Notes:
- This article refers to the legacy Automation Center editor. There are less program statuses and actions in the New Editor and you can make small adjustments to your program regardless of its status. For more information, see Fewer program statuses and actions and Making small adjustments to your program.
- Programs using the legacy editor will be switched to the New Editor in April 2021. For more information on the timeline, see Switching programs to the New Editor.
This article describes the actions you can perform on a program after it has been activated.
Pausing, freezing and aborting programs
These actions work only on the entry node of a program and on any Wait nodes in it.
If a contact has already reached another node when you initiate the action, they will still be processed by it, even if they are being queued at the time. To be on the safe side, you should expect all contacts that are not queued at Wait nodes to be processed by the program, including receiving any messages.
Pausing a program
Why should I pause a program?
If you pause a program, you can make limited changes to its content or check the initial results. Pausing a program while you check or modify it is a secure way to maintain it because contacts can still enter the program while it is paused.
Which programs can I pause?
You can pause only Active or Scheduled programs.
What happens to new contacts?
When a program is paused new contacts can enter it but they will be queued at the first node*. This has the advantage that you will not lose any contacts.
*Recurring programs do not accept new contacts while they are paused.
What happens to existing contacts?
Contacts already in the program are queued at their next node.
What are the effects of pausing a program?
Queues can build quickly at the entry point and at Wait nodes. When you resume the program it will try to process all the contacts at the same time, which could cause performance issues and, in extreme cases, lead to the program being put into fail-safe mode (if the number of queued contacts is very large, i.e. well over 100,000).
The length of time you can safely pause a program depends on the size of your database and the volume of contacts that pass through it, but as a general rule we recommend pausing programs for no longer than 30 minutes.
Pausing or aborting a program will not stop emails using Send Time Optimization that are already scheduled for launch. For more information, see Send Time Optimization - End-user guide.
Important:
- The status of Paused programs changes to Frozen after three days. As opposed to Aborted programs, Frozen programs keep their participation settings and data, and they can be reactivated.
- Leaving a program paused for a number of days can lead to large numbers of contacts being queued in the Automation Center and this will have knock-on effects not only for the performance of your other programs, but also for other accounts on your environment.
- If you want to suspend the program activity for more than 3 days, you should use the Freeze function instead. For more information, see Freezing a program.
If you pause a recurring program, every scheduled recurrence will be canceled while the program is paused. After resuming the program, it will run again according to the defined schedule.
Pausing a program
To pause a program, click the program status button (the name of the button reflects the status of your program, for example Program is Active) in the top right corner, then select Pause.
Freezing a program
Why should I freeze a program?
We recommend freezing a program if:
- You would like to pause a running program and close it for incoming contacts.
- You think that your maintenance will take longer than a few hours.
What happens to new contacts?
Freezing a program prevents any new contacts from entering it (they are discarded without any record being kept).
What happens to existing contacts?
Contacts already in the program are queued at their next node.
What are the effects of freezing a program?
There is no delay when you resume a frozen program and it will not result in the build-up of contacts in the queue. However, you will of course lose the contacts who would otherwise have entered the program during this time.
We recommend freezing a program if you want to stop it for longer than 30 minutes.
Freezing a program
To freeze a program, click the program status button (the name of the button reflects the status of your program, for example Program is Active) in the top right corner, then select Freeze.
Aborting a program
Why should I abort a program?
Aborting a program will stop all activity in a program and discard all contacts who have already entered it.
What happens to new contacts?
When you abort a program it prevents new contacts from entering it.
What happens to existing contacts?
All contacts who have already entered the program will be discarded.
What are the effects of aborting a program?
Aborting a program stops all activity in it, new contacts cannot enter the program and all contacts already in the program are discarded. All exclusive assets (except email campaigns) will be freed up and made available for selection in other programs.
Pausing or aborting a program will not stop emails using Send Time Optimization that are already scheduled for launch. For more information, see Send Time Optimization - End-user guide.
After aborting a program, you cannot edit or reactivate it.
Aborting a program
To abort a program, click the program status button (the name of the button reflects the status of your program, for example Program is Active) in the top right corner, then select Abort.
If aborting a program does not succeed and the program status does not change, please retry the abort, that should resolve the issue.
Resuming a program
What happens to new contacts if I resume a paused program?
While your program is paused, new contacts can enter it but they are queued at the first node. Therefore, you will not lose any contacts when you resume a paused program.
After resuming a paused program, contacts will continue their flow through the program.
What happens to new contacts if I resume a frozen program?
While your program is frozen, new contacts cannot enter it (they are discarded without any record being kept).
After resuming a frozen program, new contacts can enter it again.
What happens to existing contacts?
After resuming a paused or frozen program, contacts who have already entered the program are allowed to pass through it until they exit it.
Resuming a program
To resume a paused or frozen program, click the program status button (the name of the button reflects the status of your program, for example Program is Paused or Program is Frozen) in the top right corner, then select Resume.
Ending a program
What happens to new contacts?
When you end a program, new contacts cannot enter it.
What happens to existing contacts?
Contacts who have already entered the program are allowed to continue through it until they exit it.
What are the effects of ending a program?
All the exclusive assets in the program remain exclusive and cannot be used in other programs.
Ending a program
To end a program, click the program status button (the name of the button reflects the status of your program, for example Program is Active) in the top right corner, then select End.
Deleting a program
Programs can only be deleted if they have not yet been activated, and are not currently under Testing (i.e. they have to be in the state In design).
Deleting the program will free all associated resources (forms, fields, emails, etc.) for use in other programs, except for emails that have already been launched during a test. To re-use these emails, you must copy them.
