@Marvin I want to send a Slack alert when the execution time of a specific flow exceeds 10 minutes. Can this be achieved using Prefect Automations?

Before providing a detailed explanation, could you please confirm if you're using Prefect 2.x or 3.x? The solution may vary depending on the version you are using.

@Marvin 2.20.3

In Prefect 2.x, Automations in Prefect Cloud allow you to set up actions that are triggered automatically based on specific conditions, such as the duration of a flow run. However, it seems that Automations are primarily a feature of Prefect Cloud, which may limit their functionality if you're using an open-source Prefect server. Here's a general approach to achieve what you want: 1. Trigger Setup: You can configure an automation trigger based on your flow run's state or duration. This can include custom triggers set through code. 2. Action Configuration: Set up an action to send notifications, such as Slack alerts, when the specified conditions (e.g., execution time exceeding 10 minutes) are met. 3. Use Prefect Cloud: If you're using Prefect Cloud, you can access these automation features directly to send Slack notifications. For more information on Prefect Automations and how to configure them, you can visit the Automations section in the Prefect documentation here: Prefect Automations. If you're on an open-source setup, you might need to manually check the execution time in your flow code and trigger a Slack alert using a Python Slack client or similar library. If you're interested in other methods to achieve this, feel free to ask!

@Marvin Could you please tell me how to actually set this up?

To set up a Slack alert in Prefect 2.x when a flow's execution time exceeds 10 minutes, you can use Prefect Automations and Notifications. Here's a step-by-step guide: 1. Slack Webhook Setup: First, you need to create a Slack webhook. This can be done by navigating to your Slack workspace and creating a new Incoming Webhook integration. This provides you with a URL where you can send HTTP POST requests to show messages. 2. Automation Setup in Prefect Cloud: - Go to the Prefect Cloud dashboard and navigate to the Automations section. - Create a new automation using the "+ Create Automation" button. - Define the trigger conditions. In this case, you need a custom condition to check if the flow run's duration exceeds 10 minutes. You might have to write a Python script or use a webhook that tracks time and triggers events. - Set the action to send a Slack notification. This requires entering the Slack webhook URL and the desired Slack channel. 3. Configure Notifications: - On the Notifications page in Prefect Cloud, select "Create Notification." - Choose "Slack message" as the notification type. - Provide your Slack webhook credentials and specify the channel where you want notifications to appear. 4. Code Example for Triggering Event: While Prefect Cloud handles the automation, you might still need a part of your code to measure execution time.

python
   import time

   start_time = time.time()
   # Execute your flow here...
   execution_time = time.time() - start_time

   if execution_time > 600:  # 10 minutes = 600 seconds
       # Trigger your event/automation here

5. YAML Automation: - If you wish, you can define your automation in a YAML file and register it with the Prefect Cloud UI. This could involve specifying triggers and actions similar to the JSON setup. For more detailed guidance, refer to the Prefect documentation on hosting and notifications and automations. This setup uses Prefect Cloud’s automations and notifications features. If you need further guidance on manual setup or other approaches, feel free to ask!

@Marvin I'm using Prefect Cloud. Isn't it possible to do this with Automation Metrics?

In Prefect Cloud, you can indeed use Automation Metrics to trigger actions based on the execution time of your flows. Here’s how to set it up: 1. Navigate to Automations: Begin by logging into your Prefect Cloud dashboard and going to the Automations section. 2. Create a New Automation: - Click on "+ Create Automation" to begin setting up a new automation. 3. Set Up Metric Trigger: - Choose "Metric Trigger" as your automation trigger type. - Select the "duration" metric, which measures how long a flow remains in a running state before transitioning to a terminal state. - Set your threshold to 600 seconds (10 minutes) and define the conditions under which this trigger should activate (e.g., when the duration exceeds this threshold). 4. Configure Actions: - After defining the trigger, select the action to send a Slack notification. - Input your Slack webhook URL and specify the channel for notifications. - Ensure your action is aligned with how and when you want notifications (e.g., immediately after crossing the threshold). 5. Test and Adjust: - Once set up, monitor a few initial runs to ensure that the notifications fire as expected when the conditions are met. Adjust the metric or notification settings if necessary. This setup allows Prefect Cloud to automatically monitor your flow durations and notify you via Slack if they exceed your specified time limit. For more detailed instructions and configuration options, you can refer to the relevant Prefect Automations documentation.

@Marvin I'm actually setting it up as follows, but it's not working. Why is that?

{
  "type": "metric",
  "metric": {
    "name": "duration",
    "threshold": 60,
    "operator": ">=",
    "range": 86400,
    "firing_for": 300
  },
  "match": {
    "prefect.resource.id": "prefect.flow-run.*"
  },
  "match_related": {
    "prefect.resource.id": [
      "<http://prefect.flow.xxx|prefect.flow.xxx>"
    ],
    "prefect.resource.role": "flow"
  }
}

Let's review your setup to identify potential reasons why the automation might not be triggering as expected. 1. Threshold Configuration: - Your threshold is set to 60 seconds (

"threshold": 60

). Since you mentioned wanting to alert when a flow run exceeds 10 minutes, you should use 600 as the threshold value (10 minutes in seconds). 2. Operator Issue: - Ensure that the operator is correct. In JSON, the operator should be

"operator": ">="

for checking if a duration is greater than or equal to the threshold. 3. Range: - The

"range": 86400

suggests you're considering metrics over a 24-hour window. Ensure this is meaningful for your use case, as it might affect when triggers evaluate the duration. 4. Firing Period: - The

"firing_for": 300

indicates the condition must persist for 5 minutes before triggering. If you want immediate alerts after 10 minutes, set this to a shorter period. 5. Matching Conditions: - The resources you match with might be too broad or incorrect. Double-check the

"match"

and

"match_related"

values to ensure they correctly identify the specific flows you intend to monitor. 6. URL Encoding: - You mentioned

>=

which appears to be an HTML entity. Ensure your configuration is correctly parsed as JSON and doesn't include unintended HTML entities or syntax errors. To address these issues, consider this revised setup:

json
{
  "type": "metric",
  "metric": {
    "name": "duration",
    "threshold": 600,
    "operator": ">=",
    "range": 86400,  // Consider adjusting this if needed
    "firing_for": 1  // Immediate triggering
  },
  "match": {
    "prefect.resource.id": "prefect.flow-run.*"
  },
  "match_related": {
    "prefect.resource.id": [
      "<http://prefect.flow.xxx|prefect.flow.xxx>"  // Ensure this matches your specific flow ID
    ],
    "prefect.resource.role": "flow"
  }
}

Make sure your actual flow ID and the

"match_related"

values correctly refer to your specific flow. If you've addressed these and it still doesn't work, verify your webhook URL and Slack integration to ensure they are set up correctly without any network or permissions issues.