Automated processes generally run in one of two ways: either they are initiated by external triggers, such as an email arriving in an inbox, or they follow a set schedule. However, this schedule can be designed intelligently and doesn't necessarily have to be basic.
In this specific case, tracking data needs to be imported into a core system on different days of the week so that the system can immediately send status updates to customers. Since tracking data often arrives well before the scheduled time, it must be buffered and only forwarded later. Otherwise, trucks might set off prematurely and end up waiting for goods that haven't been cleared yet—a costly scenario in transport logistics.
Different times for different days
From Monday to Friday, transport notifications with a delivery time should be communicated to the respective clients daily at 5:00 PM. This is handled by our transport management system, which imports the notifications in a specific format. The notifications themselves are sent by Service Provider B as Excel lists via email to Service Provider A, who then converts them into the modern JSON format.
The reason: Excel is an opaque, proprietary format for machine processing, even though it has great strengths for the end user on a PC.
On Saturdays, the transport notifications should not be sent at 5:00 PM, but rather with a delivery time of Sunday at 6:00 AM. However, the Excel list for these Saturday transports doesn't arrive until sometime on Monday, at which point it should immediately trigger the status update for the clients.
Workato Scheduled Trigger
How can this use case be implemented easily? Workato, as a leading automation and integration platform, offers "Scheduled Triggers." These are time-based configuration options at the start of a recipe (which is what Workato calls an automation process).
Such a configuration can be, for example:
- Once every hour
- Every 10 minutes
- A fixed time, such as 5:15 PM
Of course, you can also set the time zone, which is crucial in international business.
Intelligent Delay
Since tracking data typically arrives before the planned transmission time, it is buffered first. The scheduler ensures that forwarding only occurs at the correct time—regardless of when the data was originally received.
This intelligent timing prevents:
- Premature status updates to customers
- Unnecessary truck waiting times
- Faulty transport planning
Intelligent scheduling is the key to efficient process automation.
