HOW TO SCHEDULE DATA CLEANING FUNCTIONS

Introduction to Scheduling Functions

Automate your data cleaning by scheduling Flookup's powerful functions to run on their own. This feature utilises Google Apps Script triggers to keep your datasets consistently clean and up-to-date, saving you time and reducing errors with minimal manual effort.

You can set core operations like Fuzzy match by meaning or Standardise data to run at flexible intervals, from once an hour to once a month, perfectly tailoring the automation to your workflow. Before scheduling, it is best to run the function manually on a small sample of your data to identify the optimal parameters.

How to Schedule a Function

Open the scheduling sidebar
Navigate to Extensions > Flookup Data Wrangler > Schedule data cleaning functions in your spreadsheet menu.
Select the main function
From the top dropdown menu, choose the primary operation you want to automate. The form will dynamically update to show relevant options.
Choose the processing mode
- Process data to the end: The task will run until all rows in your input range are processed and will then stop automatically.
- Process data in a loop: The task will process the input range and will then repeat the process on the next scheduled run. This is ideal for data that is constantly updated.
Set the required ranges and parameters
For range inputs, such as Lookup_values, Table_values and Input range, first select the desired range directly in your Google Sheet. Then, click the corresponding Grab selected range button in the sidebar to populate the input field.
Adjust other parameters as they appear.
Set the schedule frequency and details
- Click HOURLY or DAILY to set the basic interval.
- For daily schedules, set the approximate Time of day and the number of days between runs, e.g. "1" for every day.
- For hourly schedules, set the number of hours between runs, e.g. "6" for every 6 hours.
Lock the output position
Select the cell in your Google Sheet where you want the results to start. Then, click the Grab selected cell button in the sidebar to lock this output position for each run.
Schedule the function
Click Schedule to create the trigger and close the sidebar.

Notes About Scheduling Functions

To stop or cancel a schedule, select your function and click Reset. This will delete the trigger and clear all parameters.
Hourly schedules may exhaust your daily quota, i.e. 90 minutes for Consumer accounts and 6 hours for Workspace accounts.
Do not change the sheet name or modify parameters after scheduling.

Issues You Might Encounter

Triggers fail to run: Triggers have a six-minute execution limit per hour, shared across all triggers. If multiple triggers refresh simultaneously, some might be skipped or delayed.
Excessive Google triggers: There is an undocumented limit of 300 triggers per user per project. Reduce the number of triggers if you encounter issues.
Inaccurate function parameters: Scheduled functions might fail if the parameters are incorrect.
Failed authorisation: Triggers run under the authority of any user with editing rights or who has opened the sidebar at least once. If a trigger does not run, check the user permissions.
Processed data appears in the wrong sheet: Schedule only one function per spreadsheet per user to avoid quota errors.

For the Visual Learners

Labels might differ slightly but the steps remain the same.