> 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/lifecycle-testing-and-analytics.md).

# Lifecycle, testing & analytics

Draft to active, forcing a test user through a scenario, and what the per-node counters actually count.

## Lifecycle

An automation moves through four states, and only one of them sends anything.

```mermaid
stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Draft: open the builder
    Draft --> Paused: first Save
    Paused --> Active: Activate
    Active --> Paused: Pause
    Paused --> [*]: Delete
```

<table data-search="false"><thead><tr><th width="140">State</th><th>How you get there, and what it means</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Draft</strong></td><td>You went to <strong>Automations > Builder</strong> and started building. The automation stays in Draft until you first click <strong>Save</strong>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Paused</strong></td><td>Reached on the first save, where you are asked to name the automation. From here you can activate it, or edit it.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Active</strong></td><td>The automation is live. Pause it with the <strong>Pause</strong> button in the top right corner of the builder.</td></tr></tbody></table>

In the **Paused** and **Active** states, additional actions become available on some components - click a component to see what it offers.

In the automation list, the status column shows at a glance which automations are paused (orange) and which are active (green). At the end of each row you find links to **Edit**, **Delete** or **Activate** the automation.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Both `PAUSED` and `ACTIVE` automations count against your scenario limits, and `ACTIVE` ones count against a second, tighter limit. See [Usage limits](/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference.md#usage-limits).
{% endhint %}

## Testing an automation

You can test an automation by forcing a user into the scenario, using the **Test** button available in the scenario's view mode.

Your user then travels through the scenario exactly as any user would, and the scenario notifications appear in that user's timeline - which is where you check what actually happened, node by node.

{% hint style="info" %}
Test before activating rather than after. A user forced into the scenario is subject to the same [re-entry rule](/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/triggers.md#re-entry) as anyone else, so a test user parked in a long wait node cannot be sent through again until they exit.
{% endhint %}

## Analytics

{% hint style="danger" %}
Analytics for automations are currently in **alpha**. Get in touch with your mediarithmics contact for information on enabling them.
{% endhint %}

Analytics let you evaluate how well an automation is performing. They are only available in **view mode** - that is, when you are no longer editing the automation.

A time window in the top right of the automation sets the timeframe for the analytics.

### Per-node counters

Every component on the automation carries a small counter, showing the number of users that entered that component within the set timeframe.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**The counter counts passages, not unique users.** A user who goes through the same node twice - across two entries into the scenario - is counted twice. Do not read a node counter as an audience size.
{% endhint %}

### Detailed analytics

Some components carry additional detailed analytics: start nodes, end nodes, feed nodes, and exit conditions.

Still in view mode, click such a node and a **View stats** button appears. Click it to open a drawer with more detailed statistics. The drawer has its own time window, defaulting to the same value as the scenario-wide one.

{% hint style="info" %}
Exit conditions being among the nodes with detailed stats is useful: the number of users leaving through an exit condition is how you tell a scenario that is working - people converted before the reminder - from one that is not firing at all.
{% endhint %}

## Related pages

<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>Automations reference</strong></td><td>The node model and the usage limits.</td><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference.md">Automations reference</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Cart abandonment automation</strong></td><td>A scenario to test the workflow on.</td><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/automate/cart-abandonment-automation.md">Cart abandonment automation</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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