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After you publish a chain, you can run it to perform its commands:

• To run a chain without a set schedule, run it manually.
• To have a chain run automatically, set its schedule.
• To automatically run a chain based on an event in a connected solution, use a trigger event.
• To start a chain after another chain completes, use the Run Chain event to string them together.

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Unlock the power of chains with our self-paced course in the Workiva Learning Hub! This comprehensive course guides you through the process of creating a chain from start to finish, providing hands-on experience and a deep understanding of the Chain Builder platform.

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Manually run a chain

To manually run a chain, select it in your workspace, and then click Execute flight_takeoff and Run Chain.

Note: To stop a chain's run, click Stop. When you stop a chain that includes Run Chain events, you also stop any chains' runs started by those events.

Schedule when to automatically run a chain

Chain schedules allow you to automatically run a chain on a routine basis, at a specific time, or during a specific date range. All of your scheduled chains can be viewed on a per-environment basis from the Schedules tab in Chain Builder.

To schedule a chain:

1. Open the chain and click Settings.
   
2. Under Schedules  alarm , click Add  add.
   
3. Under Frequency, select how often to run the chain, such as every few hours or once monthly.
   

   Note: Your subsequent scheduling options will vary depending on the frequency chosen. Selecting a weekly schedule, for instance, will give you the option to specify a day of the week for your chain run.

4. Under Run Time, choose the specific time when your chain will run. 

   Note: Depending on the frequency chosen, you may be asked to choose a particular day or timeframe for your chain run.

5. Under Duration, choose how long this schedule will last.
   

   Note: Chain schedules must be entered in whole numbers. For instance, you cannot schedule a chain to run every 1.5 days.

6. Click Save to create your schedule.
7. Save and Publish your chain for the schedule to take effect.

Once scheduled, a chain will continue to run until the schedule is edited or removed. They are not automatically deactivated when the scheduling user is removed from Workiva.

You can view all scheduled chains from the Schedules screen.

Edit and remove scheduled chains

After you add a schedule, you can further customize its settings:

• Select Color to choose how the schedule appears on the "Schedules" tab.
• To temporarily stop a chain from starting at its set time, click Disable Schedule  visibility for the schedule.
• To update a set frequency, click Edit  create for the schedule.
• To remove a schedule, click its Delete  delete.
  

Things to know

• You are limited to a maximum of 80 schedules per chain.

Start a chain based on a trigger event

To automatically run a chain based on an event in a connection solution, start it with a trigger event:

• To start a chain based on a BlackLine® Journal Service event, such as a new certified journal entry, use the BlackLine Journal Service trigger event.
• To start a chain when a File Utils connector detects an event—such as Create, Modify, or Delete—in a file directory, use the File Events trigger event.
• To start a chain when an HTTP Request connector detects a POST event with a JSON payload, use the HTTP Webhooks trigger event.

When using trigger events, keep the following in mind:

• Chains can't be scheduled when a trigger event is used.
• Only one trigger event can be used per chain.

View a chain's history

To view previously published versions of a chain in Chain Builder, go to the Chains  device_hub tab and select Versions from the individual chain's menu. For each past version, you can view when it was created, and by whom.

To view a chain's run history, such as to troubleshoot an error:

1. From Chain Builder, click Monitor flight_takeoff.
2. Search for a chain by name, or use the filters at the top of the screen to narrow your results by:
   
   • Status
   • Time
   • Date
   • Workspace/environment
   • Connections
   • Tags
3. For each run, you can view chains details including its status, who ran it, and its start and end times.
4. For more details about the run, click its row and inspect each command during the run. For each command, you can view its outputs, inputs, and error log during the run.
5. To view all runs for the chain, click Run History.

View a chain run within another chain

When a run chain event is included in a parent chain, you can quickly access the subchain through the Monitor screen.

Here's how:

1. From Chain Builder, click Monitor flight_takeoff.
2. Select the chain run you'd like to view.
   
3. Click the Run Chain node in your chain graph. The chain executed by that node will appear in the results panel on the right side.
   
4. In the results panel on the right side, use your keyboard and mouse to adjust your view of the subchain:
   • Drag the canvas: Click and hold your mouse in any blank space to drag the canvas.
   • Zoom in and out: Hold down the CTRL key and scroll with the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.
     
5. Double-click any node of your subchain to open it in a new browser tab. You can then edit, run, and view the secondary chain separately from your source chain.
   

Analyze chain usage

To track and analyze the usage and success of your chains in Chain Builder, from Home home, select the period of time to analyze.

Note: To focus on chains within specific environments in your workspace, click Filter , and select the environments to analyze.

From Home, you can monitor:

• Chain Results, for how many chains succeeded, failed, or resulted in a warning during the set time period.
• Activity Feed, for an audit log of updates to chains during the set time period, including who makes the change and when.
• Command Stats, to track how many commands run during the set time period.

To update a metric with the latest activity, click Refresh refresh.