Schedule Chats for Data Products

Alation Cloud Service Applies to Alation Cloud Service instances of Alation

With Scheduled Chats, you can automate recurring AI chat questions on any chat-enabled data product. Instead of manually running the same question each day or week, you define a schedule and let the system execute it automatically. Results accumulate in a timeline view, and failure notifications alert you when something goes wrong.

You can create schedules that run hourly, daily, or weekly. Each schedule appears as a dedicated entry in the chat sidebar with a clock icon.

Schedules always run against the currently listed version of the data product. When a new version is listed, existing schedules automatically use it without interruption.

In this topic:

Prerequisites

Before creating a chat schedule, ensure the following:

  • Chat is enabled on the data product. See Configure Chat with Data Product for setup instructions.

  • You have Data Product Admin access or are the data product creator.

  • You’ve authenticated to the data product’s data source at least once. To verify, open the chat panel and confirm the connection indicator shows Connected (green). Your credentials are stored and used for scheduled execution.

  • A Server Admin has authorized the scheduled chat workflow for your instance. See `Authorize Scheduled Chat Workflows`_.

Authorize Scheduled Chat Workflows as a Server Admin

Before any user can create a chat schedule, a Server Admin must authorize the scheduled chat workflow integration. This is a one-time setup per Alation instance that registers the OAuth application used to execute scheduled chats on behalf of users.

To authorize the workflow:

  1. Open the Data Products app from the left-side navigation.

  2. Select Manage > Manage App.

  3. Under Scheduled Chat Workflows, click Authorize.

  4. Complete the authorization flow. A confirmation message indicates that the workflow authorization succeeded.

Once authorized, all users with Data Product Admin access can create chat schedules on the data products they manage. Each user still needs to authorize their own credentials during schedule creation (see step 6 in Create a Chat Schedule).

Create a Chat Schedule

To create a new scheduled chat:

  1. Navigate to the Data Products App from the left-side navigation.

  2. Open a data product from Marketplace or My Data Products by clicking its name.

  3. On the data product catalog page, click the Chat button at the bottom of the page. The chat panel opens.

  4. Click the Schedule icon in the chat toolbar (clock icon).

  5. In the schedule dialog, configure the following:

    1. Question: Enter the chat question you want to run on a recurring basis.

    2. Frequency: Select one of the available frequencies:

      • Hourly: Runs every hour at a specified minute.

      • Daily: Runs once per day at a specified time.

      • Weekly: Runs on selected days of the week at a specified time.

    3. Time zone: Select the time zone for the schedule.

  6. If you haven’t previously authorized your credentials for scheduled execution, the dialog displays an Authorize button. Click it and complete the OAuth flow to grant the system permission to run queries on your behalf. This is a one-time step per user and requires that you have an active database connection to the data product’s data source.

  7. Click Save to create the schedule.

The schedule begins running at the next scheduled time. A new entry appears in the chat sidebar with a clock icon indicating it’s a scheduled chat.

Note

Schedules always run against the currently listed version of the data product. When a new version is listed, existing schedules automatically use it without interruption.

Note

Scheduled runs use the stored credentials of the schedule creator. If your credentials expire or are revoked, the schedule fails and you receive a failure notification. To resume execution, re-authenticate to the data product’s data source by opening the chat panel and reconnecting, then resume the paused schedule.

View Scheduled Chat Results

Each schedule maintains a timeline of all past run results. To view results:

  1. Open the data product and click the Chat button at the bottom of the page.

  2. In the chat sidebar, locate the scheduled chat entry (identified by the clock icon).

  3. Click the entry to open the timeline view.

The timeline displays:

  • The date and time of each run.

  • The status of each run (success or failure).

  • The full AI-generated response for successful runs, including reports and summaries.

You can scroll through past results to compare answers over time and identify trends in your data.

Manage Chat Schedules

Edit a Schedule

To modify an existing schedule:

  1. Open the timeline view for the scheduled chat.

  2. Click the Edit icon (pencil icon) at the top of the timeline.

  3. Update the question, frequency, or time zone as needed.

  4. Click Save to apply the changes.

Pause and Resume a Schedule

To temporarily stop a schedule from running:

  1. Open the timeline view for the scheduled chat.

  2. Click the Pause button. The schedule stops executing until you resume it.

To resume a paused schedule, click the Resume button in the same location.

Note

Schedules automatically pause when the data product version is archived or when Chat is disabled on the data product.

Delete a Schedule

To permanently remove a schedule:

  1. Open the timeline view for the scheduled chat.

  2. Click the Delete icon (trash can icon).

  3. Confirm the deletion when prompted. All run history for this schedule is also removed.