Test a trail
Try a trail on a real file before it goes live. A dry run is free and shows what the cleaning steps do. A test run does everything except push.
By Operelio team · Updated September 2026
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Dry run and test run
Both run on the Sandbox tab of the canvas, against the sandbox version of the trail. The live trail does not change while you test.
| Dry run | Test run | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Nothing | One job for each stage it runs. A full email check also holds verify credits, and the Bridgeant review uses one message. |
| What runs | The cleaning steps only | Every stage the trail has, the safety checks and the Bridgeant review |
| Rows | The whole file, up to your plan's limit for one run | The first 50, 100, 200 or 500 rows, or the whole file up to your plan's limit for one run |
| What you get | A row count on each step | A report of what the push would have done, and the file it would have pushed |
| Reaches your CRM | No | No |
The canvas starts on Dry run. Switch to Test run when you want to run it for real.
The file it uses
A test uses the newest file the trail has run on, as long as that file still exists.
To use a different file, click Upload file, or Change file if one is already set. The upload is kept apart from the watched folder, so the trail never picks it up by itself. On Starter and above you can find it in your Library. Remove file goes back to the trail's own file.
A trail that has not run on anything yet has no file of its own, so upload one first.
Dry run
A dry run walks the file through the sandbox's cleaning steps and puts a row count on each step tile. Nothing else runs: no company check, no email check, no formatter and no push. The verify tile shows the check as simulated.
Some steps cannot be counted without running them for real, like Remove suppressed contacts, or a Column Manager step that reshapes the columns. The steps from there on show no count.
Test run
A test run does everything a real run does except push. It also works on a trail that is paused or needs attention.
Pick how much of the file to use from the button next to Test run. It starts at the first 200 rows. Only sizes smaller than the file are offered. A sample is the first rows of the file, and the run sees only those.
Before it starts, Operelio shows what it will cost and asks you to confirm. Click Run the test. If you picked the whole file, Run a sample instead switches to the first 200 rows.
On Free, a test run skips Company Active Check and Remove suppressed contacts, uses the free email check instead of a full one, and has no CRM to report on.
| Plan | Most rows in one run |
|---|---|
| Free | 2,000 |
| Starter | 50,000 |
| Pro | 75,000 |
| Agency | 150,000 |
A full email check holds verify credits first and charges only for the addresses it checks.
What a test run shows you
When it finishes, the canvas shows What this run would have sent: the rows that arrived, the rows ready to push, and how many records it would create and update. Download gives you the file it would have pushed. On Starter and above, Send to Files saves a copy to your Library.
Open the run takes you to the run's own page. It shows anything that would have held the push, like values your CRM would refuse, so you can fix it before you put it live.
Nobody is told when a test run ends with a push to show. If it stops partway or finds nothing to send, the people who hear about the trail are told, the same as for a real run. It shows in the trail's recent runs with a Test run label, and it is left out of the trail's reports and its run counts.
When you have finished, open the run and click Discard this run. If you do not, it is discarded for you after 14 days. A test run that fails never counts toward putting the trail into Needs attention.
Who can test
By default, only admins can start a test run. On Pro and above, to let everyone run one, set Who can change a stopped run's settings to Everyone in the workspace, under Team in Settings. Anyone in the workspace can do a dry run.
When it does what you want
The banner above the canvas lists the changes that are not in the live trail yet. Click Put it live to make the sandbox the live trail, as a new version. Discard every change puts the sandbox back to match the live trail.
On Free, where trails cannot go live, the button reads Upgrade to Starter instead.
Related
Frequently asked questions
Can a test run reach my CRM?
No. Every test run ends before the push, and it cannot be approved and sent afterwards. Nothing reaches your CRM.
Why is a test run not free?
It runs the real stages on real rows, the same as the trail will. A dry run is free because it only walks the cleaning steps.
Does a test run use the live trail?
No. It runs the sandbox version, so you can test a change first. Normal runs use the live version.
Ready to get started?
Upload a file and run your first transformation. Free, no credit card required.