22.1 enhancements and patches

Changes to in-app help

In-app help has shifted to a movable widget that is available on every screen. We streamlined self-help to provide the most useful content. The self-help widget provides access to a product tour, interactive guides, instructions for setting up and going live, and more. In addition, you can continue to find answers to your questions in the online documentation or in our  BMC Helix Innovation Studio playlist .

Consent for data collection

After you log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio , select whether you want to allow the product to collect information about your product usage. For more information, see Modifying consent for data collection .

Reschedule the archiving process at off-peak hours

To obtain the best system performance, as an administrator, you can reschedule the archiving process during off-peak hours. You can  also set a recurring schedule to skip the archiving process on certain days.

For more information, see Rescheduling the archiving process.

Direct SQL actions in active links are replaced with Service actions for improved security

To avoid potential security  vulnerabilities such as SQL injection attacks, BMC has replaced all out-of-the-box Direct SQL actions in active links with Service actions.

If you have customized Direct SQL actions in active links, we recommend using the BMC provided framework to convert the existing direct SQL actions to Service actions.

For more information, see Defining Service actions to replace the customized Direct SQL actions in an active link.

Analyze the manual reconciliation effort by using an automatically generated reconciliation report

Estimate the manual reconciliation effort required post upgrade by analyzing the reconciliation report automatically generated by BMC Helix Innovation Suite .

This report provides details about objects that require manual reconciliation. You can download the report by using the AR System Upgrade Tracker form through Mid Tier .
For more information about obtaining the automatically generated reconciliation report, see Analyzing the manual reconciliation effort by using the reconciliation report.

Track the API status of import definitions

Track the import definitions API status by using the AR Metadata API status form. This form tracks the status of the import definition API when you import large definition files.

For more information about using the AR Metadata API status form, see Viewing the API status of import definitions.

Create search filters for BMC Helix Virtual Agent chatbots

If you use BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround as a search provider for BMC Helix Virtual Agent, you can create filters to narrow down the search results in chatbots. When your end users use these filters to search for knowledge articles, the chatbot returns only those articles that meet the search criteria. Your end users benefit from using these search filters in the following ways:

• Quickly find and focus on the required knowledge articles.
• Avoid seeing articles that are irrelevant or unavailable to the users.
• Get personalized user experience.

For more information, see Creating search filters for BMC Helix Virtual Agent .

Access BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround articles based on the enhanced entitlement checks

When you access BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround knowledge articles via a shared link, enhanced entitlement checks are performed. These checks apply to all the knowledge articles:

• Articles synchronized from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management or BMC Helix Business Workflows Knowledge Management to BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround
• Articles created directly in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround

The entitlement checks are based on the mapping defined between support groups in the BMC application and user groups in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround. Learn how the mapping is set in Defining permission mappings for BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround .

CCS parameter values retained during upgrade

BMC has introduced a feature that will restrict the upgrade process from changing the CCS parameters, especially those specific to your environment.

You no longer have to manually reset the values after the upgrade because of any unintentional changes in the CCS parameter values.
For more information, see  Changes to configuration settings during an upgrade

Trigger multiple grid filters in batch mode

Use Begin and End modes in Apply grid filter action on an action button to apply multiple filters on a grid in batch mode. These new modes refresh the grid only after the batch mode is complete, and not after every filter defined in Apply grid filter action. 

For more information, see Configuring actions by using an action button .

Improve the search capability of a named list by providing an additional qualification

Use the Additional named list filter property on a record editor or record grid to specify an additional query for the named list to help users quickly select the relevant values. 

For more information, see  Creating a view for a record instance by using record editor and  Creating a tabular view of record instances by using a record grid .

Override browser locale settings in PWA with user preferences

Use the following configuration parameters to override the browser locale settings with AR User Preference form settings to determine time zone and language in Progressive Web Applications:

useARUserPreferenceForLocalization
useARUserPreferenceForTimezone

To know more, see Setting user preferences and CCS parameters for Progressive Web Applications .

Typeahead feature for named list field in Record Grid component

Use the Typeahead feature for named list fields in a Record Grid component to facilitate data entry operations. The Typeahead feature dynamically filters the search results as you focus your cursor or type in the search box based on the Typeahead keystroke count set for the field. For example, if the Typeahead keystroke count is set to 0, you will get the first 50 entries as you focus your cursor on the search field. If the value is set to 1, you should enter at least one character to get the filtered search results. For example, if you type "m" in the search box associated with the named list field, the search filters the values that contain the character "m" and displays it, making it easier and quicker for you to select from the list. 

For more information, see  Configuring actions by using an action button .

Disable or hide an action button based on the selected rows in a Record grid

You can use Functions in Expression Editor to create an expression to disable or hide action buttons based on what rows you select in a Record Grid. For example, you might have a Ticket console with different record types, such as Incidents, Change requests, and Problems. You might want an Approve action button disabled when records that are already approved are selected.

For more information, see  Creating a tabular view of record instances by using a record grid .

Reconcile customized Developer Studio form views by using the reconciliation process

If you have customized Developer Studio form views, you need to reconcile them after upgrading to BMC Helix Innovation Suite  version 22.1.04.

Reconciling your custom objects ensures the following:

• Your environment is intact after an upgrade and the customized form views do not break.
• You can reconcile the customized Developer Studio form views without requiring intervention from BMC.
• You have an agility to adapt new features as per your convenience.

For more information, see Reconciling customized Developer Studio form views.

Search for BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround articles based on the enhanced entitlement checks

When you search for BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround knowledge articles from your BMC application, the search mechanism uses enhanced entitlement checks that apply to all the knowledge articles:

• Articles synchronized from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management or BMC Helix Business Workflows Knowledge Management to BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround

• Articles created directly in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround

The entitlement checks are based on the mapping defined between permissions groups in the BMC application and user groups in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround. Learn how the mapping is set in Defining permission mappings for BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround .

Provision to show or hide the view component based on user's device

Display the view components on your desktop, mobile, or tablet without compromising usability and user experience. The interface design adapts to the user preferences and the device they are using.

For more information, see Defining the user interface through view definitions .

Bring record data from multiple record definitions together in a single grid

Use a custom record definition to fetch record data from one or more record definitions and display them in a single grid. A service desk agent can use this custom record definition to view the data from multiple record definitions such as incident, task, problem, and change tickets in a single record view.

For more information, see  Creating or modifying custom record definitions .

Customize a list for predefined view presets

Use a View preset selector component to display predefined view presets you want to use at runtime. You can also update the view preset condition at runtime and save it as a custom view preset to the View preset selector.

For more information, see Adding a View preset selector to a view .

Export archived data to the Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) location

You can export the archived data on the Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) location and use the data as and when required. With data archived on SFTP, there are fewer records in the application and the database offers a more efficient performance.

The option to move archived data to SFTP location is available on the AR System Archive Manager Console. 

You can use the following parameters in the Centralized Configuration to set the SFTP location:

• archive-export-ftp-server
• archive-export-ftp-user
• archive-export-ftp-password

For more information, see Exporting and deleting archived data.

View information about a specific server through the AR System Management Console

Information about a server is available on the Server Info tab of the AR System admin console. This tab helps you know about changes made on a specific server in the server group.

For example, in a server group of 10 servers, you modify settings on server 5. These changes are easily accessible through the Server Info tab of the AR System Server Group Console.

For more information, see Viewing information about a specific server in the server group.

Troubleshoot cache sync issues in the server group

In a server group environment, you might occasionally observe that the metadata on all servers is not in sync. To overcome the issue, use the Server Group Cache Peer Error form from through  Mid Tier . 

On the Server Group Cache Peer Error form, review the Record ID reported for a specific RMI URL and troubleshoot the issue by analyzing server group logs or debug logs. For more information, see Troubleshooting cache sync issue in server group.

Select a BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround portal for integration

Select a BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround portal to integrate with BMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT or BMC Helix Business Workflows. When users search for knowledge articles, BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround searches for articles only in this portal. This portal opens directly from the integrated BMC application.

For more information about this feature, see  Adding BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround credentials .

Type-ahead suggestions when creating text filters

Use the type-ahead capability to search for a string by typing a few characters and selecting the associated string from the list of suggestions. For example, you can type Full or full to bring up the quick text response full-time employee 

The type-ahead option works only for named list fields and not for the text fields. 

Leverage icons in BMC Helix Innovation Studio with an icon picker

Access multiple icons in a view or the navigation submenus. You can select the icons or search for an icon from the icon picker in BMC Helix Innovation Studio .

For more information, see Configuring actions by using an action button .

Define row actions in Record Grid

As a developer or an application business analyst, you can define multiple actions to the rows in the Record Grid component. You can run these actions dynamically for record instances at runtime. 

For more information, see  Creating a tabular view of record instances by using a record grid .

Enhance the fields in Record Grid by adding cell styling

You can apply display properties to cells in the Record Grid component. As a developer or application business analyst, you can add styling such as font size, bold, italics, text color, or background color, and change specific cell styling based on an expression. 

For more information, see Creating a tabular view of record instances by using a record grid .

Use predefined custom filters to display records

As a developer or application business analyst, you can create predefined custom filters for a specified column of the Record Grid component in BMC Helix Innovation Studio . You can then use these custom filters at runtime in an application to display only those records that match the filter criteria. 

For more information, see  Creating a tabular view of record instances by using a record grid .

Automatically unlock the BMC Helix Innovation Suite  account

When the BMC Helix Innovation Suite  account is locked due to failed password attempts, you can automatically unlock your account, without the help of an administrator.

In Centralized Configuration, administrators use the Max Number of Automatic Unlock setting to set the number of attempts for incorrect password, and the Automatic Time To Unlock setting to set the time interval for automatic unlock.

For more information, see Enabling automatic password unlocking.

Real-time validation for attachments

The out-of-the-box ARSYS.ARF.SECURITY.ATTACHMENTVALIDATION plug-in performs real-time attachment scanning.

If the attachment antivirus scan fails, the scan result is stored in the Attachment Scan Failure Report form. This form also stores the validation logs.

Configure the exception list to skip antivirus scanning for specific forms and record definition attachment type field.

For more information, see Attachment validation plug-in.

Use the Password Change form to update BMC Helix Innovation Suite password

When you access BMC Helix Innovation Suite through clients, such as Developer Studio , Mid Tier , or Smart IT , use the User Password Change form through Mid Tier  to change the password if the following conditions are true:

• You use BMC Helix Innovation Suite with AR System authentication instead of the BMC Helix Single Sign-On authentication, and
• You log in for the first time to BMC Helix Innovation Suite  , or when you login after your password expires.

Obtain the ARJDBC query execution plan by using the explain query REST API

Use the explain query REST API to obtain and analyze the query execution plan for MS SQL, Oracle, and PostgreSQL databases.

The query execution plan helps you to analyze the database query and improve the system performance by modifying the database query as per your requirement. For more information, see Example of using the explain query REST API to get the ARJDBC query execution plan.

Manage and distribute rule processing load

Distribute a load of business rules by using the pools.  BMC Helix Innovation Studio provides a UI to visualize which rules are executed in which pools. As an administrator, when you trigger a rule, the rule applies to multiple records, utilizing significant computer resources to perform the actions. You can visualize the distribution of rules among pools by using rule pool management, and assign the rules to a specific pool to distribute the load.

For more information, see Assigning rules to a pool for load distribution .

Improve system performance by periodically archiving record data

Improve system performance and comply with record retention policies by archiving obsolete records in BMC Helix Innovation Studio . Archiving the records helps you to reduce the database size by periodically extracting archived data and improve search results and system performance because the application now has fewer records to search.

For more information about archiving data from BMC Helix Innovation Studio , see Enabling record archiving .

View logs for debugging process definitions

In BMC Helix Innovation Studio , track and debug issues by viewing and downloading logs for process instances. As a developer or an application business analyst, you can gather information about functional issues or errors in a process instance and log them to a log file.

For more information, see Viewing and downloading process logs .

View errors during import and export of a content package

As an administrator, you can view a status report that indicates success and failure of all the content within the package. For more information, see Deploying application tailoring changes .

You can also view the history of past content package imports so that you can analyze the import behavior and the data within the package.

For more information, see Creating content packages to deploy tailoring changes of applications .

Synchronize articles in multiple languages from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management or BMC Helix Business Workflows Knowledge Management to BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround

Have your localized knowledge articles copied to the respective translation languages in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround. The synchronization tool automatically migrates articles written in languages other than English to the corresponding translations in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround.

You can leverage multilanguage synchronization capabilities for common locales that are supported by BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management or BMC Helix Business Workflows Knowledge Management and your portal in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround.

To learn more about synchronizing localizations, see  How localizations are synchronized .

Separate migration options for synchronizing knowledge articles

Streamline the synchronization process from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management or BMC Helix Business Workflows Knowledge Management to BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround by using performance-oriented and precise synchronization options. You can select between three distinct synchronization options to achieve the following results:

• Copy the folders only (Folder contents are not copied)—Create the folder structure only.
• Sync all (Override)—Migrate all content to created folders.
• Sync changes only—Copy only the new or changed articles to avoid overriding knowledge articles updated directly in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround.

For more information about the available synchronization options, see  Synchronizing the knowledge bases .

Integrate BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround with BMC Helix Business Workflows

Integrate BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround with BMC Helix Business Workflows to use BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround as a knowledge provider for BMC Helix Business Workflows. BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround provides the following benefits: 

• AI-powered cognitive search with natural language processing capabilities and predictive insights
• Multilanguage support that offers interfaces and the ability to easily create and translate knowledge articles to different languages
• Real-time translation of knowledge articles to more than 100 languages
• Omnichannel integration that allows knowledge consumption from multiple applications

• Support for KCS® V6 methodology

• Option to make the knowledge articles visible to your external end users
• Option to add rich media to your knowledge articles
• Out-of-the-box knowledge articles to support service desk agents and customers who use software from Microsoft, Google, Adobe, and Zoom

To learn how to integrate BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround with BMC Helix Business Workflows, see Getting started with BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround .

Improve system performance and maintain database sanity by using the Data Cleanup utility

The Data Cleanup utility periodically scans the forms and record definitions that contain large amount of data and removes the stale data from your environment. This helps improve system performance by maintaining database sanity. This prevents data load on the user facing servers.

By default, the Data Cleanup utility runs on a set of pre-defined forms and record definitions with non-functional data which tend to grow quickly.

Administrators use the Stale Data Cleanup form and select forms and record definitions, the age of data, and the time interval to run the Data Cleanup utility. The Data Cleanup utility does not run on archived forms.

For more information about using the Data Cleanup utility, see .Improving system performance by using the Data Cleanup utility v22.1.

Effective database resource utilization by stopping the long running database calls 

An administrator uses the Timeout-Queries-From-Get-Calls-Only setting in the Centralized Configuration to avoid connection timeout when you run a SELECT query on the database.

For more information about the Timeout-Queries-From-Get-Calls-Only setting, see Timeout-Queries-From-Get-Calls-Only.

Sort and pagination functionality is available for the Errored tab of the Manage Process dashboard

In BMC Helix Innovation Studio , sorting and pagination functionality is available for the table/grid on the Errored tab of the Manage Process dashboard.

Monitor the health of BMC Helix Innovation Suite by using the arstartup-debug.log file

An improved log file, arstartup-debug.log captures API, SQL, and Filter logs during AR System server startup. This helps an administrator to monitor the health and efficiency of the environment and perform better issue analysis.

The arstartup-debug.log file is located in the db folder.

BMC Helix subscribers can contact BMC customer support to enable the start-up logs. For more information about logging, see Logging and monitoring AR System server.

Access process logs and bundle logs from the Server Group Log Management tab on the AR System Server Group Administration Console

The Server Group Log Management tab on the AR System Server Group Administration Console offers an easy mechanism to access Process logs and bundle logs for BMC Helix Innovation Studio.

• You can download process logs, also select bundle name from the available bundles and download logs.
• You can also define a process filter to filter logs for specific process.

For more information, see Managing logs for server groups.

Run developer sandboxes on your local machine by using a docker container

As an administrator, you can access the Developer portal and install a BMC Helix Innovation Suite Sandbox on your local system by running a docker container. You can use this local Developer Sandbox to develop and test your applications on your machine without the same security restrictions placed on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Developer Sandbox instances. 

Use the BMC Helix Innovation Suite Developer Sandbox version 22.1 instance to perform the following actions on your local system:

• Test and debug custom code
• Build and leverage Web APIs and External Record Definitions
• Share folders between the laptop and the docker instance to have the logs available locally

For more information about creating a new local development environment, see Setting up a local Developer Sandbox environment in  BMC Helix Innovation Studio documentation.

Change content displayed in the @mention component using a run process

As an application developer, you can enable application users to decide the type of content displayed in an @mention list by using the CHANGE_HOTKEY_MENU process command.

For more information about the process command, see Process commands. To understand the usage of the command with an example use case, see the "To enable users to select the type of content displayed in the @mention component" section in Configuring the @mention component.