Defining assignment processes to trigger the assignment policies

You can define the assignment processes. When an application request is submitted, the assignment process triggers the assignment rules to identify the assignee, and automatically assigns the request to the correct assignee.

The following image shows the stages for configuring applications to automatically assign requests:

In BMC Helix Innovation Studio, you can use the Call Assignment Policy element in the Process designer to define an assignment process.

Before you begin

Before you create an assignment process, ensure that the following actions are completed:

1. The application for which you want to add the assignment process is deployed and can be viewed in the Workspace area in BMC Helix Innovation Studio. 
   Ensure that you have specified dependency on the Assignment library in the pom.xml file located in the bundle project. Otherwise, the Call Assignment Policy element is not displayed in the Process designer of your application. For more information, see Using components from another developer's Digital Service application or library.
   
2. The record definition for which you want to add the assignment process is created.
   For more information, see Working with record definitions.
3. The assignment policy that you want to trigger from the assignment process is created. For more information, see Defining assignment policies to specify rules for assignment.

To create an assignment process

1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio and navigate to the Workspace tab. 
2. Select the application in which you want to use the Call Assignment Policy element.
3. In the application, click the Processes tab.
4. Perform one of the following actions:
   
   • To add the assignment process to an existing process, click that process.
   • To create a process and then add the assignment process, click New.
5. (Applicable only for a new process) To enter the process information, click the  icon in the Properties pane on the right side and perform the following actions:
   1. Enter the Name and Description of your process.
   2. To enable the process, click the Enabled check box.
   3. From the Run as list, select a user who should be able to run the process.
   4. To add new parameters, click Add/Remove Variables in the Variables section.

   5. In the Add/Remove Variables dialog box, click Add Variable and enter the following details:

      Field Name	Description
      Name	Specify a suitable name for the variable.
      Variable ID	Specify a unique ID to identify the variable; this value must be numeric. You can use the variable ID in other processes.
      Variable Type	Specify if the variable is an input/output parameter or a local variable. For an input parameter, if you select the Variable Type as Input Required and Data Type as Record, a context key is set automatically. Process input parameters and output parameters are the interface of a process. When starting a process, data is passed to the input parameters and when the process is complete, data is received from the output parameters. The only exception is Record data type.
      Description	Provide a description that clearly indicates the purpose of the variable.
      Data Type	From the list, select Record data type and then specify the request record definition that you want to use for automatic assignment.

   6. To add another parameter, click Add Variable and enter details about the parameter.
   7. Click Save.
6. To add the assignment process variable, drag the Call Assignment Policy element from the palette onto the canvas, as shown in the following image:
   

7. Select the Assignment Process element, click the  icon in the Properties pane on the right side, and specify the following information: 

   Field Name	Description
   Label	Specify a suitable label for the parameter.
   Description	Provide a description that clearly indicates the purpose of this variable.
   Run as	Select a user who can run the process according to the permissions inherited from the process or permissions of the selected user role. For example, if you specify Administrator, only those users that have the administrator permissions can run the assignment process.
   Input map	Select the record definition that you selected earlier for the process variable. BMC Helix Platform performs automatic assignment on the application that is associated with the record definition. For information about adding input process variables, see Adding variables to processes.
   Policy name	Specify the assignment policy that should be triggered when an application request is submitted.

8. Click Save.

The assignment process is created.

To trigger the assignment process by using a rule

To trigger the assignment process, you must create a rule and use the assignment process in the rule. 

1. On the Rules tab, click New.
   The Trigger element appears on the canvas by default.

2. In the Properties pane, in the General tab, enter the name for the rule.  

3. Select the Trigger component > Settings pane and specify the following parameters:

   1. From the Trigger Type list, select Record Event.

   2. From the Record Event list, select After Create.

4. Select the Process component > Settings pane and specify the following parameters 

1. Enter the label for the process.

2. In the Process to Start list, select the assignment process that you want to initiate.

5. Save the rule.

After a record instance is created in the request record definition, BMC Helix Platform triggers the assignment process. For more information, see Creating rules.

Related topics

Enabling automatic record assignment in an application

Defining assignment policies to specify rules for assignment