Run and validate your intelligent agents to confirm that your logic identifies the correct users before actions affect your course.
Before you begin
Ensure that you have permission to manage Intelligent Agents.
Understand run types
Practice Run
A practice run tests your agent logic without taking action.
Manual Run
A manual run executes the selected actions immediately for users who currently meet the criteria.
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Note: Practice runs and manual runs do not require the agent to be enabled. |
Perform a practice run on an agent
You can have an agent perform a practice run to see who will be identified by the agent without sending those users an email. Agents do not need to be enabled to perform a practice run.
Watch this video to learn how to perform a practice run on an agent. Review the written steps below.
To perform a practice run on an agent
- Navigate to Course Admin > Intelligent Agents.
- From the context menu of the agent you want to perform a practice run for, click Practice Run.
- Click Run in the Confirmation dialog.
- Click Done to return to the Agent List page.
- The results of the practice run appear in the Results of Last Run column.
 | Tip: You can also view the details by clicking View History from the agent's context menu. |
What to look for in a practice run
After you perform a practice run, review the results carefully.
- Do the correct users appear?
- Are any expected users missing?
- Are unexpected users included?
If the results are not correct, adjust the criteria or conditions and perform the practice run again before you enable actions.
Review the results
Review the Results of Last Run column.
Click the results link or click View History from the context menu.
Run an agent manually
Typically, agents are set up to run automatically. If you do not have a regular schedule set up for an agent, you must run it manually.
When you run an agent manually, it sends a confirmation email to the user that requested or set up the agent. This email contains the following information:
- org unit code and name
- which agent ran
- time and date the request was submitted
- time and date the request was finished
- whether the agent took action
You can set up a manual run of an intelligent agent at any time in a course with a past end date. Agents do not need to be enabled to set up a manual run.
To run an agent manually
- Navigate to Course Admin > Intelligent Agents.
- From the context menu of the agent you want to run manually, click Run Now.
- Click Run in the Confirmation dialog.
- Click Done to return to the Agent List page.
- The results of the manual run appear in the Results of Last Run column. You can also view the details by clicking View History from the agent's context menu.
Watch how to run an agent manually
View the history of an agent
You can view the history of an agent to see when the agent was run, who was identified, the type of run (Manual, Scheduled, or Practice), who ran the agent, and if any errors were encountered.
To view the history of an agent
- Navigate to Course Admin > Intelligent Agents.
- From the context menu of the agent you want to view the history of, click View History.
Check the next run date
Navigate to Course Admin > Intelligent Agents and review the Next Run Date column.
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Note: If the schedule is not enabled, no next run date appears. |
Why didn't my agent run?
- Repetition: The user was already processed.
- Criteria: The user did not meet the conditions when the agent ran.
- Schedule: The agent has not run yet.
- Configuration: The agent is disabled or configured incorrectly.
Why did my agent run later than the scheduled time?
Agents run through a background recurring process that checks for all agents scheduled to execute at a given time across your organization, then triggers them sequentially.
If multiple agents are scheduled for the same time, they are processed one after another. Depending on how long each agent takes to run, this can cause some agents to start later than their scheduled time.
Validate workflow
- Perform a Practice Run.
- Review the identified users.
- Compare the results to your goal.
- Adjust the configuration as needed.
- Perform another Practice Run until the results match your expectations.
- Use View History to troubleshoot future runs.
Common mistakes
- Skipping a practice run
- Misinterpreting the returned results
- Assuming past results persist across runs
- Not reviewing View History
Export the history of an agent
You can export the history of an agent to a CSV file to see when the agent was run, who was identified, the type of run (Manual, Scheduled, or Practice), who ran the agent, and if any errors were encountered.
- Navigate to Course Admin > Intelligent Agents.
- Click More Actions, and select Export Agent History.
- Use Select an Agent to select either All agents or a specific agent.
- Select Include Practice Runs to include practice run information.
- Set the date range to include.
- Click Export.
- Click the CSV file link to download the history.
| Note: You can also download this link later by navigating to the Agent List page and selecting Export History from that agent's context menu. |
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