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Create Plan

1. Navigate to Plan List​

To create a new Plan, click on Plans on the left menu.

Click Create Plan in the top-right corner.

2. Fill in Plan Details​

Type the Plan Name and provide a Description.

Click Add Metadata to expand the menu. Add the Tag Key and Tag Value.

3. Schedule Plan​

Choose one of the available type of schedules:

  • Recurring: Define the timing and frequency for executing the plan based on cron expression and delay.
  • Specified Dates: The plan will run at the specified dates.
  • On Demand: The plan doesn't have a schedule, so it won't be run automatically, but can be manually run as needed.

Recurring schedule​

Select Plan Timezone.

Next, enter the desired schedule as Cron Window Start in Cron format.

Cron expression is checked for errors and the next execution date is displayed below the expression field.

Hover on the next execution date to see a few more dates generated by expression.

Then, there is also an option to Delay the plan execution after the scheduled cron.

Specified Dates schedule​

Select Plan Timezone.

Next, add desired schedule dates by clicking on Add Date button.

Specify date by clicking at calendar icon for the date field and clock icon for the time.

At least one date is required. Only future dates for the selected timezone are allowed.

On Demand schedule​

No additional settings are required for this schedule type. The plan can be manually initiated as needed (see Plan operations).

4. Plan Settings​

In this step you will define Plan steps. To add the first one, click Add Actions or Add Action Batch.

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For detailed overview of adding action batch, please refer to the dedicated section Create a Batch while creating a Plan.

After clicking Add Action select one of the two actions: System or Custom. When you add at least one action to the plan, the view changes, and three distinct sections described below appear.

5. Actions section​

In this section you can see all actions added to the plan. You can add more actions by clicking Add Action. Rearrange the order of actions by dragging and dropping them (click on the dots next to action name). Removing an action is done by clicking the trash bin icon next to its name.

6. Resource Groups section​

In this section you should select the Resource Groups where the action will be applied.

Click Add Resource Group (this is to be done separately for each action)

7. Action Settings​

In this section you should define settings for each action; there are three tabs.

1. Action Execution Policy​

If an action fails (including cases where approval timeout occurs, indicating that the approval wasn't granted within the assigned time), the next action's execution policy will determine what happens next. There are three possible policies: Run Anyway, Approval Required, and Success or Approval. The default execution policy is Run Anyway.

  • Run Anyway means that the action runs regardless of whether the previous action is successful or failed.

  • Approval Required mandates that manual approval is needed before the action can be executed, regardless of whether the preceding action is successful or failed.

  • Success or Approval specifies that the action is automatically executed only if the previous action was successful, but requires manual approval if the previous action failed. Note that this doesn't apply to the first action.

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If you set an action execution policy for an action and there is a delay action before this action, the execution policy settings will apply to the action before the delay action.

For example, if there is a patch action before the delay action, the execution policy settings will apply to the patch action, not the delay action.

2. Resource Operation​

There are two ways to execute a task with multiple resources: Simultaneously or Sequentially.

  • Simultaneous lets all resources run at once by handling multiple tasks at the same time.

  • Sequenced runs resources one after the other in a controlled manner.

3. Action Window Duration​

Action Window Duration is a specific time frame that must be assigned to each action. This time frame determines the period when the action can be executed. If an action is not completed within its allotted time frame, any resources that were supposed to be executed will not be carried out. Therefore, it is essential to manage your time effectively.

4. Skip Window​

Skip window configurations are necessary as there are three different settings:

  • Always bypasses the window duration once the action has run on all resource groups.

  • Never maintains sequential flow by starting the following action automatically according to the specified window duration.

  • On Success automatically skips the window if the action is successfully applied to the resource groups, making the workflow faster and more efficient.

8. General Plan Notifications​

If you want to be informed about the plan progress you can add notifications. In General Plan Notifications, you can choose the Condition and Recipients by selecting available notification groups.

9. Confirm and Finalize​

Finally, make sure that the provided data is correct, then, click Create Plan.