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# Set how often and when a Mammoth automation runs

> Set an automation's schedule in Mammoth: Day, Week, Month or Year repeats, weekdays, first run, end date, plan frequency limits and which time zone is used.
>
> Applies to: Your plan sets how often data can be refreshed. Where: New automation › Set Schedule (Set trigger for Messaging), or Schedule › Edit schedule

A schedule sets when an automation runs: a unit (**Day**, **Week**, **Month** or **Year**), how many units between runs, a **First run** and an optional **End date**. You set it on the **Set Schedule** step (**Set trigger** for Messaging) of the **New automation** window, or later with **Edit schedule** in the automation's **Schedule** row. Your plan sets the most frequent unit you can pick.

## Where you set the schedule for each type

| Type | Where | Choices |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Dataset Refresh** | **Set Schedule** step | **On schedule** (you can still run it manually) or **Manual only** (it runs only when you trigger it manually or through the API) |
| **File Collection** | **Set Schedule** step | **On schedule** or **Manual only** |
| **Scheduled Export** | **Set Schedule** step | Always on a schedule, no **Manual only** |
| **Messaging** | **Set trigger** step | Always on a schedule, no **Manual only** |
| **Data Consolidation** | No schedule step | Runs when new files are added to its source folder |

![20261008_071238_data-refresh1.png](https://mammoth.io/docs/images/20261008_125918_20261008_071238_data-refresh1.webp)

## Set how often an automation repeats

1. Pick a unit: **Day**, **Week**, **Month** or **Year**.
2. Next to **Repeat every**, pick the number of units between runs.
3. For **Week**, pick the weekdays to run on.

| Unit | **Repeat every** values |
| --- | --- |
| **Day** | 1 through 6 |
| **Week** | 1 through 3, on the weekdays you pick |
| **Month** | 1 through 12 |
| **Year** | 1 through 5 |

You can't create an hourly or every-few-minutes schedule. One saved earlier with an **Hour** or **Minute** unit still shows it when you edit it.

- **Week**: select at least one weekday button (hover for the full name). The first run can only fall on a day you pick.
- **Month**: runs on the day of the month of its first run. If that day doesn't exist in a month, Mammoth notes, for example, **Months without a 31st day are skipped.**
- **Year**: a schedule starting on 29 February shows **Runs only in leap years, since other years have no Feb 29.**

![Messaging Set trigger step with Day / Week / Month / Year, First run, + Add end date and Next runs](https://mammoth.io/docs/images/20261102_messaging-set-trigger.webp)

## Plan limits on how often an automation runs

The scheduler offers no unit more frequent than your plan allows, for any type. With a weekly limit, only **Week**, **Month** and **Year** are offered; without scheduled refresh, none are.

For **Dataset Refresh** and **File Collection**, Mammoth also checks the schedule:

- On save, a schedule more frequent than your plan allows is refused with "Following frequency not allowed in your plan, please upgrade the plan".
- When a saved schedule is due but is now more frequent than the plan allows (for example after a plan change), that run is skipped.

Scheduled Export has no plan feature of its own but gets the same units. Data Consolidation has no schedule, so it is never limited. See [Limits and quotas](https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/help/limits/).

## Set the first run and an end date

1. Under **First run**, pick the date and time later runs repeat from (not a past date). A time less than 5 minutes away, or already gone today, moves to the next day (for **Week**, the next weekday you selected).
2. Optional: click **+ Add end date** and pick an **End date** no earlier than the first run. **Remove end date** removes it. Without one, the automation runs until you suspend or delete it.

**Next runs** lists up to the next 3 run times. If the end date leaves only a few runs, it shows **All runs** (or **Only run**).

| Message that stops you continuing | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| "Pick a first run to continue." | Choose a **First run** date and time |
| "Pick at least one day to continue." | For **Week**, select at least one weekday |
| "Pick an end date, or remove it, to continue." | Choose an **End date**, or click **Remove end date** |

## Which time zone automation schedules use

Times you pick are in your browser's local time zone; there is no separate setting. Mammoth stores the schedule in UTC and shows run times in your local time, so a run can move by an hour when daylight saving time starts or ends, and a run near midnight can fall on another local day. **Next runs** shows the local times.

## Example schedules

| Need | Configuration |
| --- | --- |
| Production metrics every morning | Dataset Refresh, **Day**, every 1, first run 6:00 AM; the pipeline runs after the data lands |
| Portfolio performance to leadership every Monday | Messaging, **Week**, every 1, Monday, first run 8:00 AM, executive summary Dataset View attached |
| Finance data on the 1st of each month | Dataset Refresh, **Month**, every 1, first run on the 1st, early enough to be ready before work starts |
| Month-end close runs late on the 1st | **Month**, every 1, first run on the 1st at 11:45 PM |

- Stagger concurrent automations: 5:30, 6:00 and 6:30 AM rather than every refresh at 6:00 AM.
- Schedule a dependent process at least 15 minutes after the first usually finishes, for example Dataset Refresh at 5:00 AM, pipeline at 5:15 AM, Messaging at 6:00 AM.
- Run non-urgent automations outside business hours so they don't slow down people working in Mammoth.
- Name automations with their timing, such as `Weekly Executive Summary - Mon 8am`.

To refresh several datasets in a fixed order, put them in one Dataset Refresh and choose **In a sequence**. See [Refresh several datasets in parallel or in a sequence](https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/automate/refresh-a-dataset/#refresh-several-datasets-in-parallel-or-in-a-sequence).

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Automation doesn't run at the expected time | It is suspended, the plan no longer allows the schedule's frequency, or the source's Live Connection is no longer authenticated | Confirm the status is **Active** and check **Last run**. A schedule finer than your plan allows (for example after a downgrade) stops until the plan allows it. Re-authenticate the source |
| Run times vary | Several heavy automations compete for resources | Stagger their schedules |
| Automation fails after a schedule change | Changes take effect from the next scheduled run | Use **Run now** to test the new configuration straight away |

## Related

- [Schedules and triggers](https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/automate/schedules-and-triggers/): Run now, new files, webhooks and API triggers.
- [Create an automation](https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/automate/create/): where the schedule step sits in the wizard.
- [Manage automations](https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/automate/manage/): read **Next run** and **Last run**, and edit a schedule.

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Source: https://mammoth.io/docs/learn/automate/schedule-options.md · Updated: 2026-11-08