Full and incremental runs
Choose a processing baseline and understand first-run behavior.
Run mode determines whether a workflow processes the complete configured input or uses a successful prior run as an incremental baseline. The right mode depends on the source and on what changed since the previous execution.
Full mode
A full run processes the configured scope from the beginning. Use it for the first execution, a backfill, or a deliberate rebuild. Consider it after changing extraction logic, field mappings, source scope, or output semantics when older records need the new behavior.
Full does not mean every file in your workspace. The source's selected documents, paths, limits, and filters still apply. A full run of a narrowly scoped workflow remains narrow.
Incremental mode
An incremental run uses the last successful baseline to reduce repeated work where the configured source and handlers support incremental processing. It is useful for recurring refreshes over changing inputs.
- Open the workflow and review its default run mode.
- Confirm that a successful prior run exists.
- Choose the appropriate run action.
- Inspect the recorded mode and resulting counts.
- Verify that new or changed input appeared in the output.
If no successful baseline exists, an incremental request falls back to full. Failed or cancelled work is not a substitute for a complete successful baseline.
Defaults and overrides
The workflow can store a default mode. A run started without an explicit mode uses that default, subject to baseline requirements. The detail page can offer a smart primary action: full for an initial run, incremental when a successful prior run is available. Inspect the action label rather than assuming every Run button makes the same choice.
Incremental execution is not a universal deduplication guarantee. A destination's record identity and write behavior still determine whether repeated writes replace or add records. Deleted upstream items and changed schemas may require a separate reconciliation strategy.
When output seems incomplete, compare full and incremental scope before changing the graph. See reliability, caching, and exploring outputs.