Annotations
Overview
Annotations in Sift represent key events or findings identified during the evaluation of a Run. They are automatically or manually created to highlight moments of interest such as anomalies, threshold crossings, or behavioral changes, based on a Rule's evaluations or user observations.
Annotations are tightly integrated with Sift's analysis workflows. When a Rule's logical condition evaluates to true during a Run, it can automatically generate an Annotation, providing a timestamped marker linked to specific Channels and values. Users can also manually create Annotations during data review to capture observations, flag issues, or leave comments. Each Annotation captures detailed context, including the triggered Rule if applicable, Asset metadata, and relevant Channel values, enabling faster diagnostics and clearer storytelling.
Annotations can also be assigned to team members for follow-up and action, and are associated with states such as Open, Failed, or Accepted to track their progress through the review and resolution process.
Reports consolidate Annotations generated during a Run, offering a comprehensive view of system performance. These Reports link each Annotation to its originating Rule and current status, providing engineers with actionable insights to improve operational reliability. By analyzing Reports, teams can quickly identify patterns, correlate system behaviors, assign ownership of issues, and refine maintenance strategies.
Notifications: Email
Sift sends email notifications to keep users informed about important actions related to Annotations. These notifications are designed to support collaboration without overwhelming users with too many emails.
| Action | Who is notified | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annotation is assigned to a user | Assignee | Manual assignments only |
| Status of an assigned Annotation changes | Assignee | Manual updates only |
| A user is tagged in a comment | Tagged user | Manual tagging only |
- To reduce noise, these emails are debounced. This means notifications are grouped and sent as summary emails instead of immediately, especially when actions occur in bulk or in quick succession.
- Email notifications are only triggered by manual user actions. Notifications are suppressed for actions triggered by Rules.
File attachments
File attachments can be added to both Annotations and their comments to provide additional context or supporting documentation. These files are stored alongside the respective Annotation and remain associated with it. Sift supports in-platform viewing for the following file types:
| Attachment Type | Supported Format |
|---|---|
| Image | .png, .jpg, .jpeg |
| Video | .mp4, .webm |
All other file types can be uploaded and downloaded but must be viewed externally. Attachments do not alter the content or behavior of the Annotation or comment they are added to.
The maximum file size for a single upload is 30GB. There is no enforced limit on the number of files.