Introducing Monitors as Code

Here at Metaplane, we’ve been hearing from dbt super-users who want to manage all the configuration for their models in the same place. There are real benefits to this approach: besides being able to see all your configuration options at a glance, it can be valuable to have a historical record of that configuration and an option for teammates to review and approve before shipping.

Even beyond that, in data environments that have a large surface area or that change frequently, it can be a challenge to ensure that the right things have the right monitors at the right time. For environments like that, the ability to create monitors automatically across your data warehouse or data lake can be a game changer.

Today we’re excited to announce that dbt users can do just that. With Metaplane’s YAML-based monitor configuration, you can now manage your Metaplane monitors as part of the dbt model metadata.

When Metaplane syncs your dbt connection, we will automatically create, update, and disable the appropriate monitors as defined in the model metadata. We will perform this sync automatically each hour, but it’s also possible to kick off a manual sync in dbt.

You’ll be able to see which monitors were created through dbt in Metaplane’s UI, both on the new Monitors tab and on the monitor page itself. This has the added benefit of preventing unwanted or unexpected changes or deletions to your monitoring from the Metaplane UI.

By using monitors as code, you can achieve monitor management that is fully automated, has the ability to be tracked and approved by teammates, and fits seamlessly into your team’s engineering workflow.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to set up monitors as code for your company, you can find out more in the docs. If you’re not a Metaplane customer and you’re interested in trying it out, sign up today.