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Recurring Schedules
Learn about recurring schedules within Maica and how to manage these.
Last updated
Learn about recurring schedules within Maica and how to manage these.
Last updated
Maica support the management of recurring schedules supporting the ongoing generation of either Appointments, Shifts, or Unavailbilities. The following configuration options are available when managing Recurring Schedules.
It’s important to note that Recurring Schedules cannot be set to begin in the past. They must start either today or on a future date.
Schedule Start
The date on which the recurring schedule starts. This is a mandatory value.
Date
Schedule End
The date on which the recurring schedule ends. This is optional and, if left blank, the schedule does not end.
Date (greater than Schedule Start)
Number of
Sets a specifi number of either Appointments, Shifts, or Unavailabilites to be recurring.
Number
Frequency
Sets the frequency at which the recurring schedule is executed.
Daily
Weekly
Fortnightly
Monthly
Quarterly
Annually
Repeat Every
Sets the repetition of days at which the recurring schedule is executed.
Number of Days
Exclude Public Holidays
If selected, Maica excludes any days marked as a public holiday(s) in Salesforce.
Yes/No
Within a Recurring Schedule, Maica generates Appointments based on a Schedule Horizon and forward rolling basis. Appointment records will be created for the Schedule Horizon Date Range.
A Schedule Horizon defines the rolling time period into the future during which Maica evaluates schedules and creates corresponding Appointments. It is measured in weeks and determines how far ahead Appointments are planned and generated.
You can set your desired Schedule Horizon in the Maica General Settings. For more information on setting your Schedule Horizon, click here.
The Schedule Horizon Date Range is determined based on today() + Schedule Horizon (weeks)
To further understand the Appointment Creation Logic, see the below example:
Let's say you are creating a Recurring Schedule with the following inputs,
Schedule Horizon = 12 weeks
Schedule Start Date = Jan 3, 2025
Schedule End Date = Jun 3, 2025
Frequency = Daily
Today = Dec 3, 2024
Schedule Status = Approved
Master Appointment != null
Master Appointment != Cancelled
Then, when the daily batch is run, the following occurs:
The Schedule Horizon End Date will be calculated per below:
Today + 12 weeks = Feb 25, 2025
Maica will create Appointment records for the period between the Schedule Start Date and the Schedule Horizon End Date
Meaning that Appointment records will be created for the period Jan 3, 2025 to Feb 25, 2025
Furthermore, when the batch runs tomorrow (in this case, Dec 4, 2024), the next Appointment, or the Appointment on the Feb 26, 2025 will be created
And so on
This Maica logic ensures Appointment Records are created for schedules within a rolling time horizon, maintaining consistent coverage and adapting dynamically as time progresses.
When an Appointment Schedule is created the Schedule Horizon only respects 4 weeks. This is due to Salesforce limits and timeout risks during business hours. However, the overnight Batch will always respect the 12 week Schedule Horizon as per the setting.
Maica retrieves Appointment Schedule records that will be included for Appointment processing based on a Schedule Evaluation Date field. The below information defines the field and details how the logic works in practice:
Schedule Evaluation Date: Specifies the earliest date on which Maica will include the Appointment Schedule record for evaluation to determine whether Appointment records need to be created. It is calculated as the Schedule Start Date minus the Schedule Horizon (in weeks). This ensures that the system identifies and processes Appointment Schedule records within the appropriate window for generating Appointment’s on a rolling basis. The formula is shown below.
Given Inputs:
Schedule Horizon: 12 weeks
Schedule Start Date: 1st April 2025
Schedule End Date: 30th October 2025
Frequency: Weekly
Today: 4th December 2024
Formula:
Calculation:
Schedule Horizon = 12 weeks
12 × 7 days = 84 days
Schedule Start Date = 1st April 2025
Subtract 84 days:
1st April 2025 - 84 days = 7th January 2025
Result: Schedule Evaluation Date will be 7th January 2025.
Using the example above, on 7th January 2025, Appointment records for the 1st April to 24th June 2025 (12 weeks ahead) will be created.
As time progresses, the Appointment Schedule will be assessed daily and additional Appointment records will be created, maintaining the rolling 12-week horizon.
Please note, there is also an Under Evaluation field which indicates whether the Appointment Schedule is eligible for automated processing.
The value is determined by a formula that evaluates whether the current date falls within the Schedule Evaluation Date and the Schedule End Date. This ensures that only relevant Appointment Schedules are included for processing. Used in both the Appointment Schedule (Recurring Appointment) and Unavailability automation logic, as show below.
Under Evaluation Formula:
All conditions inside the AND() must evaluate to TRUE for the overall formula to return TRUE.
Under Evaluation Conditions:
maica__Schedule_Evaluation_Date__c <= TODAY()
Ensures the Schedule Evaluation Date is on or before today's date.
TODAY() <= maica__End_Date__c
Ensures today's date is on or before the End Date.
ISPICKVAL(maica__Status__c, "Approved")
Checks if the picklist field maica__Status__c is set to "Approved”
Maica has logic to prevent past Scheduled Appointment being created. If the Scheduled Batch is interrupted (eg, stopped or paused) and then resumed at a later date, Maica ensures the Anchor Date is only used if the Appointment Schedule Start Date is greater than or equal to today's date. This logic prevents the creation of Appointments with dates in the past during the interrupted period.
Consider the following example:
Today's Date = 20th November 2024
An Appointment Schedule was configured to generate weekly Appointment records starting from 1st November 2024.
The batch process was interrupted on 10th November 2024, after creating Appointment records for 1st November and 8th November 2024.
When the batch is resumed, Maica evaluates and sets the Anchor Date to:
The most recent Appointment Schedule Start Date, if it is greater than or equal to today's date; or
Today's date, if the most recent Appointment Schedule Start Date is in the past.
By covering both scenarios, the logic ensures that the Anchor Date will always be today or a future date, never a past date.
So, if today's date is 20th November 2024, the system evaluates the most recent Appointment Schedule Start Date (8th November 2024) and determines that it is in the past. As per the logic:
The system ignores the 8th November 2024 date because it is before today's date.
Instead, it defaults the Anchor Date to 20th November 2024 (today's date), ensuring no Appointment records are created in the past.
Maica will then begin generating Appointment records starting from the next valid future date, based on the schedule's frequency.
