Short answer: use Manual Analysis to inspect and explore, Smart Analysis to build and reuse a defined filter, and Automated Analysis to run saved logic against a schedule. Automation should come after the rule is understood.
Manual Analysis
Manual Analysis is the most transparent workflow. The user selects a source, date range, filters and table columns, then reviews individual matches and historical records. It is useful for learning the structure of the data, investigating unusual observations and checking whether fields mean what the analyst expects.
Its strength is control. Its risk is inconsistency: changing criteria repeatedly after seeing outcomes can produce an attractive but overfit result.
Smart Analysis
Smart Analysis turns selected conditions into a reusable rule. Saved filters can make repeated research faster and easier to audit. The workflow is appropriate once the analyst can explain every criterion and has checked that it is available at the intended time.
A saved filter is not automatically a good filter. It still needs a relevant sample, clear operators and out-of-sample review.
Automated Analysis
Automated Analysis applies saved logic to a schedule at a chosen time. This reduces repetitive work and makes the same rule run consistently. It is best for monitoring defined conditions, not for discovering a method from scratch.
Users should review source availability, time zones, schedule changes and zero-result scans. A completed run with no matches can be a valid result rather than a system failure.
How to choose
- Choose Manual when you are still asking what the data contains.
- Choose Smart when the question and conditions are already defined.
- Choose Automated when a tested, saved rule needs to run repeatedly.
A disciplined path is Manual → Smart → Automated. Moving in that order keeps automation tied to a rule that can be inspected and explained.
Review remains necessary
No workflow removes uncertainty. Automated results still depend on source data, market availability and the logic selected by the user. Keep an analysis log, review false signals and revise rules only through a documented process.