Automatic task scheduling via cronjob

🧾 Introduction

The cronjob automation feature allows actions or processes to be scheduled and executed automatically at regular intervals (daily, weekly, hourly, etc.) without manual intervention.

🎯 Objective

This feature is designed to eliminate the need for manual triggering of recurring tasks such as file imports, automated data enrichment, or workflow execution. It ensures reliable and consistent execution of critical operations.

✅ Key advantages

• Time-saving: no need to manually launch processes.
• Reliability: reduces the risk of omissions or delays.
• Consistency: the same logic is applied to each execution.
• Traceability: execution logs are recorded and accessible.
• Flexibility: execution times can be easily adjusted using simple cron syntax.

📌 Example use case

A data manager wants the product description enrichment process to run automatically every day at 3:00 AM. With the cronjob 0 3 * * *, the system executes the task as expected, checking source files and generating results without any manual action.

🔁 Configuration Examples

⚙️ Configuration

To configure this automation, follow these steps:

1. Open the configuration details
   Navigate to the specific configuration or pattern you wish to automate.
2. Access the "Automation" tab
   Inside the configuration screen, click on the "Automation" section to manage scheduling options.
3. Set the execution frequency
   In the "Scheduling" block, you can choose how often the configuration should run. Several predefined options are available:
   • Every hour
   • Every 4 hours
   • Every day
   • Custom cron syntax: define your own execution rules using cron expression syntax for maximum flexibility

     🗓️ Cronjob configuration table

     Champ	Position	Valeurs possibles	Signification	Exemple
     Minute	1	0–59	Minute de l’heure	0 = début de l’heure
     Heure	2	0–23	Heure de la journée (en format 24h)	3 = 3h du matin
     Jour du mois	3	1–31	Jour du mois	15 = le 15 du mois
     Mois	4	1–12 ou noms abrégés	Mois de l’année	1 = janvier
     Jour de la semaine	5	0–6 ou noms abrégés	Jour de la semaine (0 = dimanche)	1 = lundi

4. Save the configuration
   Once saved, the automation will run according to the selected schedule — no manual action required.

🔔 Note:
For Akeneo clients only, it is also possible to trigger the execution based on Akeneo events (such as product creation or update), instead of using a fixed schedule. This allows real-time automation aligned with changes happening in your PIM.