Scheduling and triggers determine when a workflow starts running. This section is the central documentation for scheduling: scheduling for all task types is configured uniformly through workflows, and no separate scheduling cycle needs to be set at the task level. It covers two Trigger modes: scheduled triggering and continuous running.
Overview
DataBuddy workflows support the following trigger modes:
Triggering Method | Scenario |
Scheduled Trigger | Periodic tasks (daily / hourly / weekly / monthly / yearly) |
Continuous Run | Triggers the next instance immediately after the current one completes, commonly used for stream processing. |
Manual Trigger | No schedule is configured, and triggering is performed only manually / through APIs. No separate option is required; if no schedule is configured, the task is considered manually triggered. |
Scheduling status is divided into Started and Paused: in the paused state, workflows are not triggered by schedules, but can still be run through manual triggering.
Prerequisites
You are already the workflow owner or have been granted Manage permission.
A workflow must contain at least one task node.
Operation Steps
Step 1: Entering Scheduling Configuration
1. Log in to the DataBuddy console and go to the target workspace.
2. In the left sidebar, choose Data Engineering > Workflow. In the workflow list, click the target workflow name to go to the workflow details page.
3. In the right sidebar, click Scheduling Configuration.
4. Click Add Schedule to open the scheduling configuration dialog.
Step 2: Selecting a Trigger Method
In the dialog, select Trigger Mode: Scheduled Trigger or Continuous Run. The configuration items differ between the two modes. Refer to the grouped descriptions below.
Scheduled Triggering
General Configuration
Parameter | Description | Required | Default Value |
Scheduling Status | Start / Pause | Yes | Starting |
Scheduling Time Zone | The execution time zone of the workflow affects scheduling time calculation. | Yes | Local Time Zone |
Scheduling Time Range | Start time and end time when scheduling takes effect, accurate to the minute. | Yes | Start time = current time; End time = 2099-12-31. |
Configuration Method | Regular / Cron expression | Yes | General |
Scheduling cycle | Regular mode only: day / hour / minute / week / month / year | Yes | Day |
Tip
If you select a time zone that observes daylight saving time (DST), hourly tasks may be skipped by 1 hour or delayed by 1 hour when DST changes occur. If you need absolute time, select the UTC time zone.
Subdivision of Regular Mode by Cycle
Period | Configuration Item |
Day | Execution Time (00:00 – 23:59, Accurate to the Minute) |
Hour (Specified Interval) | Every 1 to 12 hours; from [Start Time] to [End Time]. The interval does not span across days and is recalculated from the start hour each day. |
Hour (Specified Time) | Select Multiple Specific Hours + Minutes. |
Minute | Every 1 to 30 minutes; from [Start Time] to [End Time]. The interval does not span across hours and is recalculated from the start minute each hour. |
Week | Execution Date (Multiple Selection: Sunday to Saturday) + Execution Time |
Month | Execution Date (Multiple Selection: Day 1 to Day 31 or Month End, Mutually Exclusive) + Execution Time |
Year | Month (Multiple Selection: January to December) + Date (Multiple Selection: Day 1 to Day 31 or Month End) + Execution Time |
Cron Mode
Parameter | Description |
Cron expression | Uses a 7-segment format "second minute hour day month week year". For example, 0 0 0 * * ? * indicates execution at 00:00 every day. |
Note:
The minimum scheduling interval for Cron is 1 minute. If the configured Cron interval is less than 1 minute, the system triggers the schedule once every minute.
Result Preview
After filling in the information, click Preview Results. The next five estimated run times are displayed below.
Continuous Running
Parameter | Description | Required | Default Value |
Scheduling Status | Start / Pause | Yes | Starting |
Task Retry Mode | Failed / Never | Yes | Failed |
Continuous Running Rules
After the previous workflow run reaches a terminal state, the next run is triggered after a 60-second interval.
Task dependencies are not supported: All tasks run in parallel.
Task-level retry policies are not supported: Control is implemented through the task retry mode (Failure or Never).
Only one instance can run at a time: A restart terminates the previous unfinished run.
Advanced configurations (queuing and maximum concurrency) are not supported: They are not applicable in continuous run mode.
Tip
After continuous run is enabled, the Run button in the workflow action bar changes to Restart Run. Clicking it terminates the current run and restarts it. The trigger mode of this run record is Manual Trigger, while the continuous run trigger continues to trigger subsequent runs normally.
Step 3: Saving the Scheduling Configuration
1. Complete the parameter configuration.
2. Click Confirm to save.
3. The scheduling configuration area displays a summary of the current configuration, for example:
Start - Runs daily at 00:00 (UTC+08:00 - Beijing, Chongqing)
Step 4: Pausing, Starting, and Deleting Schedules
In the scheduling configuration area:
Pause Scheduling / Start Scheduling: Switch the scheduling status.
Delete Schedule: Delete the scheduling configuration, and the workflow returns to the "Schedule Not Configured" state.
Step 5: Manual Triggering or Advanced Running
Whether or not a schedule is configured, you can use the action bar on the workflow details page to:
Run: Immediately trigger a run using the saved parameters.
Advanced Run: Customize the parameters and task scope for this run.
Use Limits
The minimum Cron interval is 1 minute. If the interval is less than 1 minute, the schedule is triggered every minute.
Continuous run mode does not support task dependencies, task-level retries, or advanced configurations such as queuing and maximum concurrency.
After the scheduling time range ends, the workflow automatically stops generating instances. To extend the schedule, edit the scheduling configuration.
FAQs
Q1: The scheduling status is "Started" but no scheduled instances are visible?
Check whether the scheduling time range covers the current time.
Check whether the workflow has runnable tasks. If no tasks exist, no instances are generated.
Check whether the workflow concurrency has reached the upper limit. For details, see Advanced Settings in Other Configurations. Q2: How do continuously running workflows send alarms?
Alarm configurations are still set through the workflow alarm panel. For details, see Workflow and Task Alarms. A common practice is to configure a "Failure" alarm to avoid missing consecutive task failures. References