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Delay

The Delay activity pauses workflow execution for a specified amount of time.

Purpose​

Use the Delay activity to:

  • Wait for a specific duration before continuing
  • Implement timeout mechanisms
  • Create polling intervals
  • Add time-based controls to workflow execution

Configuration​

Delay Activity Editor

Duration Settings​

  • Specify the delay duration in minutes or seconds
  • The workflow will pause at this activity for the specified time

Common Use Cases​

Timeout Pattern​

Create a race condition between user action and timeout:

┌─── Data Load Activity───┐
│                         ├─── Stop
└─── Delay (12 hours) ────┘

How it works:

  • Data Load and Delay execute in parallel
  • Whichever completes first triggers the Stop activity
  • If no one uploads data within 12 hours, the workflow stops
  • Prevents accumulation of pending tasks in scheduled workflows

Polling Interval​

Check for a condition repeatedly:

Check Status ─── Delay (5 minutes) ─── Loop back

Sequential Delays​

Implement multi-stage waiting:

Send Notification ─── Delay (1 hour) ─── Send Reminder

Usage Notes​

  • Execution pauses at the Delay activity until the time elapses
  • Other parallel workflow paths continue executing normally
  • The delay is wall-clock time, not processing time
  • Useful in combination with parallel branches for timeout scenarios
  • If the workflow is stopped manually, the delay is cancelled

Best Practices​

  • Use delays sparingly as they keep workflow instances active
  • Consider whether a scheduled workflow restart might be better than long delays
  • For very long delays (days/weeks), evaluate if the workflow should complete and reschedule
  • Common timeout values: 12-24 hours for daily processes, 5-15 minutes for polling

Timeout Pattern Details​

When combined with scheduled workflows:

  1. Workflow starts at scheduled time (e.g., 10 AM daily)
  2. User has until timeout to complete action
  3. If timeout reached first, workflow stops cleanly
  4. Next day, workflow starts fresh without pending tasks
  5. Prevents accumulation of uncompleted instances