---
title: Introduction to compound alerts
source: https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/create-alert/create-alert-condition/compound-alerts/compound-alerts
---

When multiple related alert conditions fire separately, it creates alert noise and makes it harder to identify critical issues. While New Relic's existing correlation feature helps reduce this noise, you may need more precise control over when alerts trigger based on specific condition combinations.

Compound alerts let you combine multiple alert conditions into a trigger expression using logical operators (AND, OR, NOT). They trigger only when specific combinations of conditions are met — or when one condition triggers but another does not — giving you fewer, more relevant notifications.

![A screenshot of how the compound alert builder works](https://docs.newrelic.com/images/compound-alerts-overview.webp "Overview of compound alerts")

With **Compound alerts**, you can:

-   **Reduce alert noise**: Receive a single [compound alert event](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/create-alert/create-alert-condition/compound-alerts/compound-alert-events) instead of separate alerts from multiple related conditions, reducing the overall volume of notifications.
-   **Combine up to five alert conditions**: Select up to five existing alert conditions. Combine them using AND, OR, and NOT operators with parentheses for complex logic.
-   **Combine cross-account conditions**: Include alert conditions that target data from different accounts. All component conditions must have the same owning account, but they can query data from other accounts.
-   **Control facet matching**: Choose how to handle shared facets across conditions. The compound alert can trigger when the same facet value meets the threshold across all conditions, or trigger regardless of matching facet values.
-   **Silence component condition alert events**: Configure individual alert condition thresholds to suppress their own alert events when they are part of a compound alert. This reduces noise from contributing conditions while keeping the compound alert active.
-   **Add tags to compound conditions**: Organize and filter compound alert conditions using custom tags, just like standard alert conditions. Tags help you categorize alerts and streamline incident triage.
-   **Customize titles and descriptions**: Set a [title and description template](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/create-alert/create-alert-condition/compound-alerts/create-compound-alert#title-description-templates) for your compound alert condition to control how its issues are titled and described.

## Use cases [#use-cases]

Here are some use cases in which you might use compound alerts:

-   **Detect memory leaks**: Alert when memory > 50% (infrastructure) AND throughput < 1k (APM), which helps identify situations where memory increases without corresponding traffic.
-   **Identify database performance issues**: Alert when database response time > 2s AND (CPU usage > 80% OR connection pool > 90%) AND NOT during maintenance window, helping identify performance degradation while avoiding noise during planned maintenance.

## Permissions and access control [#permissions]

Compound alerts use the same permission model as standard alert conditions:

-   Users who can create standard alert conditions can also [create compound alert conditions](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/create-alert/create-alert-condition/compound-alerts/create-compound-alert).
-   All users with access to the account can view and manage compound alert conditions in that account.

## Limitations [#limitations]

When you use compound alerts, keep these limitations in mind:

-   **Maximum conditions**: You can combine up to five conditions in a single compound alert.
-   **No nesting**: You can't use a compound alert condition as a component condition in another compound alert.
-   **Account scope**: All component conditions must be from the same owning account (though they can target data from other accounts via cross-account conditions).
-   **Facet matching**: When conditions are faceted by multiple attributes, a match occurs when at least one attribute is the same.
-   **Muting rules**: Muting compound conditions isn't yet supported.