Configuring lookup filters in BMC Remedyforce

BMC Remedyforce enables system administrators to create filters that are applied to the lookup fields on the following tabs only:

• Remedyforce Console - The Incident, Task, Problem, Change Request, and Release modules can be accessed as tabs within the Remedyforce Console tab.
• Incident Console and Task Console - The standalone Incident Console and Task Console tabs are available only if your system administrator enabled them before upgrading to version 20.14.01 or later of BMC Remedyforce.

The lookup filters limit the number of records that are shown in a lookup pop-up window. These lookup filters can be defined on out-of-the-box and custom lookup fields. A few examples of the out-of-the-box lookup fields in the BMC Remedyforce managed package are Accounts and Configuration Item. The lookup filters are applied in addition to the default filter criteria that BMC Remedyforce applies. For example, by default, the Accounts lookup pop-up window shows only the accounts that are marked as active. You can create an additional lookup filter on the Accounts lookup field to show only the accounts that belong to a specific site. In this case, the Accounts lookup pop-up window shows only the active accounts that belong to the specified site.

The following topics are provided:

Overview of lookup filters

You can define BMC Remedyforce lookup filters on out-of-the-box and custom lookup fields on the Remedyforce Console, Task Console, and Incident Console tabs. You can define multiple criteria for each lookup filter. By default, the AND logic is applied on the filter criteria, but you can change the filter logic based on your requirements. The lookup pop-up window shows only those records that match the filter criteria.

Each filter criterion includes the following elements:

• Field - In the filter criteria, you cannot select fields of the long-text type (such as Description and Resolution). Also, you cannot select the Created By, Last Modified By, Owner, Record Type, Inactive, IsActive, Template for, and System Template fields.
• Operator - The operators shown are based on the selected field type.
• Field value - You can either define a specific value for the field or map the field value to the value of a field on the selected console.

When you create a filter, you must also specify whether the filter is optional or required. Required filters are always applied to the lookup fields. To enable staff members to remove a filter, you can mark the filter as optional.

Although staff members can remove optional filters, the default filter criteria are always applied to the lookup fields on the Remedyforce Console, Task Console, and Incident Console tabs. For information about the default filter criteria for the lookup fields on different consoles, see Default filtering of records for the lookup fields.

Considerations for creating lookup filters

Before you create filters, you must review the following points to understand how the lookup filters are implemented:

• The BMC Remedyforce lookup filters are applied only on the Remedyforce Console, Incident Console, and Task Console tabs and not on the Salesforce page layout.
• You can create only one filter for a lookup field on an object. For example, you can create only one lookup filter for the Category field on the Incident object.
• You cannot create filters for the Impact, Urgency, and Status lookup fields.
• The default filter criteria applied to lookup fields cannot be removed from the Remedyforce Console, Task Console, and Incident Console tabs. The lookup filters that you create are applied in addition to the default filter criteria. For more information, see Default filtering of records for the lookup fields.
• If the filter that you create for a lookup field conflicts with the default filter criteria, no results are shown in the lookup pop-up window. However, for optional filters, staff members can use Show All Results to remove the filter that you have created.
• For the Category lookup field, if a child category meets the specified filter criteria but its parent category does not meet the filter criteria, both the parent and the child categories are not shown in the Category lookup pop-up window.
• If you define a filter criterion on a Date/Time field type by using the =, !=, <=, <, >, or >= operator, the date/time when the form was opened is considered as the default field value in the following scenarios:
  • You do not specify a value for the Date/Time field in the filter criterion.
  • You map the Date/Time field to a field on the selected console but that field is not populated on the form.
• If you define a filter criterion on a Number, Currency, or Percent field type by using the =, !=, <=, <, >, or >= operator, 0 (zero) is considered as the default field value in the following scenarios:
  • You do not specify a value for the Number, Currency, or Percent field in the filter criterion.
  • You map the Number, Currency, or Percent field to a field on the selected console but that field is not populated on the form.
• The Configuration Item lookup pop-up window, which is opened from an incident record on the Remedyforce Console or Incident Console tab, displays the following options in the Filter By list:
  • Linked to Account - This option displays only the CIs that are linked to the selected account.
  • Linked to Client - This option displays only the CIs that are linked to the selected client.

  • All - This option displays all CIs.
    The following table describes the conditions based on which an option is selected in the Filter By list.

    Client is selected	Account is selected	Client has linked CIs	Account has linked CIs	Option selected in the Filter By list
    Yes	Yes	Yes	NA	Linked to Client
    Yes	No	Yes	NA	Linked to Client
    Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Linked to Account
    No	Yes	NA	Yes	Linked to Account
    Yes	Yes	No	No	All
    Yes	No	No	NA	All
    No	Yes	NA	No	All
    No	No	NA	NA	All

    Note

    CIs for which the Mark As Deleted field is set to True are not displayed in the Configuration Item lookup window.

    The filter that you create for the Configuration Item lookup field is applied on the records that are displayed based on the option that is selected in the Filter By list.
    For example, say you have specified a filter criterion to show only the CIs for which the Class Name field value matches the Category field value on the incident record. If a staff member selects a client that has linked CI records, the Configuration Item lookup pop-up window shows only the CI records that are linked to the selected client, and for which the Class Name field value matches the category of the incident record.

To create a lookup filter

You can create BMC Remedyforce lookup filters for custom and out-of-the-box lookup fields. These lookup filters are applied in addition to the default filter criteria that are applied by BMC Remedyforce.

1. Click the Remedyforce Administration tab.
2. On the Home page, click the Application Settings tile, and from the menu, select Lookup Filters.
3. Click New.
4. From the Console list, select the console for which you want to create a lookup filter, such as Incident.

5. From the Filter For list, select the lookup field for which you want to create a filter, such as Category.
   The Filter For list contains all of the lookup fields that are available on the new form for the console that you selected.

   Note

   You cannot create filters for the Impact, Urgency, and Status lookup fields.

6. From the Filter Type list, select the appropriate option:
   • To always show only the filtered records in the lookup pop-up window, select Required. Staff members cannot remove the filter to view all records.
   • To enable staff members to remove the filter, select Optional. Although staff members can remove optional filters, the default filter criteria are always applied on the lookup fields.
7. If you are creating a lookup filter for Incident, to apply the lookup filter in Self Service ticket layouts, select the Apply in Self Service check box.
   This check box is displayed only if you select Incident in the Console list. 
8. Define the filter criteria for the lookup field:

   1. From the list of fields on the object for which the selected lookup field is defined, select the required field.
      For information about the fields that are not displayed in the list, see Overview of lookup filters.

      Note

      If you are using CMDB 1.0, and the selected custom lookup field is defined on the Base Element object, the list displays only fields from the Base Element field set in the Base Element object. This behavior is also applicable to the out-of-the-box Configuration Item lookup field, which is defined on the Base Element object. 

      Service and Service Offering are also out-of-the-box lookup fields that are defined on the Base Element object. However, for these two fields, the list displays fields from the Business Service object.

   2. From the list of operators, select the required operator. The operators shown in the list are based on the selected field type.

      Selected field type	Available operators
      Text	=, !=, LIKE, NOT LIKE
      Phone	=, !=
      Currency	=, !=, >, >=, <, <=
      Percent	>, >=, =, !=, <, <=
      Number	>, >=, =, !=, <, <=
      Checkbox	=, !=
      Email	=, !=, LIKE, NOT LIKE
      Lookup	=, !=
      Date and Date/Time	>, >=, =, !=, <, <=
      Text Area	LIKE, NOT LIKE
      Picklist	=, !=

      Note

      The LIKE operator searches for the specified keyword at the beginning of the field value.

   3. From the list of options for the field value, select the appropriate option:
      • To map the value of the field to the value of another field on the selected console, select Field.
      • To define a specific value for the field, select Value.
   4. Based on the option you selected for the field value, type or select the appropriate value:
      • If you selected Field in step c, select a corresponding field on the console. The Formula type of fields on the console are not displayed in the list.
        The type of field you select must be the same as the type of field you selected in step a. However, only for Text fields, you can select any type of field on the console. For Lookup fields, both the selected fields must be defined on the same object.

      • If you selected Value in step c, define a specific value for the field. The following table describes the values that you must specify based on the type of the field you selected in step a:

        Selected field type	Example Field	Value to be defined
        Checkbox	ServiceDesk Staff	TRUE or FALSE
        Date/Time	Created Date	Select a specific date from the calendar.
        Text	Email Signature	Enter the appropriate value in the text box.
        Picklist/Lookup	Category	Select the appropriate option.

        
        

   5. Click Add.
9. To create multiple filter criteria for a lookup field, repeat step 7.

10. (Optional) In the Filter Logic field, change the filter logic based on your requirements.

    Note

    Make sure that you have added all the required filter criteria before you change the filter logic. If you change the filter logic and then add or remove filter criteria, the filter logic is reset and the AND logic is reapplied to all the filter criteria.

    By default, the AND logic is applied to the filter criteria, which means that only the records that meet all of the filter criteria are shown in the lookup pop-up window. You can replace AND with OR and add more conditions to the filter logic by using the defined filter criteria.
    For example, when you create a lookup filter with four criteria, the default logic that is applied to the filter criteria is 1 AND 2 AND 3 AND 4. You can replace AND with OR and add more conditions by using the defined filter criteria, such as 1 AND ((2 AND 3) OR (2 AND 4))

11. Click Save.
    The filter is applied to the lookup field on the form when you open an existing record or create a new record. If you have opened an existing record, click the Reload toolbar button to apply the new filter on the lookup field.

To edit lookup filters

1. Navigate to Remedyforce Administration > Application Settings > Lookup Filters.
2. In the Console column, click the lookup filter that you want to edit.

3. In the Edit Filter section, make the required changes.
   For information about adding criteria for the filters, see Creating lookup filters.

   Note

   If you add or remove the filter criteria for an existing filter, you must manually update the filter logic to match your changes.

4. Click Save.

To delete a lookup filter

You can delete a lookup filter if it is not required (if you want to retain the filter but not apply it to the lookup field, you can select the Inactive check box).

1. Navigate to Remedyforce Administration > Application Settings > Lookup Filters.
2. In the Console column, click the lookup filter that you want to delete.
3. In the Lookup Filters For Consoles section, click Delete.
4. In the Delete dialog box, click Yes.

Examples of lookup filters

The following topics contain examples of the lookup filters that you can create on the Remedyforce Console, Incident Console, and Task Console tabs:

• Creating a lookup filter for the Client ID field on the Incident object
• Creating a lookup filter for the Broadcast field on the Problem object

Creating a lookup filter for the Client ID field on the Incident object

This section provides an example of a simple filter that you can create for a lookup field by using a custom field. Create a filter for the Client ID lookup field on the Incident object to show only the clients for whom the VIP check box is selected. The VIP check box is a custom field on the Users form.

To create a lookup filter for the Client ID field on the Incident object

1. Navigate to Remedyforce Administration > Application Settings > Lookup Filters > New.
2. From the Console list, select Incident.
3. From the Filter For list, select Client ID.
4. To allow staff members to remove the filter, from the Filter Type list, select Optional.
5. Define the criteria for applying the filter on the Client ID lookup field:
   1. From the list of fields on the Users object, select VIP.
   2. From the list of operators, select =.
   3. From the list of options for the field value, select Value.
   4. From the list of values that are available for the VIP field, select True.

   5. Click Add.
      

6. Click Save.

Creating a lookup filter for the Broadcast field on the Problem object

This section provides an example of a complex filter that you can create for a lookup field. Create a filter for the Broadcast lookup field on the Problem object to show only the broadcasts that meet one of the following criteria:

• The value of the Impact and Urgency fields is HIGH.
• The value of the Impact and Urgency fields is MEDIUM.
• The value of the Impact field is HIGH and the value of the Urgency field is MEDIUM.
• The value of the Impact field is MEDIUM and the value of the Urgency field is HIGH.

To create a lookup filter for the Broadcast field on the Problem object

1. Navigate to Remedyforce Administration > Application Settings > Lookup Filters > New.
2. From the Console list, select Problem.
3. From the Filter For list, select Broadcast.
4. From the Filter Type list, select Optional.
5. To show the broadcasts for which the impact assigned is HIGH, define the following filter criteria:
   1. From the list of fields on the Category object, select Impact.
   2. From the list of operators, select =.
   3. From the list of options for the field value, select Value.
   4. From the list of values that are available for the Impact field, select HIGH.
   5. Click Add.
6. To show the broadcasts for which the urgency assigned is HIGH, define the following filter criteria:
   1. From the list of fields on the Category object, select Urgency.
   2. From the list of operators, select =.
   3. From the list of options for the field value, select Value.
   4. From the list of values that are available for the Urgency field, select HIGH.
   5. Click Add.
7. To show the broadcasts for which the impact assigned is MEDIUM, define the following filter criteria:
   1. From the list of fields on the Category object, select Impact.
   2. From the list of operators, select =.
   3. From the list of options for the field value, select Value.
   4. From the list of values that are available for the Impact field, select MEDIUM.
   5. Click Add.
8. To show the broadcasts for which the urgency assigned is MEDIUM, define the following filter criteria:
   1. From the list of fields on the Category object, select Urgency.
   2. From the list of operators, select =.
   3. From the list of options for the field value, select Value.
   4. From the list of values that are available for the Urgency field, select MEDIUM.
   5. Click Add.
9. In the Filter Logic field, change the logic from 1 AND 2 AND 3 AND 4 to (1 AND 2) OR (3 AND 4) OR (1 AND 4) OR (2 AND 3).
    
10. Click Save.

Default filtering of records for the lookup fields

BMC Remedyforce applies default filter criteria for the lookup fields on the Remedyforce Console, Incident Console, and Task Console tabs. Users cannot remove the default filter criteria.

The following table lists the default filter criteria that are applied to the lookup fields on various consoles. The object and field names (and not labels) are used in the default filter criteria that is listed in the table. For example, the filter criteria listed for the Category lookup field on the Incident console uses the AvailableForIncidents field name, instead of the Available for Incidents field label.

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