Scheduling Production Lines
Learn how to automate your production lines with schedules to run at specific times and frequencies.
Overview
Scheduling enables production lines to run automatically without manual intervention. In this guide, you'll learn how to:
- Create and configure schedules
- Choose the right frequency for your needs
- Manage time zones
- Enable and disable schedules
Prerequisites
- A production line ready for automated execution
- Understanding of when your data needs to be refreshed
- Appropriate permissions to manage schedules
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Create a new schedule
- Navigate to Operate > Schedules
- Click New Schedule
- Enter the basic schedule information:
- Name — A descriptive name for the schedule (required)
- Description — Optional details about the schedule's purpose
- Effective Date — When the schedule starts (defaults to today)
- Time Zone — The time zone used for all schedule times (required)
2. Choose a schedule type
Select a Schedule Type to define the processing pattern. This field is required and determines how the schedule operates.
| Schedule Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Last Day of Month | Runs on the last day of each month |
| Quarterly EOM Processing | Runs on the first day of each quarter (Jan 1st, Apr 1st, Jul 1st, Oct 1st) |
| Day/Month (ddMM) of Year | Runs on specified days of year. Comma-separated ddMM format, e.g. 0304,1712 runs on 3 April and 17 December |
| Specific Day(s) of Month | Runs on specified days of the month. Comma-separated, e.g. 7,14 |
| Specific Day(s) of Week | Runs on specified days of the week. Monday=1 through Sunday=7, e.g. 1,3,5 |
| Process Every Weekday | Runs every weekday (Monday to Friday) |
| Daily Processing | Runs every day |
3. Choose a frequency type
Select the Frequency Type that matches your data refresh requirements:
| Frequency Type | Description | Value Field |
|---|---|---|
| Once per Day | Runs once per day | Not used |
| Every Hour | Runs every hour | Not used |
| Every 'n' Hours | Runs every n hours | Enter the number of hours between runs, e.g. 3 runs every 3 hours |
| Every 'n' Minutes | Runs every n minutes | Enter the number of minutes between runs, e.g. 30 runs every 30 minutes |
| Hour/Minute (hmm) of Day | Runs at specified times | Comma-separated hmm format in 24-hour syntax, e.g. 815,14 runs at 8:15am and 2pm |
When you select a frequency type that uses the Value field, enter the appropriate interval or times.
4. Configure time settings
The Do not process before and after fields are useful for schedules that run intraday; the Every frequency types. For example, you want to run a production line every half an hour between 9am and 5pm. When you need to run a production line once per day, but at a specific time, use the Hour/Minute (hmm) of Day frequency type.
Do not process before:
- The earliest time of day the schedule can run
- Processing waits until this time even if otherwise triggered
Do not process after:
- The latest time of day the schedule can run
- Processing does not start after this time
5. Assign production lines and tasks
Optionally select any production lines and/or tasks that should execute on this schedule. Schedules can also be assigned to production lines and tasks when within their relevant forms.
6. Enable the schedule
- Review your schedule configuration
- Tick the Is Active? checkbox if you would like the schedule to be active immediately
- Save your changes
The schedule runs automatically at the configured times.
7. Managing schedules
To pause a schedule:
- Untick the Is Active? checkbox
- The schedule configuration is preserved
Multiple schedules can be enabled or disabled at the same time using the checkboxes within the schedule table.
To delete a schedule:
- Remove the schedule entirely
- This cannot be undone
Schedule considerations
Conflict avoidance
- Avoid scheduling during maintenance windows
- Stagger schedules to prevent resource contention
- Consider time zone differences for global teams
Monitoring
Monitoring schedules is important to identify bottlenecks and this is best achieved via Pulse Health. View the Monitoring & Troubleshooting guide for more information.
Key Concepts
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Schedule | An automated trigger for production line and task execution |
| Schedule Type | The processing pattern (Daily Processing, Specific Days, Last Day of Month, etc.) |
| Frequency Type | How often the schedule runs (Once per Day, Every Hour, specific times, etc.) |
| Time Zone | The time zone used to interpret schedule times |
| Is Active? | Whether the schedule runs automatically or is paused |