Configure a schedule
Lesson 9 of 21 7 min read
Put an Integration on a regular schedule, choose a sensible interval, and use jobs, cron expressions and time zones when you need more control.
A schedule makes an Integration send and receive automatically. In this lesson you will add a simple schedule, choose an interval that fits the system, and meet the more flexible options for when one interval isn't enough.
Add a schedule
- Open Settings → Integration setup → Integrations.
- Click the Integration you want to schedule.
- Click Schedule to open the scheduling window. It also shows whether a schedule is already in place.
- Click the interval you want.
The standard intervals are:
- 30 minutes
- 1 hour
- 2 hours
- 4 hours
- 8 hours
- 12 hours
If you'd rather not use a schedule, you can run the Integration manually instead (next lesson).
Choosing an interval
| Consider | Shorter interval | Longer interval |
|---|---|---|
| How quickly do customers or staff need the data? | Orders, stock levels, tracking | Daily summaries, invoices to accounts |
| Does the system also send webhooks? | Not needed as much | A schedule is just a back-up |
| Does the other system limit how often you can call it? | Check its limits | Safer |
| When is someone around to fix problems? | Busy trading hours | Overnight |
Hilltop's intervals
- Unleashed: 30 minutes. Warehouse orders need to reach Brookside quickly enough for the daily courier collection, and stock levels drive what Shopify shows.
- Brookside: 30 minutes. Despatch confirmations feed tracking emails to customers.
- Shopify: 1 hour. Webhooks deliver orders instantly; the hourly schedule only catches anything a webhook missed.
More control: jobs, cron and time zones
Some Integrations need more than one fixed interval. Supply Lens lets you set up several jobs for each Integration. Each job has its own schedules and can include or leave out particular document types. A schedule can run at a regular interval or on a cron expression.
A cron expression is a short code that describes a timetable, such as "at 06:00 on weekdays" or "every 15 minutes between 08:00 and 18:00". If you've not used cron before, ask Support to help you write one.
You can choose the time zone a cron schedule runs in, and the schedule list shows each schedule's time zone next to its expression. New schedules use your own time zone; older schedules keep running in UTC until you change them.
When you might use jobs
A business might collect orders from its 3PL's system every 30 minutes during the day, but send invoices to its accounts package once a night. Two jobs on one Integration, each with its own document types and timetable, handles that.
Watch the time zone
If a cron schedule seems to run an hour early or late, check its time zone. Older schedules run in UTC, which differs from UK time during British Summer Time.
Check it's working
After setting a schedule, look at the Integrations list. It shows that the Integration runs on a schedule and when it next runs. After that time passes, check for new Documents or target data from that Integration.
Recap
- Open an Integration and click Schedule to choose an interval from 30 minutes to 12 hours.
- Choose intervals by how fresh the data must be, whether webhooks exist and the other system's limits.
- For more control, set up several jobs per Integration, each with its own schedules and document types.
- Schedules can use cron expressions, and you can set the time zone each runs in.
- The Integrations list shows each schedule and its next run.
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