def _alarms_present(name, alarms, alarms_from_pillar,
                    write_capacity_units, read_capacity_units,
                    region, key, keyid, profile):
    '''helper method for present.  ensure that cloudwatch_alarms are set'''
    # load data from alarms_from_pillar
    tmp = copy.deepcopy(
        __salt__['config.option'](alarms_from_pillar, {})
    )
    # merge with data from alarms
    if alarms:
        tmp = dictupdate.update(tmp, alarms)
    # set alarms, using boto_cloudwatch_alarm.present
    merged_return_value = {'name': name, 'result': True, 'comment': '', 'changes': {}}
    for _, info in six.iteritems(tmp):
        # add dynamodb table to name and description
        info["name"] = name + " " + info["name"]
        info["attributes"]["description"] = name + " " + info["attributes"]["description"]
        # add dimension attribute
        info["attributes"]["dimensions"] = {"TableName": [name]}
        if info["attributes"]["metric"] == "ConsumedWriteCapacityUnits" \
           and "threshold" not in info["attributes"]:
            info["attributes"]["threshold"] = math.ceil(write_capacity_units * info["attributes"]["threshold_percent"])
            del info["attributes"]["threshold_percent"]
            # the write_capacity_units is given in unit / second. So we need
            # to multiply by the period to get the proper threshold.
            # http://docs.aws.amazon.com/amazondynamodb/latest/developerguide/MonitoringDynamoDB.html
            info["attributes"]["threshold"] *= info["attributes"]["period"]
        if info["attributes"]["metric"] == "ConsumedReadCapacityUnits" \
           and "threshold" not in info["attributes"]:
            info["attributes"]["threshold"] = math.ceil(read_capacity_units * info["attributes"]["threshold_percent"])
            del info["attributes"]["threshold_percent"]
            # the read_capacity_units is given in unit / second. So we need
            # to multiply by the period to get the proper threshold.
            # http://docs.aws.amazon.com/amazondynamodb/latest/developerguide/MonitoringDynamoDB.html
            info["attributes"]["threshold"] *= info["attributes"]["period"]
        # set alarm
        kwargs = {
            "name": info["name"],
            "attributes": info["attributes"],
            "region": region,
            "key": key,
            "keyid": keyid,
            "profile": profile,
        }
        results = __states__['boto_cloudwatch_alarm.present'](**kwargs)
        if not results["result"]:
            merged_return_value["result"] = results["result"]
        if results.get("changes", {}) != {}:
            merged_return_value["changes"][info["name"]] = results["changes"]
        if "comment" in results:
            merged_return_value["comment"] += results["comment"]
    return merged_return_value