BMC Remedy Action Request System Concepts Guide

Transcription

1 BMC Remedy Action Request System Concepts Guide January

2 Contacting BMC Software You can access the BMC Software website at From this website, you can obtain information about the company, its products, corporate offices, special events, and career opportunities. United States and Canada Address BMC SOFTWARE INC 2101 CITYWEST BLVD HOUSTON TX USA Outside United States and Canada Telephone or Telephone (01) Fax (01) Fax If you have comments or suggestions about this documentation, contact Information Design and Development by at Copyright BMC Software, Inc. BMC, BMC Software, and the BMC Software logo are the exclusive properties of BMC Software, Inc., are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and may be registered or pending registration in other countries. All other BMC trademarks, service marks, and logos may be registered or pending registration in the U.S. or in other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. IBM, AIX, DB2, and Informix are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. IT Infrastructure Library is a registered trademark of the Office of Government Commerce and is used here by BMC Software, Inc., under license from and with the permission of OGC. ITIL is a registered trademark, and a registered community trademark of the Office of Government Commerce, and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and is used here by BMC Software, Inc., under license from and with the permission of OGC. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. UNIX is the registered trademark of The Open Group in the US and other countries. The information included in this documentation is the proprietary and confidential information of BMC Software, Inc., its affiliates, or licensors. Your use of this information is subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable End User License agreement for the product and to the proprietary and restricted rights notices included in the product documentation. Restricted rights legend U.S. Government Restricted Rights to Computer Software. UNPUBLISHED -- RIGHTS RESERVED UNDER THE COPYRIGHT LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES. Use, duplication, or disclosure of any data and computer software by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions, as applicable, set forth in FAR Section , DFARS , DFARS , DFARS , and DFARS , as amended from time to time. Contractor/Manufacturer is BMC Software, Inc., 2101 CityWest Blvd., Houston, TX , USA. Any contract notices should be sent to this address.

3 Customer Support You can obtain technical support by using the Support page on the BMC Software website or by contacting Customer Support by telephone or . To expedite your inquiry, please see Before Contacting BMC Software. Support website You can obtain technical support from BMC Software 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at From this website, you can: Read overviews about support services and programs that BMC Software offers. Find the most current information about BMC Software products. Search a database for problems similar to yours and possible solutions. Order or download product documentation. Report a problem or ask a question. Subscribe to receive notices when new product versions are released. Find worldwide BMC Software support center locations and contact information, including addresses, fax numbers, and telephone numbers. Support by telephone or In the United States and Canada, if you need technical support and do not have access to the Web, call or send an message to customer_support@bmc.com. (In the Subject line, enter SupID:yourSupportContractID, such as SupID:12345.) Outside the United States and Canada, contact your local support center for assistance. Before contacting BMC Software Have the following information available so that Customer Support can begin working on your issue immediately: Product information Product name Product version (release number) License number and password (trial or permanent) Operating system and environment information Machine type Operating system type, version, and service pack System hardware configuration Serial numbers Related software (database, application, and communication) including type, version, and service pack or maintenance level Sequence of events leading to the problem Commands and options that you used Messages received (and the time and date that you received them) Product error messages Messages from the operating system, such as file system full Messages from related software

4 License key and password information If you have a question about your license key or password, contact Customer Support through one of the following methods: customer_support@bmc.com. (In the Subject line, enter SupID:yourSupportContractID, such as SupID:12345.) In the United States and Canada, call Outside the United States and Canada, contact your local support center for assistance. Submit a new issue at

5 Contents Preface 7 Audience AR System documents Chapter 1 About BMC Remedy Action Request System 11 What is AR System? Example of a service desk solution AR System adaptability AR System architecture AR System clients AR System mid tier AR System server Database servers Heterogeneous environment provides flexibility Distributed environments provide scalability Application components Preserving customizations with overlays and custom objects How application components work together Administrator responsibilities Developer responsibilities Programmer responsibilities Chapter 2 Forms and applications 27 About AR System forms Types of forms Form views Reports based on form data Types of fields Characteristics common to all fields Core fields in a regular form Field menus Forms in applications Localized applications Chapter 3 Workflow 37 Workflow in general and in AR System Contents 5

6 Types of workflow components Workflow based on events versus time Workflow running on clients versus servers Collections of workflow components Workflow actions and execution options Workflow actions Workflow execution options Workflow qualifications Keywords in qualifications Chapter 4 Access control 49 About access control in AR System User and group access Types of access control groups Additive permissions Membership in multiple groups Role-based access Multitiered access control model Access control levels How licensing affects access control License types Chapter 5 Extending AR System 59 AR System foundation products BMC Atrium products AR System based solutions Other BMC products Integration with third-party products Chapter 6 An example BMC Remedy AR System application 63 About the wild animal park Goals of the animal tracking application Considerations Analyzing data Analyzing workflow Defining business rules Mapping business rules to workflow components Considering integrations Putting the example application to work Example application A tiger is acquired Example application The tiger is injured Example application The tiger is traded to another zoo Appendix A Glossary 75 Index 95 6 Concepts Guide

7 Preface Audience This guide discusses core concepts of BMC Remedy Action Request System (AR System). AR System is the foundation for a wide range of business solutions, from service desk call tracking to inventory management to integrated systems management. This guide is primarily for new administrators who will use AR System to create or modify applications. Other audiences, including business managers and persons evaluating and prototyping applications based on AR System, might also find this guide helpful. Procedures, performance, and other topics are documented in the books listed in the following section. AR System documents The following table lists documentation available for AR System Unless otherwise noted, online documentation in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format is available on AR System product installation DVDs, on the Customer Support website ( or both. You can access product help through each product s Help menu or by clicking Help links. NOTE The AR System product help has not been updated for version The help topics still apply to version For the most recent content, refer to the PDF documentation. Title Description Audience Concepts Guide 1 Overview of AR System architecture and features; includes information about add-on products that extend AR System functionality and a comprehensive glossary for the entire AR System documentation set. Everyone Installation Guide Instructions for installing AR System. Administrators Preface 7

8 BMC Remedy Action Request System Title Description Audience Introduction to Application Development with BMC Remedy Developer Studio Form and Application Objects Guide Workflow Objects Guide Configuration Guide Information about the development of AR System applications, including an introduction to using BMC Remedy Developer Studio. Information about AR System applications and their user interface components, including forms, fields, views, menus, and images. Information about the AR System workflow objects (active links, filters, and escalations) and how to use them to create processes that enforce business rules. Information about configuring AR System servers and clients, localizing, importing and exporting data, and archiving data. BMC Remedy Mid Tier Guide Information about configuring the mid tier, setting up applications for the mid tier, and using applications in browsers. Integration Guide Optimizing and Troubleshooting Guide Database Reference BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option Guide BMC Remedy Flashboards Guide C API Reference Instructions for integrating AR System with external systems by using web services, plug-ins, and other products, including LDAP, OLE, and ARDBC. Information about monitoring and maintaining AR System and AR System applications to optimize performance and solve problems. Database administration topics and rules related to how AR System interacts with specific databases; includes an overview of the data dictionary tables. Information about implementing a distributed AR System server environment with BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option (DSO). Instructions for creating, modifying, and administering flashboards to display and monitor AR System information. Information about AR System data structures, C API function calls, and OLE support. Developers 2 Developers Developers Administrators Administrators Administrators/ Developers/ Programmers 3 Administrators/ Developers/ Programmers Administrators/ Developers/ Programmers Administrators Administrators/ Developers Programmers C API Quick Reference Quick reference to C API function calls. Programmers Java API Information about Oracle Java classes, methods, and variables that integrate with AR System. For the location of the JAR file containing this online documentation, see the information about the Java API in the Integration Guide. Programmers Java Plug-in API BMC Remedy Engine Guide Information about Java classes, methods, and variables used to write plug-ins for AR System. For the location of the JAR file containing this online documentation, see the information about plug-ins in the Integration Guide. Instructions for configuring and using BMC Remedy Engine. Programmers Administrators Error Messages Guide Descriptions of AR System error messages. Administrators/ Developers/ Programmers Master Index Combined index of all books. Everyone 8 Concepts Guide

9 AR System documents Title Description Audience BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide Release Notes Release Notes with Known Issues Instructions for using BMC Remedy Approval Server to automate approval and signature processes in your organization. Information about new features, compatibility, and international issues. Information about new features, compatibility, international issues, installation planning, and open issues. Administrators Everyone Everyone BMC Remedy User Help Instructions for using BMC Remedy User. Everyone BMC Remedy Developer Studio Help Instructions for using BMC Remedy Developer Studio to develop AR System forms, workflow objects, and applications. Developers BMC Remedy Data Import Instructions for using BMC Remedy Data Import. Administrators Help BMC Remedy Alert Help Instructions for using BMC Remedy Alert. Everyone BMC Remedy Mid Tier Instructions for configuring BMC Remedy Mid Tier. Administrators Configuration Tool Help BMC Remedy Browser Help Instructions for using AR System forms in browsers. Everyone BMC Remedy Migrator BMC Remedy Migrator Guide BMC Remedy Migrator online help BMC Remedy Encryption Security BMC Remedy Encryption Security Guide Outlines procedures for installing BMC Remedy Migrator, setting options, and performing migration tasks. Procedures for setting BMC Remedy Migrator options and performing migration tasks. Provides an overview of the BMC Remedy Encryption Security products and explains how to install and configure them. Administrators / Developers Administrators / Developers Administrators 1 The full title of each guide includes BMC Remedy Action Request System (for example, BMC Remedy Action Request System Concepts Guide), except the BMC Remedy Migrator Guide and BMC Remedy Encryption Security Guide. 2 Application developers who use BMC Remedy Developer Studio. 3 C and Java programmers who write plug-ins and clients for AR System. Preface 9

10 BMC Remedy Action Request System Concepts Guide

11 1 About Chapter BMC Remedy Action Request System This chapter introduces BMC Remedy Action Request System (AR System) architecture and application components and explains how they fit together to address your organization s needs. The following topics are provided: What is AR System? (page 12) AR System architecture (page 14) Application components (page 21) Administrator responsibilities (page 25) Developer responsibilities (page 26) Programmer responsibilities (page 26) Chapter 1 About BMC Remedy Action Request System 11

12 BMC Remedy Action Request System What is AR System? Every company, whether it makes bicycles or provides worldwide telecommunications services, has its own business needs and processes. BMC Remedy Action Request System (AR System) enables you to automate many business processes without learning a programming language or complex development tools. AR System is a professional development environment that Leverages the best practices of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL ) Provides a foundation for Business Service Management (BSM) solutions Using AR System, nonprogrammers can build powerful business workflow applications and deploy them simultaneously in web, Windows, UNIX, and Linux environments. Applications built with AR System can automatically track anything that is important to the processes in your enterprise. Companies use AR System applications to track such diverse items as stock trades, benefits data, inventory assets, spare parts, and order fulfillment. With sufficient planning, even workflowintensive procedures can be automatically maintained in an orderly manner. Example of a service desk solution One of the most common uses of AR System is to automate internal service desks. The following example illustrates a service desk solution in which AR System solves an employee s problem. Ramona s printer would not work, so she logged in to her company s AR System service desk portal and entered information about the problem. The system automatically offered several knowledge base articles that might apply to her problem, but none resolved the issue for her. Ramona then opened a service desk request through the portal to get further assistance from the IT department. When she entered her phone number into the blank request form on her screen, details of her configuration and location automatically appeared in the form. Ramona filled in the remaining details about her problem and submitted the request. She immediately received a message informing her that the case had been assigned to Becky. Becky was automatically paged and used her computer to review the problem. Using her knowledge of similar problems, she fixed the printer and marked the case closed. Ramona was then notified that the problem was fixed. If Ramona s problem had been an emergency that was not handled within an hour, the system would have automatically paged the appropriate support personnel and sent an message to Ramona, informing her of the request status. In this example, AR System automated the offer of knowledge base articles, the entry of information in the form, the assignment notification, the paging system, the closure notification, and the emergency response. 12 Concepts Guide

13 What is AR System? AR System adaptability A service desk application and other ready-to-use AR System applications are available from BMC and its partners (see Chapter 5, Extending AR System ). You can also create your own custom solutions. AR System strikes a balance between hard-coded applications, which are typically inflexible, and development toolkits, which often require extensive technical knowledge and time to use. Instead, AR System provides a platform from which even nonprogrammers can modify ready-to-use BMC applications or create custom applications to fit their unique enterprise. Figure 1-1: AR System adaptability Perhaps the best way to understand the adaptability of AR System is through an example. Paul owns a small video store and installs AR System to help track inventory. Initially, he builds a simple application that has one form. The form collects the video title, rating, format, number of copies, and rental fee. When his business grows and he needs to track employees, he adds a form that collects the employee number, salary, start date, training, and time card. Next, Paul links his application to a credit/debit verification system by using the AR System open application programming interface (API). Later, he adds an order tracking and purchasing application to automatically order items through web services. He then creates a website to enable customers to order movies and pay rental fees online, and to store their rental history in a knowledge base. He further automates the system to provide proactive movie suggestions based on this rental history. Chapter 1 About BMC Remedy Action Request System 13

14 BMC Remedy Action Request System Thanks to the rapid growth of his business and the flexible, adaptable architecture of AR System, Paul opens new stores in cities across the country. He links all the stores into one system and uses real-time graphic flashboards to track his entire operation. Paul can track incidents, inventory, employee information, order processing, and customer satisfaction from his office, and he can easily extend or modify his system whenever changes occur in his organization. AR System architecture AR System is based on a multitiered client/server architecture that includes the client tier, the mid tier, the server tier, and the data tier. Client tier Contains AR System clients. Most clients present information to application users and receive input from them, but the tools for migration and application development are also clients. Mid tier Contains components and add-in services that run on a web server, enabling users to view applications on the web. Server tier Contains the AR System server, which controls workflow processes and access to databases and other data sources in the data tier. This tier also contains server-side applications (such as Approval Server, Engine, and the BMC Remedy Flashboards server) and the C and Oracle Java plug-in servers with plug-ins. Data tier Contains database servers and other data sources that can be accessed by the AR System server. The database server acts as the data storage and retrieval engine. 14 Concepts Guide

15 AR System architecture Figure 1-2: AR System architecture Chapter 1 About BMC Remedy Action Request System 15

16 BMC Remedy Action Request System AR System clients AR System clients can be broadly divided into user clients and developer clients. User clients The user clients use standard interfaces for their respective environments: Table 1-1: User clients User client Platform Description Browsers Provide a user interface to AR System applications through the mid tier Can be used for these functions: BMC Remedy User Provides a Windows-based user interface to AR System applications Submitting, searching for, and modifying requests Charting data Generating reports Receiving and responding to AR System notifications Performing administrative tasks such as license management and AR System server configuration BMC Remedy Alert Windows Sometimes considered a desktop pager, this client notifies users about events by flashing an icon, beeping, playing a sound file, running a process, or opening a message window. For example, it can display a message (an alert) to notify service desk personnel that a reported problem has been assigned to them. Note: A similar functionality is available through browsers. In browsers, alerts are displayed in the Alert List form, which can be refreshed automatically at specified intervals or manually at any time. 16 Concepts Guide

17 AR System architecture Developer clients The developer clients are used to create, modify, and extend AR System applications: Table 1-2: Developer clients Developer client BMC Remedy Developer Studio BMC Remedy Data Import BMC Remedy Migrator Description Used to create and modify all the components of an AR System application, such as forms and workflow elements. Used to load external data into AR System forms. For example, employee information can be extracted from a human resources application and loaded into the People form as a batch process, eliminating the need to retype data. This client is also used to import AR System data from one AR System server to another. Used to migrate applications, objects, and data between servers, servers and files, or files. This client reduces the difficulty and time required to synchronize AR System servers in development and production environments. Note: For limitations on using BMC Remedy Migrator with other BMC applications, see the BMC Remedy Migrator Release Notes on the Customer Support website ( Integration clients BMC and its partners also offer the following tools for expanding the capabilities of core AR System. These tools act as clients of AR System. BMC Atrium Integration Engine (AIE) BMC Remedy Knowledge Management Network management platform integration accessories Systems management integration utilities See Chapter 5, Extending AR System. Chapter 1 About BMC Remedy Action Request System 17

18 BMC Remedy Action Request System AR System mid tier AR System server BMC Remedy Mid Tier translates client requests, interprets responses from the server, handles web service requests, and runs server-side processes that provide AR System functionality to web clients. For example, unlike BMC Remedy User, a browser is a generic client that has no inherent knowledge of applications that run in it. By acting as an interpreter, the mid tier enables a browser to become a fully functional AR System client. The mid tier requires a supported Oracle JavaServer Pages (JSP) engine. For example, you can install the Apache Tomcat servlet engine with the mid tier. For a list of other supported JSP engines, see the BMC Remedy compatibility matrixes on the Customer Support website ( The AR System server processes all data entered through a client. As the workflow engine between client and database, the server writes data to the database when a request is created and retrieves data from the database when a client requests it. The server verifies that a user has permission to perform each transaction, thereby enforcing any access control defined in an application. The server also continuously evaluates the data in the database and each transaction to determine whether the server should perform workflow. The server might also perform workflow on a timed basis. See Chapter 3, Workflow. The AR System server communicates with the mid tier, AR System clients, and external applications by means of a well-defined API. The server is available for each of these operating systems: Hewlett Packard HP-UX IBM AIX Linux (Red Hat and Novell SuSE) Microsoft Windows Server Oracle Microsystems Solaris NOTE For the most accurate information about supported platforms and software, always see the BMC Remedy compatibility matrixes on the Customer Support website ( Server groups To provide scalability and increase reliability, you can connect a group of AR System servers to the same database and manage them as a unit by configuring a server group. Server groups act as a single server to support the applications that they run. Servers in the server group can be configured to spread the load of shared services, and they can provide backup to each other to ensure that those services are always available. 18 Concepts Guide

19 AR System architecture Database servers AR System uses standard relational databases to store and retrieve data. Architecturally, the database server processes are completely separate from the AR System server processes. Physically, the database server processes can run on the same computer as the AR System server or on a different computer. Because the AR System server manages all workflow, applications are independent of the database. Therefore, applications created on an AR System server running one type of database can easily be moved to a server running a different type of database. BMC provides a simple export/import utility for this purpose. AR System can use any of these database platforms: IBM DB2 IBM Informix Dynamic Server Microsoft SQL Server Oracle Sybase ASE NOTE For the most accurate information about supported platforms and software, always see the BMC Remedy compatibility matrixes on the Customer Support website ( AR System workflow components can search for records (requests) in the AR System database and act on the results of the search. Clients can use the following types of searches: Query-by-example (QBE) Advanced search Predefined Recent An administrator can create and store searches that are commonly performed by users. A user can define personal searches for forms to which the user has access. AR System can also work with data stored in external databases and other data sources that are not managed by AR System. AR System accesses these data sources through view forms. In addition, AR System can use AR System database connectivity (ARDBC) to work with data not stored in databases as if the data were locally owned. Chapter 1 About BMC Remedy Action Request System 19

20 BMC Remedy Action Request System Heterogeneous environment provides flexibility Because the multiple layers of AR System are independent of one another, you can combine operating system platforms to fulfill different functions. The heterogeneous environment enables you to mix and match client and server platforms. For example: BMC Remedy Developer Studio on a computer running Windows can manage forms on a UNIX or Linux server. Browsers can use a Windows-based mid tier to access forms on a UNIX server. An AR System server on Windows can interact with a database on UNIX. Distributed environments provide scalability Use BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option (DSO) to build large-scale, distributed environments that behave like a single virtual system. DSO enables you to share common information among servers and to keep that information consistent. For example, as illustrated in Figure 1-3 on page 21, you can transfer copies of a request to other servers and ensure that any changes made to the copies are also made to the original request. The way that you define the processes for transferring information is similar to the way that you define business processes for an application. First, managers at each site must agree on what information to transfer from one application to another, what conditions drive transfers, and which sites control the ability to update a record. An administrator at each site then uses DSO to implement these decisions. 20 Concepts Guide

21 Application components Figure 1-3: AR System in a distributed environment Application components AR System provides extensive authoring capabilities for applications built for web and Windows environments. Applications developed with BMC Remedy Developer Studio are fully customizable and extensible. You can add your own fields, objects, and templates to any application, whether it was created by you, purchased from BMC, or acquired from a third party. This section introduces the main components of an AR System application. Form The main AR System application component that users interact with is a form. Each form is composed of fields. A field can be a unit of information, such as an employee s last name, or it can be a visual element, such as a line or a box. You can design different field arrangements, or views, of forms for different user functions. When a user fills in the fields and saves the data, the system creates a request to track. In database terms, each request is a record. You can bundle related forms into an application. For example, a human resources application might include forms for basic employee data, health benefits, and salary information. You can deploy the application to multiple servers to make it accessible to employees in different locations. You can also display your application on the web to allow access from a browser on any platform, as shown in Figure 1-4 on page 22. See Chapter 2, Forms and applications. Chapter 1 About BMC Remedy Action Request System 21

22 BMC Remedy Action Request System Figure 1-4: Console application viewed in a browser Menu Menus are lists that you create to guide the user in entering information in fields on forms. A menu can contain all possible values for a field, or it can contain some possible values, enabling users to enter text that is not on the menu. You can design dynamic menus, which change their contents based on the data already entered in the form. See Field menus on page 34. Workflow While forms provide the mechanism to structure data capture and menus offer options for specific field data, additional components active links, filters, and escalations act on the data to automate business processes, or workflow. These components trigger actions in response to execution options that you define. In AR System, workflow generally refers to the operations triggered by these components, but AR System also addresses the broader meaning of workflow, which consists of the processes that your organization uses to run itself. See Chapter 3, Workflow. 22 Concepts Guide

23 Application components Active link An active link is an action or group of actions performed on the client. Active links are triggered by user actions in a form. They can be used to perform a variety of tasks, such as giving quick responses during data entry and auto-filling fields. For example, an active link can verify a value entered in the Employee ID field of a request and then pull information from a supporting People form to fill in other fields on the request, such as Requestor Name, Department, and Phone Number, dramatically reducing the time required for support staff to fill out a request. An active link guide is a group of active links. Because active link guides run on a client, they can augment training by leading users through the steps necessary to fill in one or more forms to accomplish a specific task. For example, when an employee clicks a Request Business Cards button on a human resources form, an active link guide might open a business cards form and then display input instructions, field by field, until the card request is complete and ready to submit. Active link guides can also be used as subroutines to accomplish common tasks. Filter A filter is an action or group of actions performed on the AR System server. Filters are used to enforce business rules and to ensure system and data integrity. As the server processes a request, the filters associated with that form and action evaluate the data in the request. For example, you can verify the values in a completed form by using a filter to compare them against your business rules and return an error if the request violates any of those rules. A filter guide is a group of filters that can be used as a subroutine in workflow. Because filter guides run on the server, they cannot be used like active link guides to lead users through a form. Escalation An escalation is an action or group of actions performed on the server at specified times or time intervals. Basically, an escalation is an automated, time-based process that searches for requests that match certain criteria at specified times and takes actions based on the results of the search. For example, an escalation can trigger AR System to notify the next level of management if a problem is not assigned to a technician within one hour of submission. Preserving customizations with overlays and custom objects AR System introduces the following features that streamline the customization process and ensure that your changes are not lost when an AR System application or server is upgraded: Overlays An overlay is a copy of an AR System object that is used in place of the origin object. All out-of-the-box AR System application and server objects in release or earlier and objects created in the Base Development mode of BMC Remedy Developer Studio in this release are origin objects. Custom objects A custom object is a stand-alone object created by an AR System user. Objects created in the Best Practice Customization mode of BMC Remedy Developer Studio are considered custom objects. Upgrades do not modify or destroy custom objects. Chapter 1 About BMC Remedy Action Request System 23

24 BMC Remedy Action Request System These features protect your business investment in customizations by providing the following benefits: Enforce best practice development in BMC Remedy Developer Studio. Preserve customizations during upgrades of AR System servers, components, and applications. Enable you to find all your customizations quickly and easily. For more information, see the Form and Application Objects Guide, Customizing objects, page 119. In addition, the Best Practice Conversion utility enables you to convert pre customizations to overlays or custom objects. See the Installation Guide, Preserving pre customizations, page 116. How application components work together This section uses the Example of a service desk solution on page 12 to illustrate how the components of an AR System application work together. In the example, when Ramona entered her telephone number into the Telephone # field, the following sequence occurred, as illustrated in Figure 1-5 on page 25: Step 1 An active link searched the Employee form to retrieve the name, configuration, and location associated with the telephone number. Step 2 After Ramona finished entering information into the form and submitted it, filters triggered an external paging system integrated with AR System to notify Becky that Ramona s printer was not working. Step 3 Becky fixed the problem. Step 4 Becky changed the status of the request, and a filter notified Ramona that her problem was solved. 24 Concepts Guide

25 Administrator responsibilities Figure 1-5: Automated workflow example. If the situation had been flagged as an emergency and no one was assigned to the request within an hour, an escalation would have paged all required support personnel, and a filter would have sent Ramona an message informing her of the status of her request. Administrator responsibilities Typically, AR System administrators are responsible for some or all of these tasks: Installing AR System software Defining their organization s work processes and business rules Determining how to allocate server and database resources Managing AR System access control by assigning permissions for AR System applications and their components Maintaining AR System by adding and deleting users, groups, and roles; backing up AR System servers; importing data from other systems; and so on Chapter 1 About BMC Remedy Action Request System 25

26 BMC Remedy Action Request System Developer responsibilities Typically, AR System developers are responsible for some or all of these tasks: Creating an AR System application that reflects a set of work processes and business rules, or working with a consultant to create an application Localizing an AR System application for use in other languages or countries Modifying an AR System application to reflect changes in the organization s work processes Programmer responsibilities Typically, AR System programmers are responsible for some or all of these tasks: Writing plug-ins and custom clients that use the AR System C API, Java API, or Java plug-in API Integrating external applications with AR System 26 Concepts Guide

27 2 Forms Chapter and applications This chapter describes forms and how forms are used in applications. It also describes localization features for applications. The following topics are provided: About AR System forms (page 28) Types of fields (page 32) Field menus (page 34) Forms in applications (page 35) Localized applications (page 36) Chapter 2 Forms and applications 27

28 BMC Remedy Action Request System About AR System forms Forms are the foundation of AR System. A form captures and displays information and a set of forms can be grouped into an applications. For example, a service desk form captures information needed to fix a user s computer problem. A purchase requisition form captures the information needed to purchase an item. Figure 2-1 illustrates an AR System form. Each form contains fields. Some fields, known as data fields, capture a certain type of information, such as a user name or problem details, and have their own set of rules about who can view or modify that information (see Types of fields on page 32). Some fields can have attached menus that help users fill in the form (see Field menus on page 34). Figure 2-1: Example AR System form 28 Concepts Guide

29 About AR System forms Each form in an application is like a template to capture or present information. When a user opens a form to perform a task, the template is presented to help the user complete the task. When the form is filled in and submitted to AR System, the system creates a request, also known as a record in database terms. Forms are stored as tables in the database. Each data field on the form corresponds to a column in the table. A request corresponds to a row (or record) in the table. Figure 2-2: A form from the view of the database Types of forms Table 2-1: Form types Form type Regular Display-only Join View Vendor You can create the following types of forms, as illustrated in Figure 2-3 on page 30: Description Information submitted through and displayed in regular forms is stored in database tables. These forms are typically the main forms in applications. They are also called data forms. These forms contain display-only fields that enable users to accomplish specific tasks. These forms are typically used to create control panels, which are launch points from which users choose other tasks. Display-only forms can also be used to create dialog boxes, which prompt users as they fill out a form. Display-only forms do not contain data, so no database tables are associated with them. These forms are composed of fields from two or more existing forms. Join forms are useful when you have information in multiple forms that you want to display in a single form. Join forms do not contain data, so they have no database tables associated with them. The data is contained in the underlying forms that make up the join form. These forms enable users to connect to database tables created outside of AR System. These forms enable you to bring data from other applications that is stored in a database into AR System without replication or programming. These forms enable users to connect to external data sources such as text files, spreadsheets, or database tables residing on local or remote servers through an ARDBC plug-in. Some programming is required to connect to the data source. Chapter 2 Forms and applications 29

30 BMC Remedy Action Request System Figure 2-3: Types of AR System forms Form views A view is a visual representation of a form. To reuse a form for diverse groups while accommodating each group s unique needs, you can create a different view of the form for each group. This enables you to customize the interface of an AR System application so that each group sees the system as its own. 30 Concepts Guide

31 About AR System forms You can create as many views of a form as you need. For example, you can provide views customized according to the following criteria: Users roles (requesters, managers, and so forth) Size of the screen (for example, laptop or desktop) Language or locale (for example, Brazilian Portuguese) When creating form views, you can Change the layout of the form Use different fields in different views Tailor views to provide the best result in the target display environment, such as browsers Use terminology or language specific to the group using the view Reports based on form data Using the AR System Reporting Console, which provides a single interface for all reporting functions, users can create and run nicely formatted reports based on the data stored in AR System forms. The new Web report type is supported by reporting components that are installed with BMC Remedy Mid Tier. In addition, users can use the traditional AR System reports or Crystal Reports, a reporting package that you can integrate with AR System. Users can also use the Reporting Console to run existing Web reports, AR System reports, and Crystal reports, including those defined by others or installed with BMC applications if they have the necessary permissions. Chapter 2 Forms and applications 31

32 BMC Remedy Action Request System Types of fields Fields enable you to control how information is captured and displayed in forms. You can include the following types of fields in forms: Table 2-2: Field types Field type Description Data Contains data values stored in database tables. You can set these characteristics of data fields: Whether users can access the field and, if so, whether they can only view the field or also change its contents. The type of data that the field can contain (such as characters, integers, dates, or times). The amount of information that the field can contain (field length). Whether the field is visible or hidden. Whether the field is enabled or disabled. Whether the field is required, optional, or display-only. (A display-only field is a temporary field for which no space is allocated in the database.) Where the field appears on the form. How the field is displayed (for example, its label and physical appearance). How information is entered into the field (for example, by typing or by selecting items from a list or a menu). The field s default value. Whether fields are indexed for faster searches. Table Displays data from other requests in the context of the current request. Table field styles are list view, tree view, cell-based, results list, and alert list. Attachment Attaches files to requests. View Provides a browser window in a form. The browser can display any URL, HTML content, or file format (including contents of attachments) that is compatible with a browser. Data visualization Augments AR System with HTML-based content such as web pages, flashboards, and other graphics that can interact with the field s parent form through workflow. Application list Displays a list of entry points. An entry point is a link that users click to open forms on the correct server in the required mode (New or Search). AR System automatically generates the contents of the application list. The entry points that a user sees in the list are only those to which the user has access. Any form that contains an application list field can be used as a home page. A home page is a single point of access into AR System. Horizontal and Enables users to navigate to the correct screen in an application quickly and easily. vertical navigation Control Triggers active links. Control fields include buttons, menu items, and toolbar buttons. Panel Organizes other fields on forms into smaller containers that can be hidden when not needed. Panel fields can have various formats, such as tabbed, collapsible, splitter, and accordion. Trim Adds boxes, lines, and text to enhance the visual appearance of forms. 32 Concepts Guide

33 Types of fields You can add as many fields as you need to a form (within the limits of your database) to capture and display the information required by your application. You can use workflow to manipulate the attributes of fields. For example, you can set permissions for a group of trim fields or active link control fields so that they are inaccessible to certain groups of users, or you can add tabs in a panel field that are visible to some users (such as managers or support staff) but not to others. Characteristics common to all fields All fields in AR System share these characteristics: They can be disabled (dimmed) or hidden. They have a unique field ID and field name. They can be used in workflow. They can have context-sensitive help associated with them to help users learn more about them. Their display properties (including their location on a form and their appearance) can be changed. Permissions can be set to specify which users can access them. AR System automatically records their history, including their owner (the user who created them), the user who last modified them, and the date and time that they were last modified. Core fields in a regular form A regular form automatically contains these core fields. Request ID Unique tracking number assigned to each request by AR System. Submitter Login name of the user who submits a request. Create Date Date and time that a request is created. Assigned To Person assigned to handle the request. Last Modified By User who last modified the request. Modified Date Date and time that the request was last modified. Status Current status of the request. Short Description Brief description of the request. Status History Time the request s status was last changed and who changed it. This field does not appear in forms. To view the information in this field, users must display a request and choose View > Status History. These fields provide basic capabilities that most application designers need. For more information, see the Form and Application Objects Guide, Core fields, page 472. Chapter 2 Forms and applications 33

34 BMC Remedy Action Request System AR System has templates for blank forms and forms with core fields. You cannot delete core fields from a form created with them, but you can hide them from a user s view and change their labels, location, and appearance. The following table shows the meaning of the field label styles: Table 2-3: Field label styles Style Description Bold Field requires a value default, user-entered, or from workflow when a user submits a request. Italic Field is automatically populated by AR System. Plain Field is optional. Users can enter information in it or leave it empty. Field menus Field menus help users enter data and ensure that the data is consistent. You can attach a menu to any character field (character fields are data fields that hold alphanumeric characters). Menus can be statically defined, dynamically built by searching AR System databases and external databases, or read from text files written by other applications. Menus are separate objects stored independently of a form. This means that you can create a single menu and use it for multiple forms and for multiple fields in one form. AR System defines these types of menus: Table 2-4: Menu types (Sheet 1 of 2) Menu type Description Character Stored and maintained as a list of items in AR System. These menus are useful for fields that have a predefined series of choices that change infrequently. They can have submenus. File Contains items that are created and maintained in a plain text file. The file can be stored on the system where BMC Remedy User is running or on the AR System server. File menus are convenient when you do not want to store the data in the AR System database. To change a file menu, simply update the file; the changes are applied when the menu is refreshed. File menus can have submenus. Search Retrieves information from requests stored in AR System databases. The information is used to build a menu dynamically in the current form. Search menus are often used when the choices in a menu depend on values entered in fields on the current form. 34 Concepts Guide

35 Forms in applications Table 2-4: Menu types (Sheet 2 of 2) Menu type SQL Data dictionary Description Also retrieves information from databases, but the databases can be outside AR System. When you access an SQL menu, AR System uses an SQL query to extract the data and then generates the menu from that data. Retrieves lists of fields and forms from an AR System server. These menus are useful for creating special configuration interfaces. They are generally not used to help users perform their work. Forms in applications An AR System application is a server object that contains references to one or more forms. When an application references a form, AR System automatically includes all the workflow and other components (such as menus) associated with the form in the application. Sometimes a single form can contain all of an application s functionality. For example, a small application that tracks product defects can use a single defecttracking form to capture and display all required information. Most applications, however, need several forms to capture, track, and organize information. One or more forms make up the application s main forms (sometimes called primary forms) that users interact with directly. Often, the main form is a console that serves as a navigation and information center. The application can also have other forms, called supporting forms, which supply information needed by the main forms. You can create the following types of applications: Deployable applications are designed to be used in multiple server environments. These applications use permissions based on roles defined in the application. When the application is deployed, the administrator maps the roles to groups on the local server. Other features available to deployable applications include the ability to gather statistics about the application and to map the same role to different groups for different application states, such as test or production. Local applications use permissions based on groups defined on the local server. Therefore, these applications are usually used on a single server. For information about groups and roles, see Chapter 4, Access control. Chapter 2 Forms and applications 35

36 BMC Remedy Action Request System Localized applications Localization is the process of customizing an application for use in various languages, countries, and cultures. AR System provides an internationalized environment for building, testing, and localizing applications. A locale describes the language, country setting, and other characteristics of the local system s user interface. You can create an AR System application to run in a particular locale, or you can make your application simultaneously available in multiple locales. The development environment enables you to localize all aspects of the user interface: Language used for labels, messages, help text, reports, menus, and any other words that are part of a form s user interface Separator symbol for decimal numbers that include a fraction Separator symbol for numbers greater than 999 Format for dates and times Layout, colors, and images You can store each localized version of a form as a view. Therefore, the same application can provide separate user interfaces (views) for British English, Australian English, Mexican Spanish, and Peruvian Spanish. NOTE Although the user interface is tailored to each user s locale, the data and workflow are the same for all users. Therefore, you need to agree on the language for the data before the application is made available. The localization features are automatic for the user and easy to implement for the application builder. To localize an application for a given locale, an administrator need create views only for that locale and add corresponding messages to the message catalog. Utilities are available to assist with this work. See the Form and Application Objects Guide, Localizing AR System applications, page Concepts Guide

37 3 Workflow Chapter This chapter describes the workflow components of AR System. The following topics are provided: Workflow in general and in AR System (page 38) Types of workflow components (page 38) Collections of workflow components (page 40) Workflow actions and execution options (page 40) Workflow qualifications (page 46) For detailed information about workflow, see the Workflow Objects Guide. Chapter 3 Workflow 37

38 BMC Remedy Action Request System Workflow in general and in AR System The function of workflow is to process the data captured in forms in accordance with your business needs. In AR System, workflow automates your company s processes through the use of active links, filters, and escalations. In general, workflow can be defined as the set of processes that your company uses to run itself for example, tracking defects or administering employee benefits. You use the workflow components of AR System to enforce business rules in a variety of ways, including notifying people of events, escalating problems to a higher level, automatically routing information, and checking whether key data is correctly entered. For example, if your organization decides that purchase orders for amounts above a certain level need director approval, you can design workflow that allows only correctly approved purchase orders to be automatically forwarded to the purchasing department. You define workflow by specifying the actions that active links, filters, and escalations should perform under specified circumstances. The circumstances are called execution options. You can create workflow components for a single form, or you can share workflow components with multiple forms. (Workflow components cannot exist independently of forms.) Some of the actions that workflow components can take to automate processes and ease data entry include: Overriding user-entered values by changing them to values that you specify Manipulating a form (for example, enabling or disabling fields, or changing menus associated with fields) Checking for errors Opening new windows for data entry or display Communicating with users by means of onscreen messages or notifications sent by , BMC Remedy Alert, or other methods Running an active link guide or a filter guide as a subroutine (a predefined sequence of commands) Types of workflow components This table summarizes how and where you use filters, active links, and escalations: Table 3-1: How and where workflow components are used Component Triggered by Where action is performed Active link Events Client Filter Events Server Escalation Time Server 38 Concepts Guide

39 Types of workflow components Workflow based on events versus time Filters and active links are triggered by events, such as a user action or a change in the state of some data, whereas escalations implement time-based business rules. For example, a filter can notify a support manager whenever a request is submitted with a priority of High or Critical. The submission of the request is the event. Other events that can trigger filters are updating, deleting, and retrieving requests. Actions that can trigger active links include opening or closing a window, displaying a request, clicking a button on a form, pressing Enter when the cursor is in a field, or selecting a menu item. Escalations are triggered by the passage of time. The trigger (or execution option) can be either absolute time, such as every day at 2:00 p.m., or a time interval, such as one hour between escalation runs. For example, an escalation can warn a group of users that in one hour their manager will be notified that a problem has been unsolved for too long. Workflow running on clients versus servers Active links are executed on the client side in response to actions that users perform in forms, whereas filters and escalations are executed on the server. For example, active links can change how a form looks or behaves, validate data entered by users, or use data in a form to find other data for the form. Unless an active link queries the AR System server for information or runs a process on the server, it can complete its operation without sending a request to the server. This capability helps decrease overall network traffic and improves the performance of an application. Filters and escalations implement business rules by examining newly created or changed requests and taking actions such as changing data in the request, creating other requests, or sending notifications based on the new data and the business rules. For example, if your business wants to avoid handling purchase orders that are not properly approved, you can create a filter that stops AR System from processing such purchase orders after they are submitted to the server and then notifies the requester accordingly. Actions associated with filters and escalations take place after the transaction is transferred to the server for processing. Then, processing can return to the client, where more active link actions can take place. NOTE API calls to the server trigger filters but not active links. If a business rule must be fired on any input (including user input and input from an integrated process using an API), the business logic must be in both an active link and a filter. Chapter 3 Workflow 39

40 BMC Remedy Action Request System Collections of workflow components You can collect active links and filters and run them as procedures. These collections are called active link guides and filter guides. The workflow components in guides are organized in a processing sequence. Using guides enables you to give a name to a set of workflow operations that accomplish a specific task. In addition, interactive or navigational active link guides can interact with users by requesting information and then waiting for input. This enables you to create tasks that guide users through application processes in a way similar to wizards. Workflow actions and execution options The basic questions about workflow are What can I do, and when can I do it? The actions that workflow can take are the what, and the execution options are the when. For example, users could click a button labeled Display My Active Cases to display a list of all requests assigned to the user. Figure 3-1: Example of basic workflow You can refine execution options by specifying a qualification that must be met before an action is taken. Qualifications are often required to ensure that workflow actions apply only to certain requests. In addition, carefully designed qualifications make workflow components more efficient and powerful. You can specify a primary action and an alternative action. If an operation meets the qualification, the primary ( if ) action is performed; if not, the alternative ( else ) action is performed, as shown in Figure 3-2 on page Concepts Guide

41 Workflow actions and execution options Figure 3-2: Example of workflow with qualification Workflow actions The following table lists some of the actions that active links, filters, and escalations can perform. For a complete list, see the Workflow Objects Guide, Types of workflow actions, page 75. Table 3-2: Workflow actions (Sheet 1 of 3) Action Description Active link Filter Escalation Change Field Changes the appearance of fields. For example, a Change Field action can perform one or more of these actions: Moves the cursor or keyboard focus to a field. Hides or displays a field. For example, an active link might hide all fields related to telephone problems when users report network problems. Changes a field s accessibility to read-only, read/write, or disabled. Changes the color of a field label or trim text. Changes the menu attached to a character field. For example, if a form for scheduling a meeting has a field for the building, the menu of meeting rooms attached to the meeting room field might change to match the specified building. Refreshes the data in a table field. Changes the label of a field. Expands or collapses a collapsible panel field. + Close Window Closes the current window. + Chapter 3 Workflow 41

42 BMC Remedy Action Request System Table 3-2: Workflow actions (Sheet 2 of 3) Action Description Active link Filter Escalation Message Prompts with advice, gives reactive information, + + warns of a particular situation, or presents an error message and stops the processing of current workflow. Active links execute on the client, so they can display messages immediately. For example, when users fill in a particular field, an active link could warn that a related field must be filled in first. Active link messages can appear in different display formats, such as a dialog box, the Prompt Bar, or a tooltip. Filters execute on the server, so they are useful for checking entire transactions and sending error messages or informational messages. For example, a filter could display a message indicating that the support staff has been notified about a problem. Notify Sends event notifications to users or groups by + + , BMC Remedy Alert, or a custom mechanism, such as a Windows service that pages users. For example, a filter might notify support staff when they are assigned a request. Or an escalation might notify the service department when an asset warranty has expired. Open Window Opens a window of any type in the client. The + action can open a New window and load some default data. Or it can open a Modify window with requests matching a specified qualification. This action can also open a dialog box. Data can be passed between the dialog box and the window that calls it. Processing of active links from the calling window is suspended until the dialog box interaction is completed. Push Fields Changes the values of fields in another request to the values in the current request (that is, it pushes the values from the current request to another request). This action can also change the value to a keyword or a function. You can use Push Fields to set values in related requests or to create requests that are associated with the current one. For example, you can use this action to create multiple work orders for a telephone connection, a network address, and new furniture when an employee is hired. Run Process Runs a separate process (program) on the server for filters and escalations or on the Windows client or server for active links. For example, a filter can send a page, or an active link can launch a browser on a user s desktop Concepts Guide

43 Workflow actions and execution options Table 3-2: Workflow actions (Sheet 3 of 3) Action Description Active link Filter Escalation Service Works with an AR System web service to obtain external services or with a Set Fields filter action to consume an internal AR System service. Set Fields Sets fields on a form to specified values. For example, a filter can automatically set the Status field to Assigned every time a name is entered into the Assigned To field. The value set in a field can be static (always the same), a keyword value, or a value retrieved from another data source Workflow execution options Execution options determine when workflow runs. For active links and filters, you specify what event triggers the workflow; for escalations, you specify the execution schedule for the workflow. For all workflow components, you can refine the execution option by adding a qualifying statement that tells the system which set of actions to run if the additional criteria are met and which set to run if the criteria are not met. Active link and filter execution options The following table lists examples of execution options for active links and filters. For a complete list, see the Workflow Objects Guide, Defining workflow execution options, page 37. Table 3-3: Execution options for active links and filters (Sheet 1 of 2) Execution option Description Active link Filter Button/Menu Field Executes when a user selects the button or menu item + associated with the active link. Gain Focus Executes when a user or a Change Field action moves the + cursor to a field. Display Executes after a request is loaded into a form but before the + request appears in the Details pane. Hover on Field Executes when a user hovers the mouse pointer over a field, + Hover on Data Hover on Label field data, or a field label. To display tooltips, use a Hover execution option to trigger a Message action. Lose Focus Executes when a user or a Change Field action moves the + cursor out of a field. Menu Choice Executes when a user chooses an item from a character menu associated with a specified field. + Chapter 3 Workflow 43

44 BMC Remedy Action Request System Table 3-3: Execution options for active links and filters (Sheet 2 of 2) Execution option Description Active link Filter Modify Executes after a user modifies an existing request but before + + the request is sent to the AR System server (for active links) or to the database (for filters). An active link with this execution option does not run during a Modify All operation. Service Enables filters to be called by the Service action. + Submit Executes after a user submits a new request but before the + + request is sent to the AR System server (for active links) or to the database (for filters). Table Refresh Executes when a user updates a table s contents by loading + the field, sorting, refreshing, or displaying the previous or next part (chunk) of the table. Window Open Executes when a user opens a form or dialog box or changes a form to a different mode. This is especially useful for establishing initial environments. It executes before any data is loaded into the window Concepts Guide Execution options and user actions Some execution options depend on how a user interacts with fields on the form. For example, if the user does not click a particular button, that active link does not fire (the user controls whether the active link fires). Use user-controlled execution options to provide additional helpful information, such as a list of nearby printers. Active links that are not under a user s control, however, fire whenever the user finishes a task. That is, if the user follows the normal steps, from opening a window through closing the window, the active links not under explicit user control always fire. (Of course, if a user does not submit or modify the request, the active links that fire on Submit or Modify do not execute.) Use execution options that are not controlled by users to ensure that consistent, complete data is maintained regardless of whether users perform certain actions. For example, to guarantee that every submitted request includes the host name, an active link could retrieve the host name of the client and copy it into a field in the form whenever a request is submitted. Execution order of active links and filters Active link execution options have an implicit order in relation to one another and to the interaction between the client and server. You can use this order to control when the active link runs. For example: If field values were required for workflow processing before a request is displayed, you would set them on Window Open. However, to set any values that you want the user to see when a request is displayed, you would use the Display execution option. An active link that runs on Window Open might check the user s permission to open a Modify All window and, if the user does not have permission, generate an error message, preventing the window from opening.

45 Workflow actions and execution options More than one active link or filter can run on the same execution option. In this case, you can specify the order that you want it to fire in relation to the other active links or filters. One reason to do so is that the output of one active link can affect another active link. By carefully ordering a group of active links, you can perform very complex operations. When active links and filters are bundled into guides, execution order within the guides is ignored. Instead, workflow executes in positional order within a guide. This enables a guide procedure to run without affecting the order of workflow outside the guide. Escalation execution options In contrast to active links and filters, which react to events, escalations respond to the passage of time. You can trigger an escalation at a specific time, such as every Monday at 6 a.m., or at a time interval, such as eight hours after each run of the escalation. When the specified time arrives, the server searches for requests in the database that meet the escalation s qualification. If it finds any, the server runs the escalation s primary ( if ) actions for each matching request. If no requests meet the qualification, the server runs the escalation s alternative ( else ) actions, if any, once. Figure 3-3 illustrates how escalations work. Chapter 3 Workflow 45

46 BMC Remedy Action Request System Figure 3-3: How escalations work An alternative ( else ) action for the example in Figure 3-3 might be to notify the manager that all requests comply with the assignment rule. This action would run only if no requests meet the escalation qualification. Workflow qualifications Qualifications in active links, filters, and escalations enable you to define the data condition that causes the workflow component to take action. You can use qualifications to check values in fields, the amount of time that has passed since a specified event occurred, and many other factors. For example, a qualification might check whether the priority of a request is High or Critical or whether the day is a weekend day. 46 Concepts Guide

47 Workflow qualifications Qualifications with active links and filters work differently from qualifications with escalations: Active link and filter qualifications control which actions, if any, are run for the current request. For example, an active link can run actions whenever a specific field is filled in (execution option), or it can run actions whenever the field is filled in and the value in the field is invalid (qualification). Escalations are run whenever the scheduled time arrives. The qualification is an essential part of most escalations, not simply a refinement. It determines the requests on which the primary ( if ) escalation actions are run. Without a qualification, the primary actions are run on every request (record) in the form to which the escalation is attached. For example, if an escalation simply sent a notification every hour (execution option), the notification would be meaningless. A meaningful escalation, however, might check every hour (execution option) whether three or more hours have elapsed since a request was submitted and the request is unassigned (qualification), and then send a notification listing the unassigned requests to a manager. If no requests meet the qualification, the escalation might specify alternative ( else ) actions that are executed once, such as sending the manager a notice that all requests comply with the assignment rule. For an illustration of how qualifications are used in escalations, see Figure 3-3 on page 46. For filters, the qualification can check the value of a field in the database, in the current transaction, or both. This makes it possible to check whether the value of the field is changing. For example, if you have a business rule that service desk requests can be closed only if they have been fixed, a filter could check all transactions that change the status of a request to Closed. If the database value of the status is Fixed, the request can be modified; otherwise, the change is not allowed. Keywords in qualifications A keyword is a variable whose value is defined by AR System. Keyword names are uppercase and enclosed in dollar signs. For example, $USER$ represents the name of the user who is currently logged in, $TIMESTAMP$ represents the current date and time, and $OPERATION$ represents the operation currently in progress. Keywords are used to build qualifications. Keywords can be used almost anywhere a qualification can be defined or a value specified: Defining qualifications for search menus and for workflow. For example, workflow can check the value of the keyword $OS$ to ensure that the operating system can run a process that you specify in workflow. Specifying a value in the Set Fields action. Defining searches and macros. For a complete list of keywords, see the Workflow Objects Guide, Keywords, page 221. Chapter 3 Workflow 47

48 BMC Remedy Action Request System Concepts Guide

49 4 Access Chapter control This chapter describes access control in AR System. The following topics are provided: About access control in AR System (page 50) User and group access (page 50) Role-based access (page 53) Multitiered access control model (page 54) How licensing affects access control (page 56) Chapter 4 Access control 49

50 BMC Remedy Action Request System About access control in AR System AR System provides a rich set of features that protect your data from unauthorized access. In addition, it has a logical, multitiered access control structure that is straightforward for you to implement and for users to understand. Keeping information secure can be a major undertaking in client/server environments. It is sometimes a balancing act for administrators. You want to rigorously control who can access data, yet you do not want security to be so complex that it intrudes on your user community or is difficult for you to implement or maintain. AR System enables you to meet these seemingly opposing security goals. It enables you to control which users can access data and perform certain actions such as modifying a request or triggering an active link. User access is determined by these conditions: The groups users belong to The licenses users are granted AR System uses a multitiered approach to control access at these points: Server Form (or table) Field (or column) Active link and active link guide Request (or row) This approach provides a wide range of control over data access, enabling you to restrict access broadly at the highest levels (server and form) and narrowly at the request and field levels. Because you can refine your data access criteria so precisely, you can use a single form for many different purposes simply by setting the appropriate permissions. User and group access Individuals who need to access AR System are registered as users by an administrator. The administrator then assigns the users to access control groups. Each access control group is defined for a particular server. An access control group has permissions that determine whether and how its members can access application components, such as forms, requests, fields, active links, and active link guides. (Administrators can also set default permissions for each component type so that whenever they create a component, selected groups automatically have access to it.) 50 Concepts Guide

51 User and group access Users are assigned to groups according to their need to access information. For example, you might create a group called Employee Services Staff whose members are permitted to view and change only certain fields in an Employee Information form. You might have another group called Employee Services Managers whose members are permitted to view and change all fields in the Employee Information form, including salary information. You can also configure a hierarchical relationship between groups to allow the parent group to inherit the permissions of the child group. AR System has predefined groups that perform specific functions (see Types of access control groups on page 52). In addition, you can create any number of custom groups in AR System to enforce access control. You can also permit unregistered users to access AR System as guests. Guests are members of the predefined Public group. Chapter 4 Access control 51

52 BMC Remedy Action Request System Types of access control groups This table lists the types of access control groups: Table 4-1: Access control group types Type of access control group Description Predefined groups 1 Custom groups 2 Explicit A group to which you must assign users. Administrator Implicit A group to which a user automatically (or implicitly) belongs by virtue of the contents of certain fields in a request. You cannot assign users to implicit groups. All users are members of Public. You use the other types of implicit groups to control access to requests (row-level database access). Sub Administrator Customize Public Submitter Assignee Assignee Group Any regular and computed groups that you create. Regular groups are groups to which you assign a specific list of users. Computed groups are groups to which users are assigned based on their memberships in groups included in an expression. For example, you can create a computed group definition such as (A AND B) OR C AND NOT D. This computed group includes users who are members of both groups A and B, or members of group C, but not members of group D. Any dynamic groups that you create. Dynamic groups use the contents of special fields to determine group membership. Additive permissions 1 AR System provides these access control groups. 2 You must add these access control groups to your system. For more information, see the Form and Application Objects Guide, Defining access control, page 21. Access control in AR System is additive. This means that each user in AR System starts out with no access permissions. Administrators add users to access control groups as needed. In this way, AR System implements strict access control: administrators must make a conscious decision to add users to groups on a caseby-case basis. 52 Concepts Guide

53 Role-based access Membership in multiple groups Users often belong to multiple groups in an organization. They inherit permissions from each of the groups to which they belong. If a group has permission to access a form, field, request, active link, or active link guide and a user belongs to that group, the user has access, even if the user belongs to other groups that do not have access. Figure 4-1: How permissions work Role-based access In deployable applications, access permissions are based on roles. Like groups, roles have permissions to access forms, fields, active links, and so on. Unlike groups, however, roles are defined for an application and are then associated with groups on the server where the application is deployed. Roles make deployable applications easy to install on a variety of servers. You assign users to groups and then associate the groups with roles. This enables you to install an application on servers that have different groups without redefining the application s object permissions for each server. NOTE For simplification, user access is usually described in terms of group permissions. In deployable applications, which use role permissions, user access is ultimately determined by which groups are mapped to which roles. Chapter 4 Access control 53

54 BMC Remedy Action Request System Multitiered access control model AR System uses a multitiered approach to control data access. At each access level, a user s permissions are checked. If access is permitted, the user proceeds to the next level. If access is denied at any point except active links and active link guides (workflow), the user cannot proceed. (If access is denied at workflow, the user might be able to proceed, but his data access capabilities will be limited.) For example, if a user is denied access to a form, the user cannot see any fields associated with the form. For another example, a user s ability to access a request depends on whether he belongs to a group that has access to the Request ID field. Figure 4-2: Access control in AR System 54 Concepts Guide

55 Multitiered access control model Access control levels Table 4-2: Access levels Access level AR System server Form Field Active link Active link guide Request The access control model comprises the following levels: Description Users must pass an initial checkpoint when they start an AR System client, such as a browser or BMC Remedy User. At this point, users must enter a valid user name, a password, and, as an option, an authentication string. AR System servers check the user name, password, and authentication string each time a client requests a transaction, such as when opening a form or changing a field. Note: If your AR System server is configured to allow guest users, such users can log in to the server without a valid user name or password. See the Configuration Guide, Allowing guest users, page 64. As an administrator, you give groups access to forms according to each group s need to view or change information in the form. Visible access enables users to access a form from the Object List. Hidden access makes a form available only through workflow. Static permissions inheritance and dynamic permissions inheritance properties control access to the form for parent groups. If a group is not given access to a form, members of that group cannot view the form or change the requests that it contains. You can control access to each field on a form, including nondata fields such as trim fields, table fields, and active link control fields. You can make a field visible to users or hide the field so that it is accessible only through workflow. For data fields, you also specify whether a group can only view field information or also change it. If a group cannot access a field, the field does not appear when members of the group open the form. In addition to controlling access to form and field data, you can control access to active links, which trigger a variety of workflow actions. For example, you might allow support staff to trigger several active links appropriate to their work but not allow other users to trigger those active links. Groups do not automatically have access to the field associated with an active link. You must grant them access to the active link and to the field. For active links that fire when users click a button or choose a menu item, the users must have access to both the button or menu item and the active link to trigger the active link. When you create an active link guide, you specify the groups that have access to it. To access an active link guide, a user must have permission to each active link in the guide and to the guide itself. If a user has access to all active links in a guide but not to the guide, the guide does not appear. You can strictly control who can access requests associated with a form. For example, you might want only managers to access requests with confidential employee information. Or you might provide an outsourcing service in which you use AR System as the central service desk for several companies, and you do not want one company to see requests from another company. Chapter 4 Access control 55

56 BMC Remedy Action Request System How licensing affects access control In addition to obtaining a license to run the AR System server and other components, you must specify a license type for each AR System user. NOTE AR System includes a setting that enables you to permit users who are not recognized users to access to AR System applications as a member of the Public Group. For more information, see User and group access on page 50. License types Table 4-3: License types (Sheet 1 of 2) License Read Restricted Read Although licensing is not a component of access control, licensing can affect a user s ability to perform an operation that you grant her permission to perform. For example, if a user is a member of a group that has Change permission to a field but you did not give her the appropriate write license, she cannot change the field. You can assign the types of user licenses listed in this table: Description Enables users to search for and display requests within their assigned permissions. Administrators can configure the AR System server to enable users with Read licenses to submit requests and to modify requests that they submit. Enables users to search for and display requests within their assigned permissions. Administrators can configure the AR System server to enable users with Restricted Read licenses to submit requests. But users with Restricted Read licenses cannot modify any requests, including their own. Restricted Read licenses do enable the same login account to access AR System from multiple IP addresses simultaneously. 56 Concepts Guide

57 How licensing affects access control Table 4-3: License types (Sheet 2 of 2) License Fixed Floating Description Includes all the capabilities of a Read license, and also enables users (based on the permissions of the groups to which they belong) to modify and save requests that they did not submit. AR System administrators and subadministrators must have a Fixed license. Other AR System users who consistently need to modify requests must also have Fixed licenses. A fixed write license is associated with a user name and is always reserved for that user. Users who have a fixed write license can access the AR System server at any time. Includes all the capabilities of a Read license, and also enables users to modify and save data for requests that they did not submit based on the groups to which they belong. Multiple users can use the same Floating licenses, one user at a time: they are available on a first-come, first-served basis. This type of license is designed for users who occasionally need to modify and save requests. When a user who is assigned a Floating license logs in to AR System, the user is given a Read license. When the user attempts to perform a search, modify, or submit operation, AR System checks for an available Floating license, and the following occurs: If a Floating license is available, the user is granted write access to requests. The user retains write access until the Floating license is released (for more information, see Releasing floating licenses on page 53). If no Floating licenses are available, the user is notified and continues to use the Read license until a Floating license becomes available. Generally, Floating licenses are shared by all AR System users. You can, however, define license pools to reserve a set of Floating licenses for a group of users. This enables you to prioritize the availability of Floating licenses. For example, you can allocate a number of licenses to department managers to make sure that they can immediately approve essential requests. Users who do not belong to this group cannot acquire any of the reserved licenses. An AR System server provides three fixed write licenses and unlimited read and restricted read licenses. You can purchase additional fixed write licenses and floating write licenses from BMC or from an authorized reseller. For more information about licensing, see the Configuration Guide, Licensing AR System, page 35. Chapter 4 Access control 57

58 BMC Remedy Action Request System Concepts Guide

59 5 Extending Chapter AR System The core AR System product clients (BMC Remedy Developer Studio and BMC Remedy User), mid tier, and AR System server is the foundation for the BMC Remedy product line. Beyond the core environment, BMC offers add-on products that provide additional services and capabilities. This chapter provides brief overviews of these products. In addition, third parties have developed a wide range of products for integration with AR System. Some of the most popular integration areas are discussed in this chapter. The following topics are provided: AR System foundation products (page 60) BMC Atrium products (page 61) AR System based solutions (page 61) Other BMC products (page 62) Integration with third-party products (page 62) Chapter 5 Extending AR System 59

60 BMC Remedy Action Request System AR System foundation products These BMC Remedy products add functionality to the core AR System environment: BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option (DSO) Enables you to send and receive data from forms that reside on physically separate servers. See Distributed environments provide scalability on page 20 and the BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option Guide. BMC Remedy Encryption Security products Enable the AR System server and its clients to communicate securely over a network by encrypting the messages sent between them. BMC Remedy Encryption Standard Security is built into the BMC Remedy products. Optional BMC Remedy Encryption Performance Security and BMC Remedy Encryption Premium Security are sold separately. The optional encryption products provide a higher level of security than standard encryption. They also enable you to comply with Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 200. All BMC Remedy Encryption Security products use third-party encryption technology software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL toolkit ( See the BMC Remedy Encryption Security Guide. BMC Remedy Full Text Search (FTS) Provides a search mechanism that is typically much faster than the native database searching functionality for searching in long text fields. It is also the only search method available in AR System for searching text within documents attached to requests. See the Configuration Guide, Using full text search, page 295. BMC Remedy Migrator Provides a fast, easy way to move forms and applications between AR System servers, servers and files, or files. This tool helps you transfer data and workflow objects from a development environment to a production server, while ensuring the integrity of all migrated changes. See the BMC Remedy Migrator Guide. NOTE For limitations on using BMC Remedy Migrator with other BMC applications, see the BMC Remedy Migrator Release Notes on the Customer Support website ( / 60 Concepts Guide

61 BMC Atrium products BMC Atrium products Together, AR System and BMC Atrium Core provide the foundation for BMC Business Service Management (BSM) solutions. The following AR System based BMC Atrium Core components address the best practices for configuration management. They also support IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) defined processes, such as change and service management. BMC Atrium Configuration Management Database BMC Atrium Integration Engine BMC Product Catalog The following BMC Atrium applications, though not based on AR System, provide powerful visualization, decision support, and data discovery capabilities. They are pre-integrated with BMC solutions for BSM and ready to use out of the box. BMC Analytics for BSM BMC Dashboards for BSM BMC Discovery Solution For more information, see the BMC Software website at AR System based solutions The following BMC Remedy solutions for IT service and customer relationship management are based on AR System: BMC Remedy IT Service Management (ITSM) Suite Offers a complete, integrated solution to technology life cycle management. Its applications compress business cycles with custom routing of approvals and consistent enforcement of business rules. The suite includes BMC Remedy Asset Management BMC Remedy Change Management BMC Remedy Service Desk (includes BMC Remedy Incident Management and BMC Remedy Problem Management) BMC Service Level Management BMC Service Request Management Enables IT to define its services, publish them in a Service Catalog, and give users self-service options, which reduce the requests that must be handled by service desk support staff. BMC Remedy Knowledge Management Gives call center support staff easy access to a vast array of information needed to resolve problems. For more information, see the BMC Software website at Chapter 5 Extending AR System 61

62 BMC Remedy Action Request System Other BMC products Many other BMC products such as BMC Atrium Orchestrator, BMC Service Impact Manager, and BMC Performance Manager integrate with AR System or applications based on AR System. Together, these products provide a complete solution to Business Service Management (BSM). For more information about BSM from BMC, see the BMC Software website at Integration with third-party products AR System is designed to be used with third-party products to create an integrated solution. Popular areas in which third parties have integrated their products with AR System are Web services Network and system management Computer telephony, including automated call distribution (ACD) and integrated voice response (IVR) Asset/inventory management Groupware Legacy management Report writers Remote access Fax/pager/ Knowledge bases Accessibility for disabled AR System users AR System is an open system with several well-defined interfaces for linking to other products. For an in-depth discussion about integrating with third-party products, see the Integration Guide. For the latest information about products that have been integrated with AR System, see the Customer Support website ( 62 Concepts Guide

63 6 An Chapter example BMC Remedy AR System application This chapter brings together the basic concepts of AR System by showing how a sample organization a wild animal park might plan and design an AR System application. Like any business, the park needs to take a systematic approach to automating its processes. This chapter walks you through the planning process that the hypothetical park staff uses to evaluate and address its business needs. The following topics are provided: About the wild animal park (page 64) Goals of the animal tracking application (page 64) Considerations (page 65) Putting the example application to work (page 69) Chapter 6 An example BMC Remedy AR System application 63

64 BMC Remedy Action Request System About the wild animal park For many years, the wild animal park grew successfully with paper-based record keeping combined with isolated computer-based procedures. Recently, however, employees noticed a number of redundant or inefficient processes, so the park staff decided to use AR System to automate the following processes: Tracking and managing animals associated with the park Tracking and managing public relations, such as attendance statistics, public inquiries, membership renewals, and group tour information Tracking and managing the maintenance of on-site visitor facilities, including snack bars, restrooms, first-aid stations, and park transit systems Managing the botanical gardens adjacent to the park This chapter focuses on the first application, managing and tracking animals. Goals of the animal tracking application The park needs to accomplish these goals with the animal tracking application: Track the type and number of animals grouped together in enclosures. Track births, deaths, acquisitions, trades, and sales. Track daily observations of each animal, including behavior and medical condition. Track the complete medical history of each animal, including preventive care such as dental work, vaccinations, and parasite checks. Track animal feeding. Immediately alert the veterinary staff about medical emergencies. Alert the animal handlers if any animal escapes its enclosure. All these goals relate to tracking animals throughout their life at the park, as shown in Figure 6-1 on page Concepts Guide

65 Considerations Figure 6-1: Animal tracking overview Considerations After defining the application goals, the staff begins more detailed planning. This section discusses various questions that any organization needs to consider to create a useful application, including data analysis, workflow analysis, identifying the business rules to be enforced, mapping the business rules to workflow components, and considering whether any integrations are required. NOTE The planning and design process is thoroughly covered in the BMC Remedy AR System 7.x: Application Requirements Analysis, Design, and Development course offered by BMC. See Chapter 6 An example BMC Remedy AR System application 65

66 BMC Remedy Action Request System Analyzing data As the park staff members begin to plan their animal management application, they analyze the data by answering these questions: What types of data do they need to capture? How is this data stored in their current system (for example, in a legacy database or in paper forms)? What forms (main and supporting) and fields need to be created? Should they include menus on the forms and, if so, which kinds are most appropriate to help staff members fill in fields? The staff determines that they need these forms (shown in Figure 6-2) to capture information: Animal form Contains detailed information about each animal. The staff considers using panel fields to organize the form modularly, keeping related fields together. Species Info form Contains details about a particular species, such as feeding requirements, life span, medical needs, and whether it is endangered. This is a supporting form. Feeding form Contains information about each animal s feeding schedule. Enclosure form Contains information about the number and types of animals each enclosure can hold and so forth. Medical History form Contains the complete medical history of each animal. Former Resident form Contains information about animals that no longer reside in the park. 66 Concepts Guide

67 Considerations Figure 6-2: Forms for animal tracking application Analyzing workflow Next, the staff considers the park s current organizational processes: What are the processes? What are the stages or steps of each process? Which groups of people participate in the processes? To manage, access, and track the processes, what information do the groups need? Some of the AR System groups or roles that the park needs are: Veterinarians, who provide health care for the animals. Animal handlers, who provide day-to-day care for the animals. Curators, who handle acquisitions and transfers. Horticulturists, who maintain the animals naturalistic habitats. Researchers, who conduct animal-related studies. Appropriate permissions will be assigned to each group or role according to the information that they need to access. Chapter 6 An example BMC Remedy AR System application 67

68 BMC Remedy Action Request System Defining business rules After examining their business processes, the staff members also consider their business rules, the fundamental policies that govern day-to-day life at the park. The rules frequently provide the basis for making important decisions. For example, one of the rules might be that every animal must be checked by a veterinarian within 24 hours of arrival. If the rule is broken, that might indicate a need to hire more medical staff or to increase clinic capacity. Questions about business rules include: What conditions and events require decisions and actions? What should happen when various conditions or events occur? What is the flow of information through the existing systems? Business rules for the park include: Animals will be not be kept in temporary enclosures longer than 48 hours. Specially trained animal handlers will be notified immediately if a dangerous animal escapes. Every animal must be checked by a veterinarian within 24 hours of arrival. Mapping business rules to workflow components Next, the park determines how to translate its business workflow (rules and processes) into AR System workflow components: Which processes can be accomplished by using active links? When would it make more sense to use a filter? What types of escalations are needed to enforce business rules? Some of the workflow components that the park needs are: A filter to notify animal handlers whenever an animal needs to be moved. Active links that help users fill out forms. An escalation to enforce the rule that animals must be checked by a veterinarian within 24 hours of arrival. An escalation to notify keepers when an animal has not been fed within one hour of its scheduled feeding time. 68 Concepts Guide

69 Putting the example application to work Considering integrations The staff considers what other software products or databases must initially be integrated into the application and what future integrations are desirable: The staff must be able to enter data while they are out in the park, perhaps using handheld devices. Future integration with a sister zoo must be possible. Integration with an international database of endangered species is also necessary, partly to locate new individual animals that can contribute to the gene pool at the park. Eventually, the staff might want to integrate information about the botanical gardens at the park, although this could be maintained separately. Putting the example application to work After the planning and design process, the park develops an application that covers its diverse requirements. When staff members begin using the application, they note which features work well and which ones need adjustment. Developers make changes to the application based on that feedback. Example application A tiger is acquired This section describes an example in which the hypothetical wild animal park acquires a tiger. This scenario illustrates a complete process, but not every component of the process is discussed in detail. As shown in Figure 6-3 on page 70, when a Sumatran tiger named Karuna is obtained, a staffer fills in the Animal form, and then clicks a button called List Enclosures. An active link opens a dialog box displaying the Enclosure form with a table field that lists enclosure information, including availability and habitat. The staffer can double-click any enclosure in the list to get more information. Next, the staffer selects an appropriate choice in this case, enclosure 16 and submits the request. A filter notifies the Animal Handlers group and sends a message to inform the staffer that the appropriate persons have been notified. In addition, the Status field changes from New to Move Pending. During trial runs of the system, the application developer realizes that the animal handlers are frequently away from their computers and rarely check . The developer integrates the application with a paging program and has the filter notify the handlers about new animals with a page. Handlers can then use their cell phones to get information about their assigned tasks. Gary from Animal Handlers receives a page that says a new tiger must be moved from the temporary cages to enclosure 16. Chapter 6 An example BMC Remedy AR System application 69

70 BMC Remedy Action Request System After he transfers the tiger, Gary changes the Status field from Move Pending to Permanent. When he saves his changes, workflow components create new requests in related forms and notify the Veterinarian group and the Animal Handlers group to begin the care and feeding of the new animal. These requests and notifications illustrate one way of handling work orders in AR System. Figure 6-3: Active link and filter in the animal tracking application 1 Dialog Box Name Type Status Assigned to Enclosure Animal Form Karuna Sumatran Tiger New 16 List Enclosures Active Link lists all enclosures and their capacity. Enclosure Form Number Status Habitat 4 Full Waterhole 5 Full Steppe 16 Available Jungle 20 Available Steppe Cancel Continue 3 User submits request. 2 User chooses Enclosure 16, clicks Continue, and "16" is entered. Filter Action 1. Notify Animal Handlers group via "New Sumatran tiger must be transferred to Enclosure 16." Action 2. Notify Submitter: "Animal handlers have been informed of tiger s arrival." TIP This example is similar to moves, adds, and changes (MAC) in an employee services application. Example application The tiger is injured This section describes an example in which the tiger at the hypothetical wild animal park is injured. This scenario illustrates a complete process, but not every component of the process is discussed in detail. 70 Concepts Guide

71 Putting the example application to work One morning when the keepers are making their daily rounds, they notice that the tiger, Karuna, has been injured, so they notify the veterinarians. A veterinarian looks at the Animal form and checks a table field that contains data from the Medical History form, as illustrated in Figure 6-4 on page 71. She discovers that Karuna has no history of serious injury or illness. To be treated, Karuna must be tranquilized and moved to the veterinary hospital for surgery. He has been tranquilized before without incident as indicated by the Tranquilizer Notes field on the Animal form, so the veterinarian computes the dosage and sets out with several animal handlers to bring in the tiger. Figure 6-4: Table field in the animal tracking application During the prototyping phase, staffers had to open the Medical History form separately to learn about Karuna s record with tranquilizers. The veterinary staff pointed out that they wanted that important information readily available during an emergency. So the Tranquilizer Notes field was added to the Animal form, and a filter that executes on Submit was added to post a message to the veterinarians, reminding them to update the Tranquilizer Notes if necessary. TIP This process is similar to handling a customer call in a technical support application. The technical support representatives might decide that they need important information about a customer on a main form rather than on a supporting form. Example application The tiger is traded to another zoo This section describes an example in which the tiger, named Karuna, at the hypothetical wild animal park is transferred to a different zoo. This scenario illustrates a complete process, but not every component of the process is discussed in detail. Chapter 6 An example BMC Remedy AR System application 71

72 BMC Remedy Action Request System After several years, the animal park determines that it should have a different male tiger to maintain genetic diversity in its tiger population. By examining a database maintained by zoos worldwide, the staff discovers a tiger that is available and has no common ancestors with Karuna or with the park s female tigers. They decide to trade Karuna, and a staffer changes Karuna s status from Permanent to Trade Pending, thereby triggering the same notification filter that was used when Karuna arrived. This time, it notifies the animal handlers to move Karuna to a temporary cage, as shown in Figure 6-5 on page 72. Figure 6-5: Notifications in the animal tracking application After Karuna leaves the park, his status is changed to Traded. When the changed request is submitted, a filter uses a Push Fields action to move all of Karuna s data from the Animal form to the Former Resident form, as shown in Figure Concepts Guide

73 Putting the example application to work Figure 6-6: Push Fields action used in the animal tracking application The Medical History form is not archived or changed because the staff might, at any point, want information from the medical records. For example, they might want information about all tiger surgeries performed at the park. TIP This process is similar to retiring an asset in an asset management application: you need to track the problem history of an asset during its active use and after its retirement. Chapter 6 An example BMC Remedy AR System application 73