Automation allows you define special rules, known as generators, that tell Structure what issues to show you from Jira and where to place them within the structure. Generated can be added right into the structure (unlike Synchronizers which are added via the Manage Structures page).

Once the user opens the structure, the generators are executed one by one, loading and arranging issues. While the structure remains open, they will keep running, monitoring Jira changes and updating the structure accordingly until the structure is closed. There are a couple of key points to keep in mind regarding generators:

• Generators do not run unless the structure is open.
• The issues themselves are not stored in the structures. Instead, they are loaded each time the structure opens, based on the existing generators.
• Generators can only update Jira data as a result of a user's explicit action. A user has to move an issues in a structure to trigger some update (and only if the generator is configured to allow changes via Structure).

Automation Performance Considerations

When evaluating Automation performance, there are several factors that come into play:

1. The size of structures (the number of issues in each structure).
2. The complexity and the depth of structures. The more levels a structure has, the more calculations need to be done to build it.
3. Number of concurrent users editing large structures.
4. The frequency of usage. If you have a really large structure that is used on a daily basis or is set as the default structure, this may have a negative effect on the server performance. On the other hand, a very large structure that is only used by a small group of managers when they really need it would have minimal impact.

The number of structures with generators does not affect the performance - if a structure is not opened, its generators are not running.

For more details on the efficient usage of Automation, please refer to our Building Efficient Structures With Automation guide.