> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.getmesa.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.getmesa.com/workflow-activity/time-travel.md).

# Time Travel

MESA's **Time Travel** feature is a way to bring historical data through a MESA workflow.

Please ensure your workflow is set up properly and a [manual run](https://docs.getmesa.com/workflow-builder/testing) has been conducted before running Time Travel. **Using Time Travel without properly vetting and manually running a workflow can lead to unintended results.**

{% hint style="info" %}
Time Travel is currently only available for workflows using the following [triggers](https://docs.getmesa.com/workflow-builder/triggers): Shopify Order, Shopify Customer, Shopify Product, Shopify Refund, Recharge, Infinite Options, Uploadery, Tracktor, Gorgias, and Salesforce.
{% endhint %}

For our **Recharge** integration, Time Travel only supports the following triggers: Customer Created, Customer Updated, Address Created, Address Updated, Subscription Created, Subscription Updated, Onetime Created, Onetime Updated, Charge Created, Charge Updated, Order Created, Order Updated, Product Created, Product Updated.

## Running Time Travel <a href="#running-time-travel" id="running-time-travel"></a>

Navigate to the **Time Travel** menu that can be found in the Activity tab of your workflow by clicking Run a Time Travel while the workflow is enabled.

<figure><img src="/files/pc5uZJVfKmPqJ2schgjF" alt="Screenshot of a MESA workflow Activity tab with the workflow enabled, opening the Time Travel menu. Spotlight the Run a Time Travel button."><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Before you can run Time Travel you will need to:**

1\. [Test the workflow](/workflow-builder/testing.md) to make sure that the workflow will run as expected. Once you begin Time Travel, it will run to completion so errors or mistakes in the workflow could lead to unintended consequences.

See the [Is it safe to run Time Travel on my workflow?](#is-it-safe) section below for more information.

{% hint style="info" %}
Please keep in mind that at this time MESA does not have a way to *stop* the activity from processing after the time travel is underway.
{% endhint %}

2\. **Enable** the workflow.

## Is it appropriate to run Time Travel on my workflow? <a href="#is-it-safe" id="is-it-safe"></a>

The answer to this question is most likely "it depends" because of MESA's flexibility and the enormous creativity of all MESA's users! However, some short questions can quickly vet many common scenarios.

**Question:** Is my workflow's final action a blank state?

If the end goal of your workflow is something like sending information to an empty Google Sheets or a new service that you are filling out, it is **probably appropriate** to run Time Travel since information would not get duplicated or overwritten.

**Question:** Does my workflow's final action rely on "up to the second, real-time" information?

If the service or application that you are sending information to in your workflow requires up-to-date/real-time data reliability, it is **probably NOT appropriate** to send historical records with Time Travel.

**Question:** Does my workflow's final action already have information related to the historical records?

It depends on the service or application in question. But in many cases, if customer or order data already exists in the service or application, it is **probably NOT appropriate** to send historical records. A Time Travel will most likely duplicate information.

**Question:** Are my historical Shopify records newer/more up-to-date than the data at my workflow's final action?

Even though information may already exist in a service or application, what is in Shopify might be newer. Therefore, it **COULD BE appropriate** to send to the final action. In these cases, it would still be important to limit the potential impact of the Time Travel by making sure to only send recent records, or add a [Filter step](/tools/filter.md) to check on external data to see if it already exists.

{% hint style="info" %}
✋ If you still have questions or need help determining if Time Travel will work for your use case, please don't hesitate to reach out! Email us at **<contact@getmesa.com>**.
{% endhint %}

## Configuring a Time Travel <a href="#configure" id="configure"></a>

### Choosing a time frame <a href="#time-frame" id="time-frame"></a>

Edit the date filter to find the appropriate records for your use case.

As an optional feature, you can choose **All time** if you'd like as many orders as possible, or you can choose **Last 30 days** for all records from the last 30 days.

<figure><img src="/files/FmmylH8b8LmGLEuRMzCp" alt="Screenshot of the MESA Time Travel date filter for choosing a time frame. Spotlight the All time and Last 30 days options."><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

For **Custom**, you can select a range of dates (in your browser's timezone) for the specified records.

<figure><img src="/files/KTFFZz1oO1pt1u8Ceuld" alt="Screenshot of the MESA Time Travel date filter set to Custom for selecting a range of dates. Spotlight the Custom option."><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="/files/Wamn11l4dMYjrIO2BIzw" alt="Screenshot of the MESA Time Travel Custom date range picker for selecting start and end dates in your browser&#x27;s timezone. Spotlight the date range selector."><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Previewing results <a href="#previewing" id="previewing"></a>

You can see potential records by clicking the **Preview** button. **It is highly recommended** to make sure that the preview reflects the time frame and number of records you chose in the filters.

<figure><img src="/files/C08ml2yC4Ck5vOBIHaXl" alt="Screenshot of the MESA Time Travel configuration showing previewed records for the chosen time frame. Spotlight the Preview button."><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Starting Time Travel <a href="#starting" id="starting"></a>

Once you are satisfied that your filtered values are correct, start the Time Travel by clicking the **Run Time Travel** button. The Time Travel, depending on the number of records you selected, can take anywhere from seconds to hours to complete. The Time Travel will process records from newest to oldest. Feel free to close your screen if you'd rather not wait. An email will be sent to you once your Time Travel is complete.
