresponding Goal setting, anything not in the unacceptable (Alert) range is considered a Warning.
- Informational displays: When neither a Goal nor an Alert setting has been defined, the critical number display is considered to be informational only. Informational numbers are values that you want to monitor but not set thresholds for. By default, informational displays use a gray color.
You can change the default colors for each of these types of critical number values, by using themes.
When using email generation with critical numbers, you can choose which of these four states (Goal, Alert, Warning, Informational) is to generate emails to appropriate individuals. To make these settings, use the Email Generation form.
Typically, the Goal and Alert operators are set opposite of each other.
For example, with a Goal < 1000 and a corresponding Alert < 10000, this leaves the Warning from 1000 to 10,000.
Therefore, if the value of the critical number was for example:
if the value is 500 the gauge would show green as the Goal was met.
If the value is over 1000 the gauge would show yellow for a warning.