When you have multiple workflows or branch nodes with no lineage relationship, coordinating their scheduling requires a common anchor point. A zero load node provides this anchor: it does nothing when triggered — no code runs, no data is generated, no resources are consumed — and immediately returns success so descendant nodes can proceed on schedule.
Use a zero load node as the start node of a workflow, or as a common ancestor for branch nodes that share no lineage.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure that you have:
A RAM user added to your workspace with the Develop or Workspace Administrator role. The Workspace Administrator role has broader permissions than most tasks require — assign it with caution. For details, see Add members to a workspace.
A serverless resource group associated with your workspace. For details, see Use serverless resource groups.
A zero load node created before developing tasks on it. For details, see Workspace directories.
Use cases
Zero load nodes are control nodes that require no script configuration. Add business descriptions or notes directly in the node if needed, then configure scheduling properties to match your workflow requirements.
Simplify workflows with complex node dependencies
Use a zero load node as the start node for each workflow to make it easier to manage workflows and trace data flow between them.
Schedule nodes with no lineage relationship
Use a zero load node as a common ancestor when multiple branch input nodes share no lineage, enabling a single scheduling time to trigger all downstream nodes.
When the final output node of a workflow depends on multiple branch input nodes that have no dependencies between them, you cannot set scheduling dependencies based on lineage. Use a zero load node to bridge them:
Set the zero load node as the ancestor node of all branch input nodes.
Set the workspace root node as the ancestor node of the zero load node.
The scheduling chain then runs as: root node → zero load node → branch input nodes. Set the scheduling time on the zero load node to trigger all descendant nodes once it succeeds.
For example, Di_Log and Di_User have no lineage relationship, so you cannot link them directly. Create a zero load node named Vi_Start as their common ancestor. When Vi_Start succeeds, both branch nodes are triggered and run when their conditions are met.
The workspace root node does not appear in the workflow canvas. View it in Operation Center after committing and deploying the node. For details, see Perform basic O&M operations on auto triggered nodes.
Configure a zero load node
After creating the zero load node as a start node, configure its scheduling properties to periodically trigger the entire workflow.
Deploy the zero load node to the production environment. For details, see Deploy nodes.
Go to the Auto Triggered Nodes page in Operation Center to view the deployed task and perform O&M operations. The node runs on the schedule you configured. For details, see Getting started with Operation Center.