Resource Monitors: Your First Line of Defense Against Runaway Costs

Resource Monitors: Your First Line of Defense Against Runaway Costs

Resource monitors can automatically suspend warehouses that exceed credit thresholds. Learn how to configure them to prevent bill shock.

How Resource Monitors Work

• Set credit quotas for accounts or warehouses
• Define actions when thresholds are reached
• Monitor usage in real-time
• Prevent cost overruns automatically

Types of Actions

1. Notify: Send alert when threshold reached
2. Notify & Suspend: Alert and suspend warehouse
3. Notify & Suspend Immediately: Alert and suspend immediately (mid-query)

Account-Level Monitor

CREATE RESOURCE MONITOR account_monthly_limit
WITH CREDIT_QUOTA = 10000
FREQUENCY = MONTHLY
START_TIMESTAMP = IMMEDIATELY
TRIGGERS
ON 75 PERCENT DO NOTIFY
ON 90 PERCENT DO NOTIFY
ON 100 PERCENT DO SUSPEND
ON 110 PERCENT DO SUSPEND_IMMEDIATE;

ALTER ACCOUNT SET RESOURCE_MONITOR = account_monthly_limit;

Warehouse-Level Monitor

CREATE RESOURCE MONITOR analytics_wh_daily_limit
WITH CREDIT_QUOTA = 50
FREQUENCY = DAILY
TRIGGERS
ON 80 PERCENT DO NOTIFY
ON 100 PERCENT DO SUSPEND
ON 110 PERCENT DO SUSPEND_IMMEDIATE;

ALTER WAREHOUSE analytics_wh
SET RESOURCE_MONITOR = analytics_wh_daily_limit;

Best Practices

1. Use layered approach: account + warehouse level
2. Set appropriate thresholds for each warehouse type
3. Configure multiple notification tiers (50%, 75%, 90%, 100%)
4. Use SUSPEND for non-critical warehouses
5. Test your monitors to ensure they work

Real-World Example

A company deployed a new ETL process with an inefficient query causing a warehouse to run continuously. Without resource monitors, the warehouse ran for 72 hours consuming 1,440 credits ($4,320 unexpected cost).

With resource monitors configured (daily limit of 200 credits), the monitor triggered at 200 credits (day 1), warehouse suspended automatically, team notified immediately, issue fixed before significant impact. Actual cost: $600 vs $4,320 (86% savings).

Key Takeaways

• Resource monitors prevent unexpected cost spikes
• Use layered approach: account + warehouse level
• Set multiple notification thresholds
• Use SUSPEND for non-critical warehouses
• Test your monitors to ensure they work