Configure Schedules

Overview

Use a schedule to run a callback automatically at the times you set, so recurring work happens without manual effort. Use schedules for automated updates, weekly notifications, monthly reports, and other repeating tasks across your organization.

A callback is the item a schedule runs. It is one of three types: a function, a standalone card, or a circuit.

Business Scenarios

Create recurring cards.
Send recurring emails.
Sync business data and customer contacts.
Back up data weekly or monthly.
Generate hourly, daily, or weekly reports.

To explore more business scenarios, see Schedules use cases.

Create a Schedule

Set up a schedule that runs a callback at a frequency you define.

Prerequisites

You have Automation permissions in your organization.
You have created the callback you want to run. For more information, see Functions, Standalone cards, and Circuits.

Procedure

To create a new schedule:

Log in to Qntrl.
In the left pane, click the Settings (⚙️) icon.
Under Automation, select Schedules.
Click New Schedule. The New Schedule form opens.
Configure the new schedule details:

Name: Enter a name for the schedule.
Frequency: Select one of Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, or Custom. Configure the fields for the frequency you selected. For more information, see Frequency settings.
Start Date and Time: Select the date and time when the schedule starts running.
Expiry: Select one option:

Set execution limit: Enter the number of runs after which the schedule expires.
Set expiry date: Select the date after which the schedule expires.
Never: The schedule runs with no end.

Callback Type: Select one option:

Standalone Card: Click Add, and in the pop-up, create a configuration or select an existing one. For more information, see Standalone cards.
Function: Select a function from the dropdown.
Circuit: Select a circuit from the dropdown.

Click Save.

The new schedule appears in the Schedules list with its toggle set to on.

Set Expiry to a date later than Start Date and Time.

Constraint: The expiry date must be later than the start date.
Result if violated: The schedule is marked complete and never runs.
Action: Edit the schedule and select a later date in Expiry.

Frequency settings

Each frequency adds its own fields to the new schedule form. For more information, see Create a schedule.

Hourly Frequency Settings

Execute: Enter the number of hours between each run.

Daily Frequency Settings

Exclude Days Off: Check this box to exclude the schedule on non-working days of your organization. You can configure the Days off for your organization under Date and Time Settings of Organization Setup.

Weekly Frequency Settings

Execute On: Select the days of the week to run the schedule.

Monthly Frequency Settings

Execute On: select Set specific date or Set specific day

Set specific date: Enter a date of the month from 1 to 31.
Set specific day: Select a named day of the month, such as the first Monday.

Yearly Frequency Settings

No extra fields. The schedule runs once a year on the date set in Start Date and Time.

Custom Frequency Settings

Use Custom to run the callback at a repeating interval or at exact clock times.

In Custom Schedule Type, select one option:

Recurrence: Runs the callback at a fixed interval on the days you select. For example, every 30 minutes on weekdays.
Time Slot: Runs the callback at exact clock times you add, on the days you select. For example, 09:00, 13:00, and 17:00.

Recurrence fields

If you select Recurrence, complete these fields:

Recurring frequency: Enter the interval between runs in HH:MM. The interval must be from 00:10 (10 minutes) to 24:00 (24 hours).
Select Days: Select the days of the week to run the schedule.
Use Business Days: Select this checkbox to limit runs to working days.
Time Range: Set the start and end times that bound each day’s runs.
Use Business Hours: Select this checkbox to limit runs to working hours.

The first run time depends on whether you set a Time Range.

Without a time range, runs start at the time in Start Date and Time and repeat at the interval you set.
With a time range, runs start at the start of the range and repeat at the interval you set, within the range.

Time Slot fields fields for custom frequency

If you select Time Slot, configure these fields:

Add Time: Enter a time, then click Add. The time appears in Selected Time Slot. You can add up to 15 time slots. Keep at least 10 minutes between slots.
Selected Time Slot: Shows the times you added.
Select Days: Select the days of the week to run the schedule.
Use Business Days: Select this checkbox to limit runs to working days.

You set business days and business hours under Date and Time Settings in Organization Setup.

Edit a schedule

Edit a schedule to change its frequency, expiry, or callback.

In the left pane, click the settings (⚙️) icon
Under Automation, select Schedules.
Click on the schedule name you want to edit.
Make modifications in the fields you want to change and click Save.

The updated action occurs from the next run.

Pause and Resume Schedule

Pause a schedule to stop its runs temporarily while keeping its configuration.

In the left pane, click the Settings (⚙️) icon
Under Automation, select Schedules.
In the schedule row, toggle the button under the Status column:

Toggle it off to pause the schedule.
Toggle it on to resume the schedule.

A paused schedule does not run. No runs are missed or queued while it is paused. After you resume the schedule, it runs at its next scheduled time.

Delete Schedule

Remove a schedule you no longer need.

This action cannot be undone. Deleting a schedule stops all future runs of its callback.

In the left pane, click the Settings (⚙️) icon.
Under Automation, select Schedules.
Hover over the schedule name. The More Actions (⋯ ) menu appears. Click it.
Select Delete.
In the confirmation pop-up, click Delete to confirm the deletion.

Limits and behavior

Item	Rule
Schedules per organization	No limit
Time slots per schedule	Up to 15
Gap between time slots	At least 10 minutes
Recurrence interval	00:10 to 24:00
Time zone	The user time zone, taken from the user’s Zoho Accounts configuration
Start date in the past	The schedule first runs at its next scheduled time
Callback failure	The failed run is not retried. The schedule runs again at its next scheduled time.
Run history	Schedule executions are recorded in the audit logs. For more information, see Audit logs.

Troubleshooting FAQ

1. What is the difference between Recurrence and Time Slot?

Recurrence runs the callback at a fixed interval across a time range, for example every 30 minutes from 09:00 to 17:00. Time Slot runs the callback at exact times you choose, for example 09:00, 13:00, and 17:00.

2. What happens if the expiry date is before the start date?

The schedule is marked complete and does not run. Set the expiry date after the start date.

3. How do I stop a schedule from running on weekends and holidays?

For a daily schedule, select Exclude Days Off. For a custom schedule, select Use Business Days. Both follow the days set under Date and Time Settings in Organization Setup.

4. What time zone does a schedule use?

A schedule uses the time zone of the user. Qntrl takes the user time zone from Zoho Accounts.

5. What happens to runs missed while a schedule is paused?

No runs are missed. A paused schedule does not run in the background. After you resume it, the schedule runs at its next scheduled time.

6. What happens when the callback fails?

A callback can fail when the Qntrl task engine, the service that runs callbacks, has a server issue or a bug. Qntrl does not retry the failed run. The schedule runs again at its next scheduled time.

Configure Schedules | Online Help | Qntrl | Create and Manage Schedules in Qntrl