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Query Delivery Schedules

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A delivery schedule runs one saved query on a timetable, then emails recipients a download link to the results. Use schedules for reports people need regularly, such as new members every Monday or open orders every morning. Recipients can open the link without signing in to Rhythm.

Each schedule belongs to one saved query in one application. Rhythm does not keep one schedule list for your whole Rhythm account, so each application's Query Center shows its own schedules under Queries › Scheduled Queries.

Where to Find It ​

  • Create a schedule for a saved query from either place:
    • From Query Results for the saved query, choose Options › Schedule Delivery.
    • In the Query Center, open the row menu for the saved query and choose Schedule.
  • See, run, change, or delete schedules in the application's Queries › Scheduled Queries.

Both paths open the same Schedule Query Delivery dialog. You only see Schedule Delivery and Schedule for saved queries, so save a new query before you schedule it. See Save a Query and Organize Folders.

Set Up a Schedule ​

  1. Open the Schedule Query Delivery dialog for the saved query using one of the options above.
  2. Confirm that Saved Query: shows the right query, then change Delivery Schedule Name: if needed.
  3. In Destination Email Addresses:, enter one address on each row, then choose Add Value to add another row. To paste several addresses, switch to the text box and enter one address per line.
  4. Under Schedule, choose how often the query runs and what time it runs. Times use New York time. See Time Zone.
  5. Set Start Date/Time: and End Date/Time: if the schedule should start or stop on specific dates and times.
  6. Choose the Output Format:, then decide whether to keep Do not send an email when the query has no results ticked.
  7. Under Delivery Email, review the From: sender, Subject:, and body.
  8. Leave Status: set to Active, then choose Save Changes.

Result

You see Schedule <name> saved successfully, and Queries › Scheduled Queries lists the schedule with its timetable in words and its Next Run Date.

For example, to email a list every Monday at 7:00 a.m. Eastern time, choose a weekly recurrence for Monday at 07:00. As with any Rhythm schedule, choose the exact day and time rather than a general idea like "end of week".

There is no built-in weekly report for the previous week's newly created contact or organization accounts. A saved query's relative-date criteria use the day the schedule runs, not a fixed weekly window, so build and test the exact date range you need in the saved query first.

Settings ​

Setting Options Default Effect 
Saved Query: Shown, not editable The query you scheduled The saved query that runs. Each run uses the query as it exists at that moment, so changes to its criteria or fields affect the next delivery 
Delivery Schedule Name: Any text; required The saved query's name Names the schedule in the list. For a new schedule, Rhythm also copies this name into the email subject once 
Status: Active or Inactive Active Inactive stops scheduled runs without deleting the schedule 
Destination Email Addresses: Any valid email addresses; at least one One empty row Every address receives each delivery. Addresses do not need to belong to Rhythm users or contacts, and they can be outside your organization. Rhythm drops blank rows. Type addresses directly. You cannot point a schedule at a merge field, a chapter or committee email field, or a contact's own address. If the person who should receive a report changes, such as a new chapter chair, update each affected schedule yourself 
Schedule Hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or an advanced recurrence; times in 24-hour form Weekdays at 17:00 Sets when the query runs. It cannot run more than once an hour. A daily schedule with its interval set to 1 runs every calendar day, including weekends. For a weekly schedule, you choose the specific days 
Start Date/Time: Date and time, optional None The schedule does not run before this date and time 
End Date/Time: Date and time, optional None The schedule does not run after this date and time 
Output Format: Csv, Excel, Excel Unformatted, Json Excel Sets the file recipients download. These options match CSV, Excel (Formatted), Excel (Unformatted), and JSON on Query Results 
Do not send an email when the query has no results Ticked or not Ticked When this is ticked, a run that finds no records sends no email, and no record notes that the delivery was skipped 
From: A sender name and one of your organization's verified sender addresses Blank; the placeholders show your organization's default sender Sets who the email comes from. The help icon says You can change these email addresses in System -> Email Settings 
Cc:, Bcc: Addresses Empty Sends copies of each delivery 
Subject: Any text; required The saved query's name Sets the email's subject 
Body Formatted text; required A short message with the link Click here to download your query results. Sets the message text. The merge field Location of Query Results inserts the download link 

Keep the Results Link in the Body

The Location of Query Results merge field is the only way recipients can reach the file. If you rewrite the body, insert it again from the merge-field picker.

What Recipients Receive ​

After a run finishes, Rhythm sends one email to all recipients on the schedule unless the no-results setting skips the delivery. The email uses the schedule settings in place at that moment, and the link in it:

  • opens the results file without requiring a Rhythm sign-in, so volunteers and board members without an account can use it;
  • keeps working for 30 days, then the file is gone. An expired link cannot be restored or reactivated. Running the query again gives you current data, not the original file, so download the file before the link expires if you need to keep a copy;
  • works for anyone who has it, including anyone the email is forwarded to. Treat the email as carefully as you treat the data in it.

Recipients are email addresses, not contacts, so contact email preferences do not stop the email. In your sandbox, emails may be redirected to the sandbox's redirect list instead. See Email Settings: Senders, Reply-To, Footer, and Sandbox Redirects.

Rhythm does not report whether a recipient opened or clicked the delivery email. If you need to confirm that a report reached someone, ask them directly.

Some delivery details, such as the visible schedule name, email text, and downloaded file name, can keep using an older saved value for a short time after you change them. If a recipient still sees the old name or wording, open the schedule, confirm the settings, and save it again to refresh those details.

Time Zone ​

Every schedule runs on New York time, no matter which time zone your organization uses, and it follows New York's daylight-saving changes. The timetable in the Schedule column still ends with "(EST)" all year, including in summer. If your organization uses another time zone, convert the time. For example, schedule a report for 11:00 when you want it to run at 8:00 Pacific time.

Relative dates in the saved query, such as "7 days before the query execution date", are calculated when each run starts using the current time in UTC, which is the same zero-offset time as GMT. See Query Criteria and Filter Operators.

Those relative-date calculations use UTC, the same zero-offset time as GMT, when each scheduled run starts. See Query Criteria and Filter Operators.

If a scheduled run returns different results than the same query run manually around the same time, check whether the scheduled run started at a day boundary in UTC. A run just before or after midnight UTC can land on a different calendar day than you expect for relative-date criteria. This especially matters for month-end or similarly date-sensitive queries. Moving the schedule's run time a little earlier can keep it safely inside the intended day.

How a Scheduled Run Works ​

flowchart TD
    A[Scheduled time arrives] --> B[Saved query runs as it is now]
    B --> C{Did the run finish?}
    C -- Finished --> D{No records and the empty-result option ticked?}
    D -- Yes --> E[No email]
    D -- No --> F[One email with a 30-day link]
    F --> G{Could the email be sent?}
    G -- No --> H[Schedule switched off at once]
    C -- Failed --> I[Failure counted]
    I --> J{Fourth failure in the schedule's life?}
    J -- Yes --> K[Schedule switched off]

The Last Run column records when the latest run started. It does not confirm that an email went out. If a schedule switched itself off, see A Scheduled Query Stopped Arriving.

Manage Schedules in Scheduled Queries ​

Queries › Scheduled Queries lists the application's schedules with Name, Schedule, Next Run Date, Last Run, and Created. When the list is long enough, it uses numbered pages. A switched-off schedule shows a red inactive badge beside its name.

Schedule names do not need to be unique, so one application can have more than one schedule with the same name. Check the saved query and settings on each schedule when you need to be sure which is which. Select a schedule's name to open its saved query in the designer. Each row has three icons:

Icon What it does 
Process this scheduled query immediately (lightning bolt) Runs the schedule now and emails every recipient when it finishes. It asks for no confirmation, works even when the schedule is inactive or outside its dates, and sends a second email if you select it twice. You see Working on the scheduled query... we will notify you when processed. and then Scheduled query processed successfully., which means the run started, not that the email was sent 
Edit this schedule... Opens Schedule Query Delivery with the schedule's settings 
Delete this schedule Deletes the schedule after Are you sure you want to delete this schedule? and Yes!. You see Query delivery schedule deleted successfully 

The list shows schedules for saved queries you can see in this Query Center. A schedule on a colleague's private query does not appear in your list.

Change, Pause, or Delete a Schedule ​

  • Add or remove recipients, or change the format or email. Choose Edit this schedule..., add or remove an address under Destination Email Addresses: (for example, to add yourself to a report someone else already receives), and choose Save Changes. You can do this without changing the recurrence or run time. The next delivery uses the new settings, and links already sent keep working.
  • Change the timing. Change the recurrence under Schedule and save. The new timetable takes effect right away. Switching a schedule's recurrence option, such as from every day to every working day and back, can also shift its saved run time, so check the time after you change the recurrence. Avoid saving overlapping recurrence changes in quick succession, which has occasionally produced duplicate deliveries.
  • Change the dates. Changing only Start Date/Time: or End Date/Time: on an existing schedule does not change when it runs. To use new dates, create a new schedule with them and delete the old one.
  • Pause. Set Status: to Inactive and save. Scheduled runs stop, but a run that already started still delivers, and Process this scheduled query immediately still works. To resume, set Status: back to Active; Rhythm checks the whole schedule again when you save. If you suspect a schedule is misbehaving, such as sending more often than expected, set it to Inactive or remove its End Date/Time: while you look into it. Both options safely stop or limit further deliveries without losing the schedule itself.
  • Stop for good. Delete the schedule, which cannot be undone. Once no schedule uses the saved query, you can delete the query too.

If a delivery runs while you have the dialog open, saving can fail with Unable to save schedule. Close the dialog, open it again, and redo your change.

Permissions ​

To create or change a schedule, you need permission to schedule queries of that query type in the application. If you do not have that permission, the dialog shows You do not have the required privileges to schedule query delivery. Please contact your system administrator. and closes. See How the Console Decides What You Can See.

Validation and Errors ​

Message Cause and fix 
You haven't entered a valid value for Name Enter a Delivery Schedule Name: 
You haven't entered a valid value for Schedule Choose a recurrence 
You haven't entered a valid value for Output Format Choose an output format 
You haven't entered a valid value for Email Enter both a Subject: and a body 
Please supply an appropriate value for the email body. The body is empty or invalid 
Unable to save schedule with a validation message The schedule has no valid recipient, or one of the addresses is invalid. Correct the addresses 
Unable to save schedule: Recurring batches must occur no more than once every 1 hour(s). Please modify the cron expression. The recurrence runs more than once an hour. Choose a less frequent timetable 
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