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Run a workflow on a schedule

How-to6 minPractitioner

Before you start

Run a workflowWorkflowAn automation: trigger plus steps, run per module; also called "flow" on the home page.Open glossary ↗ on a clock when something should happen at set times: a reminder every Monday, a clean-up every night, a report every hour. A scheduled workflow does not wait for a record to change.

Turn on a schedule

Section titled “Turn on a schedule”
  1. Open Automation for the module, then open the workflow’s three dots and click Settings. For a new workflow, click New workflow.
  2. Switch on Also run on a schedule.
  3. Click a preset: Every hour, Every day at 09:00 or Every Monday 09:00. For another time, click Custom and type an expression.
  4. Read the line under the box. It starts “Next runs:” and lists the next three times.
  5. Make sure On is switched on, then click Save.

How do I write my own schedule?

Section titled “How do I write my own schedule?”

A schedule is an expression of six fields separated by spaces. The format is the one used by the Quartz scheduler.

FieldAllowed values
Seconds0 to 59
Minutes0 to 59
Hours0 to 23
Day of month1 to 31, or ?
Month1 to 12, or JAN to DEC
Day of week1 to 7, or SUN to SAT, or ?

One of the two day fields must be ?, which means “no specific value”. Use a preset, or six fields such as 0 0 9 * * ?. The preview tells you if an expression does not fit.

You wantType
Every hour, on the hour0 0 * * * ?
Every day at 09:000 0 9 * * ?
Every Monday at 09:000 0 9 ? * MON
Every 15 minutes0 0/15 * * * ?
Weekdays at 08:300 30 8 ? * MON-FRI
The first day of each month at 07:000 0 7 1 * ?

What does a scheduled run work on?

Section titled “What does a scheduled run work on?”

A scheduled run starts from the clock, not from a record. In the run debugger the run shows “No record” and Started by says System.

Add a Load data step first to find the records you need, then act on them, usually with a Loop. For example, every Monday a workflow loads the purchase orders whose status is Pending approval, and a Send email step lists them for Omar. See Lists, loops and data in a workflow.

How do I pause or stop a schedule?

Section titled “How do I pause or stop a schedule?”
  • To pause it, switch the workflow off. The switch in the list and On in the settings are the same setting. The workflow keeps its schedule and history.
  • To remove the clock, open Settings, switch Also run on a schedule off, and click Save.

What should I know about schedules?

Section titled “What should I know about schedules?”
  • For a workflow that runs only on the clock, choose Adhoc as the trigger and switch on Also run on a schedule.
  • Scheduled runs are logged like any other. Open them with Runs on the Automation page.
  • Check the preview. It lists the next three runs, so you know the expression means what you intended.
  • Choose a preset or type an expression before you click Save.

Check yourself

Karim sets a workflow to run every Monday at 09:00. Which record does a scheduled run start with?
Show the answer

None. It has to find its records with a Load data step. A scheduled run has no triggering record. The debugger shows "No record" for it, and the workflow loads what it needs.

Which cron expression means every day at 09:00?
Show the answer

0 0 9 * * ?. Beezr uses six fields, in the order seconds, minutes, hours, day of month, month, day of week. One of the two day fields must be a question mark.

What's next

Start a workflow from another system with a webhookGive a workflow a web address that another system can call, protect it with an API key, read the data it sends, and get the result posted back.Lists, loops and data in a workflowHow a workflow holds the record that started it and named lists of other records, how steps read them, and how a Loop goes through a list.

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