Testing: Schedules
Overview
Use this page to create, review, and manage recurring test schedules across all your load profiles. A schedule is a saved cron-based trigger that automatically starts a load test on a chosen load profile at specific times, so you no longer have to start repeat tests by hand.
A schedule always targets a load profile, built and configured on Testing: Load Profiles, and can include companion profiles that fire in the same run. Creating or editing a schedule requires the LG053 license module to be active. Each firing produces a test run, reviewable on Testing: Test Runs, and its result also appears back here in the Outcome column.
This page itself shows a single cross-profile list of every schedule, useful for support and auditing since schedules are also managed directly on their load profile. From here you can create, edit, trigger immediately, enable or disable, and delete schedules.
Key concepts
- schedule - A saved cron-based trigger that automatically starts a load test on a specific load profile at the times defined by its cron expression. (related: Testing: Load Profiles)
- cron expression - A time pattern of five fields (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week) that defines exactly when a schedule fires; an asterisk in a field means 'every' value for that position.
- Companion Profiles - Additional load profiles you attach to a schedule so they fire inside the same test run as the schedule's primary load profile, coordinating a multi-profile run from one trigger. (related: Testing: Load Profiles)
- Test Mode (Dry Run) - A schedule setting that runs the triggered test as a dry run instead of a full load test, so you can validate the schedule's timing and target before relying on it for real load. (related: Testing: Run Test)
When to use it
- You need to see, in one place, which load profiles already have an automatic recurring test configured.
- You want to create a new recurring schedule and don't have an existing one open on its load profile.
- You need to pause a schedule temporarily, for example while the target system is down for maintenance, without deleting it.
- You are troubleshooting why a scheduled test did not run and need to check its Last Triggered and Outcome values.
Before you begin
- Create at least one load profile on Testing: Load Profiles; every schedule must reference an existing load profile as its target.
- Confirm the LG053 scheduling license module is active; without it, creating or editing a schedule fails with a license error.
- Know the cron expression for the times you want the test to run, or plan to use the Cron expression help link while filling in the Schedule field.
Common workflows
Create a new recurring test schedule
Persona: Load-test operator
- Select Create First Schedule (or New Schedule if other schedules already exist).
- Expect: The Create Schedule modal opens with empty Name, Load Profile, Schedule, and Timezone fields.
- Enter a name in the Name field and select the target Load Profile.
- Expect: Both fields show the values you entered; the modal's required-field validation clears for these two fields.
- Enter a cron pattern in the Schedule field, for example 0 8 * * *, and optionally add Companion Profiles.
- Expect: The Schedule field holds the cron text; any companion profiles you pick appear as selected.
- Select Save.
- Expect: The modal closes and the new schedule appears as a row in the cross-profile list, replacing the No Schedules empty state if this was the first one.
Verify: The Test Schedules table lists the new schedule by Name with its Load Profile and Schedule (cron) values, and its Enabled toggle is on.
Pause a schedule without deleting it
Persona: Load-test admin
- Locate the schedule in the cross-profile list.
- Expect: The schedule's row shows its current Enabled state.
- Turn off the Enabled toggle on that row.
- Expect: The toggle switches off immediately; the schedule's configuration stays saved.
Verify: The schedule's cron time passes without a new entry in Last Triggered, confirming it is no longer firing automatically.
Steps
Step 1
Open Schedules from the Testing section of the navigation.
Expected result: Because no schedules exist yet, the page loads directly into the No Schedules empty state, showing a Create First Schedule button instead of a table.
This is the starting point for setting up your first recurring test schedule.
- The No Schedules panel explains that schedules run load tests automatically at specific times.
-
Create First Schedule opens the modal used to configure the first schedule.
Field reference
| Field | Purpose | Format / Validation | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Identifies the schedule in the cross-profile list; use a name that distinguishes it from other schedules on the same or different load profiles. | Free text | Yes | - |
| Load Profile | Selects which load profile this schedule runs when it fires; this determines the workload and target system the scheduled test exercises. | Select from existing load profiles | Yes | - |
| Schedule | Sets the cron expression that controls how often the test runs automatically. A tighter pattern, such as every hour, produces far more automatic runs than a sparse one, such as once a week, so choose a frequency that matches how often you actually need the test to run. | Cron expression (minute hour day month weekday) | Yes | - |
| Timezone | Sets the timezone used to interpret the Schedule field's hour and minute values. Set this explicitly when the target system or the people reviewing results are in a different region than your own, so the test fires at the intended local time rather than yours. | Select a timezone | No | - |
| Test Name (optional) | Labels each test run the schedule produces. Set this when you want runs from this schedule to be easy to find on Testing: Test Runs; leave it blank to let LoadGen generate a name automatically. | Free text | No | Auto-generated name for test runs |
| Test Mode (Dry Run) | Switches the schedule's triggered runs to dry-run mode. Turn this on while validating a new schedule's timing and target load profile, then turn it off so the schedule executes full load tests going forward. | Toggle | No | - |
| Companion Profiles (optional) | Adds extra load profiles that fire together with the primary Load Profile inside the same scheduled run. Use this when a realistic test needs more than one profile running at once, for example a UI profile paired with an API profile. | Multi-select from existing load profiles | No | None selected |
| Enabled | Controls whether the schedule's cron timing is active. Turn this off to keep a schedule's configuration saved without it firing automatically, and back on to resume automatic runs. | Toggle | No | - |
Column reference
| Column | What it shows | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Shows the schedule's saved name so you can tell schedules apart in the cross-profile list. | Matches the Name value entered when the schedule was created or last edited. |
| Load Profile | Shows which load profile the schedule drives. | Use this to see, across all profiles, which ones already have an automatic schedule configured. |
| Schedule | Shows the cron expression controlling when the test fires. | Read the five fields left to right as minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week; an asterisk means every value in that position. |
| Last Triggered | Shows the date and time the schedule most recently fired. | A blank value means the schedule has never fired, or every attempt since was skipped, since a skipped run does not stamp a trigger time. |
| Outcome | Shows the result recorded for the schedule's most recent attempt. | Check this alongside Last Triggered: a skip outcome means the trigger time passed but the run was skipped rather than executed. |
Controls reference
New Schedule
Opens the Create Schedule modal with empty fields.
When to use: Use when at least one schedule already exists and you want to add another.
Side effects: Read-only until Save is selected; no schedule is created until the modal is submitted.
Create First Schedule
Opens the same Create Schedule modal as New Schedule, shown only while the list is empty.
When to use: Use the first time you set up a recurring schedule, before any schedule exists.
Side effects: Read-only until Save is selected; no data changes until the modal is submitted.
Retry
Reloads the schedule list.
When to use: Use when the page shows a failed-to-load message instead of the table or empty state.
Side effects: Read-only: re-fetches data without changing any schedule.
Trigger
Runs the schedule's test immediately, outside its normal cron timing.
Side effects: Mutating: starts a new test run using the schedule's saved Load Profile, Companion Profiles, and Test Mode settings, and updates the row's Last Triggered and Outcome values.
Edit
Opens the Create/Edit modal pre-filled with the schedule's saved Name, Load Profile, Schedule, Timezone, Test Name, Test Mode, Companion Profiles, and Enabled values.
When to use: Use to change timing, retarget the schedule to a different load profile, or adjust companion profiles.
Side effects: No changes are saved until Save is selected; Cancel discards edits.
Delete
Opens a Delete Schedule confirmation.
When to use: Use when the recurring test is no longer needed.
Side effects: Mutating once confirmed: permanently removes the schedule and stops all future automatic firings; it does not remove test runs the schedule already produced.
Enabled toggle (row)
Switches the schedule between enabled and disabled directly from the list.
When to use: Use to pause or resume automatic firing without opening the edit modal, for example while the target system is down for maintenance.
Side effects: Mutating: takes effect immediately; a disabled schedule keeps its saved configuration but will not fire until re-enabled.
Cron expression help
Opens reference guidance for writing cron expressions.
When to use: Use while filling in the Schedule field if you are unsure of the correct syntax.
Side effects: Read-only; does not change any field.
Cancel
Closes the Create/Edit modal without saving.
When to use: Use when you decide not to create or change a schedule.
Side effects: Read-only: discards any values entered in the modal.
Save
Submits the modal, creating a new schedule or saving changes to an existing one.
When to use: Use once Name, Load Profile, and Schedule are filled in, with any optional fields set as needed.
Side effects: Mutating: adds or updates a row in the cross-profile list and closes the modal.
Verify the result
After saving a schedule, the Test Schedules page no longer shows the No Schedules empty state: the cross-profile table lists the schedule by Name, along with its Load Profile, Schedule (cron expression), Last Triggered, and Outcome values, and its Enabled toggle is on. If the schedule does not appear, reopen the Create Schedule modal and confirm the Name, Load Profile, and Schedule fields were all completed, since all three are required before the modal can be saved. If a license message about the LG053 module appeared instead, the schedule was not created at all.
Troubleshooting
- Symptom: A "Scheduling requires the LG053 license module" message appears when creating or editing a schedule. Fix: Activate the LG053 license module before setting up or changing schedules.
- Symptom: The page shows a failed-to-load message instead of the table or empty state. Fix: Select Retry; if the error repeats, log it via Operations: LoadGen Tickets.
- Symptom: A schedule's Last Triggered column stays blank even though its cron time has passed. Fix: Check the Outcome column instead; a skipped run records an outcome without stamping a trigger time.
- Symptom: Selecting Trigger returns a failed-to-trigger message. Fix: Open the schedule with Edit and confirm its Load Profile and any Companion Profiles are still valid and available to run.
- Symptom: Changes made directly on a load profile's own schedule don't appear to match what's shown here. Fix: Reload this page; since each schedule is owned by its load profile, edits made on Testing: Load Profiles are the source of truth and this cross-profile view reflects them after a refresh.
- Symptom: "Your session has expired. Please log in again." appears while editing a schedule. Fix: Log in again and re-enter the schedule details, since unsaved values in the modal are lost.
Related articles
- Prerequisite: Testing: Load Profiles - every schedule targets an existing load profile and can also be created or edited directly there
- Next step: Testing: Test Runs - each time a schedule fires it produces a test run you can review there
- See also: Testing: Run Test - covers starting a test manually, as an alternative to an automatic schedule
- Prerequisite: Infrastructure: Licensing - the LG053 module must be active before schedules can be created or edited