MaxAgent
MaxAgent is the AI assistant for the MaxCompute platform. It provides end-to-end self-service and intelligent operations capabilities to lower the learning curve and improve O&M efficiency. With natural language, MaxAgent helps you handle job diagnostics, data queries, cost analysis, resource optimization, permission audits, and metadata exploration—without memorizing complex commands or searching documentation.
Disclaimer
Before using MaxAgent, please read the following notes carefully:
AI-generated content is for reference only: Content generated by this service is from an AI model. Alibaba Cloud cannot fully guarantee the security, reliability, compliance, completeness, or accuracy of the content. The generated content does not represent the position or views of Alibaba Cloud. Exercise your own judgment and verify all information before performing critical operations. Alibaba Cloud is not liable for any losses resulting from decisions or actions based on the generated content.
Use caution with configuration changes: For any suggestions involving configuration changes or high-risk operations (such as deletions or permission changes), always validate them in a test environment before executing them in a production environment.
Permission boundaries: MaxAgent runs operations as the currently logged-in user and never exceeds that account's permission scope. To use features like diagnostics, optimization, and data analysis, which may involve accessing project information, job logs, table metadata, and table data, you must have the corresponding permissions.
Data privacy: The diagnostic and analysis features only read relevant job logs and metadata. They do not modify or transmit your data.
Lawful and compliant use: You are responsible for all your actions when using this service. Ensure that any content you publish, upload, or provide through the service is lawful, compliant, and does not infringe upon the rights and interests of others.
Prompt quality affects results: The more specific your questions are (including key parameters like an instance ID, time range, or project name), the more accurate the diagnostic and analysis results will be.
Supported regions
China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Ulanqab), China (Shenzhen), and China (Chengdu).
Target users
User role | Use cases |
Data platform administrator | Resource management, cost optimization, permission management, batch inspections |
O&M engineer | Troubleshooting, automated O&M, LogView analysis |
Enterprise technical lead | Cost visibility, higher resource utilization, higher team productivity |
Data development engineer | Job diagnostics, performance optimization |
Billing
Credits cover the consumption of tokens and compute resources for MaxAgent instances. These charges do not include the costs of tasks submitted to the engine, such as the SQL execution costs generated by the intelligent data retrieval module.
You must enable the Standard Edition to use MaxAgent. You can then purchase Credits packages as needed.
Purchase options
MaxAgent is available in two forms: a Standard Edition and Credits packages.
MaxAgent Standard Edition: Enable for free and receive 300 free Credits each month.
Credits packages: Monthly packages are available in sizes of 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, and 10,000 Credits.
For detailed pricing, see Credits billing.
Permissions
When you use MaxAgent features such as diagnostics, optimization, and data analysis, MaxAgent makes data requests using your identity. These requests may involve accessing project information, job logs, and table metadata. Ensure your account has the necessary control plane or data plane permissions.
Alibaba Cloud account: You can use MaxAgent directly.
RAM user:
When using AI Ops features such as resource viewing and job diagnostics, you must have the required permissions to access resource and job data.
When using AI Query or DataAgent to view metadata or query data, you must have the required permissions to access MaxCompute table data.
For more information, see Permissions overview.
Quick start
Log in to the MaxCompute console and select a region in the upper-left corner.
In the upper-right corner, click MaxAgent to open the dedicated MaxAgent page, which includes your conversation history and the main chat interface.
Core capabilities
MaxAgent currently offers OpsAgent capabilities that cover the following core scenarios. It uses built-in, specialized Skills to automatically match your intent and run the corresponding actions.
Knowledge Q&A
Get comprehensive answers about MaxCompute features, use cases, and best practices. You can query product documentation using natural language.
Example prompts
"How do I create an external table in MaxCompute?"
"What is Tunnel? What are its transfer limits?"
"Which data formats does MaxCompute support?"
"How do I configure network connections for MaxCompute?"
Usage tips
For more accurate answers, describe your specific scenario, such as your operating environment or the exact problem you are facing.
Job diagnostics and log analysis
Single job diagnostics
Analyze a single SQL job to determine the cause of failure or identify performance bottlenecks.
Supported diagnostic types
Type
Description
Failed job diagnostics
Categorizes errors for failed jobs and suggests fixes.
Slow job diagnostics
Analyzes execution bottlenecks for slow SQL jobs and provides optimization advice.
Data skew analysis
Identifies data skew nodes in a job, analyzes the root cause, and recommends solutions.
UDF performance analysis
Analyzes the execution performance of a user-defined function (UDF) to identify bottlenecks.
Example prompts
"Help me diagnose this job: [instance_id]"
"Why is this SQL job running so slow? LogView URL: [url]"
"Is there any data skew in this job [instance_id]?"
Usage tips
Providing an instance ID or LogView URL yields more accurate diagnostic results.
Job inspection
View overall job health at the platform or project level to track failure rate trends and top resource consumers.
Example prompts
"What is the job failure rate for project [project_name] in the last 24 hours?"
"Which jobs are consuming the most resources?"
"Show me today's job execution status."
Resource and cost optimization
Bill and cost analysis
View cost summaries, trends, and the distribution of billable items based on metering data.
Example prompts
"What are my MaxCompute costs for this month?"
"What is the computing cost trend for the last 7 days?"
"Which billable item accounts for the highest percentage of my costs?"
Quota analysis and planning
Analyze Quota resource utilization and scheduling, assess whether capacity is sufficient, and receive optimization recommendations.
Example prompts
"Are the resources for Quota [quota_name] sufficient? Are there any risks?"
"Help me analyze the utilization of [quota_name]."
"Is the scheduling configuration for Quota [quota_name] optimal? Any suggestions for improvement?"
Storage analysis and optimization
Analyze storage distribution at the table and partition level, identify top storage consumers, and receive recommendations for storage optimization.
Example prompts
"Which tables are using the most storage?"
"What is the storage usage for project [project_name]? Is there room for optimization?"
"Is there any cold data that can be moved to tiered storage?"
Optimization recommendations
Materialized view optimization
Analyze the usage and benefits of materialized views and AutoMV, and receive recommendations for potential materialized views.
Example prompts
"Are there any recommended MVs I should review?"
"What are the current hit rate and benefits of AutoMV?"
"Which queries are good candidates for creating a materialized view?"
Table clustering optimization
Get recommendations on which tables to cluster and evaluate the benefits of existing clustered tables.
Example prompts
"Which tables are suitable for cluster optimization?"
"Help me analyze the clustering benefits for [table_name]."
"What is the effectiveness of my currently clustered tables?"
Permission and security audit
Audit user, role, and ACL permission configurations to identify excessive permissions, ACL anomalies, or cross-project trust risks.
Example prompts
"Help me audit the permission configuration for project [project_name]."
"List all users who have the admin or super_administrator role for any project, along with the corresponding projects."
"Are there any suspicious cross-project trust configurations?"
Metadata exploration
Browse metadata for projects, tables, columns, partitions, and functions to understand your data structures.
Example prompts
"What tables are in project [project_name]?"
"What is the column schema of table [table_name]?"
"Which tables are related to [business name or description]?"
"Show me the partition list for [table_name]."
Prompting tips
Describe what you want to know or what problem you need to solve. Avoid being too vague.
Not recommended: "My job has an issue." Recommended: "The job with instance ID [instance_id] in project xxxx failed. Please analyze the cause."
Recommendations:
Provide key context: Including details like an instance ID, project name, Quota name, or time range helps MaxAgent provide a precise response.
Focus on one question at a time: Avoid asking multiple unrelated questions in a single message. A step-by-step approach works best.
Prompt templates:
Scenario | Prompt template |
Job diagnostics | "Analyze the cause of failure for the job with instance_id=[xxx]" |
Cost query | "Analyze the computing cost trend for [project_name] over the last 30 days" |
Quota analysis | "Analyze the utilization of [quota_name] and provide optimization suggestions" |
Permission audit | "Audit project [project_name] for users with excessive permissions" |
Storage analysis | "List the top 10 tables by storage usage in [project_name]" |
Product Q&A | "How do I configure tiered storage in MaxCompute? What are the key considerations?" |
Conversation history
MaxAgent saves your conversation history, allowing you to review past diagnostic results and analysis reports. On the dedicated MaxAgent page, you can click any past session in the left-side panel to view it.
Resource viewing and usage
Log on to the MaxCompute console. In the left-side navigation pane, choose . Here, you can view details of all your active MaxAgent order instances and a breakdown of your Credits usage.
MaxAgent order instance information
MaxAgent order instance details include:
Order instance ID and specifications
Total, used, and remaining Credits
Instance start and expiration times
Credits usage details
Credits usage details include:
Time of use
MaxAgent order instance specifications and ID used for deduction
Request ID (a single task request, i.e., one Q&A exchange)
Amount of Credits consumed
Requester
Bot configuration
MaxAgent integrates with DingTalk bots (with support for Lark and WeCom planned for the future) to enable "chat as a service" interaction, allowing you to use MaxAgent without logging in to the console and manage tasks from your mobile device.
If an IP whitelist is configured for the bot, the egress IP of MaxAgent must also be configured; otherwise, the bot will not function properly. The egress IP of MaxAgent is as follows:
Region | IP |
cn-beijing | 39.96.91.188 |
cn-shanghai | 47.102.46.190 |
cn-hangzhou | 120.26.251.232 |
cn-chengdu | 8.137.169.192 |
cn-shenzhen | 39.108.66.251 |
cn-zhangjiakou | 47.92.119.78 |
cn-wulanchabu | 8.130.23.158 |
FAQ
Q: Will MaxAgent automatically modify my configurations or data?
A: No. MaxAgent currently provides diagnostic, analysis, and optimization suggestions. It does not automatically perform any configuration changes or data operations. All changes must be explicitly confirmed and manually executed by you.
Q: What happens if I run out of Credits?
A: When your Credits are depleted, you can no longer submit new messages. The system will then prompt you to purchase a Credits package to replenish your balance.
Q: How can I get more accurate answers from MaxAgent?
A: For best results, include specific context in your prompts, such as an instance ID, project name, Quota name, or time range. Ask one specific question at a time rather than multiple unrelated questions. If you receive an inaccurate answer, try rephrasing the question with more information.
Q: Can a RAM user use MaxAgent?
A: Yes. However, an Alibaba Cloud account must grant the RAM user the necessary RAM permissions. The user can then only access resources and data within their permitted scope.
Q: Which MaxCompute job types does MaxAgent support for diagnostics?
A: Currently, MaxAgent supports diagnostics and LogView interpretation for SQL jobs. Support for Spark and MapReduce (MR) jobs is planned for future releases.