A report returns quickly when run on demand and fails or times out on its schedule.
Most likely causes
- The scheduled run has different parameters. An interactive run often carries a narrow default; the schedule may pass a much wider range.
- It runs when the system is busiest. Overnight windows collide with other batch work, and the same query behaves differently under load.
- The output format is the expensive part. Producing a large formatted document costs far more than producing the data.
- The schedule runs as a different user. Data security policies differ per user, and a broader dataset takes longer.
What to check
- The parameters recorded on the scheduled request against those you used interactively — compare them literally rather than from memory.
- What else was running at that time.
- Whether the same parameters run interactively at the same hour.
- The output format, and whether a data-only format completes.
If none of the above explains it, raise a ticket and include what you checked. Reading this article cost you no hours.