Phased rollout

 

This version of the software is currently available only to early adopter SaaS customers as the first step in our phased rollout. Click here to view an earlier version.

21.02 enhancements


Review the BMC Helix ITSM 21.02 enhancements for features that will benefit your organization and to understand changes that might impact your users.

The following video (4:01) provides a summary of some of the new features and enhancements in BMC Helix ITSM version 21.02.

 https://youtu.be/qjT8YLQGlQA


BMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT enhancements

Progressive Web App screens for six more ticket types

To offer a customizable dynamic modern UX that exactly fits your needs, the support for Progressive Web App (PWA) screens has been extended to the following ticket types in Smart IT:

PWA screens are already available for Incidents and Work Orders. See Enabling the Progressive Web Application screens.

To learn how you can customize these screens in Developer Studio, see AR System 21.02 enhancements.



BMC Helix ITSM extends Russian language support and adds Polish language support

BMC Helix ITSM solution now supports Russian and Polish localization as a part of the standard SaaS setup. Learn more about Supported languages and locales.




BMC Helix ITSM enhancements




Version 20.08 and earlier

Version 21.02 and later

Remedy Action Request System (Remedy AR System)

Remedy IT Service Management Suite (Remedy ITSM)

BMC Helix ITSM
BMC CMDBBMC Helix CMDB
Remedy with Smart ITBMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT
Remedy Smart ReportingBMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting
Remedy Change ManagementBMC Helix ITSM: Change Management
Remedy Knowledge ManagementBMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management

Remedy Asset Management

BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management

Remedy Service Desk 

BMC Helix ITSM: Service Desk

Remedy Single Sign-On

BMC Helix Single Sign-On

Product name changes in Remedy platform and Remedy ITSM applications

Consult the following tables for changes to the product and component names starting with version 21.02. While the product names have changed in 21.02, some instances in the product documentation still refer to the previous product name.

For information on product name changes in BMC Helix Platform and applications, see BMC Helix Innovation Studio enhancements Open link .



Identify problems proactively by leveraging machine learning

Leverage the power of machine learning to detect high-value clusters of recurring incidents and initiate the otherwise expensive and cumbersome process of problem investigation.

BMC Helix ITSM Insights enables problem coordinators to:

  • Automate the identification of recurring incidents by applying Natural Language Processing (NLP) and AI clustering to open text fields
  • Analyze incident data to identify the most valuable incident clusters for root cause analysis and incident reduction
  • Transition to formal Problem Management seamlessly, thus reducing the effort for incident analysis and problem creation

For more information, see Determining areas for problem investigation.



Identify and track multiple incidents for the same issue

Identifying incidents that reflect the same acute issue is difficult for Service Desk managers and agents as manual reviews are needed and there is no easy way to see the trending issues.

With the Real-time incident correlation workspace in BMC Helix ITSM Insights, Service Desk managers can

  • View the trending issues or hot spots in real time
  • Identify and track incidents related to same issue with the help of an improved AI-based algorithm
  • Relate incidents as duplicates to streamline incident management and reduce duplicate work
  • Identify the probable cause and restore the service quickly

For additional information, see Identifying and correlating incidents that refer to the same issue.



Launch Probable Cause Analysis from incidents

Launch the Probable Cause Analysis (PCA) functionality in BMC Helix Service Monitoring (Powered by AIOps)directly from the PWA (Progressive Web Application) incident screen to determine the most likely causes of the incidents that you are working on.

Incident Management users (with entitlement to use BMC Helix Service Monitoring (Powered by AIOps)) can use Probable Cause Analysis to:

  • Analyze operations and service management data including events, changes and incidents

  • Restore the service faster by reducing the time to identify cause of incidents

For additional information, see:

  • Explore probable causes for an incidents Open link (Smart IT documentation)
  • Probable cause analysis (PCA) Open link (BMC Helix Service Monitoring (Powered by AIOps) documentation)



Enhanced documentation

We have completely restructured and edited the BMC Helix ITSM documentation spaces to help you find the required content with fewer clicks. Here is what we have done to improve your experience with BMC documentation.

  • Merged many smaller topics into parent topics to reduce the total number of topics by 60%. The useful content is no longer too deep in the navigation hierarchy.
  • Redesigned the Home pages and landing pages.  
  • Changed the topic names based on the use case and added better cross-references.
  • Added many new and updated graphics and videos.
  • Added the processes and best practice recommendations from the Service Management Process Model (SMPM).  

For the links to some of the old popular pages, see FAQ.




 BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting enhancements


BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting on BMC Helix Innovation Suite

BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting is now available on BMC Helix Innovation Suite. BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting serves as a single reporting application for both, Service Management and BMC Helix Innovation Studio applications. In addition to Service Management applications, an administrator can perform the following actions in BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting forBMC Helix Innovation Studio applications such as BMC Helix Virtual Agent and BMC Helix Business Workflows:

Important

BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting is not available for reporting on BMC Digital Workplace .

For more information on the convergence of the platform, see  AR System enhancements Open link  in the Action Request System documentation.




BMC Helix CMDB enhancements


CMDB Explorer optimizations

CMDB Portal provides the following enhancements for better view and management of CIs from CMDB Explorer:

  • Locate CIs - Search for a CI by entering the CI name in the Locate CIs field in the CMDB Explorer.
  • Remove CIs - Use Select Mode to select a CI and remove it from the Explorer view.
  • Layout - Use the Layout toggle key to switch between Linear view and Curve view of the relationships between CIs in CMDB Explorer.

For more information about simplifying the CMDB Explorer view, see Searching and viewing CIs and relationships in CMDB Explorer.



Edit standard identification and merge rules

CMDB Portal offers the ability to edit the standard rules for identification and merge activities that are available by default. It is easier to manage the standard reconciliation jobs that have Identify and Merge activities by changing the standard rules instead of creating custom rules and custom reconciliation jobs.

For more information about editing the standard rules, see:



View and cancel queued jobs in reconciliation

From BMC Helix CMDB 21.02, the jobs that are stuck in queue are displayed on the reconciliation page in the Queued tab. You no longer need to access the queued jobs by using backend forms. You can view and cancel the jobs from the queue from the CMDB Portal. For more information about queued jobs, see Monitoring a reconciliation job.





New launch point in CMDB Portal for accessing Adobe Flash-based CMDB components

If you are using a browser that supports Adobe Flash, you can still access the Flash-based BMC Helix CMDB components from CMDB Portal. For more information about accessing the components in Flash-based UI, see Accessing components of BMC Atrium Core Console.



View audit history for related classes

After you make any changes to a CI, you can view the audit history for that class and for all the related classes. You can use the Include related records check box to view the audit history for the related records.

For more information about viewing audit history, see Viewing the history of changes to a CI.




Action Request System enhancements


BMC Helix Innovation Suite for Service Management applications

Starting with version 21.02, Service Management applications run on a single environment named, BMC Helix Innovation Suite . With the new BMC Helix Innovation Suite , we bring together the capabilities of Action Request System and BMC Helix Innovation Studio  .

As an Action Request System user, use the Action Request System  components and clients. Leverage Service Management applications or build a custom application by using Developer Studio .

As a BMC Helix Innovation Studio  user, use the the Service Management applications or build a custom application by using BMC Helix Innovation Studio . 

BMC Helix Innovation Suite provides:

  • A single-tenant common environment for Service Management applications.

  • A shared database between Action Request System  and BMC Helix Innovation Studio .
  • A common Foundation data for applications that run on the BMC Helix Innovation Suite
  • The ability to interoperate between Action Request System and BMC Helix Innovation Studio . For example, you can call a process that is defined by using BMC Helix Innovation Studio in Action Request System . The process is called by triggering a filter written in Developer Studio .

For more information, see Product overview.



Leverage common Foundation data for Service Management applications

BMC Helix Innovation Suite supports common Foundation data that can be used by Service Management applications, such as BMC Helix Business Workflows , BMC Helix Virtual Agent ,
BMC Helix ITSM: Change Management ,
and so on. The common Foundation data creates a single data source for the Service Management applications.

There is no need to normalize application data and to perform Foundation data sync from BMC Helix ITSM to BMC Helix Innovation Studio  applications.

For more information, see Setting up and modifying Foundation data by using Application Administration Console.

BMC Helix Innovation Suite supports following features for the common Foundation data:

  • Set up your Foundation data from  Mid Tier
    Onboard Foundation data or load the data in bulk for the Service Management applications. Use the Mid Tier  to build the Foundation data in your custom applications.

To learn more about Foundation data, see Setting up and modifying Foundation data by using Application Administration Console.

  • Create Operational Categorization Tier 4 
    Create and modify a Tier 4 for Operational Catalog data to allow BMC Helix Innovation Studio applications, such as BMC Helix Business Workflows , to continue by using this additional level of service category. For more information, see Configuring operational catalogs.
  • Create Domain tags
    Continue to support domain tags in Foundation data to identify it with a line of business in your application; for example, BMC Helix Business Workflows . For more information, see Filtering Foundation data by domain.
  • Introduce IS Personas

    Create and modify IS Personas to enable BMC Helix Innovation Studio applications, such as BMC Helix Business Workflows , to continue operating with functional roles and application-based roles. For more information, IS Persona overview.



Support for single instance of BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting

BMC Helix Innovation Suite supports single instance of BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting for both BMC Helix ITSM and BMC Helix Innovation Studio  applications. Administrators can onboard users from the Customer Onboarding UI in the BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting  Administration console for the following Service Management applications:

  • BMC Helix CMDB
  • BMC Helix ITSM
  • BMC Service Request Management
  • BMC Service Level Management
  • BMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT
  • BMC Helix Virtual Agent
  • BMC Helix Business Workflows

Advantages of using a single instance of BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting :

  • Creates a single data source for all Service Management applications.
  • Supports easier onboarding of users for multiple applications.
  • Avoids multiple configurations to access BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting .
  • Eliminates the need to add redundant infrastructure.

For more information, see  Onboarding Open link in BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting  documentation. 



Multiple development layers to let you choose how your app works

BMC Helix Innovation Suite has two object layers, one for developing apps that are intended to be customized called the base layer and one for developing apps that can't be customized called the customization layer. Additionally the customization layer is used when customizing apps that reside in the base layer. When you customize an object, a copy of the object is created in the customization layer and then used in place of the original object that resides in the base.

The following development modes are available to select while you are developing:

  • (Default) Best Practices Customization(BPC) Mode
  • Base Development Mode


When developing in the Base Development Mode, objects are created in the base and can be customized. When developing in the BPC Mode, objects are created in the customization layer and can't be customized.

For more information, see Customization layer Open link in BMC Helix Innovation Studio  documentation.



Service Management plug-in to leverage BMC Helix Dashboards for Service Management applications

The Service Management plug-in integration with BMC Helix Dashboards enables to visually represent data from BMC Helix ITSM applications and BMC Helix Innovation Studio applications.

The Service Management plug-in integration with BMC Helix Dashboards offers the following benefits:

  • Provides database neutral query and functions.
  • Enforces permission model, such as row-level security while retrieving the data.
  • Retrieves data from the Vendor form.
  • Retrieves data that is encrypted by the AR System server  in the database. 

To learn about leveraging BMC Helix Dashboards, see Creating interactive dashboards for your applications by using BMC Helix Dashboards.



AR System Webhooks to support additional capabilities

AR System  Webhooks are enhanced to support the following additional capabilities:

  • IMS authentication
    Use this authentication type when providing notifications and callback to applications that run on BMC Helix Portal.
  • Merge operation
    Define a webhook that triggers when you merge content of one form to another.
  • Return data from all fields listed in fieldlist
    Select the Send Unchanged Fields option on the AR System Webhook Registration form to return values from all fields specified in the fieldlist. If you do not select this option, the AR System  Webhook returns data for the fields that are updated.
  • Use the record_id as a unique record identifier
    AR System webhook returns record_id(Field 379) in addition to an entry_id.
  • Custom JSON
    You can attach a custom JSON to send an additional response along with the regular webhook response on a call back URL.

For more information, see Adding AR System webhook to receive automatic notifications.



Sync BMC Helix ITSM users into BMC Helix Portal

You can request the BMC SaaS Operations to sync BMC Helix ITSM  users into BMC Helix Portal. Syncing the BMC Helix ITSM  users enables cross-product access and allows the users to authenticate into BMC Helix Portal with their existing credentials. BMC Helix Portal also supports cross-launch for the following products:

  • BMC Helix Digital Workplace 
  • BMC Digital Workplace Catalog
  • BMC Helix Innovation Suite



Ability to load settings from a specific server

The Longest running API/SQL tab of Remedy Management Console enables you to load settings from a specific server. You can then apply the settings to the entire server group or to a specific server in the server group.

For example, consider a server group of five servers. Server 1, Server 2, Server 3, Server 4, and Server 5. You can choose to apply the settings of Server 3 to the entire server group or only to Server 5.

For more information, see Gathering statistics about the longest running API and SQL commands.



Encrypt a character field by hashing the value in the field

As an administrator or an application business analyst, configure a character field to encrypt data entered in that field. This is done by using the hashing mechanism. Hashing provides an additional level of security by ensuring that any crucial, highly confidential information is entered and stored in an encrypted format.

For more information, see Encrypting values in a character field.



Ability to send alert and email notifications to users

As an administrator, configure notifications to send alerts and email notifications to users when events occur.

For more information, see Configuring notifications for people records.



Create and update record instances with multiple security labels in a single action in BMC Helix Innovation Studio

As an administrator or an application business analyst, use just one element to add multiple security labels and add all the necessary permissions, roles, functional roles while creating or updating records. You no longer need to use multiple Set Security Label and Remove Security Label elements to add and remove multiple security labels in a process.

For more information, see Providing access to record instances by defining security labels Open link .






Synchronize BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management articles with BMC Helix Knowledge Management

Boost your knowledge base with an extensive Article-Pack in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround that supports service desk agents and customers that use software from Microsoft, Google, Adobe, and Zoom. End users can benefit from the democratized knowledge authoring that increases knowledge quality and higher search relevancy. The enhanced cognitive and natural language processing search capabilities find the most relevant knowledge article for the end users.

As an administrator, you continue to create, edit, and update articles in BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management.

For more information, see Setting up BMC Helix Knowledge Management in an application Open link .



Additional locale support provided by real-time language translation

Use real-time translation to localize chatbot conversation in languages that are unsupported by BMC Helix Innovation Studio , but are supported by translation providers such as Google Cloud Translation Services or Microsoft Azure Translator Speech API. The image shows how how you can interact with a chatbot in Hindi, one of the unsupported languages of BMC Helix Innovation Studio , by using real-time translation.

For more information, see  Enabling real-time translation for an application Open link .



Properties and keywords added in Developer Studio to support progressive views

Developer Studio  provides the developers with additional properties and keywords to work with progressive views. Some of the properties enable you to make the following changes:

  • Change the button colors.
  • Change of font size and colors of all fields.
  • Apply background colors to panels, trim text fields, or button fields with change field active links.
  • Add background images for panels and views.
  • Add images and customize their positions to buttons.
  • Add alternative text to buttons for tooltips.
  • Display buttons as flat images.

For more information, see,  Field PropertiesKeywordsCreating active links, and Modifying panels and panel holders.



Create an attachment pool for PWA by using a remote form

In Developer Studio , you can define a table field that allows a variable number of attachments by using a remote form in progressive views. This enhancement enables an user to upload as many attachments as per their requirement.

To support this enhancement, for the Display Type property of a Table field, a new value called Attachment is added in Developer Studio .

To learn how to define an attachment pool by using a table, see Managing attachments in Progressive Web Applications by using a remote form.



Auto-alignment of fields in progressive views

When you drag fields onto a form in a progressive view, Developer Studio  automatically aligns the fields available on the form to the left. This feature saves your time by eliminating the need to manually align the fields on the form.

For more information, see Aligning fields.



Ability to copy the current panel and all its child panels including fields in progressive views in Developer Studio

Developer Studio provides you with an option to copy the current panel and all its child panels including fields. This option is available only for a sub panel, a section panel and a fixed panel.

To learn how to copy the current panel and all its child panels, see Modifying panels and panel holders.



View the execution mode of an active link from the object list

When you enable active links for parallel execution, the Run in parallel and Don't wait for completion information is shown in the Execute On column (object list). You get to know what active links are scheduled to run in parallel from the Object List itself. You don't need to go to each active link to check if it is scheduled to run in parallel.

To learn more about active link execution options, see Creating active links.



Logging enhancements

The following usability enhancements in the log files facilitate easy debugging.:

  • Active links have transaction IDs for easier traceability
  • Log messages are enhanced with better font and color
  • Interval-based active links have a marker ID and a filter is included to hide them from the log window
  • Child active links have a reference to the main active link when active links are running in parallel

For information on active link logging, see Log information for active links.

For logging settings, see Configuring the Log Settings page by using Mid Tier Configuration Tool.



Create a faceted filter in cell-based tables and list-view tables in PWA

In your progressive web application, you can create a faceted filter in a cell-based table and a list-view table. You can create a faceted filter only for character fields with search menus. A faceted filter is useful when a user requires a simple filter for tables. The user can avoid selecting too many advanced options and can use the faceted filter with a few clicks.

To learn how to create a faceted filter, see Creating a faceted filter.




BMC Helix Single Sign-On enhancements


Ability to lock a local user account after unsuccessful login

A BMC Helix SSO administrator can enable account lockout if a local user enters incorrect credentials. As a BMC Helix SSO administrator, you can configure the lockout threshold and lockout interval. The locked user can be unlocked by the BMC Helix SSO administrator or automatically. For more information, see Managing local users and passwords.



Ability to force local users to reset password

As a BMC Helix SSO administrator, you can force local users to reset their password after they successfully log in to the BMC application integrated with BMC Helix SSO. For more information, see Managing local users and passwords.




What else changed in this release


The following sections list the changes in the product behavior of different BMC Helix ITSM components.:

What else changed in BMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT

UpdateProduct behavior in versions earlier than 21.02Product behavior in version 21.02

Workspaces menu in the Smart IT menu bar

This option is not present.

Users with appropriate permissions can access the Workspaces list in the Smart IT menu bar. From this list, you can launch the Proactive problem management and Real-time incident correlation functionality provided by BMC Helix ITSM Insights.

For more information, see:

  • Proactive problem management Open link (BMC Helix ITSM Insights documentation)
  • Real-time incident correlation Open link (BMC Helix ITSM Insights documentation)

Users can access the Workspaces list in Smart IT only when the following conditions are met:

  1. BMC Helix ITSM Insights is licensed.
  2. The innovation_suite.base.url parameter has been set.
  3. Users have the appropriate Smart IT incident or problem permissions.
View probable causes or an incidentThis option is not present.

To understand the probable causes of an incident, you can launch BMC Helix Service Monitoring (Powered by AIOps) directly from PWA incident screen. By launching PCA, you can get more insights about status of associated services and probable events which might have caused this incident. 

For more information, see Creating a ticket from the Create New menu.

New configuration parameter:
enableAIOPSIntegration

This configuration parameter is not present.

You can configure this parameter to enable the integration of BMC Helix Service Monitoring (Powered by AIOps) with Smart IT.

For more information, see Centralized configuration.

New configuration parameter:
Helix-Portal-URL
This configuration parameter is not present.

You can configure this parameter to specify the Identity Management System (IMS) server base URL to be used for authentication.

For more information, see Centralized configuration.

New configuration parameter:
Helix-Portal-Tenant-Id
This configuration parameter is not present.

You can configure this parameter to specify the BMC Helix Portal tenant ID to be used for authentication and integration.

For more information, see Centralized configuration.

New configuration parameter:
innovation_suite.base.url
This configuration parameter is not present.

This parameter is used to specify the server base BMC Helix Innovation Suite URL to be used for authentication and integration.

For more information, see Centralized configuration.

New error message in the login page of Smart IT

In an environment where BMC Helix Single Sign-On has been integrated, if you log in to Smart IT with a demo user credential, instead of displaying an error message, it displays a spinning wheel. 

In an environment where BMC Helix Single Sign-Onhas been integrated, if you log in to Smart IT with a demo user credential, the following error message is displayed:

You are not authorized to access this page

Important: If you want to navigate to the login page of Smart IT, you should clear the cache of the browser.

Default value of the following configuration parameter: explicitStatsRefresh The default value is false.

For fresh installation, the the default value is true.

For more information, see Centralized configuration.

Support for Internet Explorer version 11 is deprecated

Smart IT supports Internet Explorer 11.

As announced Open link , the support for Internet Explorer 11 is now deprecated. We encourage you to switch to other fully supported browsers listed for Smart IT in the BMC Solution and Product Availability and Compatibility utility Open link .

For a complete list of BMC products that no longer support Internet Explorer 11, see the BMC Customer Support Communities page Open link .

(Google Chrome browser version 80 and later)

No support for active links that run on Close window and Un-display events

When you click the browser close button, the current window or all open browser windows are closed.

With Google Chrome version 80 and later, the active links that run on the Close Window and un-display event might not work as expected.

Set the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration to False.

For more information about the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter, see Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks Open link .

(Default) When the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration is set to False:

  • The Close Window and Un-display events are disabled in Developer Studio.
  • You cannot create new active links with Close Window and Un-display execution options.
  • If you select close Window and Un-display execution options for any existing active link, the options are displayed as selected and disabled.
  • You can modify active links for all options except Window and Un-display.

When the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration is set to True:

  • Mid Tier tries to run the active links with close Window and Un-display execution options. This might not work as expected in Google Chrome version 80 and later. However, this might work in other browsers.
  • The Close Window and Un-display events are not disabled in Developer Studio.
  • You can create new active links with Close Window and Un-display execution options.
  • The behavior of existing active links using Close Window and Un-display execution options does not change.

For information about the list of modified active links, see List of active links modified in 21.02 Open link .

What else changed in BMC Helix ITSM

UpdateProduct behavior in versions earlier than 21.02Product behavior in version 21.02
Support for Internet Explorer version 11 is deprecated

BMC Helix ITSM supports Internet Explorer 11.

As announced Open link , the support for Internet Explorer 11 is now deprecated. We encourage you to switch to other fully supported browsers listed for BMC Helix ITSM in the BMC Solution and Product Availability and Compatibility utility Open link .

For a complete list of BMC products that no longer support Internet Explorer 11, see the BMC Customer Support Communities page Open link .

(Google Chrome browser version 80 and later)

No support for active links that run on Close window and Un-display events

When you click the browser close button, the current window or all open browser windows are closed.

With Google Chrome version 80 and later, the active links that run on the Close Window and un-display event might not work as expected.

Set the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration to False.

For more information about the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter, see Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks Open link .

(Default) When the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration is set to False:

  • The Close Window and Un-display events are disabled in Developer Studio.
  • You cannot create new active links with Close Window and Un-display execution options.
  • If you select close Window and Un-display execution options for any existing active link, the options are displayed as selected and disabled.
  • You can modify active links for all options except Window and Un-display.

When the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration is set to True:

  • Mid Tier tries to run the active links with close Window and Un-display execution options. This might not work as expected in Google Chrome version 80 and later. However, this might work in other browsers.
  • The Close Window and Un-display events are not disabled in Developer Studio.
  • You can create new active links with Close Window and Un-display execution options.
  • The behavior of existing active links using Close Window and Un-display execution options does not change.

For information about the list of modified active links, see List of active links modified in 21.02 Open link .

What else changed in BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting

Update

Product behavior in versions earlier than 21.02Product behavior in version 21.02
Ability to view and manage all content, including private content created by other users.You can view the private content created by other users only if you are given access to it.You can view and manage all content, including private content created by other users. For this, a super administrator must assign the Super Content User function to your role. For more information, see Granting Content Super User permission to access and manage all content.

BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reportinglog file changed from log4j.properties to log4j2.xml.

You can view and manage the BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting logs in the log4j.properties file.

You can view and manage the BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting logs in the new log4j2.xml file. For more information, see Configuring Smart Reporting log settings.

Support for Internet Explorer version 11 is deprecated.

BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reportingsupports Internet Explorer version 11.

As announced Open link , the support for Internet Explorer 11 is now deprecated. We encourage you to switch to other fully supported browsers listed for Action Request System in the BMC Solution and Product Availability and Compatibility utility Open link .

For a complete list of BMC products that no longer support Internet Explorer 11, see the BMC Customer Support Communities page Open link .

(Google Chrome browser version 80 and later)

No support for active links that run on Close window and Un-display events

When you click the browser close button, the current window or all open browser windows are closed.

With Google Chrome version 80 and later, the active links that run on the Close Window and un-display event might not work as expected.

Set the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration to False.

For more information about the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter, see Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks Open link .

(Default) When the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration is set to False:

  • The Close Window and Un-display events are disabled in Developer Studio.
  • You cannot create new active links with Close Window and Un-display execution options.
  • If you select close Window and Un-display execution options for any existing active link, the options are displayed as selected and disabled.
  • You can modify active links for all options except Window and Un-display.

When the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration is set to True:

  • Mid Tier tries to run the active links with close Window and Un-display execution options. This might not work as expected in Google Chrome version 80 and later. However, this might work in other browsers.
  • The Close Window and Un-display events are not disabled in Developer Studio.
  • You can create new active links with Close Window and Un-display execution options.
  • The behavior of existing active links using Close Window and Un-display execution options does not change.

For information about the list of modified active links, see List of active links modified in 21.02 Open link .

What else changed in BMC Helix CMDB

UpdateProduct behavior in versions earlier than 21.02Product behavior in version 21.02
Dataset configurations for normalization

You cannot disable normalization for a dataset. You must define the appropriate normalization job settings in the Normalization configurations for all datasets in Core configurations and on the normalization job creation page in CMDB Portal.

You can enable or disable normalization for specific datasets by using the Enable normalization option in Normalization mode. For more information about normalization modes for datasets, see Configuring normalization settings for datasets.
Reconciliation jobs with missing job definitionsYou must investigate every job to understand if there are any errors in the reconciliation job definitions.

If there are jobs with missing or incorrect information, the reconciliation page displays a message with a link to the list of such jobs.

The following image shows the message with a link to the list of jobs that appears on the reconciliation page:

For information about troubleshooting the jobs with missing job definitions, see Troubleshooting Reconciliation Engine jobs that do not start or finish.

CMDB Explorer

You cannot specify the hierarchy levels for CIs that are displayed in CMDB Explorer

From the CMDB UI Preferences tab in Configurations, you can customize the CMDB Explorer view by configuring the following parameters:

  • Graph Levels - Set the number of CI levels to be displayed in CMDB Explorer.
  • Graph Limit - Limit the number of CIs to be displayed in CMDB Explorer.
  • Graph Limit Warning Threshold - Get a warning in the Explorer view if the number of CIs exceeds the specified limit.

For more information about configuring the CMDB Explorer view, see Searching and viewing CIs and relationships in CMDB Explorer

AuditYou cannot view the CI changes that affect related classes.

From the CMDB UI Preferences tab in Configurations, you can set the default view for viewing the audit history of related classes.

For more information about audit history of related classes, see Viewing the history of changes to a CI.

Support for Internet Explorer version 11 is deprecated

BMC Helix CMDB supports Internet Explorer version 11.

As announced Open link , the support for Internet Explorer version 11 is now deprecated. We encourage you to switch to other fully supported browsers listed for BMC Helix CMDB in the BMC Solution and Product Availability and Compatibility utility Open link .

For a complete list of BMC products that no longer support Internet Explorer 11, see the BMC Customer Support Communities page Open link .

Append to lists option in custom merge precedence rulesThe source dataset with highest precedence value overwrites the value in production dataset.

Use the Append to lists feature while configuring the merge precedence rules. You can specify whether the the value from the source dataset with the highest precedence appends to or overwrites the value in the production dataset.

For more information about merge precedence rules, see Creating precedence sets and associations for reconciliation merge activities.

(Google Chrome browser version 80 and later)

No support for active links that run on Close window and Un-display events

When you click the browser close button, the current window or all open browser windows are closed.

With Google Chrome version 80 and later, the active links that run on the Close Window and un-display event might not work as expected.

Set the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration to False.

For more information about the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter, see Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks Open link .

(Default) When the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration is set to False:

  • The Close Window and Un-display events are disabled in Developer Studio.
  • You cannot create new active links with Close Window and Un-display execution options.
  • If you select close Window and Un-display execution options for any existing active link, the options are displayed as selected and disabled.
  • You can modify active links for all options except Window and Un-display.

When the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration is set to True:

  • Mid Tier tries to run the active links with close Window and Un-display execution options. This might not work as expected in Google Chrome version 80 and later. However, this might work in other browsers.
  • The Close Window and Un-display events are not disabled in Developer Studio.
  • You can create new active links with Close Window and Un-display execution options.
  • The behavior of existing active links using Close Window and Un-display execution options does not change.

For information about the list of modified active links, see List of active links modified in 21.02 Open link .

What else changed in Action Request System

The following table lists the changes in the product behavior: 

UpdateProduct behavior in versions earlier than 21.02Product behavior in version 21.02

(Google Chrome browser version 80 and later)

No support for active links that run on Close window and Un-display events

When you click the browser close button, the current window or all open browser windows are closed.

With Google Chrome version 80 and later, the active links that run on the Close Window and un-display event might not work as expected.

Set the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration to False.

For more information about the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter, see Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks.

(Default) When the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration is set to False:

  • The Close Window and Un-display events are disabled in Developer Studio .
  • You cannot create new active links with Close Window and Un-display execution options.
  • If you select close Window and Un-display execution options for any existing active link, the options are displayed as selected and disabled.
  • You can modify active links for all options except Window and Un-display.

When the Execute-Window-Close-Undisplay-Activelinks parameter in Centralized Configuration is set to True:

  • Mid Tier  tries to run the active links with close Window and Un-display execution options. This might not work as expected in Google Chrome version 80 and later. However, this might work in other browsers.
  • The Close Window and Un-display events are not disabled in Developer Studio .
  • You can create new active links with Close Window and Un-display execution options.
  • The behavior of existing active links using Close Window and Un-display execution options does not change.

For information about the list of modified active links, see List of active links modified in 21.02 .

Change in the default application stateWhen you create or import a deployable application, the state is set to Maintenance.When you create or import a deployable application, the state is set to Production.

Update to selecting approvers while configuring general approval flows

When you configure a general approval flow, you can select approvers by filtering specific approvers from functional roles, primary organizations, business units, departments, support groups, and people or define a qualification or both.

When you configure a general approval flow, you can select approvers by filtering specific approvers from functional roles, company, people, or from the list of the fields on the record definition in the Available Approvers list.

This enables you to narrow your selection by limiting the approvers and not select the entire group or organization.

For more information, see Configuring approval flows Open link .

Support for cross launch from BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting to

  • BMC Helix Virtual Agent

 and 

  • BMC Helix Business Workflows

You can cross launch from  BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting only to Mid Tier .

You can cross launch from BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting  to the following applications to navigate from one application to another, and navigate back to the source application:

  • Mid Tier
  • BMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT
  • BMC Helix Virtual Agent
  • BMC Helix Business Workflows

For more information, see  Configuring settings to cross-launch reports Open link .

Assigning functional role to enable  BMC Helix Innovation Studio users to access the application usage reports in  BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting

You can assign the Smart Reporting User  functional role to existing users. You can also assign the functional role to new users by creating new users in BMC Helix Innovation Studio .

You can enable  BMC Helix Innovation Studio users to access the application usage reports in BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting  by assigning Smart Reporting User functional role to any user by using Mid Tier .

For more information, see Enabling access to BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting Open link .
Properties to work with progressive views

Some Developer Studio  properties were available only for standard views.

The following properties are also available for PWA.

  • Mouseover Effect
  • Background Image Horizontal
  • Background Image Vertical
  • Background Image
  • Component Definition
  • Qualification Field ID
  • Entity Field ID
  • Question Font
  • Answer Font
  • Enable Anchor Navigation
  • Anchor Placement
  • Anchorable
  • Maximum Height
  • Minimum Height
  • Auto Resize
  • Enable Nested Row Reordering
  • Filter Type
Keywords to work with progressive views

Some Developer Studio  keywords were available only for standard views.

The following keywords are also available for progressive views:

  • $CROSSLAUNCH$
  • $PRINTMODE$
  • $CROSSLAUNCHCONTEXT$
  • $LASTMENUVALUE$
  • $LASTMENURUN$
  • $CLIENT-TYPE$
  • $TARGET_FORM$
  • $TARGET_VIEW$
  • $TARGET_ID$
Active link execution eventsSome active link execution events were available only for standard views and not for progressive views.

The following active link execution events are also available for progressive views:

  • On Content Change
  • On Clear
  • On URL Click
  • On Row Unselect
  • On Row Expansion
  • On Row Collapse
  • On Attachment Start
  • On Attachment End

Reorganize overlapping fields in Developer Studio

You cannot reorganize overlapping fields in Developer Studio

In the Developer Studio  interface, you can reorganize overlapping fields in a view by using the Apply Auto Fit button.  For more information, see Aligning fields

Specify a Progressive View name for search menus

You cannot add a name to a Progressive View

You can specify names for progressive views when creating search menus. This allows you to reuse search menus in the Progressive View.  For information, see Creating search menus.

Support for Service action in PWA


You cannot use Request ID field mapping for Service actions in active links in PWA.You can use Request ID field mapping for Service actions in active links in PWA. For more information, see Defining Service actions to trigger services based on conditions.

Support for currency fields in PWA


You cannot create currency fields in PWA.You can create currency fields in PWA. For more information, see Creating currency fields.
Support for Real field in PWAYou cannot create a Real field in PWA.You can create a Real field in PWA. For more information, see Types of data fields.
Support for Data Visualization field in PWAYou can't create a Data Visualization field in PWA.You can create a Data Visualization field in PWA. For more information, see Adding a data visualization field to a form.

Support for active link functions in PWA


You cannot use functions to specify field values in workflow actions in PWA.You can use functions to specify field values in workflow actions in PWA. For more information see Functions.
Support for more than five fields in a search menu

In Developer Studio , you cannot add more than five fields in a search menu. The Add button becomes unavailable after you add five fields in a search menu.

In Developer Studio , you can add more than five fields in a search menu. Even after you add five fields in a search menu, the Add button remains available. However, you get the following message:

Adding more than five fields will impact performance. Do you wish to continue?

To know how to create search menus, see Creating search menus.

Support for alternative text in localization

The localization toolkit in Developer Studio  does not localize alternative text.

The localization toolkit in Developer Studio  localizes alternative text. It can extract and export alternative text and import translated alternative text. Translation can be done for all supported locales.

For more information, see Localizing a Progressive Web Application.

Support for Internet Explorer version 11 is deprecated

Action Request System supports Internet Explorer version 11.

As  announced Open link , the support for Internet Explorer version 11 is now deprecated. We encourage you to switch to other fully supported browsers listed for  BMC Helix Innovation Suite in the BMC Solution and Product Availability and Compatibility utility Open link .

For a complete list of BMC products that no longer support Internet Explorer 11, see the  BMC Customer Support Communities page Open link .  .
Change alt text in progressive viewsYou cannot use change alternative text in progressive views by using the Change Field action.

You can use the Alternative Text option in the Change Field action to change alternative text in progressive views for all the fields that have the Alternative Text property.

For more information, see Defining Change Field active link actions.

Increase and decrease the size of panel and panel holder in Developer Studio

You cannot increase and decrease the size of a panel and a panel holder.

Developer Studio provides you with an option to increase and decrease the size of a panel and a panel holder. You can increase the height and width of a panel and a panel holder.

To learn how to change the size of a panel and a panel holder, see Modifying panels and panel holders.

Specify date and time format in REST API in Developer Studio

In Developer Studio , you can't specify the format in which the information from the Date/Time field is to be sent out of a Remedy application.

In Developer Studio , you can specify the format in which the information from the Date/Time field is to be sent out of a Remedy application by using the Date/Time Format column.

For more information, see Calling third-party REST APIs in a Remedy application.

The approval service is available as a smart bundleThe approval service is available through Approval plug-in.

The approval service does not run as a plug-in. It runs as a smart bundle and is accessible through the Workspace tab of Innovation Studio.

What else changed in BMC Helix Single Sign-On

Update

Product behavior in versions earlier than 21.02

Product behavior in version 21.02

Enhanced security for the BMC Helix SSO server.

Secure cookie was disabled by default.

Secure cookie is enabled by default; see Configuring settings for the BMC Helix SSO server.

A configurable option to allow a SAML session to finish simultaneously with the BMC Helix SSO session.

For the SAML authentication type, the session remained active even after the BMC Helix SSO session was over.

Option to end a SAML and BMC Helix SSO sessions simultaneously is enabled by default. For details, see

Configuring SAML 2.0 authentication.

Description field is available for the Preauthentication value of the Authentication type.No Description field was present for the Preauthentication value of the Authentication type.

Description field is displayed on the Preauthentication form by default; see Configuring preauthentication.

Ability to set custom time-out values for tokens.Token time-outs were set according to Auth global access by default.

Time-out for tokens is configurable; see Configuring OAuth 2.0.

Ability to perform authenticated sessions between applications in different security domains.Usage of several applications was restricted to those that have one common domain.Authentication is available in several applications that have different domains.

Deprecation of support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 11.

BMC Helix SSO supported Microsoft Internet Explorer 11.

As announced, support for Microsoft Internet Explorer version 11 is now deprecated. We encourage you to switch to other fully supported browsers listed for BMC Helix SSO in the BMC Solution and Product Availability and Compatibility utility Open link . For a complete list of BMC products that no longer support Internet Explorer 11, see the BMC Customer Support Communities page Open link .


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