20.15.03 enhancements

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The following topics contain information about enhancements in version 20.15.03 (Summer 15) of the BMC Remedyforce product.

BMC Remedyforce CMDB enhancements

The following video (12:18) explains the enhancements made to BMC Remedyforce CMDB 2.0.

https://youtu.be/ZoBhe_pqSB0

BMC Remedyforce CMDB 2.0 has been enhanced with many new capabilities, including the ability to store and manage IT assets along with configuration items (CIs). For information about enhancements related to asset management, see New IT asset management capability in BMC Remedyforce CMDB.

The following table describes the new BMC Remedyforce CMDB 2.0 enhancements included in BMC Remedyforce 20.15.03. These capabilities are available for both IT asset management and CI management.

EnhancementDescription
Enhanced Instance Editor

This release includes the following enhancements to the Instance Editor, which is accessed from the Remedyforce CMDB tab:

  • Location, Model Name, Model Manufacturer, Supported By, Asset Birthdate, Asset Age, and Asset Status are new attributes that are available on the Attributes > General tab in the Instance Editor.
  • The  Asset Birthdate, Asset Age, and Asset Status attributes are available only for instances of the CI and Asset, Asset, and Rule Based Asset classes.
  • From the All tab in the left pane of the Remedyforce CMDB tab, based on the type of instance (CI, CI/Asset, or Asset) that users access, only the Asset Status attribute, only the CI Status attribute, or both attributes are dynamically displayed in the Instance Editor.
  • Moving the mouse over the icon next to the Location, Model Name, Supported By, and Primary Client attributes displays details about the selected value. Users can also navigate to a form that displays additional details.

For more information, see Creating and updating assets and Creating and updating configuration items.

If you are upgrading to BMC Remedyforce 20.15.03 (Summer 15), you must configure the order of new attributes in the Instance Editor and update the default values of a few existing attributes. For more information, see Enabling new features in 20.15.03.

Enhanced multiple instance editor

Depending on the IT asset and CI management configuration, classes and their corresponding CIs and assets are displayed on the Remedyforce CMDB tab. For more information, see Overview of the Remedyforce CMDB tab. Based on the object permission of the class and the Remedyforce CMDB user permission assigned to you by the system administrator, you can now edit multiple assets and CIs of a class from the Remedyforce CMDB tab.

The following table lists the required permissions for editing multiple CIs and assets of a class:

GoalObject permission of the classRemedyforce CMDB user permission
To edit multiple CIs of the classEditUpdate and Delete or Update for CI Management View
To edit multiple assets classUpdate and Delete or Update for Asset Management View
To edit multiple CIs and assets of the classUpdate and Delete or Update for CI Management View and Asset Management View

You can edit the editable fields in the General and Specifications tabs of the Instance Editor. For Rule Based Asset classes, fields of the superclass based on which the rules criteria have been set are not editable.

For more information, see Editing multiple configuration items and assets.

Enhanced CMDB Explorer

In this release, the CI Explorer has been renamed to CMDB Explorer. Depending on the IT asset and CI management configuration, the CMDB Explorer now displays the following:

  • When both CI and IT asset management are enabled, it displays related CIs and assets and the available CI to CI, CI to asset, asset to asset, and asset to CI relationships. You can filter. In the Filter by list on the toolbar, All is selected by default. From the Filter by list, you can select CI to display only CIs and their corresponding relationships, and Asset to display only assets and their corresponding relationships.
  • When only CI management is enabled, it displays only related CIs, and CI to CI relationships.
  • When only asset management is enabled, it displays only related assets; and asset to asset relationships.

For more information, see Working with the CMDB Explorer.

Advanced search capability

The existing keyword-based search in the CMDB list view has been enhanced with advanced search filters. Users can now either perform a keyword-based search or apply specific filter criteria to instances in the CMDB list view.

Advanced search filters enable users to perform a more precise search that can be based on multiple criteria. For example, users can search for all printers in a specific location with the In Repair status. Users can apply dynamic search filters or save frequently used filters. The ability to save search filters makes it quick and easy to retrieve specific CIs and assets.

For more information, see Overview of the Remedyforce CMDB tab.

Enhanced UI to configure Remedyforce CMDB

A new Configure CMDB 2.0 tile is now available on the Remedyforce Administration tab. From this tile, system administrators can access all forms and pages related to configuring BMC Remedyforce CMDB 2.0.

The new Locations, Models, Normalization Exceptions, Normalization Rules, and Track Attribute History subtiles are available only for BMC Remedyforce CMDB 2.0.

The CMDB General Settings subtile contains options to enable or disable asset management or CI management, enable models, and schedule the normalization process.

The following changes have also been implemented in this release:

  • The existing List View Customization and Classes subtiles have been moved from Remedyforce Administration > Application Settings to the Configure CMDB 2.0 tile.
  • If you have upgraded to BMC Remedyforce version 20.15.03 and are still using CMDB 1.0, the new tile name is Configure CMDB 1.0. This tile includes only the List View Customization, CMDB Custom Attributes, General CMDB Settings, and CMDB 2.0 Upgrade subtiles. The General CMDB Settings subtile also includes only the check box.
    The CMDB Custom Attributes and CMDB 2.0 Upgrade subtiles have been moved from Remedyforce Administration > Application Settings to the Configure CMDB 1.0 tile.

For more information, see Configuring BMC Remedyforce CMDB 2.0.

Enhanced list view customization

In this release, the following five out-of-the-box views are available to system administrators to manage the list view columns displayed in the Remedyforce CMDB tab:

  • Base Element (CI) – Enables configuring the configuration item (CI) attributes of the Base Element field set as Remedyforce CMDB list view columns.
  • Base Element (Asset) Enables configuring the asset attributes of the Base Element field set as Remedyforce CMDB list view columns.
  • Base Element (All) Enables configuring the CI and asset attributes of the Base Element field set as Remedyforce CMDB list view columns.
  • Business Service Enables configuring the attributes of the Business Service, Logical Entity, and Base Element field sets of the Base Element object as Remedyforce CMDB list view columns.
  • Physical Location Enables configuring the attributes of the Physical Location, Logical Entity, and Base Element field sets of the Base Element object as Remedyforce CMDB list view columns.

System administrators can now also create custom views for a class. For more information, see Customizing fields shown in the CMDB list view.

Enhanced linking of CIs and assets to records

You can now link both CIs and assets to a record (such as incidents, service requests, tasks, problems, change requests, and releases) on the Remedyforce Console tab. The records which are linked to CIs and assets are displayed on the Details tab of the corresponding CIs and assets in the Instance Editor (Remedyforce CMDB tab).

For more information, see Linking configuration items and assets to a record.

Improved tracking of attribute history

With the new Track Attribute History tab, system administrators can now track an unlimited number of standard and custom fields in the Base Element object. This tab also contains a filter which enables system administrators to select a class to see which fields are applicable for the selected class. Changes to selected attributes are tracked for all CMDB classes that contain these attributes. In addition, the tracking history is retained until the data is manually deleted.

Tracking changes to specific attributes of an asset or CI enables users to know not only what changes were made but also who made the changes and when.

To access the Track Attribute History tab, navigate to Remedyforce Administration > Configure CMDB 2.0 > Track Attribute History.

For more information, see Tracking attribute history.

Location management

The new Location form enables system administrators to manage locations more effectively. The location records are stored as instances of the Physical Location CI class and can be linked to other CIs and assets. The list view displays all locations, irrespective of whether they are created from the Location form or the Instance Editor. From the Location form, system administrators can also easily create and manage relationships between a location and an asset or CI instance.

Also, if the Physical Location CI class is hidden or CI management is disabled, system administrators can use the Location form to create and manage location records for asset management.

To access the Location form, navigate to Remedyforce Administration > Configure CMDB 2.0 > Locations. For more information, see Managing locations.

The new Location attribute on the General tab in the Instance Editor enables users to easily search and assign a location to a CI or asset. Prior to BMC Remedyforce 20.15.03 (Summer 15), to assign a location to a CI, users had to navigate to the Relationships tab and perform multiple steps to create a relationship between the CI and the appropriate instance of the Physical Location CI class.

Model management

System administrators can now create and manage models to standardize key attribute values, such as model name and manufacturer name, in CIs and assets. When users select a model for a CI or asset, the model name and other attributes that are specified in the selected model are also applied to the CI or asset.

Models enable system administrators to achieve data consistency and help users to reduce the time required to create CIs and assets. Consistency in data makes it easier to locate key information, analyze data, and generate relevant reports.

To access the Model form, navigate to Remedyforce Administration > Configure CMDB 2.0 > Models.

For more information, see Managing models.

If you are upgrading to BMC Remedyforce 20.15.03 (Summer 15), you must manually enable models in your organization. For more information, see Enabling models.

Data normalization

System administrators can now use the normalization process to ensure standardization of values in BMC Remedyforce CMDB 2.0 and the model repository. The normalization process is especially useful to drive consistency in data that is imported on an ongoing basis from external sources, such as spreadsheets and discovery tools. System administrators can create and apply rules to normalize data, along with managing exceptions to normalization rules.

To access the Normalization Rules and Normalization Exceptions forms, navigate to Remedyforce Administration > Configure CMDB 2.0.

To schedule and run the normalization process, navigate to Remedyforce Administration > Configure CMDB 2.0 > General CMDB Settings.

For more information, see Normalizing data.

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New IT asset management capability in BMC Remedyforce CMDB

The following video (7:40) explains the new IT asset management capability in BMC Remedyforce CMDB 2.0.

https://youtu.be/C5GcBvipMeY

BMC Remedyforce CMDB capabilities have been expanded in BMC Remedyforce 20.15.03 to include IT asset management. IT asset management entails collecting inventory, financial, and contractual data to manage an IT asset through its lifecycle.

In BMC Remedyforce 20.15.03, the existing framework of BMC Remedyforce CMDB has been leveraged to deliver the IT asset management capability. A CMDB instance now represents a record in the BMC Remedyforce CMDB, which can be classified as a CI, asset, or both. Based on your requirements, you can now use BMC Remedyforce CMDB to manage only assets, only CIs, or both. For more information, see BMC Remedyforce CMDB 2.0 architecture.

In a new installation, IT asset management is enabled by default. If you are upgrading to BMC Remedyforce 20.15.03, you must manually enable asset management.

Note

If you are upgrading to version 20.15.03 (Summer 15) and your CMDB is already populated with CIs, you can leverage the existing data and define rules about what are CIs, assets, or both. Existing integrations with other products are not impacted but are enhanced with the automated asset classification. When data is imported, predefined rules are run and assets are dynamically created.

The following table describes the enhancements in this release to support the new IT asset management capability in BMC Remedyforce CMDB:

EnhancementDescription
New and updated classes in the Common Data Model

To store asset-related data in BMC Remedyforce CMDB, the following changes have been implemented in the Common Data Model:

  • New asset classes: The following classes have been added to store asset-specific data about mobile devices:
    • BMC_Mobile
    • BMC_Phone
    • BMC_Tablet
  • New Rule Based Asset classes: The following Rule Based Asset classes have been added and defined on the BMC_ComputerSystem class. A Rule Based Asset class enables a CI instance to be also classified as an asset that inherits the attributes of the CI class that it is based on.
    • BMC_Desktop
    • BMC_Hub
    • BMC_Laptop
    • BMC_Router
    • BMC_Server
    • BMC_Switch
  • Updated classes: The class type of the following classes has been changed from CI to CI and Asset:
    • BMC_Mainframe
    • BMC_Printer
    • BMC_Monitor
    • BMC_BusinessService
    These classes, which now store instances that are both CIs and assets, are available even if system administrators enable only IT asset management or only CI management.

For more information about the new and updated classes, see BMC Remedyforce CMDB Common Data Model.

New and updated attributes to store asset-related dataThe following updates have been made to attributes to store asset-related data in BMC Remedyforce CMDB:
  • The new Asset Status attribute enables users to specify the appropriate status of an asset. This attribute, which can be used to track the lifecycle and availability of assets, is available on the Attributes > General tab of the Instance Editor.
  • The Received, Transferred, and Disposed values in the CI Status field have been deprecated. Instead, the Received and Retired - Disposed values are now available in the new Asset Status attribute.
  • The Android, iOS, and Windows values have been added to the existing OS Type attribute. These values enable users to select the appropriate operating system for an instance of the BMC_Phone or BMC_Tablet asset class.
  • The new Mobile field set includes the new Carrier, IMEI, MEID, ICCID, and BYOD attributes for storing asset-related data about mobile devices.
  • The new Asset Common Attributes field set includes fields that are available to all asset classes. The fields in this field set are displayed after all existing attributes on the Attributes > General tab in the Instance Editor.
  • The following new attributes are available out of the box in the Asset Common Attributes field set:
    • Asset Birthdate: Indicates the date when an asset’s age starts being tracked. This date can be entered or automatically calculated based on the rules defined by the system  administrator.
    • Asset Age: Indicates the age of an asset by calculating the difference between the current date and the asset birthdate.

For more information about the new and updated classes, see BMC Remedyforce CMDB Common Data Model.

Enhanced class management

In this release, system administrators can manage the following types of classes, based on the CI and IT asset management configurations:

  • CI classes – (CI management must be enabled) A CI class stores data about CIs. For example, BMC_ComputerSystem stores data about computer systems.
  • Asset classes (IT asset management must be enabled) An asset class stores data about assets. For example, BMC_Phone stores data about mobile phones.
  • Rule Based Asset classes (IT asset management must be enabled) A Rule Based Asset class stores data about assets. A Rule Based Asset class is defined on CI class by applying criteria; it inherits attributes of the CI class based on which it has been created. For example, BMC_Desktop stores information about desktop assets. This class is an out-of-the-box, Rule Based Asset class mapped to the CI class BMC_ComputerSystem where the Primary Capability field contains Desktop. This means that any CIs created with these values are automatically categorized as an Asset with an Asset Class of Desktop. Conversely, this also means that any records assigned to the Asset Class of Desktop are also automatically assigned as CIs with a CI class of BMC_ComputerSystem CI and a Primary Capability of Desktop.
  • CI and Asset classes (Both CI and IT asset management must be enabled) A CI and Asset class stores data about CIs and assets. For example, BMC_Mainframe stores information about mainframe computer systems.

To store data about the most common CIs and assets, BMC Remedyforce CMDB now contains a set of out-of-the-box classes for each class type. Depending on the data that you want to store, you can customize the attributes of the out-of-the-box classes, and add new custom classes. For more information, see Managing CMDB classes.

New CMDB permissions

On the Remedyforce CMDB tab, staff members can view classes and add, edit, or delete CIs and assets of a class based on the assigned permissions to the object of the class. With the introduction of the Remedyforce CMDB permissions, system administrators can now further restrict what the staff members can view and manage on the Remedyforce CMDB tab. The available Remedyforce CMDB user permissionsare as follows:

  • Update and Delete
  • Update
  • Read-Only
  • None or Hidden

However, the Remedyforce CMDB permissions are not applied at the level of a specific class; rather these permissions are applied at the CI and asset management level. For example, if staff members have been assigned Read, Create, and Edit object permissions for a CI class, and you want to enable the staff members to only view CIs on the Remedyforce CMDB tab, you can assign the staff member Read-Only Remedyforce CMDB permissions for CI management.

If you are upgrading from an earlier version, or performing a new installation of BMC Remedyforce, the following default Remedyforce CMDB permissions are assigned to the corresponding user profiles:

  • System administrators and Remedyforce administrators are assigned with the Update and Delete permission for both CI Management View and Asset Management View.
  • Staff members are assigned with the Update and Delete permission for CI Management View and Hidden for Asset Management View.

System administrators can assign Remedyforce CMDB permissions from the Client form and from the Salesforce.com User page. For more information, see Managing Remedyforce CMDB user permissions.

New asset dashboard and reports

The new BMC Remedyforce Asset Management Dashboard is now available on the Dashboards tab. This dashboard enables system administrators and users to view key metrics related to asset management.

The following out-of-the-box reports are available in this release:

  • Asset Count By Class – Status
  • Asset Count By Status – Class Name
  • Asset Data Quality
  • Asset Warranty Expiration - 30 days
  • Hardware Asset Age By Class
  • Highest Number of Incidents
  • Highest Priority Incidents By Model
  • Normalization Exception Trending

For more information, see Viewing the asset management dashboard and reports.

If BMC automatically upgrades BMC Remedyforce in your organization, you must configure the appropriate user as the Running User of the BMC Remedyforce Asset Management Dashboard. For more information, see Configuring the Running User of dashboards in BMC Remedyforce.

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Knowledge article enhancements

The following video (1:16) explains the general enhancements made to knowledge articles.

https://youtu.be/1-Absp1M5R4

The following table lists the enhancements made to the knowledge articles module:

EnhancementDescription
Ability to create custom article types

System administrators can create custom article type, such as Troubleshooting, to categorize knowledge articles. For more information, see Configuring custom article types.

Ability to configure fields on the Knowledge Article details page in Self Service

System administrators can configure fields shown on the Knowledge Article details page in Self Service for an out-of-the-box article type. For more information, see Configuring the Knowledge Article page fields for an out-of-the-box article type.

Ability to configure columns in the Knowledge Article tab in the Global Search window

System administrators can configure fields that are shown as columns in the Global Search window for the Knowledge Articles tab. For more information, see Configuring columns in the Global Search window for knowledge articles.

Increased size of fields of type Text Area (Rich)

The visible area of the fields of type Text Area (Rich) on the New Knowledge Article or Knowledge Article detail pages has been increased to show more information without scrolling.

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Remedyforce Console enhancements

The following video (2:10) explains the enhancements made to the Remedyforce Console.

https://youtu.be/DeByQylQrBY

The following table lists the enhancements made to the Remedyforce Console tab:

EnhancementDescription
Records are saved faster

To save a record faster and with less clicks, the following message is removed from the Remedyforce Console and Remedyforce CMDB tabs:
Record has been saved successfully.

The same message is shown for 5 seconds on the UI, but user does not need to perform any action. Also, during the 5 seconds when the message is shown, if a user saves the record again, the clock to show the message on the screen is reset.

Additional content in an email message created by using an email template is saved

If staff members create an email message by using an email template, the content of the email message (including content from email with actual field values) is saved in the Action History section. To enable saving content from email template and actual field values, system administrators must add the BMCServiceDesk_Additional_email_information__c field to the email template. For more information, see Customizing an email template.

Linked records open in the Remedyforce Console tab

If staff members access a record from a CMDB Explorer, manifest (Incident Manifest, Problem Manifest, Release Manifest, and Change Manifest), Change Schedule, Incident Matching, or Service Request Matching window, the record is displayed as another tab in the Remedyforce Console.

Configure tooltips in change schedule

In the change schedule, system administrators can configure information shown in the tooltips for change requests, releases, and tasks. For more information, see Adding fields to the change request, release, or task tooltips displayed in a change schedule.

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SmartViews for Remedyforce Console - BETA

SmartViews provide you a graphical representation of linked records. For example, incidents, problems, change requests, and tasks linked to an incident record are shown graphically. For more information, see Configuring SmartViews - BETA.

Note

This is a beta version that is production quality, but has known limitations.

The following figure displays the SmartView of an incident and its linked records:


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Self Service mobile application on Salesforce1 - BETA

Starting with BMC Remedyforce 20.15.03, you can configure the Self Service mobile application for clients on the Salesforce1 platform.

Note

This is a beta version that is production quality, but has known limitations.

Clients can perform the following tasks:

  • Submit tickets for self and on behalf of others.
  • View the tickets for self and others.
  • Filter tickets according to the State (All, Open, and Closed).
  • Search and view the commonly used ticket templates.
  • Search and view the Remedyforce knowledge articles.
  • View a list of broadcasts.

For more information, see Configuring Self Service mobile application on the Salesforce1 platform - BETA.

If you are upgrading to BMC Remedyforce 20.15.03 (Summer 15), you must enable the Self Service mobile application on the Salesforce1 platform and perform some additional configurations. For more information, see Enabling new features in 20.15.03.

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Self Service for the web - BETA 

Starting with BMC Remedyforce 20.15.03, you can assign a faster, smarter, and modern Self Service to your clients. For more information, see Exploring BMC Remedyforce Self Service for the web - BETA.

Note

This is a beta version that is production quality, but has known limitations.

The following features are supported in the beta version:

  • Submit a ticket
  • Request a service
  • View tickets and requests
  • View self help articles
  • Remedyforce Chat
  • View broadcasts

The following figure shows the Home page of the smarter Self Service:

 

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Importing smart practices content

You can import smart practices content to your Salesforce organization from the Remedyforce Administration > Content Management > Import Smart Practices Content page. The smart practices content includes the following data:

  • Categories
  • Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
  • Service Request Definitions (SRDs)
  • Services and service offerings
  • Templates

This data helps you in implementing and evaluating Service Request Management (SRM) and SLAs in your Salesforce organization. If you have already implemented SRM and SLAs in your organization, you can use these most commonly used SRDs in your Salesforce organization. For more information, see Importing smart practices content.

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General enhancements

The following video (1:12) explains the general enhancements made to BMC Remedyforce 20.15.03.

https://youtu.be/cDKfvKIbyUc

The following table lists the general enhancements made to BMC Remedyforce:

EnhancementDescription
More readable saved email messages

In Self Service email conversation, messages are shown are in a more readable format that also support rich text format.

 

Ability to entitle queue to accounts, profiles, and roles

System administrators can entitle queues to users based on accounts, profiles, and roles. To assign queues, navigate to the Remedyforce Administration > Manage Users > Manage Queue Availability page. For more information, see Managing queues availability and assignment.

Ability to share out-of-the-box QuickViews

You can share out-of-the-box QuickViews with users of a profile. For more information, see Sharing an out-of-the-box QuickView.

Ability to show additional information about a service request in Self Service

You can show additional information about a service request in Self Service after submitting the service request, such as progress or resolution. To show more information about the service request in Self Service, add the fields that you want to show in Self Service to a field set of the Incident object. Select the field set on the Remedyforce Administration > Configure Self Service > Service Requests page. For more information, see Configuring service request settings for Self Service.

Ability to configure service request category from the incident templateCategory of a service request is applied from the category configured in the incident template if the Replace form field values with template field values check box is selected on the Remedyforce Administration > Application Settings > General Application Settings page. For more information, see Determining the category applied to a service request.
Ability to access Remedyforce MarketplaceSystem administrators can access marketplace from the Remedyforce Marketplace tab that is a centralized location to search for partners, services, and solutions that compliment BMC Remedyforce.

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Support for the Brazilian Portuguese language

Starting with BMC Remedyforce 20.15.03, the BMC Remedyforce user interface (UI) supports the Brazilian Portuguese language. However, the documentation and Alignability Process Model continue to be displayed in the English language when you select the Brazilian Portuguese language.

For information about the languages in which BMC Remedyforce is available, see Supported languages.

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Support for BMC MyIT OnDemand 3.1

With the support of BMC MyIT 3.1, the following enhancements are available with the integration of BMC MyIT and BMC Remedyforce:

EnhancementDescription
Enhanced search

Searching is enhanced. The search results are displayed on separate tabs for Actions (SRDs) and Resources (How-Tos and knowledge articles).

All results are combined under the All tab.

Display of the Quantity field while creating or viewing requests

The Quantity field can now be displayed while creating or viewing requests in BMC MyIT.

To display the Quantity field, system administrators must select the Quantity check box on the Display Options tab of the SRD in BMC Remedyforce (Remedyforce Administration > Configure Application > Request Definitions).

Display only the supported status values in the Filter By list in the Requests timeline and Approvals timeline

The Filter By list in the Requests timeline and Approvals timeline in BMC MyIT displays only the following status values that are supported by BMC Remedyforce:

  • Requests timeline: In Progress, Pending, Rejected, Closed, Approved, Recalled
  • Approvals timeline: Pending, Rejected, Approved, Recalled
In the Requests timeline, the record ID displayed in the request details has changedIn the Requests timeline, the request title no longer includes the record ID from BMC Remedyforce. Instead, the ID field in the request details displays the record ID from BMC Remedyforce
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Documentation enhancements

In BMC Remedyforce 20.15.03, the following enhancements have been made to the Remedyforce documentation.

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Related topics

Enabling new features in 20.15.03

Known and corrected issues

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