Rudder Assist Best Practices Beta

Learn best practices for using Rudder Assist effectively, including onboarding strategies, usage patterns, and security recommendations.

  •   3 minute read  

This guide provides best practices for using Rudder Assist effectively and securely.

Usage

  • Begin with Standard mode to learn the assistant’s capabilities before switching to Advanced mode
  • Test the assistant with read-only queries to familiarize yourself with its responses
  • Use threads for complex issues to maintain conversation context
  • Provide feedback (by clicking 👍 or 👎 on the response) to help improve the assistant’s accuracy
  • Report any security or privacy concerns immediately

Be specific

Ask clear, specific questions with details and context:

  • Good: “Show me event volume for the iOS source in the last 24 hours”
  • Less effective: “How are my events being sent?”

Provide context

Include relevant details:

  • Good: “Why are Order Completed events failing to reach Amplitude with error code 400?”
  • Less effective: “Why are my events failing?”

Use natural language

You do not need special syntax:

  • Good: “What transformations are connected to my web source?”
  • Also good: “List all transformations for the web source”

Upload supporting materials

Include screenshots or error logs when troubleshooting issues:

  • Take a screenshot of the error or issue
  • Upload the image to Slack
  • Mention the assistant and ask about the error
  • Rudder Assist will analyze the image and provide guidance

Production workflows

  • Review and test all transformation code provided by Rudder Assist before deploying to production
  • Monitor transformation’s performance after deployment to ensure it is working as expected
  • Consider using a read-only PAT (Standard mode) to limit any risks

Test and monitor transformations

Before deploying transformations created via Rudder Assist:

  • Test with sample events
  • Test edge cases including null values, missing properties, and unexpected data types
  • Verify that the transformation code handles errors gracefully
  • Check performance with realistic event volumes
  • Confirm that the output matches your expectations

After deploying transformations via the assistant:

  • Check event delivery rates for affected destinations
  • Monitor transformation error rates
  • Verify event volumes remain consistent
  • Review sample output events to confirm correct behavior

Security considerations

This section covers security considerations for using Rudder Assist securely.

Monitor channel

Rudder Assist is deployed in your designated Slack channel and is accessible to all members present in it.

Make sure to periodically monitor channel membership and remove users who no longer need access.

Use appropriate PAT permissions

Choose the Personal Access Token (PAT) owner carefully:

  • Use a service account or dedicated user for the PAT when possible
  • Grant only the minimum necessary permissions
  • For Standard mode-only deployments, consider using a read-only PAT
  • Document which user’s PAT is being used

Periodic security reviews

Review the assistant’s security regularly:

  • Verify Personal Access Token (PAT) permissions remain appropriate
  • Review which Advanced mode capabilities are enabled
  • Confirm channel membership is still correct
  • Rotate PATs periodically according to your security policy

Limitations

Understand the following limitations to use Rudder Assist effectively:

  • Write access is limited only to transformations in Advanced mode. Rudder Assist cannot modify sources, destinations, or other workspace configuration
  • Rudder Assist’s scope is limited to the workspace linked to your PAT
  • Rudder Assist can only respond in the designated Slack channel
  • Anyone in the channel can use Rudder Assist. All write actions are logged in the PAT owner’s workspace Audit Logs

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Questions? Contact us by Email or on Slack