Configuring knowledge articles

Knowledge articles are simple documents of information that are created to offer help to the users of the organization. They include information such as troubleshooting topics, how-to topics, FAQs, known errors in the application, useful resources, and so on. 

By default, users of the ServiceDesk Staff and ServiceDesk Change Manager profiles can create a knowledge article. However, administrators can assign permissions to required profiles to enable those users to create, view, edit, or delete knowledge articles.

This topic provides details on the configurations related to knowledge articles that the administrator needs to perform.  

To add a custom rating 

You can add a custom rating of your business requirements to rate knowledge articles.

Perform the following steps:

1. Navigate to Setup > Build > Create > Objects > Knowledge Feedback.
2. In the Custom Fields & Relationship section, click Rating.
   
   
3. In the Picklist Options section, click New.
   
   
4. Enter the required value, and click Save.
   
   
   

To enable users to publish, retire, or check out a knowledge article

To enable users to publish, retire, or check out a knowledge article, you must grant Knowledge User permission to the user.

Perform the following steps:

1. Click the Remedyforce Administration tab.
2. On the Home page, click the Manage Users tile, and from the menu select Add and Edit User+.
   
3. For the required user, in the Action column, click Edit.

4. In the Additional Information section, select the Remedyforce Knowledge User check box. 

   

5. Click Save.
   
   

Considerations for publishing an article

Before publishing the article is sent for approval. The system administrator must create an approval process in Salesforce to define the workflow of the article review process. 

Watch the following video (03:54) to know how to set up the approval process. 

 https://youtu.be/d9jg2AZOlLs

To enable users to check out published knowledge articles for editing

Before you begin

To enable users to check out published knowledge articles for editing while continuing to display the published content to other users, you must add the Check Out button on the Knowledge Article page. To configure the checkout functionality for a specific article type, you must edit the corresponding page layout of the Knowledge Article object.

For example, to configure the checkout functionality for the FAQ article type, you must edit the FAQ page layout of the Knowledge Article object.

Note that, to check out and update published knowledge articles, you must grant users the Knowledge User permission. For more information, see To enable users to publish, retire, or check out a knowledge article.

How to enable users to check out an article 

1. Navigate to Setup > Build > Create > Objects > Knowledge Article.
   
2. In the Page Layouts section, in the Action column, click Edit for the page layout to which you want to add the checkout functionality.
   
   
   
   
3. To add a new section for the checkout functionality perform the following steps:
   1. In the left column of the palette, click Fields.
      
      
      
   2. Select and drag Section to the appropriate location on the Knowledge Article page.
   3. In Section Name, enter an appropriate name for the section, such as Article Checkout.
   4. Select the appropriate section layout and tab order, and click OK.
4. In the left column of the palette, click Visualforce Pages.
5. Select and drag KM_ActionToolBar to the appropriate location on the Knowledge Article page.
6. To configure the dimensions for the KM_ActionToolBar page, perform the following actions:
   1. For the KM_ActionToolBar page, click  .
   2. In the Visualforce Page Properties window, in the Height (in pixels) field, enter 100.
   3. Click Save.

To grant BMC Remedyforce knowledge article permissions

Before you begin

The ServiceDesk Staff and ServiceDesk Change Manager profiles can create a knowledge article. However, the administrator can assign those permissions to required profiles.

Watch the following video (02:35) to understand the permissions required to create a knowledge article:

 https://youtu.be/-0P2_YhvVB8 

To enable users of a profile to create, view, edit, or delete knowledge articles, provide the required permissions on the following custom objects:

• Knowledge Articles
• Knowledge Article Viewed
• Knowledge Feedback
• Knowledge Incident Links

How to grant permissions

1. Click the Remedyforce Administration tab.
2. On the Home page, click the Manage Users tile, and from the menu select Profiles.
3. For the required profile, click Edit.
4. In the Custom Object Permissions section, select the required access rights for the profile.
   
   
   
   
5. Click Save.
   
   
   

To enable users to get direct links to the knowledge articles for Self Service

Before you begin

You can enable users to get the direct links to knowledge articles for Self Service. To allow users to access the links, you must add the Self Service Link section to the Knowledge Article form. You can embed these links on your intranet or send it by using an email message. For more information, see Providing direct links for Self Service components.

Watch the following video (03:12) to understand how to enable users to get direct links for knowledge articles

 https://youtu.be/XQrYT4J1jQ0

How to enable direct links

Perform the following steps:

1. (For Salesforce Classic) Navigate to Knowledge Articles tab > any knowledge article > Edit Layout.

   (For Lightning Experience) Navigate to Setup > Object  Manager > Knowledge Article > Page Layouts  > drop-down in the right-most column > Edit.

2. In the left column of the palette, click Visualforce Pages.
   
   
   
   
3. Drag Self Service Link to your preferred location.
   You can add the Self Service Link section as a separate section or add it to any existing section in the Knowledge Article form.
4. To configure the dimensions for the Self Service Link section, perform the following actions:
   1. For the Self Service Link section, click  .
   2. In the Visualforce Page Properties window, in the Height (in pixels) field, enter 35.
5. Click Save.
   
   

To enable users to display knowledge articles based on linked accounts

You can configure the user accounts to which you want to display the knowledge article in Self Service. Note that, only system administrators and staff members with the Knowledge User permission set can edit the accounts to which the knowledge article is displayed.

Perform the following steps:

1. Click the Knowledge Articles tab.
2. Click any knowledge article.
3. Click Edit Layout.
4. In the left column of the palette, click Visualforce Pages.
   
   
   

5. Drag Account Details to your preferred location.

   You can add the Account Details section as a separate section or add it to any existing section in the Knowledge Article form.

6. To configure the dimensions for the Account Details section, perform the following actions:
   1. In the Account Details section, click  .
   2. In the Visualforce Page Properties window, in the Height (in pixels) field, enter 250.
7. Click Save.
   
   
   

To create and configure custom article types

Before you begin

The following video (5:25) shows you how to create a custom knowledge article type.

 https://youtu.be/NpXuXT2nERk

The following article types are provided by default:

• FAQ
• How To
• Known Error
• Problem Solution 

How to create and configure 

To plan for article creation and configuration

If the out-of-the-box article types do not fulfill your requirements, you can create a new article type. 

Your plan should include the following items: 

1. Name and description of the article type (description is shown to the user when selecting an article type), such as Troubleshooting
2. Fields that are required to create or view the knowledge article
   You can add out-of-the-box and custom fields to the Knowledge Article page for a custom article type. For example, for the Troubleshooting article type, fields can be Issue, Resolution.
3. Fields of the knowledge article that you want to show in Self Service
   You can show the same fields on the New Knowledge Article (or Knowledge Article details) page and Self Service. The same fields are shown when a staff member searches for information in Global Search.
   
   

To create a custom article type in BMC Remedyforce

1. (Optional) If you want to use custom fields in the article type layout, add the fields to the Knowledge Article object. For more information, see Salesforce Help.
2. For the custom fields that you want to show to clients in Self Service, ensure that client profiles (such as ServiceDesk Client) have read only access to the fields. 
3. Create a page layout for the Knowledge Article object with the fields that you want to show on the New Knowledge Article (or Knowledge Article details) page. 
   You can also use an existing page layout.
4. Add the article type.
5. Configure the fields shown on the Knowledge Article page in Self Service.
6. To show knowledge articles with custom article type in Self Service, add the Display in Self Service field on the Knowledge Article page and select the field. The knowledge article is displayed in Self Service 2.0 when it is published.
   
   

To configure custom article types

1. Click the Remedyforce Administration tab.
2. On the Home page, click the Manage Objects tile, and from the menu, select Create and Edit Objects.
3. On the Create and Edit Objects page, from the Object list, select All Custom Objects.
4. On the Custom Objects page, in the Label column, click Knowledge Article.
5. To create a page layout, perform the following actions:
   1. In the Page Layouts section, click New.
   2. In the Page Layout Name field, enter a name of the page layout and click Save.
      BMC recommends that you give the same name to the page layout as that of the article type to enable you to identify the correct page layout for an article type. 
   3. Drag the fields that you want to the Knowledge Article Detail section.
   4. Click Save.
6. To create a custom article type, perform the following actions:
   1. In the Record Types section, click New.
   2. In the Existing Record Type list, ensure that Master is selected.
   3. In the Record Type Label field, enter a name for the article type, such as Troubleshooting.
   4. In the Description field, enter the description.
   5. Select the Active check box.
   6. For the profiles of the users to whom you want to show the article type, select the Enable for Profile check box, and click Next.
   7. On the Step 2. Assign page layouts page, select the page layout that you have created for the article type.
      The fields specified in the page layout are shown to the users who create, edit, or view a knowledge article in BMC Remedyforce.
7. To configure fields to be shown in Self Service for the custom article type, perform the following actions:
   1. Click the Remedyforce Administration tab.
   2. On the Home page, click the Application Settings tile, and from the menu, select Global Search.
   3. On the Global Search page, click Manage Record Type Fields.
       
   4. From the Record Type list, select the article type that you have created.
   5. From the Available Fields list, select the fields to be shown in Self Service, and click the right arrow.
   6. For the fields that you want to copy to the Resolution field of the incident or problem records, select the check box under the Copy to Resolution column.

   7. (Optional) To select an icon for the article type, in the Record Type Icon section, click Browse.

   8. Click Save.
      
      
      

To configure columns in the Global Search window for knowledge articles

You can configure the Global Search window columns that show information about knowledge articles.

For example, say you want to add the Status field to the columns. Perform the following steps:

1. Click the Remedyforce Administration tab.
2. On the Home page, click the Manage Objects tile, and from the menu, select Create and Edit Objects.
3. On the Create and Edit Objects page, from the Object list, select All Custom Objects.
4. On the Custom Objects page, click Knowledge Article.
5. In the Field Sets section, click Edit for the Column Headers field set.
   
   
6. Drag the fields that you want to be displayed in the Global Search window (for example, Status) to the In the Field Set list.
   
   
   
   Note that, the first field is Article ID and you cannot remove this field. Staff members can click a knowledge article ID to preview the knowledge article.
7. Click Save.
   
   

To enable users to embed the video URL in knowledge articles

You can enable users to embed the video URL in knowledge articles.

Watch the following video (02:50) to understand how to enable users to embed video URL in knowledge articles

 https://youtu.be/1qaBrpCzZU0

Perform the following steps:

1. Navigate to Setup > Build > Create > Objects > Knowledge Article.

2. Click Page Layouts.
3. For the required page layout, under Action, click Edit.
4. From the Fields tab, drag the Section field to the Knowledge Article Detail section.
5. In the Section Properties window, rename the Section Name field value to Video Details.
6. After making the required changes under the Layout and the Tab-key Order sections, click OK.
7. Drag the Video URL, Width, and Height fields to the newly created Video Details section.
8. Click Save.
   Note that, the playback option for this video is available only to staff members and Self Service 3.0 users.

To enable configuration of recording additional details in a knowledge article

System administrators can add custom fields to the Knowledge Articles object to record additional details for the knowledge articles. 

To validate data inputs

Perform the following steps to validate the data inputs provided by authors in the knowledge articles:

1. Add a check box field in the Custom Fields & Relationships section of the Knowledge article object, such as Validated Data Inputs. For more information about adding a field, see Salesforce Help .
2. Edit the layout of the knowledge article details page and move the check box field to the required section of the page layout. To edit the layout of the knowledge article page, click Edit Layout on the top right corner of the page.
   The authors of the knowledge article need to select the check box if they have validated the data for legislation requirements, such as copy right, intellectual property.
   
   

To record legal information in a knowledge article

To record legal information in a knowledge article, such as SOX, ISO standards, and so on, use any of the following ways:

1. 1. Attach the relevant documents to the knowledge article.
   2. Use custom fields as follows:
   • 1. 1. Add a custom field of type Text to the Custom Fields & Relationships section of the Knowledge article object. For more information about adding a field, see Salesforce Help .
        2. Edit the layout of the knowledge article details page, and move the text field in the appropriate section of the page. To edit the layout of the knowledge article page, click Edit Layout on the top right corner of the page. Users can save the legal information in the text field.
           
           

To record dates of importance for a knowledge article

Perform the following steps to record dates when a knowledge article is important:

1. Add two Date type fields in the Custom Fields & Relationships section of the Knowledge article object, such as Importance Start Date and Importance End Date. For more information about adding a field, see Salesforce Help .
2. Edit the layout of the knowledge article details page, and move the added fields to the required section of the page.
   While creating or editing a knowledge article, users can specify dates in these fields.
   
   

To track knowledge articles through service lifecycle

Perform the following steps to track a knowledge article throughout the service lifecycle:

1. Add a Picklist type field in the Custom Fields & Relationships section of the Knowledge article object, such as Service Lifecycle Phase. For more information about adding a field, see Salesforce Help .
2. Type values for the picklist that suit your business requirements. 
3. Edit the layout of the knowledge article details page, and add this field to the required section. To edit the layout of the knowledge article page, click Edit Layout on the top right corner of the page.
   While creating or editing the knowledge article, users can select a required value from this field.
   
   

To record the reason for having a knowledge article

You can record the reason for having a knowledge article in an existing field on a knowledge article.

Alternatively, you can perform the following steps:

1. Add a field in the Custom Fields & Relationships section of the Knowledge article object. For more information about adding a field, see Salesforce Help .
2. Edit the layout of the knowledge article details page and add this field to the required section on the layout. To edit the layout of the knowledge article page, click Edit Layout on the top right corner of the page.

Related topics

Knowledge management

Getting started with knowledge management

Setting up Remedyforce features in Lightning Experience