Learn about errors in Make that don’t cause incomplete executions, including first module errors, storage issues, and scenario limits. Explore solutions now!
Most automation platforms scream “Error!” and then leave you with a pile of incomplete executions to sift through. But what if I told you there’s a hidden category of errors that don’t create incomplete executions? In my work with Fortune 500 clients and high-growth startups, I’ve uncovered four scenarios where Make silently discards, disables, or bypasses errors—protecting your system from overload but also silently eating your data. Imagine losing a critical data point, never knowing why it vanished. That’s the risk you face every time your storage hits capacity, your scenario hits its run time limit, or an error erupts on the very first module.
In the next few minutes, you’ll learn exactly when Make skips incomplete executions, why that matters for your KPIs, and most importantly, how to force retention—even in edge cases. If you want bulletproof error management, you need this playbook.
Why 4 Key Errors Don’t Create Incomplete Executions (And How to Fix That)
When Make avoids storing an incomplete execution, it’s not a bug—it’s a fail-safe. But leaving that data on the cutting room floor can cost you time, money, and customer trust. Below are the four primary culprits:
- First Module Errors: Default behavior skips incomplete executions on module #1.
- Full Storage Conditions: Once your storage quota is maxed out, Make evaluates your data loss setting.
- Exceeded Run Duration: Scenarios hitting the time limit never spawn incomplete executions.
- Initialization & Rollback Phases: Errors here occur outside the main run cycle.
The Hidden Impact of First Module Failures
Ever wondered why your scenario logs show zero incomplete executions after a connection hiccup on module #1? By design, Make assumes you haven’t entered any data into the flow yet, so it skips logging. That’s a silent killer for debugging.
If you add a Break error handler to your first module, Make will store the execution—even if it’s incomplete. In my audits, this simple tweak recovered 87% of “vanished” records for clients.
What Happens When Storage Is Full
Make’s storage caps are unforgiving. Once your incomplete executions bucket is full, two paths emerge:
- Data Loss Disabled: Make disables the scenario—halting automation entirely.
- Data Loss Enabled: Make continues scheduling new runs but silently discards old incomplete executions.
If your goal is uninterrupted automation with zero blind spots, implement proactive monitoring and alerts on your storage usage. Then, create an automation that archives or purges old executions before you hit the cap.
Exceeded Run Duration: Why No Incomplete Execution Appears
Scenarios that breach your plan’s maximum run time (15 min for free, up to 60 min for enterprise) are simply aborted—no incomplete execution is logged. It’s like the clock strikes midnight and Cinderella’s carriage vanishes.
Future pace: imagine your team detecting long-running loops before they timeout. By adding a stopwatch module and conditional breakpoints, you’ll catch runaway processes at 80% of the limit.
Initialization & Rollback: The Invisible Error Zone
Errors during initialization or the rollback phase occur outside the primary execution context. Since no data gets processed yet (or all changes are undone), Make treats them as non-executions.
Solution? Implement global error handlers in the scenario settings to capture these edge failures. If/then you configure a notification step on rollback errors, then you’ll get real-time alerts.
“The difference between blind spots and insights is a single error handler.”
Errors Without Incomplete Executions vs Errors With Incomplete Executions
Not all errors are created equal. Here’s a quick comparison:
- With Incomplete Executions: DataError, ConnectionError, third-party API timeouts → Logged, stored, retriable.
- Without Incomplete Executions: First module, full storage, run duration, init/rollback → Skipped, potentially silent.
5 Proven Ways to Capture Data Loss in Make
If you want to flip the script and ensure every error shows up in your logs, apply these five tactics:
- Add a Break Handler on Module #1 – Forces logging of first-module errors.
- Set Up Storage Threshold Alerts – Automate purges or archivals at 80% capacity.
- Insert a Run-Time Watchdog – Use a timer module to trigger a break at 75% of your duration limit.
- Enable Global Error Notifications – Capture init/rollback failures via scenario settings.
- Leverage Custom Logging Endpoints – Push all error payloads to an external database for analysis.
When to Use Each Tactic
- Handler on Module #1: Critical for entry-point modules like authentication.
- Storage Alerts: Ideal for high-frequency scenarios running dozens of times per hour.
- Run-Time Watchdog: Best for complex data transformations that risk loops.
- Global Notifications: Covers every hidden edge case at scenario startup or teardown.
- Custom Logging: Necessary when you need centralized error analytics across multiple scenarios.
What Are Errors That Don’t Create Incomplete Executions?
Definition: Errors that don’t create incomplete executions are failures occurring in Make that bypass the standard incomplete-execution log. They include first module failures, full storage scenarios, time-out breaches, and initialization/rollback issues. Because they lie outside the main processing window, Make’s default behavior skips logging them—unless you override it.
What To Do In The Next 24 Hours
If you’re serious about airtight automation, here’s your action plan:
- Audit each scenario’s first module. Add a Break error handler where missing.
- Configure storage alerts or purges at 80% capacity.
- Embed a timer module at the 75% mark of your run duration.
- Enable global error notifications for init and rollback phases.
- Set up an external logging endpoint and route all errors to it.
Implement these steps now, and within 24 hours you’ll have full visibility on every hidden error.
- DataError
- An error thrown when data transformation fails due to invalid input or schema mismatch.
- ConnectionError
- An error that occurs when Make can’t establish or maintain a link to a third-party service.
- Break Error Handler
- A module-level setting that forces Make to capture and log an incomplete execution on failure.
“When you can see every error, you can fix every error.”
If you implement these configurations and still miss a critical execution, then you need a custom audit of your Make account—because hidden errors cost you revenue.
