Using the Request Entry console

The Request Entry console, shown in the following figure, serves as a front end for the request catalog. It provides an easy-to-use user interface to view and submit requests, and manage them. On this console, you can view available requests, submit and manage requests, and view Knowledge Base articles.

Imprtant

If pop-up blocking is enabled for your browser, some features in the Request Entry console will not function. To enable use of all features of the application, disable pop-up blocking or modify the pop-up blocker settings to add the BMC Remedy AR System Mid Tier web server to the exception list.

Related topics

Submitting requests

Submitting requests from the Request Entry console

Accessing BMC Service Request Management consoles

Example user scenario

You must print presentation materials to distribute in an important meeting to be held in two hours, and the printer stops working.

You open the Request Entry console to view popular requests and Knowledge Base articles (displayed only if the BMC Knowledge Management application is available to you).

If you do not see an article that addresses your printer problem, enter a keyword in the Search field to search for articles. The search returns requests based on the keyword that you entered. If you find an article that addresses your printer problem, you do not need to open a request.

If you do not find a solution in the Knowledge Base, look through the list of requests. In the request catalog under the Hardware category, you find the request that you need. For this request, IT has a target to fix a printer in one hour, charged at a cost of $100 to your department.

You select the request, enter the required information, and submit it. In the Request Entry console, you view the request in the My Requests pod and see that its status is In Progress.

When the service desk technician enters information indicating that the printer is fixed, you receive email notification alerting you, and you can resume printing your materials. You also receive email notification asking you to fill out a survey, indicating how you rate the response to your request.

Information displayed in the Request Entry console

The Request Entry console displays the following information:

Area or function	Description
Slide show	If the administrator has configured service marketing slides, you will see description and images of services and other IT initiatives that your company is promoting. You can request a promoted service directly from the service marketing area. For more information about submitting requests, see Submitting requests.
Popular Requests	This selection lists popular requests in your organization. These requests are added automatically, based on how many times users submits a request during a specified period of time. The maximum number (default is 10 if the marketing pod is enabled, and 15 if the marketing pod is disabled ) and the length of the time period (default is a week) is configurable by the application administrator. From this list, you can select a request with a single click.
Popular Articles	This is a list of the most popular Knowledge Base articles that are used to troubleshoot problems, which appears only if the administrator has installed BMC Knowledge Management. Click an article to view it in a separate window. If none of the listed articles address your issue, enter a keyword in the Search field to find articles on a specific topic. For more information about Knowledge Base articles, see Using Knowledge Base articles to resolve problems.
Search	The Search field enables users to find matching requests and Knowledge Base articles in the Request Entry Console by using the type ahead functionality. When the user begins to type in the Search field, the application displays suggestions in a type-ahead list below the Search field. The user can select a suggested keyword, or continue to enter the keyword in the Search field. Clicking the Search (magnifying glass) icon displays records that match the search keyword. If there are too many results to display on one screen, the user can click more... to display results in chunks. Important: The Search field in the Request Entry console is not the same as the Global Search field in the Work Order Console and the ITSM Home page. You must use a wildcard (%) in the Search field to extend the search for word stems, such as "ed," "s", and "ing," because word stems are not automatically included. For example, a search for "host" will find matches for "host," while a search for "host%" will find matches for "hosts, hosted, or hosting."
My Requests pod	This is a list of requests that you submitted and, if any, requests that were submitted on your behalf by another user. By default, the system shows requests that are in the Open or Draft status, along with their request ID, submitted date, and status. You can filter the list of requests that is displayed by choosing an option from the Show drop-down list. See Viewing and managing your requests. The following options are displayed below a submitted request: Details — Displays the request summary and the activity log. Attached files, if any, are listed in the activity log. Cancel — Cancels a submitted request. Request Again — Creates a new request from an existing request. For more information, see Submitting a previous request again. Complete — This option appears only for draft requests. Opens a draft request so you can update the information. Respond — For requests requiring approval, use this option to respond to requests for more information from an approver. See Working with requests that require approval. Important: Information displayed about requests might not be current. For example, a request might have been approved after it was displayed in the list, so its status is no longer Waiting Approval. To see the most current information, refresh the list of requests by performing a search or by selecting an option from the Show list.
Quick Links	This is a list of hyperlinks to internal and external websites, such as a link to a request catalog on a website. These links display only if the administrator has configured them for your company. For information about configuring quick links, see Configuring quick links.
Favorites	This link displays a list of requests that you marked as your favorites on the Categories page. If you submit some requests frequently, you can add them to your list of favorite requests. The Favorites list makes it easier to find and submit frequently used requests. You can add requests to your Favorites list from the Categories page, where requests are grouped by categories. You can view, submit, and add requests to your cart from the SRM Home page or from the Categories page. For more information about adding requests to the Favorites list, see To create and manage a list of favorite requests in this topic.
Categories (Browse)	The Browse button links to request categories that are available to you. When you select a category, you can view the list of requests grouped under it.
Menus	The menu bar at the top of the page shows links and icons for: Broadcasts — Click this link to view broadcast announcements from your company. The Broadcasts popup is configured in User Preferences. For more information about broadcast preferences, see To set user preferences for the Request Entry console on this page. Cart — Click this icon to view or add requests for submission. For more information about the shopping cart, see Using the cart to submit multiple requests. Home — Click this icon from any screen on the Request Entry console and select the home page you want to view: SRM Home Page (for the Request Entry console home page) or IT Home Page (for the IT Overview Console page). Question mark (Help) — Click this icon to view the following options. Help — Click this link to view online help. Give Feedback — Click this option to submit your comments and suggestions about the Request Entry console to the service request coordinator. For more information, see To provide feedback on the Request Entry console in this topic. Complete Survey — Click this option to respond to surveys. For more information about surveys, see Submitting a request survey. Gear (Settings) — Click this icon to view the following options: Preferences — Click this option to modify your console settings. For more information, see To set user preferences for the Request Entry console on this page. Approvals — Click this link to open Approval Central, where you can review, approve, or reject requests for which you are the approver. For more information, see Approving or rejecting requests. On Behalf of — Click this option to search for users on whose behalf you can allowed to submit requests. For more information about submitting requests on behalf of others, see Submitting requests on behalf of other users. Down Arrow (Logout) — Click this icon to log out of the Request Entry console.

To create and manage a list of favorite requests

On the Request Entry console, click Browse to view the Categories page.
On the request categories page, select a category to view requests that are grouped under it.
Select a request and click Add to Favorites.
The request is added to your list of favorites.
Click the Favorites drop-down list, located adjacent to the Popular and Browse button, to view requests in your Favorites list.
Below each request, The Add to Cart, Remove, and Request Now options are displayed.
Perform one of the following actions:
- To add a request to your shopping cart, click Add to Cart.
- To submit the request, click Request Now.
- To remove the request from Favorites, click Remove.

To provide feedback on the Request Entry console

From the menu at the top of the Request Entry console, click the Options icon, and select Give Feedback.
On the Submit Suggestion tab of the Suggestions form, select a category for your suggestion (for example, Common Requests or Metrics).
Enter a title in the Title field.
Enter your comments in the Suggestion field.
If you are suggesting a new request, enter a suggested title and description.
Click Save.
To view your suggestion, click the Previously Submitted Suggestions tab.

To set user preferences for the Request Entry console

Important

Guest users cannot set Request Entry console preferences.

From the menu at the top of the Request Entry console, click the Settings icon, and select Preferences.
The User Preferences dialog box is displayed.
In the General Settings section, specify the following information:
- In the Submit Confirmation field, select the option you prefer:
  - Yes — A confirmation dialog box appears when you submit a request.
  - No — A confirmation dialog box does not appear when you submit a request.
- In the Initial Console View field, select which of the following screens you want to view when you open the Request Entry console:
  - Popular Requests
  - Request Categories
    The Submitted Requests option has been deprecated.
    The default setting is Popular Requests. When you click Home in the Request Entry console, you return to the view that you specify here. If no view is specified, clicking Home returns you to the Popular Requests view.
- In the User Locale field, select the locale of your choice.
  Important
  - Survey questions will not be displayed in locales other than en_US_English unless the locale is also specified in the User Locale field.
  - Currencies displayed in the Request Entry console are not converted or calculated based on the user locale preference. The currency is defined in the Price field in the Definition tab of the service request definition (SRD), as explained in Creating a standard SRD.
- In the Time Zone field, select the time zone for your location.
- In the Accessible Message and Accessible Mode fields, you can select the appropriate settings to make the Request Entry console accessible to users with disabilities in accordance with section 508. For more information, see Making your application accessible - Section 508 compatibility .
In the Broadcast Auto Popup field, specify one of the following defaults:
- Never — You never see the broadcast warnings.
- On Console Open — You see the broadcast warnings when the console opens.
- On New Broadcast — You see the broadcast warnings only when there is a new broadcast.
In the My Requests section, modify the default search criteria for My Requests:
1. In the Show field, select whether requests with a particular status should appear.
  For example, you might want to view only requests with a draft status. The default setting is All Open Requests.
2. In the Recently Closed field, select the number and unit criteria for requests closed since you last logged on.
  For example, you might want to view requests that were closed in the last five days. If you are an infrequent user, you can enter a higher number (for example, requests closed in the last two weeks or months).
Click Save.
You must close and reopen the Request Entry console for the changes to appear.