The quick answer
Open the scheduled workflow under Customization > Workflow > Workflows, click the Edit icon in the Workflow panel, set Release Status to Testing and save. Open the dialog again and click Execute now. NetSuite queues the workflow for up to the first 20 records in its saved search results, for the workflow owner. Check the Scheduled Log subtab and a processed record's Workflow History, then set Release Status back to Released so the schedule runs again.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and company names are fictional. Use your own workflow, saved search and records when following the steps.
Before you start
This example uses a daily workflow called Pending Approval Reminder. It's a Transaction workflow for Sales Order with Initiation set to Scheduled. Its Saved Search Filter, Orders Pending Approval 3+ Days, finds sales orders that have waited three or more days for approval. It has one state, Remind Sales Rep, whose only action is a Send Email with Trigger On Entry, sent to the order's Sales Rep. Entry means the email goes when the scheduled run puts an order into the state. The state has no transitions, so each order's workflow instance ends there.
Execute now runs the workflow's real actions. Emails go out, fields change and records get created, so test with a saved search that returns a small set you know and with recipients you're happy to email. For a Send Email action you can point the recipient at yourself while you test. The saved search must use the workflow's record type, have at least one criteria filter, and be available to the workflow owner. For transactions, set Main Line to Yes if you want one result per order. Duplicate rows for the same record are only processed once anyway.
You need permission to edit workflows, and you should be the workflow's Owner, because in Testing only the owner can initiate it. Alex Morgan owns this workflow and runs the test. Execute As Admin doesn't change that; it only changes the permissions the workflow's actions run with.
01. Review the scheduled workflow
Go to Customization > Workflow > Workflows and click Pending Approval Reminder.
The Workflow panel on the right shows Release Status Released, Initiation Scheduled, Saved Search Filter Orders Pending Approval 3+ Days, and Schedule Daily (every 1 days). A released scheduled workflow only runs when its schedule fires.
Click the Remind Sales Rep state. The State panel lists one action under State Event > Entry: Send Email, to Current Record : Sales Rep. That's the email the test will send.
02. Check a matching record first
Open a record the saved search returns. Here that's SO5102 for Harbor Point Yacht Club, Pending Approval since 10/05/2026, with Sales Rep Marcus Lee. On the System Information subtab, open Workflow History. It says No records to show, so the workflow hasn't run on this order yet. That's your before picture. If you want to see every record the test will touch, run the saved search too, and check that each order has a Sales Rep with an email address.
03. Switch the workflow to Testing
Back on the workflow, click the Edit icon (the pencil) in the Workflow panel. The Workflow dialog opens with Save, Cancel, Change ID, Execute now and Actions at the top. While Release Status is Released and Keep Instance And History is Only When Testing, Enable Logging is greyed out.
Change Release Status to Testing. Enable Logging turns on. If it doesn't in your account, check it yourself, because the log is how you'll see what the test did. Leave Keep Instance And History at Only When Testing.
Scroll down to Schedule. Saved Search Filter, Repeat, Frequency Daily, Scheduled From Date 10/12/2026 and Execution Time 7:00 am are what the released workflow will use. You don't need to change them to test.
Click Save. The Workflow panel now shows Release Status Testing. A scheduled workflow in Testing doesn't run on its schedule, so don't leave it this way.
04. Click Execute now
Click the Edit icon again and click Execute now. A green Confirmation band says the workflow has been scheduled for immediate execution and that only up to the first 20 records in the saved search results will be processed. The run is queued for Alex Morgan, the owner.
The 20 records aren't picked in any guaranteed order. If your search returns more, Execute now only tests some of them. Scroll down and open the Scheduled Log subtab. Once the run finishes, its row shows Run Status Finished, Total Records 3 and Processed 3, with nothing skipped or failed. The saved search returned three orders here; your counts depend on your search. If the run isn't listed yet, close the dialog and open it again in a moment.
Click Cancel to close the dialog.
05. Confirm the run on the record
Reopen SO5102 and go to System Information > Workflow History. A row now shows Pending Approval Reminder in state Remind Sales Rep, entered and exited during the test run. The instance started, ran the state and ended, because the state has no transitions. Entering Remind Sales Rep is what triggers its Send Email.
Check the result
- The Scheduled Log shows a Finished run with the number of records you expected.
- A record the search returned shows the workflow in its Workflow History.
- The action's real effect is there: the email arrived, the field changed or the record exists.
The history row shows the workflow ran on the order. It doesn't prove the email was delivered. Open the row's Log to see the action, and check the inbox or the other orders the search returned.
06. Release the workflow
Open the workflow, click the Edit icon, change Release Status back to Released and click Save. The panel shows Released again. Starting on its Scheduled From Date, 10/12/2026, the daily schedule evaluates the saved search at 7:00 am in the account's time zone and runs on the orders that match at that point.
The test run's history stays on SO5102 after you release the workflow. Under Only When Testing, released runs won't keep history. Choose Always in Keep Instance And History if you want history from production runs too.
Common questions
Does Execute now send real emails?
Yes, it can. Execute now runs the workflow's actions for real, so a Send Email action on Entry emails the recipients it's configured for. Your account's email settings, a sandbox's email routing or the action's own conditions can stop delivery, but don't count on that. Test with recipients you're happy to email.
Why did Execute now do nothing?
Check three things. The workflow's Initiation has to be Scheduled, its Release Status has to be Testing and saved, and you have to be its owner. After that, run the saved search. If it returns nothing, there's nothing to process, and the Scheduled Log shows a run with 0 records.
How many records does Execute now process, and in what order?
Up to the first 20 records in the saved search results, in no guaranteed order. Duplicate rows for the same record count once. A released scheduled run processes everything the search returns at that time.
Why didn't my scheduled workflow run on schedule?
It's probably still in Testing. A scheduled workflow in Testing only runs when its owner clicks Execute now. Set Release Status back to Released and save, then check the Scheduled From Date, the Execution Time and the search criteria. The run can start a little after the scheduled time.
Where do I check that the workflow ran?
Open the workflow's Workflow dialog and look at the Scheduled Log subtab. A finished run shows Run Status Finished with Total Records and Processed counts. Then open a processed record and check System Information > Workflow History. What history you get depends on Enable Logging and Keep Instance And History.
Can I run Execute now again?
Yes, after the current run finishes. If the same records still match the saved search, a second run starts new workflow instances on them and can send the same emails again. Look at the Processed count and the search results before you repeat the test.