Grafana v4.0 Beta introduces significant features and improvements, most notably the new alerting functionality, which elevates the tool from a visualization platform to a robust monitoring solution. Alerting allows users to configure rules easily, supports notifications via Slack, PagerDuty, Email, and Webhooks, and incorporates an annotation store for recording alert state changes. The release also features UX enhancements, such as TV and kiosk modes for streamlined viewing, an improved dashboard building experience with an intuitive panel and row interface, and new ad-hoc filter variables for dynamic data exploration. Additionally, keyboard shortcuts have been introduced for better navigation and efficiency. The upgrade process is designed to be seamless, with no breaking changes expected, although plugin updates are recommended. The release has been shaped by extensive user feedback and community contributions, and further insights will be shared at the upcoming GrafanaCon.