Choose a trigger for an automation

Every automation starts with a trigger: manually, on a schedule or on a policy violation. Choose the trigger when you build the automation, based on how often and on which objects it should run.

Before you begin

• Your Rencore role includes the Create Automation or Edit Automation permission. Owner, Admin and Contributor have it. See Rencore roles.

Steps

1. Open the automation in the Automation Builder. See Create a custom automation.
2. Click the trigger in the flow.
3. Choose Manually, On Schedule or On policy violation in the dialog.
4. Fill in the settings of the trigger, as described below.
5. Click Save.

Manually

This trigger lets you run the automation by hand. Select the Service and the Object the automation runs for.

A manually triggered automation can be used again and again, with no limit on the number of runs. It must be triggered on the same entity that is set in the automation.

Use this option to test the automation actions or to run the automation only once. It runs only for the object you trigger it from, which gives you more control for testing.

On schedule

This trigger runs the automation periodically.

1. Choose whether it runs on a “Policy Violation” or an “Inventory Item”.
2. For “Policy Violation”, select the policy. For “Inventory Item”, choose the Service and the object Entity.
3. Select the period: Day, Week, Month or Year.
   • Day: run every day, or every given number of days from 1 to 99.
   • Week: choose the day or days to run, every week or every 1 to 4 weeks.
   • Month: choose a date in the month, or the First, Second or Third day of the month, and how often by selecting 1 to 12 months.
   • Year: choose a date, or the First, Second, Third or Fourth day of a given month, and how often by selecting 1 to 10 years.

With “On Schedule”, the automation acts on the object every time it runs, as long as the violation exists. Any change you make to the actions applies to all violations in the policy. Use this option if you want to keep acting on an object until it is no longer a violation.

On policy violation

This trigger runs the automation on every violation of a given Policy. Select the policy. The automation is triggered after scans and scan batches that update the policy. It runs at most once a day for the same object.

With “On Policy Violation”, the automation acts on the object every time, as long as the violation exists. Any change you make to the actions applies to all violations in the policy. Use this option if you want to keep acting on an object until it is no longer a violation.

Limits

• Policy violation automations depend on scans. A violation only changes when its object is scanned again. If the object is scanned monthly, the list of violations the automation acts on is also updated monthly.
• An object whose earlier run is still waiting for approval or has not finished is skipped.