# Schedule snapshots of benchmarks and dashboards in Steampipe Cloud

> To track changes over time it's helpful to run snapshots periodically. Now you can schedule them to repeat, and notify your team with summarized results.

By Steampipe Team
Published: 2023-02-13


In [How To Save and share Steampipe Cloud benchmarks and dashboards](https://steampipe.io/blog/using-steampipe-cloud-snapshots) we introduced [snapshots](https://steampipe.io/docs/cloud/dashboards#saving--sharing-snapshots): saved renderings of dashboards that you can view instantly, share privately with your team in Steampipe Cloud, and optionally share to anyone with a link. The [v0.17 release of Steampipe CLI](https://steampipe.io/blog/release-0-17-0) added the ability to save snapshots from the CLI, view them locally, and share them to cloud workspaces. You can use `cron` to schedule such snapshots but now Steampipe Cloud provides an easier and built-in way: [scheduled snapshots](https://steampipe.io/docs/cloud/dashboards#scheduling-snapshots).

Scheduled snapshots provide you with a historical record of benchmark and dashboard runs. Use them to review changes over time, and to track progress toward compliance. 

To create a scheduled snapshot, click `Schedule` in any dashboard view.

<div style={{"marginTop":"2em", "marginBottom":"2em"}}>
  <img alt="initiate a scheduled snapshot" src="/images/blog/2023-02-scheduled-snapshots/scheduled-snap-pci-initiate.png" />
</div>

You'll land on the `Create scheduled snapshot` screen.

## Configure your scheduled snapshot

<div style={{"width":"50%", "marginTop":"2em", "marginBottom":"2em"}}>
  <img alt="configure a scheduled snapshot" src="/images/blog/2023-02-scheduled-snapshots/scheduled-snap-pci-create.png" />
</div>

All Steampipe Cloud accounts offer Weekly and Daily options. When using [organizations](/docs/cloud/organizations#organizations) you can also choose Hourly or Custom (using `cron` syntax).

To notify your team with a summary of results, add a Webhook URL for Slack or Microsoft Teams.

## Test your scheduled snapshot

Once you've scheduled the snapshot, you can use the `Run now` button to kick off an initial run. 

<div style={{"marginTop":"2em", "marginBottom":"2em"}}>
  <img alt="run a scheduled snapshot now" src="/images/blog/2023-02-scheduled-snapshots/scheduled-snap-pci-created.png" />
</div>

If you set a webhook URL for notifications, your team will soon see a message like this in the channel bound to the webhook. The notification summarizes the dashboard's cards.

<div style={{"width":"50%", "marginTop":"2em", "marginBottom":"2em"}}>
  <img alt="view slack notification" src="/images/blog/2023-02-scheduled-snapshots/scheduled-snap-slack-notification.png" />
</div>

## Review your pipelines

Scheduled snapshots run in [pipelines](https://steampipe.io/docs/cloud/pipelines) that you can view using the `Pipeline` tab.

<div style={{"marginTop":"2em", "marginBottom":"2em"}}>
  <img alt="view pipelines" src="/images/blog/2023-02-scheduled-snapshots/scheduled-snap-pipelines.png" />
</div>

You can view all runs of a pipeline.

<div style={{"marginTop":"2em", "marginBottom":"2em"}}>
  <img alt="view pipeline runs" src="/images/blog/2023-02-scheduled-snapshots/scheduled-snap-all-runs.png" />
</div>

And you can view a detailed log for each run.

<div style={{"width":"50%", "marginTop":"2em", "marginBottom":"2em"}}>
  <img alt="view pipeline log" src="/images/blog/2023-02-scheduled-snapshots/scheduled-snap-log.png" />
</div>

## Visualize change over time

Your inventory of cloud resources is a moving target, and your compliance status is a work in progress. Benchmarks and dashboards show inventory and compliance at a moment in time. Now, with scheduled snapshots, you can see how things change over time. 

Try scheduling some of your own benchmarks and dashboards, and [let us know](https://steampipe.io/community/join) how it goes!