Connector Scheduling
Every connector in Rime can run on a schedule, on demand, or both. Scheduled syncs keep your Snowflake data current with source systems without manual intervention. This page covers how to configure and manage connector schedules.
Cron expression format
Rime uses standard 5-field cron expressions:
minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week * * * * *| Field | Allowed values | Special characters |
|---|---|---|
| Minute | 0-59 | * , - / |
| Hour | 0-23 | * , - / |
| Day of month | 1-31 | * , - / |
| Month | 1-12 | * , - / |
| Day of week | 0-6 (0 = Sunday) | * , - / |
Special characters
*— matches every value in the field,— list separator (e.g.,1,15means the 1st and 15th)-— range (e.g.,1-5means Monday through Friday in the day-of-week field)/— step (e.g.,*/15in the minute field means every 15 minutes)
Common schedule examples
| Schedule | Cron expression | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Every hour | 0 * * * * | Runs at the top of every hour |
| Every 15 minutes | */15 * * * * | Runs at :00, :15, :30, :45 |
| Every 6 hours | 0 */6 * * * | Runs at midnight, 06:00, 12:00, 18:00 |
| Daily at midnight | 0 0 * * * | Runs once per day at 00:00 |
| Daily at 6 AM | 0 6 * * * | Runs once per day at 06:00 |
| Weekdays at 8 AM | 0 8 * * 1-5 | Runs Monday through Friday at 08:00 |
| Weekly on Sunday | 0 0 * * 0 | Runs every Sunday at midnight |
| Monthly on the 1st | 0 0 1 * * | Runs at midnight on the first day of each month |
| Twice daily | 0 6,18 * * * | Runs at 06:00 and 18:00 |
The setup wizard includes a schedule builder with preset options (hourly, daily, weekly) and a custom cron expression field. The builder displays the next 5 scheduled run times so you can verify the expression matches your intent.
Timezone selection
All cron expressions are evaluated in the timezone you select. The timezone picker lists all IANA timezones (e.g., Pacific/Auckland, Australia/Sydney, UTC).
New Zealand defaults
For New Zealand-based organisations, the default timezone is Pacific/Auckland (NZST, UTC+12 / NZDT, UTC+13).
Daylight saving time handling
Rime handles DST transitions correctly:
- Spring forward (clocks move ahead): if a scheduled run falls during the skipped hour (e.g., 2:30 AM when clocks jump from 2:00 to 3:00), the run executes at the next valid time after the transition.
- Fall back (clocks move back): if a scheduled run falls during the repeated hour, the run executes once at the first occurrence of that hour (standard time). It does not run twice.
Example: a connector scheduled for 30 2 * * * (2:30 AM daily) in Pacific/Auckland:
- On the Sunday in September when NZDT starts (clocks go from 1:59 AM to 3:00 AM), the 2:30 AM slot does not exist. The run is skipped and the next run occurs the following day at 2:30 AM NZDT.
- On the Sunday in April when NZST resumes (clocks go from 2:59 AM back to 2:00 AM), the run executes during the first 2:30 AM (NZDT) and not again during the second 2:30 AM (NZST).
If DST behaviour is a concern, schedule syncs at times that are not near the transition (e.g., 4:00 AM or later).
On-demand sync (manual trigger)
You can trigger a sync manually at any time from the connector detail page by clicking Sync Now. Manual syncs:
- Run immediately, regardless of the schedule
- Do not affect the next scheduled run time (the schedule continues as normal)
- Appear in the run history with a trigger type of “manual”
Manual syncs are useful for:
- Testing a new connector before setting a schedule
- Re-syncing after fixing a source system issue
- Loading data immediately rather than waiting for the next scheduled window
Schedule pausing and resuming
You can pause a connector’s schedule from the connector detail page. When paused:
- No scheduled syncs run
- You can still trigger manual syncs
- The connector status shows “Paused” in the connectors list
- The schedule configuration is preserved — resuming restores the same cron expression and timezone
To resume, click Resume Schedule on the connector detail page. The next run occurs at the next matching cron time after resuming.
Pausing a connector does not cancel a sync that is already in progress. If a sync is running when you pause, it completes normally, and then no further scheduled syncs start until you resume.
Overlapping syncs
If a scheduled sync is triggered while a previous sync for the same connector is still running, the new sync is skipped. Rime does not queue multiple syncs for the same connector.
This behaviour prevents resource exhaustion when a sync takes longer than expected. For example, if you schedule a connector to run every 15 minutes but a sync takes 20 minutes:
- Sync starts at :00
- At :15, a new sync is due but the :00 sync is still running — the :15 sync is skipped
- The :00 sync finishes at :20
- At :30, the next scheduled sync starts normally
A skipped sync is logged in the run history with a status of “skipped” and a reason of “previous run still in progress”. If syncs are regularly being skipped, consider extending the schedule interval or investigating why syncs are taking longer than expected.
Viewing and editing schedules
From the connectors list
The connectors list page shows the schedule status for each connector: the cron expression (human-readable), the timezone, and the time of the next scheduled run.
From the connector detail page
The Schedule tab on the connector detail page shows:
- Current cron expression and timezone
- Next 5 scheduled run times
- Schedule status (active, paused, or unscheduled)
- Edit and pause/resume controls
Changing a schedule
You can change a connector’s schedule at any time. The new schedule takes effect immediately — the next run time is recalculated based on the new cron expression and timezone. If a sync is currently running, it is not affected by the schedule change.
Scheduling and pipelines
Connectors can also be triggered as steps within pipelines. If a connector has both a standalone schedule and is included in a pipeline, both triggers operate independently. The connector runs when its schedule fires and when the pipeline reaches the extraction step.
To avoid duplicate runs, consider removing the standalone schedule from connectors that are part of a pipeline, and let the pipeline schedule control when extraction happens.
Next steps
- Set up your first schedule in Project > Connectors > [connector name] > Schedule
- Monitor scheduled runs on the run history page
- Build a pipeline to orchestrate extraction with other steps