# Example: Scheduled Daily Report Workflow
Create a workflow that runs daily and sends automated email reports.
## What You'll Build
A scheduled workflow that:
1. Runs every day at 9 AM
2. Fetches data from an API
3. Formats the data into a readable report
4. Sends email report to team
**Time Required:** 15 minutes
**Difficulty:** Beginner
**Prerequisites:** Email credentials configured in n8n
---
## Problem Statement
Your team needs a daily metrics report delivered to their inbox every morning at 9 AM. The report should include:
- Total users
- Active sessions
- Revenue
- Top performing products
Currently, someone manually generates this report each morning, taking 30 minutes of their time.
**Business Impact:**
- **Time Saved:** 30 minutes/day = 10 hours/month
- **Consistency:** No missed reports
- **Timeliness:** Delivered exactly at 9 AM
- **Automation:** Zero manual effort
---
## Solution Architecture
```
[Schedule Trigger]
9 AM Daily
↓
[HTTP Request]
Fetch Metrics API
↓
[Code Node]
Format Report
↓
[Send Email]
Team Distribution
```
**Workflow Characteristics:**
- **Trigger:** Schedule (Cron: `0 9 * * *`)
- **Nodes:** 4 (Schedule, HTTP Request, Code, Email)
- **Frequency:** Daily at 9:00 AM
- **Timezone:** Configurable
---
## Step-by-Step Tutorial
### Step 1: Create the Scheduled Workflow
```
You: "Create a daily report workflow that runs at 9 AM, fetches data from https://api.example.com/metrics, and emails the results to team@company.com"
Claude: I'll create a scheduled workflow for your daily report.
[MCP tool call: create_workflow]
{
"instance": "production",
"name": "Daily Metrics Report",
"nodes": [
{
"id": "schedule_1",
"name": "Schedule Trigger",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger",
"typeVersion": 1.1,
"position": [250, 300],
"parameters": {
"rule": {
"interval": [
{
"field": "cronExpression",
"expression": "0 9 * * *"
}
]
},
"timezone": "America/New_York"
}
},
{
"id": "http_1",
"name": "Fetch Metrics",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
"typeVersion": 4.1,
"position": [450, 300],
"parameters": {
"url": "https://api.example.com/metrics",
"authentication": "none",
"options": {
"timeout": 10000
}
}
},
{
"id": "code_1",
"name": "Format Report",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.code",
"typeVersion": 2,
"position": [650, 300],
"parameters": {
"mode": "runOnceForAllItems",
"jsCode": "const metrics = $input.all()[0].json;\n\nconst today = new Date().toLocaleDateString('en-US', {\n weekday: 'long',\n year: 'numeric',\n month: 'long',\n day: 'numeric'\n});\n\nconst report = `\n📊 Daily Metrics Report - ${today}\n${'='.repeat(60)}\n\n👥 USERS\n Total Users: ${metrics.users.toLocaleString()}\n New Today: ${metrics.newUsers.toLocaleString()}\n Active Sessions: ${metrics.activeSessions.toLocaleString()}\n\n💰 REVENUE\n Today's Revenue: $${metrics.revenue.toLocaleString('en-US', { minimumFractionDigits: 2 })}\n Monthly Total: $${metrics.monthlyRevenue.toLocaleString('en-US', { minimumFractionDigits: 2 })}\n Target Progress: ${((metrics.revenue / metrics.target) * 100).toFixed(1)}%\n\n🏆 TOP PRODUCTS\n${metrics.topProducts.map((p, i) => \n ` ${i + 1}. ${p.name.padEnd(30)} $${p.sales.toLocaleString()}`\n).join('\\n')}\n\n${'='.repeat(60)}\nGenerated: ${new Date().toISOString()}\n`;\n\nreturn [{ json: { report, subject: `Daily Metrics - ${today}` } }];"
}
},
{
"id": "email_1",
"name": "Send Email",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.emailSend",
"typeVersion": 2,
"position": [850, 300],
"parameters": {
"fromEmail": "reports@company.com",
"toEmail": "team@company.com",
"subject": "={{ $json.subject }}",
"emailType": "text",
"message": "={{ $json.report }}"
},
"credentials": {
"smtp": {
"id": "1",
"name": "Company SMTP"
}
}
}
],
"connections": {
"Schedule Trigger": {
"main": [[{ "node": "Fetch Metrics", "type": "main", "index": 0 }]]
},
"Fetch Metrics": {
"main": [[{ "node": "Format Report", "type": "main", "index": 0 }]]
},
"Format Report": {
"main": [[{ "node": "Send Email", "type": "main", "index": 0 }]]
}
},
"active": false
}
✅ Workflow "Daily Metrics Report" created successfully
Details:
- ID: 456
- Schedule: Daily at 9:00 AM EST
- Status: Inactive (test before activating)
- Nodes: 4 (Schedule, HTTP, Code, Email)
IMPORTANT: Test manually before activating!
```
---
### Step 2: Manual Testing (Required Before Activation)
Since this workflow has a schedule trigger, you cannot execute it via the MCP server API. Instead, test in the n8n UI:
```
You: "How do I test this workflow before activating it?"
Claude: Great question! Here's how to test schedule-based workflows:
**Method 1: Manual Test in n8n UI (Recommended)**
1. Open n8n UI: https://your-n8n.cloud
2. Navigate to workflow "Daily Metrics Report"
3. Click "Test Workflow" button (top right)
4. Click "Execute Workflow"
5. Review results in execution panel
**Method 2: Temporarily Add Manual Trigger**
Ask me to add a manual trigger for testing:
"Add a manual trigger to workflow 456 for testing purposes"
**Method 3: Change Schedule to Run Soon**
Temporarily change schedule to run in 5 minutes:
"Update workflow 456 schedule to run at [current_time + 5 minutes]"
I recommend Method 1 for quickest testing.
```
#### Testing in n8n UI:
1. **Open Workflow:** Navigate to workflow in n8n UI
2. **Click "Test Workflow":** Top-right button
3. **Execute:** Click "Execute Workflow"
4. **Review Output:** Check each node's output:
- Schedule Trigger: ✓ Triggered
- Fetch Metrics: ✓ API response received
- Format Report: ✓ Report formatted
- Send Email: ✓ Email sent
**Expected Email Output:**
```
From: reports@company.com
To: team@company.com
Subject: Daily Metrics - Wednesday, January 15, 2025
📊 Daily Metrics Report - Wednesday, January 15, 2025
============================================================
👥 USERS
Total Users: 15,432
New Today: 127
Active Sessions: 1,245
💰 REVENUE
Today's Revenue: $12,450.75
Monthly Total: $187,234.50
Target Progress: 93.6%
🏆 TOP PRODUCTS
1. Premium Plan $5,200
2. Starter Plan $3,100
3. Enterprise License $2,800
============================================================
Generated: 2025-01-15T09:00:23.456Z
```
---
### Step 3: Activate for Production
After successful testing:
```
You: "The test worked perfectly! Activate workflow 456 in production."
Claude: Excellent! I'll activate the daily report workflow.
[MCP tool call: activate_workflow]
{
"instance": "production",
"id": "456"
}
✅ Workflow activated successfully
Your Daily Metrics Report will now run automatically every day at 9:00 AM EST.
**Next Execution:** Tomorrow at 09:00:00 EST
**Recipients:** team@company.com
**Status:** Active ✅
Would you like me to:
1. Set up execution monitoring?
2. Add error notifications?
3. Create a backup recipient list?
```
---
## Customization Options
### Change Schedule Time
Update to different time:
```
You: "Change workflow 456 to run at 6 AM instead of 9 AM"
Claude: I'll update the schedule to 6:00 AM.
[Updates cron expression from "0 9 * * *" to "0 6 * * *"]
✅ Schedule updated to 6:00 AM daily
```
### Change Timezone
```
You: "Update workflow 456 timezone to Pacific Time (PT)"
Claude: I'll change the timezone to America/Los_Angeles (PT).
[Updates timezone parameter]
✅ Timezone changed to Pacific Time
Next execution: Tomorrow at 09:00:00 PST
```
### Add Multiple Recipients
```
You: "Add sarah@company.com and john@company.com to the recipient list"
Claude: I'll update the email recipients.
[Updates toEmail parameter to "team@company.com, sarah@company.com, john@company.com"]
✅ Email recipients updated
Now sending to: team@company.com, sarah@company.com, john@company.com
```
---
## Schedule Examples
### Weekdays Only (Monday-Friday)
```javascript
{
"cronExpression": "0 9 * * 1-5"
}
// Mon-Fri at 9 AM
```
### Twice Daily
```javascript
{
"cronExpression": "0 9,17 * * *"
}
// 9 AM and 5 PM daily
```
### Weekly (Monday Only)
```javascript
{
"cronExpression": "0 9 * * 1"
}
// Mondays at 9 AM
```
### Monthly (1st of Month)
```javascript
{
"cronExpression": "0 9 1 * *"
}
// 1st of every month at 9 AM
```
### Every Hour
```javascript
{
"cronExpression": "0 * * * *"
}
// Top of every hour
```
---
## Common Pitfalls
### Issue 1: Wrong Timezone
**Symptom:** Report arrives at unexpected time
**Solution:**
```
You: "Check what timezone workflow 456 is using"
Claude: [Gets workflow details]
Current timezone: UTC
9:00 AM UTC = 4:00 AM EST
Would you like me to change it to America/New_York (EST)?
```
**Fix:** Always specify timezone explicitly
---
### Issue 2: API Timeout
**Symptom:** Workflow fails with timeout error
**Cause:** API response takes >10 seconds
**Solution:**
```javascript
{
"name": "Fetch Metrics",
"parameters": {
"url": "https://api.example.com/metrics",
"options": {
"timeout": 30000 // Increase to 30 seconds
}
}
}
```
---
### Issue 3: Email Not Sending
**Symptom:** Execution succeeds but no email received
**Checklist:**
1. ✓ SMTP credentials configured?
2. ✓ Recipient email correct?
3. ✓ Check spam folder
4. ✓ SMTP server accessible?
**Debug:**
```
You: "Why isn't workflow 456 sending emails? Show me the latest execution."
Claude: [Gets execution details]
Execution shows:
- HTTP Request: ✅ Success
- Format Report: ✅ Success
- Send Email: ❌ Failed - "Authentication failed"
Issue: SMTP credentials invalid or expired.
Fix:
1. Open n8n UI → Settings → Credentials
2. Test SMTP credential
3. Update if needed
4. Retry workflow execution
```
---
## Advanced Features
### Add Error Handling
```
You: "Add error handling to workflow 456 that sends a Slack alert if the API fails"
Claude: I'll add error handling with Slack notifications.
[Adds error trigger node and Slack notification]
✅ Error handling added
- On HTTP Request failure → Send Slack alert to #ops-alerts
- Include error details and timestamp
- Workflow continues to attempt tomorrow
```
### HTML Email Format
Replace plain text with HTML:
```javascript
{
"name": "Send Email",
"parameters": {
"emailType": "html",
"message": `
<html>
<body style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
<h2>📊 Daily Metrics Report</h2>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tr>
<td><strong>Total Users:</strong></td>
<td>{{ $json.users }}</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Revenue:</strong></td>
<td>$</ $json.revenue }}</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
`
}
}
```
### Add Charts/Graphs
Use external chart service:
```javascript
{
"name": "Generate Chart",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
"parameters": {
"url": "https://quickchart.io/chart",
"method": "POST",
"sendBody": true,
"bodyParameters": {
"chart": {
"type": "line",
"data": {
"labels": ["Mon", "Tue", "Wed", "Thu", "Fri"],
"datasets": [{
"label": "Revenue",
"data": "={{ $json.dailyRevenue }}"
}]
}
}
}
}
}
```
---
## Monitoring and Alerts
### Track Execution Success
```
You: "Show me execution history for workflow 456 over the last 7 days"
Claude: I'll retrieve the execution history.
[MCP tool call: list_executions with time filter]
Last 7 days execution summary:
- Total executions: 7
- Successful: 6 ✅
- Failed: 1 ❌
- Average duration: 2.3 seconds
Failed execution:
- Date: Jan 12, 2025
- Error: API timeout
- Status: Resolved (API was temporarily down)
```
### Set Up Success Monitoring
```
You: "Add a check that alerts me if the workflow hasn't run in 25 hours"
Claude: I'll create a monitoring workflow that checks execution status.
[Creates separate monitoring workflow]
✅ Monitoring workflow created
- Checks every hour if Daily Metrics Report ran in last 25 hours
- Sends alert if missing
- Notifies: your-email@company.com
```
---
## Complete Workflow Definition
```json
{
"name": "Daily Metrics Report",
"nodes": [
{
"id": "schedule_1",
"name": "Schedule Trigger",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger",
"typeVersion": 1.1,
"position": [250, 300],
"parameters": {
"rule": {
"interval": [
{
"field": "cronExpression",
"expression": "0 9 * * *"
}
]
},
"timezone": "America/New_York"
}
},
{
"id": "http_1",
"name": "Fetch Metrics",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
"typeVersion": 4.1,
"position": [450, 300],
"parameters": {
"url": "https://api.example.com/metrics",
"authentication": "none",
"requestMethod": "GET",
"options": {
"timeout": 10000,
"retry": {
"enabled": true,
"maxRetries": 3,
"waitBetweenRetries": 1000
}
}
}
},
{
"id": "code_1",
"name": "Format Report",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.code",
"typeVersion": 2,
"position": [650, 300],
"parameters": {
"mode": "runOnceForAllItems",
"jsCode": "// Full formatting code here"
}
},
{
"id": "email_1",
"name": "Send Email",
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.emailSend",
"typeVersion": 2,
"position": [850, 300],
"parameters": {
"fromEmail": "reports@company.com",
"toEmail": "team@company.com",
"subject": "={{ $json.subject }}",
"emailType": "text",
"message": "={{ $json.report }}"
},
"credentials": {
"smtp": {
"id": "1",
"name": "Company SMTP"
}
}
}
],
"connections": {
"Schedule Trigger": {
"main": [[{ "node": "Fetch Metrics", "type": "main", "index": 0 }]]
},
"Fetch Metrics": {
"main": [[{ "node": "Format Report", "type": "main", "index": 0 }]]
},
"Format Report": {
"main": [[{ "node": "Send Email", "type": "main", "index": 0 }]]
}
},
"active": true,
"settings": {
"saveExecutionProgress": true,
"saveManualExecutions": true,
"saveDataErrorExecution": "all",
"saveDataSuccessExecution": "all",
"executionTimeout": 60,
"timezone": "America/New_York"
},
"tags": [
{ "name": "daily" },
{ "name": "reports" },
{ "name": "automated" }
]
}
```
---
## Key Takeaways
✅ **Learned:**
- Create scheduled workflows with cron expressions
- Test schedule-based workflows before activation
- Format data into readable reports
- Send automated emails
✅ **Best Practices:**
- Always test manually in n8n UI first
- Specify timezone explicitly
- Add error handling for API calls
- Monitor execution history
✅ **Production Ready:**
- Configure retry logic for API calls
- Set up failure alerts
- Use HTML formatting for better readability
- Add backup recipients
---
**Estimated Reading Time:** 12 minutes
**Setup Time:** 15 minutes
**Total Time:** 27 minutes
