iSchedule & iWorkflow: Comparison chart

iSchedule and iWorkflow are both automation tools within iDMS (iMIS Data Management Suite), and both can be used to automatically run iImport and iUpdate tasks. However, they are built for different levels of complexity:

iSchedule: iSchedule allows staff to automate data processes by scheduling a single iImport or iUpdate task to run at a defined time – on a recurring basis (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly) or as a one-time event. It is commonly used to run updates automatically or to execute jobs during off-hours.
iWorkflow: iWorkflow allows staff to automate multi-step processes by linking together a series of actions that run automatically based on a trigger, following the structure Trigger > Actions > Result. Workflows can chain together data updates, integrations, and other iDMS or third-party actions in a single automated process.

Comparison chart

Review the following to understand the main differences between the two tools to help determine which is the right fit for a given automation scenario.

Triggers & Scheduling

Feature	iSchedule	iWorkflow
Run manually on demand	Yes	Yes
Recurring schedule (cron-based)	Yes	Yes
Trigger via webhook (HTTP POST)	Yes	Yes
Asynchronous “wait-for-completion” webhook polling	Yes	iSchedule’s webhook supports an asynchronous polling URL that waits for the underlying job to finish before returning a result, which is useful for chaining jobs in tools like Power Automate. iWorkflow’s webhook trigger does not yet support waiting for the workflow to finish and returning its output; this may be added in a future release.
Trigger on an iMIS change notification event	No	Yes

Tasks & Data Actions

Feature	iSchedule	iWorkflow
Run an iImport task	Yes	iWorkflow does not currently include a dedicated action for running an iImport task the way the “iDMS iUpdate” action does for iUpdate. An existing iSchedule task (of either type) can be added directly into a workflow using the Workflow Wizard, but native, action-level iImport support inside the workflow canvas is more limited than for iUpdate.
Run an iUpdate task	Yes	Yes
Chain multiple actions/tasks in a single job	No	Yes up to 25 actions
Conditional branching / flow control	No	Yes Gate action: Conditional logic in iWorkflow is handled with the Gate action, which can end the workflow (success or error) or jump to a specific step, optionally only when a template expression evaluates to true.
Iterate a single action over each record (“for-each” looping)	No	No Neither tool currently offers a true per-record “for-each” loop. Both are built around single-pass data operations; iWorkflow can approximate branching/repetition using the Gate action’s “Go to Step” behavior, but this is not a native loop construct.
Fetch IQA data as a reusable, standalone step *(Requires iTransfer module)*	No	Yes
Seamlessly call any iMIS REST API endpoint	No	Yes
General-purpose HTTP Request action (external systems) *(Requires iTransfer module)*	No	Yes
Upload a file via FTP or SFTP *(Requires iTransfer module)*	No	Yes
Execute a SQL Stored Procedure	No	Yes
Send a text message or text campaign *(Requires iMIS Text Messenger)*	No	Yes
Data transformation (CSV/XML conversion, JSON validation, delta hashing, custom JS) *(Requires iTransfer module)*	No	Yes
Insert Activity / Insert Panel Record as a standalone step *(Requires iHook module)*	No	Yes
Pass IQA query parameters into the job at runtime	Yes	Yes

Management & Limits

Feature	iSchedule	iWorkflow
Maximum number of scheduled items	Not separately capped – limited by the underlying iImport/iUpdate task	30 workflow definitions
Maximum actions per job	1 (single task)	25 actions
Workflow/run history retention	See task run history (30 days)	90 days
Migration path	N/A	Existing iSchedule tasks can be added directly into a workflow