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Hourly schedule ​

An hourly schedule runs the report every hour on the hour (XX:00). It's the most frequent schedule type, used for real-time data monitoring.

How it works ​

  • The run happens at minute 00 of every hour (00:00, 01:00, 02:00, ..., 23:00)
  • The first run happens at the next hour after the schedule is enabled
  • If you enable it at 14:35, the first run will be at 15:00

Step-by-step instructions ​

1. Open the schedule settings ​

In the builder or on the report page, go to the Schedule section.

2. Choose the frequency ​

Select Hourly from the dropdown.

3. Configure the timezone ​

Set the timezone relative to which the hours are calculated. By default this is the workspace's timezone.

4. Configure missed-run behavior ​

  • Skip — a missed run isn't caught up
  • Run at the first opportunity — run as soon as the connection is restored (but no more than one missed run)

5. Enable and save ​

Turn on the toggle and click Save.

Specifics ​

  • Frequency: 24 runs per day
  • Run time: always on the hour (XX:00)
  • Recommended write mode: Replace (full rewrite) or SoftRefresh (if there are manual columns)
  • Recommended date range: today — data for the current day
  • Data delay: keep in mind that source API data updates with a delay. For example, Google Ads updates with a 3-hour delay — data at 15:00 will be accurate as of 12:00

When to use it ​

  • Operational spend monitoring (making sure budget isn't overspent)
  • Real-time anomaly tracking
  • Hourly bidding and bid optimization
  • Reports for on-call operations staff

When NOT to use it ​

  • Data updates less than once an hour (for example, Facebook Ads with up to a 48-hour delay) — an hourly run is pointless
  • The report is heavy (takes longer than 30 minutes to run) — it may overlap with the next run
  • Append write mode — the sheet will grow by 24 rows a day, quickly hitting the limits

Maintained by the LightLead Documentation Team · Last verified: 2026-07-25