10. A system, comprising: a processor; a display device configured to couple to the processor; a cursor control device configured to couple to the processor; and a memory comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by the processor to implement an alert definition mechanism configured to: pictorially display on the display device a portion of a signal waveform including one or more impulses for which the alert condition is to be defined, wherein the portion of the signal waveform is displayed on a graph in an alert definition graphical user interface (GUI) on the display device, wherein the signal waveform corresponds to a metric for an object monitored by a policy-based automation system, wherein the policy-based automation system is a computing environment management system; display a plurality of alert parameter user interface elements with the portion of the signal waveform displayed on the graph in the alert definition GUI, wherein each alert parameter user interface element represents a different one of a plurality of alert parameters for the signal waveform, wherein a position of each alert parameter user interface element relative to the displayed portion of the signal waveform in the alert definition GUI corresponds to a particular value for the respective alert parameter, and wherein the position of at least one of the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements relative to the displayed portion of the signal waveform in the alert definition GUI specifies a state change of the signal waveform at which the alert condition is raised to alert the policy-based automation system that the metric for the object monitored by the policy-based automation system indicates a condition of the object to which the policy-based automation system is to respond; display a plurality of alert parameter control user interface elements in the alert definition GUI, wherein each of the plurality of alert parameter control user interface elements corresponds to a different one of the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements, wherein each of the plurality of alert parameter control user interface elements is configured to receive user input to manipulate the position of a corresponding one of the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements relative to the displayed portion of the signal waveform in the alert definition GUI; receive user input via the cursor control device to at least one of the plurality of alert parameter control user interface elements to manipulate the positions of corresponding ones of the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements relative to the displayed portion of the signal waveform in the alert definition GUI, wherein manipulating the position of an alert parameter user interface element causes a corresponding change in the value of the associated alert parameter; and generate an alert definition for the policy-based automation system that specifies the alert condition from the values of the plurality of alert parameters associated with the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements.
10. A system, comprising: a processor; a display device configured to couple to the processor; a cursor control device configured to couple to the processor; and a memory comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by the processor to implement an alert definition mechanism configured to: pictorially display on the display device a portion of a signal waveform including one or more impulses for which the alert condition is to be defined, wherein the portion of the signal waveform is displayed on a graph in an alert definition graphical user interface (GUI) on the display device, wherein the signal waveform corresponds to a metric for an object monitored by a policy-based automation system, wherein the policy-based automation system is a computing environment management system; display a plurality of alert parameter user interface elements with the portion of the signal waveform displayed on the graph in the alert definition GUI, wherein each alert parameter user interface element represents a different one of a plurality of alert parameters for the signal waveform, wherein a position of each alert parameter user interface element relative to the displayed portion of the signal waveform in the alert definition GUI corresponds to a particular value for the respective alert parameter, and wherein the position of at least one of the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements relative to the displayed portion of the signal waveform in the alert definition GUI specifies a state change of the signal waveform at which the alert condition is raised to alert the policy-based automation system that the metric for the object monitored by the policy-based automation system indicates a condition of the object to which the policy-based automation system is to respond; display a plurality of alert parameter control user interface elements in the alert definition GUI, wherein each of the plurality of alert parameter control user interface elements corresponds to a different one of the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements, wherein each of the plurality of alert parameter control user interface elements is configured to receive user input to manipulate the position of a corresponding one of the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements relative to the displayed portion of the signal waveform in the alert definition GUI; receive user input via the cursor control device to at least one of the plurality of alert parameter control user interface elements to manipulate the positions of corresponding ones of the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements relative to the displayed portion of the signal waveform in the alert definition GUI, wherein manipulating the position of an alert parameter user interface element causes a corresponding change in the value of the associated alert parameter; and generate an alert definition for the policy-based automation system that specifies the alert condition from the values of the plurality of alert parameters associated with the plurality of alert parameter user interface elements. 14. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the plurality of alert parameter control user interface elements include one or more of dials, handles, sliders, buttons, and numeric entry boxes.