> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.mediarithmics.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.mediarithmics.io/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference.md).

# Automations reference

The node model behind every automation, the schema it requires, and the usage limits that constrain it.

## What an automation is

Automation is the process of removing human intervention and relying on machines to coordinate repetitive tasks. Triggered by user activity, an automation launches a predefined sequence of actions.

{% hint style="info" %}
**The canonical example.** You run an online shop, and customers add products to their carts without completing the purchase. You *could* extract a list of those customers every day and load it into your email tool - and it would get tedious immediately. An automation instead sends the email itself, every time a customer adds a product and does not buy. See [Cart abandonment automation](/audience-and-activation/automate/cart-abandonment-automation.md).
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
Automations is an extension module. Get in touch with your Account manager for information on enabling it.
{% endhint %}

## The model

An automation is composed of **nodes**, linked by **edges** - branches. A user travels from node to node along edges until the scenario is over. Depending on its type, a node has 0 or 1 edges in, and 0 to n edges out.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    T["Trigger<br/>(exactly one)"] --> F["Flow control<br/>wait / if / split"]
    F --> A["Action<br/>email, segment, feed, custom"]
    A --> E((End))
    X["Exit condition"] -.->|"leaves from anywhere"| E
```

Three families of node, plus one construct that is not a node in the flow:

<table data-search="false"><thead><tr><th width="180">Family</th><th>What it does</th><th width="170">How many</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/triggers.md"><strong>Triggers</strong></a> (input nodes)</td><td>Define what makes a user enter the automation. Always at the start.</td><td><strong>Exactly one</strong> per automation</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/actions.md"><strong>Actions</strong></a></td><td>Do something to or for the user travelling through: send an email, change segment membership, push to a feed, run a custom action.</td><td>Any number</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/flow-control.md"><strong>Flow control</strong></a></td><td>Alter the natural flow: wait, branch on a condition, split into equal proportions.</td><td>Any number</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/flow-control.md#exit-conditions"><strong>Exit conditions</strong></a></td><td>Make a user leave the automation from wherever they are, if a condition becomes true.</td><td>Any number</td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="info" %}
Action nodes fire **asynchronously**: the action is triggered and the user moves on to the next node without waiting for it to complete.
{% endhint %}

## Required changes to the schema

Using automations may require changes to your schema. Your `UserPoint` object needs a `scenarios` property referring to a `UserScenario` object:

```graphql
type UserPoint @TreeIndexRoot(index:"USER_INDEX"){
  id: ID!
  creation_ts: Timestamp! @TreeIndex(index:"USER_INDEX")
  agents: [UserAgent!]!
  accounts: [UserAccount!]!
  emails: [UserEmail!]!
  activities: [UserActivity!]!
  profiles: [UserProfile!]!
  segments: [UserSegment!]!
  choices: [UserChoice!]!
  scenarios: [UserScenario!]!
}

type UserScenario {
  id: ID! @TreeIndex(index:"USER_INDEX")
  scenario_id: String! @TreeIndex(index:"USER_INDEX")
  execution_id: String! @TreeIndex(index:"USER_INDEX")
  node_id: String! @TreeIndex(index:"USER_INDEX")
  callback_ts: Timestamp @TreeIndex(index:"USER_INDEX")
  start_ts: Timestamp! @TreeIndex(index:"USER_INDEX")
  node_start_ts: Timestamp! @TreeIndex(index:"USER_INDEX")
  active: Boolean @TreeIndex(index:"USER_INDEX")
}
```

Schema work in general is documented in the **Setup & Monitor** section, under *Design your data model & schema*.

## Usage limits

Default limits are set per organisation. They are worth reading before designing a large scenario estate, because they constrain design rather than merely runtime.

<table data-search="false"><thead><tr><th width="330">Limit</th><th width="110">Default</th><th>Scope</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Scenarios in <code>PAUSED</code> or <code>ACTIVE</code> state</td><td><strong>100</strong></td><td>Per organisation</td></tr><tr><td>Scenarios with <code>ACTIVE</code> status</td><td><strong>20</strong></td><td>Per organisation</td></tr><tr><td>Nodes per scenario</td><td><strong>20</strong></td><td>Per scenario</td></tr><tr><td>Wait nodes in active scenarios</td><td><strong>20</strong></td><td>Per organisation</td></tr><tr><td>Users awoken per wait node per hour</td><td><strong>50,000</strong></td><td>Indicative service level objective</td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="warning" %}
The first four are hard limits, checked when you create or activate a scenario - reaching one makes the request fail rather than degrading quietly. The fifth is an objective, not a cap: if more than 50,000 users pass a wait node in an hour, some may not be woken in a timely fashion.

Get in touch with your mediarithmics contact if you need higher limits.
{% endhint %}

## Where to go next

<table data-view="cards" data-search="false"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Triggers</strong></td><td>The three ways a user enters, and the re-entry rule.</td><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/triggers.md">Triggers</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Actions</strong></td><td>Email, segment membership, feeds, custom actions.</td><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/actions.md">Actions</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Flow control</strong></td><td>Wait, If, Split, and exit conditions.</td><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/flow-control.md">Flow control</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Lifecycle, testing &#x26; analytics</strong></td><td>Draft to active, forcing a test user through, and reading the counters.</td><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/lifecycle-testing-and-analytics.md">Lifecycle, testing &amp; analytics</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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