--- title: "Creating and Managing Timers" slug: "timers" description: "Service record timers allow you to measure the amount of time a service record spends in a particular state.The Timers form contains all of the information required to set up a timer." tags: ["SysAid Classic", "SysAid Spaces"] updated: 2026-09-10T08:12:49Z published: 2026-09-10T08:12:49Z canonical: "documentation.sysaid.com/timers" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documentation.sysaid.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Creating and Managing Timers A timer measures how long a service record spends in a state you define, such as the time it sits in status New before an Agent picks it up. Timers are the raw data your service level setup runs on: measurements report against them, escalation rules fire when one passes a threshold, and dashboards chart them. > [!NOTE] > Available for: > > Customers using SysAid Spaces. If you're using SysAid Classic, see [Timer Forms](https://documentation.sysaid.com/classic/docs/timer-forms). ## How it works The Timers List table holds ten numbered timers. Setting one up means opening a row that isn't in use yet and defining what it measures. Two timers come preconfigured: - **Time to Repair**, timer 1, measures how long it takes to resolve a service record. - **Time to Respond**, timer 2, measures how long it takes to first respond to one. What a timer measures comes from its expression, which you build in the Expression Builder. Any service record matching that expression starts the timer, and the timer keeps running until the record changes so that it no longer matches. **Time to Repair**, for example, runs on an expression that excludes every closed and canceled status, so it counts from submission until the record reaches one of them. Two things determine what a timer actually records: - Timers are only calculated for service records whose status is classified as open. - Timers count operating time, not clock time. A record submitted at 10:00 and closed at 10:00 the next day logs 10 hours on a desk that operates 8:00 to 18:00, not 24. Operating times are configured separately, see [Modify Operating Times](https://documentation.sysaid.com/docs/modify-operating-times). Timers report their values in **minutes**. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/52d3cb6c-cc81-43c2-b6f7-cbabcb449271/Images/Documentation/image-O5SS7RY0.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-09T21%3A14%3A27Z&se=2026-11-09T22%3A14%3A27Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=53BvtD%2FJiNv8OC8PEhjEBMNb4hNjEfvpU95AoX3njoM%3D) ### Where timers are used Once a timer is collecting data, that data is available in several places: - **Measurement lists**, which pull a timer's values into a data set that measurements calculate against. This is how a timer becomes an SLA metric. - **Escalation rules**, which can trigger after a set amount of time has passed on a particular timer. - **The service record queue**, where a timer can be added as a column. - **BI Analytics and dashboards**, where the timers appear as the fields Timer 1 through Timer 10. The Service Quality by Timer and Service Breaches charts both run on them. ### Access and permissions Timer Settings needs the **SysAid Administrator** permission. To learn more, see [Managing Agent and Admin Permissions](https://documentation.sysaid.com/docs/managing-agent-permissions). ### Limitations - Ten is the maximum number of timers. Once all ten are in use, taking on a new measurement means redefining an existing timer, and the values already recorded against it were measured under the old definition. - Timers can't be deleted. Setting **Enabled** to **No** retires a timer and keeps its caption and expression on the row. ## Enabling and configuring a timer 1. Go to **Settings** > **Tracking** > **Timers** > **Timer Settings**. 2. In the Timers List table, click a row whose **Enabled** column shows **No**. 3. From the **Enabled** drop-down list, select **Yes**. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/52d3cb6c-cc81-43c2-b6f7-cbabcb449271/Images/Documentation/image-LAGH0JNV.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-09T21%3A14%3A27Z&se=2026-11-09T22%3A14%3A27Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=53BvtD%2FJiNv8OC8PEhjEBMNb4hNjEfvpU95AoX3njoM%3D) 4. Enter a **Timer Caption**. This is the name the timer appears under everywhere else in SysAid, so make it describe what's being measured. 5. Click **Expression Builder**. 6. Build the expression that defines which service records the timer runs on, then save it. For the full procedure, see [Expression Builder](https://documentation.sysaid.com/docs/expression-builder). 7. Click **OK** to save and close, or **Apply** to save and stay on the form. ## Editing a timer Editing a timer changes what it measures from now on. Values already recorded against it stay as they are, so a timer whose definition has changed holds two different measurements under one caption. 1. Go to **Settings** > **Tracking** > **Timers** > **Timer Settings**. 2. Click the row of the timer you want to change. 3. Overwrite the **Timer Caption** with a new one if you're renaming it. 4. Click **Expression Builder** to open the timer's existing expression, change it to match your new criteria, then save it. 5. Click **OK** to save and close, or **Apply** to save and stay on the form. To stop a timer without losing its configuration, set **Enabled** to **No**. The caption and expression stay on the row, and you can switch it back on later. ## Viewing timers The Timers List table shows every timer with its caption, its expression, and when it was last modified, along with who modified it. To see what a timer has actually recorded, add it as a column to the service record queue. 1. Go to the Service Desk page. 2. Click the cogwheel icon in the top-right corner of the queue's header row. 3. Click **Add a Column** at the bottom of the panel. 4. Search for or select the timer. 5. Click **Save**. For the full procedure, including reordering and removing columns, see [Configuring Queue Columns](https://documentation.sysaid.com/docs/columns). To add a timer as a column on other tables in SysAid, see [Customizing Table Columns in SysAid](https://documentation.sysaid.com/docs/customize-a-list). ## Next steps Timers collect the data. Turning that data into an SLA metric takes two more steps: - [Measurement Lists](https://documentation.sysaid.com/docs/measurement-lists), to pull a timer's values into a data set you can report on. - [Measurements](https://documentation.sysaid.com/docs/measurements), to run a calculation on that data set, such as an average. You may also want [Creating a New Escalation Rule](https://documentation.sysaid.com/docs/new-escalation-rule), to act on a service record once a timer passes a threshold, or [Setting Up a Service Agreement (SLA/SLM)](https://documentation.sysaid.com/docs/modify-agreement) to review the full agreement setup.