# Schedule Options

Source: https://userguide.qualytics.io/operations/scan/how-tos/schedule-options/

This is **Step 5 of 5** in the Scan Operation modal. Use the Schedule option to run scans automatically on a recurring basis. Schedules are created from the Scan form using one of four preset frequencies (Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly) or a custom cron expression.

> **Info: Timezone-aware scheduling**
>
> Schedules can run in any IANA timezone (for example, `America/New_York`, `Europe/Paris`, `Asia/Tokyo`), and Daylight Saving Time transitions are handled automatically. **UTC is the default** for new and existing schedules. The configured timezone is shown on the schedule card as an abbreviation, such as `Schedule (UTC)` by default or `Schedule (EST)` after selecting another timezone.

> **Info: Deactivating a schedule keeps its cron expression**
>
> When you deactivate a schedule, its cron expression is kept. Reactivating it later resumes the same schedule without setting it up again.
>
> If a schedule was deactivated before May 7, 2026 and doesn't run after you reactivate it, re-enter its cron expression once to restore it. Schedules deactivated on or after that date keep working normally.

## Open the Schedule form

Click the **Schedule** button at the bottom of the Scan Settings step (Step 4) to open the Schedule form. The form has three configurable fields, highlighted in the screenshot below.

![form-fields](https://userguide.qualytics.io/assets/operations/scan/how-tos/schedule-options/step-1-form-fields.png)

**1. Timezone.** Pick the IANA timezone for this schedule. UTC is selected by default. To run in a different timezone, type to search by city, region, or abbreviation, and pick from the list. The selected timezone applies to every frequency tab below; the banner above the tabs shows the current time in that timezone.

**2. Frequency tabs.** Pick the cadence. The form has five tabs (Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Advanced); switch the tab to configure the one you want. See the [tabs below](https://userguide.qualytics.io/operations/scan/how-tos/schedule-options/#configure-the-frequency).

**3. Schedule Name.** Give the schedule a descriptive name to identify it later in the [Activity tab](https://userguide.qualytics.io/explore/activity/). The name is required.

Once all three fields are set, click the **Schedule** button at the bottom of the form to save the schedule. The new schedule appears in the Activity tab under the Schedule sub-section.

## Configure the frequency

Switch the tab below to see how each frequency option is configured.

**Tab: Hourly**

Schedule the scan to run every N hours at a specified minute. Define the frequency in hours and the exact minute within the hour the scan should start.

![hourly](https://userguide.qualytics.io/assets/operations/scan/how-tos/schedule-options/step-2-hourly.png)

**Example:** Set to **Every 1 hour(s) on minute 0** so the scan fires every hour at the top of the hour (`01:00`, `02:00`, `03:00`, …).

**When to use:** Near real-time monitoring during ingestion windows, backfills, or incident-response situations where data quality drift must be caught within an hour.

**Tab: Daily**

Schedule the scan to run once every N days at a specific time. You specify the number of days between scans and the exact time of day in the selected timezone.

![daily](https://userguide.qualytics.io/assets/operations/scan/how-tos/schedule-options/step-3-daily.png)

**Example:** Set to **Every 1 day(s) at 00:00** with the timezone left at UTC so the scan runs every day at midnight UTC.

**When to use:** Standard nightly comprehensive scans across the whole datastore. Pairs well with Full read strategy and Auto Resolve so anomalies that no longer reproduce are cleared automatically each night.

**Tab: Weekly**

Schedule the scan to run on specific days of the week at a set time. Select the days of the week and the exact time of day in the selected timezone.

![weekly](https://userguide.qualytics.io/assets/operations/scan/how-tos/schedule-options/step-4-weekly.png)

**Example:** Configure to run on **Sunday** and **Friday** at `00:00` with the timezone set to UTC so the scan executes at midnight UTC on those two days.

**When to use:** Deeper end-of-week or weekend scans that complement a lighter daily cadence, or business-specific schedules tied to weekly reporting cycles.

**Tab: Monthly**

Schedule the scan to run once a month on a specific day at a set time. You specify the day of the month and the time of day in the selected timezone.

![monthly](https://userguide.qualytics.io/assets/operations/scan/how-tos/schedule-options/step-5-monthly.png)

**Example:** Set to **On the 1st day of every 1 month(s) at 00:00** with the timezone set to UTC so the scan runs on the first day of each month at midnight UTC.

**When to use:** Archives or slowly changing reference data that only need periodic validation, such as monthly regulatory filings or quarterly reporting tables.

**Tab: Advanced**

The Advanced tab lets you set up more complex and custom schedules using **cron expressions**. Useful for defining specific times and intervals with precision that the four presets do not cover.

![advanced](https://userguide.qualytics.io/assets/operations/scan/how-tos/schedule-options/step-6-advanced.png)

Cron expressions use five fields:

- Minute (0 - 59)
- Hour (0 - 23)
- Day of the month (1 - 31)
- Month (1 - 12)
- Day of the week (0 - 6) (Sunday to Saturday)

Each field can be defined using specific values, ranges, or special characters to create the desired schedule. The day of the week is stricter: it accepts only `*` or day numbers separated by commas, such as `1,2,3,4,5` for Monday to Friday. A range such as `1-5`, a step such as `*/2`, or a day name such as `MON` is rejected when you save the schedule.

**Example:** The expression `0 0 * * *` schedules the scan operation to run at midnight (`00:00`) every day:

- `0` (Minute): the 0th minute
- `0` (Hour): the 0th hour (midnight)
- `*` (Day of the month): every day
- `*` (Month): every month
- `*` (Day of the week): every day of the week

**Other examples:**

- `0 12 * * 1,2,3,4,5` runs at 12:00 PM Monday to Friday.
- `30 14 1 * *` runs at 2:30 PM on the first day of every month.
- `0 22 * * 6` runs at 10:00 PM every Saturday.

To define a custom schedule, enter the cron expression in the **Custom Cron Schedule** field. The field label shows the abbreviation for the currently selected timezone (for example, `Custom Cron Schedule (UTC)` or `Custom Cron Schedule (EST)`), and the cron fields are interpreted in that timezone.

> **Note: Daylight Saving Time**
>
> When you pick a timezone that observes DST (such as `America/New_York` or `Europe/London`), the schedule automatically shifts with each transition. A job set to run at 9:00 AM in `America/New_York` runs at 9:00 AM local time year-round, regardless of whether the zone is in EST or EDT at the time. No reconfiguration is required.

> **Note: Notification on completion**
>
> You will receive a notification when the scan operation is completed.

> **Note: Auto Resolve Anomalies on scheduled scans**
>
> Scheduled scans use the same **Auto Resolve Anomalies** behavior as ad-hoc scans. The setting is configured from **Scan Settings** (Step 4) and only applies when the schedule's read strategy is **Full**. See [Scan Settings](https://userguide.qualytics.io/operations/scan/how-tos/scan-settings/) for the toggle and [Auto-Resolve on Full Scans](https://userguide.qualytics.io/operations/scan/deep-dive/read-strategies/#auto-resolve-on-full-scans) for the behavior.

## Examples

**Pharmaceutical R&D: nightly UTC**: A pharmaceutical R&D platform runs clinical-trial scans every night at `00:00 UTC` across `subjects`, `lab_results`, and `adverse_events`. They pick **Daily** with timezone left at UTC. Researchers in the US, EU, and Singapore all see the same scan results synced to a common timestamp, with no per-region offset to reconcile.

**Stock exchange: business-hours Mon-Fri**: A regional stock exchange wants `trade_executions` and `order_book_snapshots` validated before the analytics desk arrives. They pick **Advanced** and enter `0 9 * * 1,2,3,4,5` with timezone `America/New_York`. The scan fires at 9:00 AM local time every business day, and the schedule shifts automatically across DST transitions without re-configuration.

**Cybersecurity SaaS: hourly during incident response**: During an active threat investigation, a cybersecurity provider needs near real-time validation of `detected_events` and `alerts_triaged`. They pick **Hourly** with frequency `Every 1 hour(s) on minute 0` and pair with Incremental in Step 3. The scan validates only events from the last hour, alerting the on-call SOC analyst within minutes of any quality drift in the threat feed.

**Airline operations: twice daily before flight ops**: An airline scans `flight_manifests` and `crew_assignments` twice a day, before each shift starts. They pick **Advanced** with `0 6,18 * * *` and timezone `Europe/Amsterdam`, then set the Schedule Name to `flight-ops-am-pm` so the dispatchers can find it in the Activity tab. The 06:00 run catches issues for the morning rotation; the 18:00 run covers the evening rotation.

**Regulatory body: monthly archive validation**: A financial regulator scans `regulatory_filings_archive` once a month on the 1st at `02:00` in their reporting timezone (`Europe/London`). The archive only changes at month-end when the previous month's filings are sealed, so a monthly cadence is sufficient and avoids the cost of daily scans against a table that does not change between cycles.

## Where to go next

- **Select Tables**

  Choose the containers to scan: All, Specific, or by Tag.

  [Select Tables](https://userguide.qualytics.io/operations/scan/how-tos/select-tables/)
- **Select Check Categories**

  Choose Metadata, Data Integrity, or both.

  [Select Check Categories](https://userguide.qualytics.io/operations/scan/how-tos/select-check-categories/)
- **Read Settings**

  Pick Incremental or Full, set an optional starting threshold, and the record limit.

  [Read Settings](https://userguide.qualytics.io/operations/scan/how-tos/read-settings/)
- **Scan Settings**

  Anomaly Options (including Auto Resolve), record-anomaly limits, and source examples.

  [Scan Settings](https://userguide.qualytics.io/operations/scan/how-tos/scan-settings/)

*Last updated: October 19, 2026.*