Configuring Business Rules
The following figure shows the process to configure a Business Rule:
Overview of Business Rules
The following video (10:20) provides an overview of Business Rules in Track-It!:
https://youtu.be/iIAqX_ev2Rw?list=PLibAMtD70sYGYdao7TNnEiuvoHy_z8t4V
Components of a Business Rule
Together, following components form a Business Rule:
Component | Description |
---|---|
Conditions | Determines the criteria after which a Business Rule is triggered. |
Actions | Defines the configured actions that the application performs after the Business Rule is triggered. |
Actions Schedule | Defines when the selected action must be performed. |
Key features and considerations
Note the following key features and considerations:
- Track-It! provides a list of pre-configured Business Rules. By default, these Business Rules, as well as any ones that you create, are inactive. You can activate a Business Rule by clearing the Inactive check box.
By default, a new Business Rule is inactive. You must clear the Inactive check box to activate a Business Rule. - While configuring an action, if you enter an incorrect or invalid expression, the notification content after the expression is truncated when an email notification is sent to users. Ensure that you use valid expressions in actions.
- If you configure multiple conditions, for a Business Rule with a combination of Created, Updated, and Deleted check boxes, the Business Rule is not executed when a record is deleted. However, if you configure multiple conditions for a Business Rule with only the Deleted checkbox selected, the Business Rule is executed as expected.
- Although the comparison conditions are available for a text type field, BMC recommends that you do not use these conditions to configure a condition for a text type field.
- You can enter a custom value for the Select/Enter a Value list. The Select/Enter a Value list also supports expressions and already created records for the field selected in the Select a Field list.
- You can schedule a Business Rule to run immediately or at a later time. If a Business Rule is scheduled to run at a later time, you can specify the date and time expression to run the rule. You can also schedule a Business Rule to run repeatedly and you can define the number of repetitions that the rule must be run.
- Use the curly brackets ({) in a text field type fields, such as Email body, to access the list of available expressions for conditions and actions.
- When a Business Rule with the create/update action is executed, a system note is added to the record.
For example, if a Business Rule is executed on a ticket to update the Priority field, a system note named BR_businessruleName is added to the ticket notes. - You can copy paste the rich text field (RTF) content to the email notification editor.
- If you restart the IIS server, the job monitor and the email services for Business Rules stop. You must restart these services manually.
- If you configure a Business Rule to update a ticket by updating or creating a new ticket, ensure that you configure the appropriate conditions so the Business Rule does not run into an infinite loop.
- Attachments with file name exceeding 150 characters will not be attached through Business Rules configured for Incoming emails.
- (2021 Release 02) If you configure a Business Rule to create a ticket via email, and select New Email - Cc Address as the Requestor Email Address in the Select a Field dialog box in the Define Actions section, make sure that your mail has only one email address in CC so that it is correctly displayed in the Requestor Email Address field and the corresponding requestor's details are displayed on the ticket.
- If there is more than one email address in CC, all the email addresses are displayed in the Alternate Email Address field, the Requestor Email Address field is blank, and the requestor's details are not displayed on the ticket.
If the email address in CC is not linked to any requestor, it is displayed in the Alternate Email Address field, the Requestor Email Address field is blank, and the requestor's details are not displayed on the ticket. - (2021 Release 02) If you configure a Business Rule to update a ticket or assignment via email, and select New Email - Cc Address as the Requestor Email Address in the Select a Field dialog box in the Define Actions section, make sure that your mail has only one email address in CC so that it is correctly displayed in the Requestor Email Address field and the corresponding requestor's details are displayed on the ticket or assignment. If there is more than one email address in CC or if the email address in CC is not linked to any requestor, the Requestor Email Address field is blank.
- (2022 Release 01) You can format the Business Rule and SLA Send Notification message text by using the different rich text formatting options provided in the Notification details dialog box. You can also insert or directly paste inline screenshots in the notification message field. However, inserting high resolution or heavy images might lead to errors or delays in saving the Business Rule or SLA.
- (2023 Release 01) When you configure a Business Rule to create, update, or delete an assignment, you can send email notifications to the technician, group, and requestor of the ticket linked to the assignment.
Types of actions
The following actions are available for configuring Business Rules:
Supported expressions for configuring conditions and actions
You can use expressions to configure conditions and actions for Business Rules. The following table provides information about the supported expressions for configuring actions:
Pre-configured Business Rules
The following table provides information about the pre-configured Business Rules in Track-It!:
Defining a Business Rule
Perform the following steps to define a Business Rule:
- On the header bar, expand the hamburger menu
and select Configuration.
- Click SLAs and Business Rules and then click Business Rules.
- On the Business Rules page, click New.
- In the Add Business Rule dialog box, in the Business Rule Name field, enter a name.
- To activate the Business Rule, clear the Inactive check box.
- In the Business Rule Description field, enter a brief description about the Business Rule.
- In the Define Conditions section, perform these steps:
- From the When list, select an appropriate option, such as Ticket.
- Based on the Business Rule that you want to configure, select one or more of the following check boxes:
- Created
- Updated
Deleted
From the Select a Field list, select a field that you want to use to configure the Business Rule, such as Status.
- From the Select a Condition list, select a required condition.
- Based on the condition that you select, from the Select/Enter a Value list, select or enter a field value.
You can enter a custom value; use { to access the list of expressions, or select an already created value from the list. - (Optional) To add another condition, click
and repeat step 7.a through step 7.e.
- (Optional) To delete a condition, click
.
- Click the Define Actions section and perform these steps:
- From the Select an Action list, select an appropriate action that the Business Rule must perform, such as Create Record.
- From the Select Record Type list, select an appropriate value, such as Asset.
Click Select/Edit Fields to select or edit a field value based on the action and record type that you selected.
Select and edit values in the following dialog box:
Select appropriate values from the Select a Field, the Select a value from, and the Select/Enter a Value list to configure the action that the Business Rule must complete.- (2021 Release 02) While defining an action, if you select the record type as Ticket from the Select Record Type list, then the following dialog box is displayed when you click Select/Edit Fields:
From the Select a Field list, select an appropriate value from the following options:[Use a Template]
If you select [Use a Template], the Select a value from list is disabled.
The Select/Enter a Value list displays all the active ticket template names only. Select the appropriate template to pre-populate fields within the ticket record when the Business Rule is applied. All the records linked to the selected template, such as assignments, notes, or attachments, are created and linked to the ticket.- Any other value from the Select a Field list
If you select a value other than [Use a Template] from the Select a Field list, the Select a value from list is enabled and the Select/Enter a Value field lists all the available values. You can configure the action that the Business Rule must complete.
- While defining an action, if you select the action as Update Record in the Select an Action list and select the record type as Update Ticket Values from the Select Record Type list, then the following dialog box is displayed when you click Select/Edit Fields:
From the Select a Field list, select an appropriate value from the following options:[Use a Template]
If you select [Use a Template], the Use a value or an expression list is disabled.
The Select/Enter a Value list displays all the active ticket template names only. Select the appropriate template to update the fields within the ticket record when the Business Rule is applied. All the records linked to the selected template, such as assignments, notes, or attachments, are created and linked to the ticket.- Any other value from the Select a Field list
If you select a value other than [Use a Template] from the Select a Field list, the Use a value or an expression list is enabled and the Select/Enter a Value field lists all the available values. You can configure the action that the Business Rule must complete.
- (2021 Release 02) While defining an action, if you select the record type as Ticket from the Select Record Type list, then the following dialog box is displayed when you click Select/Edit Fields:
- To add configured action, click
.
- (Optional) To add multiple actions, repeat step 8.a through step 8.d.
- (Optional) To delete an action, click
.
- Click the Define Actions Schedule section, perform these steps:
- For the When to perform the actions setting, select one of the following options:
- Immediately
- At a later time
- If you select the At a later time option, perform these steps:
- Set the time at which you want to run the Business Rule.
For example, 2 hours After the Open Date. - To set a recurrence for the Business Rule, in the Repeat field, enter a value and set the duration.
- Set the time at which you want to run the Business Rule.
- From the Time Zone list, select a preferred time zone in which you want to run the Business Rule.
- From the Work Schedule list, select a work schedule.
- For the When to perform the actions setting, select one of the following options:
- Click Save.
Prerequisites for executing a Business Rule
To ensure that the defined Business Rules are executed, the following prerequisites must be met:
- Ensure that the Job Monitor service is running.
- Configure the Email settings. For more information, see Configuring email.
- If you are using the SMTP protocol, ensure that the SMTP service is running.
- To execute the Business Rules with the send notification with details action, the email service must be running.
Configuring advanced Business Rules
The following video (16:22) provides information about configuring advanced Business Rules in Track-It!:
https://youtu.be/66xI1Smq9m8?list=PLibAMtD70sYGYdao7TNnEiuvoHy_z8t4V
Scenario: Define a Business Rule to update the priority of a ticket when the ticket is assigned to John Smith
To define a business rule to update the priority of a ticket when it is assigned:
- On the header bar, expand the hamburger menu
and select Configuration.
- Click SLAs and Business Rules and then click Business Rules.
- On the Business Rules page, click New.
- In the Add Business Rule dialog box, in the Business Rule Name field, enter Assign and send notification to John Smith when a ticket with critical priority is created.
- Clear the Inactive check box.
- In the Business Rule Description field, enter When the defined conditions are met, assign the matching tickets and send email notification to technician John Smith.
- In the Define Conditions section, perform these steps:
- From the When list, select Ticket and then select the Created check box.
- From the Select a Field list, select Priority.
- From the Select a Condition list, select equals.
- From the Select/Enter a Value list, select 1 - Critical.
- Click
.
- Click the Define Actions section and perform these steps:
- From the Select an Action list, select Update Record.
- From the Select Record Type list, Select Update Ticket Values.
- Click the Select/Edit fields.
- In the Select a Field dialog box, from the Select a Field list, select Ticket ID.
- From the Select a Value from list, select Use a value from current record.
- From the Select/Enter a Value list, select {Ticket - Ticket ID}.
- Click
.
- In the Select a Field dialog box, from the Select a Field list, select Assigned To Technician.
- From the Select a Value from list, select Use a value or an expression.
- From the Select/Enter a Value list, select John.
- Click Apply.
- Click the Define Actions Schedule section and perform these steps:
- For the When to perform the action(s) setting, select the At a later time option.
- In the Hour(s) field, enter 1.
- Select the After option and from the next list, select Last Modified.
- In the Repeat field, enter 1.
- In the Hour(s) field next to the Repeat field, enter 1.
- From the Time Zone list, select (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada).
- From the Work Schedule list, select 40-hour work week.
- Click Save.
Scenario: Define a Business Rule to send a notification to all technicians in a group
To define a business rule to send a notification to all technicians in a group, follow these steps:
- On the header bar, expand the hamburger menu
and select Configuration.
- Click SLAs and Business Rules and then click Business Rules.
- On the Business Rules page, click New.
- In the Add Business Rule dialog box, in the Business Rule Name field, enter Notify technicians about a ticket creation or an update with multiple conditions.
- Clear the Inactive check box.
- In the Business Rule Description field, enter Notify technician that ticket is created or updated with multiple conditions with Critical priority and Operating Systems.
- In the Define Conditions section, perform these steps:
- From the When list, select Ticket and then select the Created and Updated check boxes.
- From the Select a Field list, select Category.
- From the Select a Condition list, select equals.
- From the Select/Enter a Value list, select Operating System.
- Click
.
- To add the next condition, from the Select a Field list, select Priority.
- From the Select a Condition list, select equals.
- From the Select/Enter a Value list, select 1 - Critical.
- Click
.
- To add the next condition, from the Select a Field list, select Ticket Summary.
- From the Select a Condition list, select is not blank.
- Click
if you want to add another condition.
- Click the Define Actions section and perform these steps:
- From the Select an Action list, select Send Notification.
- Click Notification Details.
The Notification Details dialog box is displayed as shown in the following figure: - In the Recipient Details section, perform these steps:
- From the To list, select {Ticket - Technician} from the list.
- From the Select Groups list, select {Ticket - Group}.
- (Optional) In the CC field, select {Ticket - Cc} or enter email addresses.
- (Optional) In the BCC field, select {Ticket - Bcc} or enter email addresses.
(2021 Release 01) (Optional) In the Attachment(s) section, select the Include attachment(s) from recordType check box to include the attachments associated with the record type in the notification email. This check box is not selected by default.
In the Message Details section, enter Ticket with {Ticket -Ticket ID} - {Ticket - Ticket Summary} has been created in the Subject field.
- In the notification message field, enter any additional information related to the Business Rule. You can format the notification message text by using the different rich text formatting options provided. You can also insert or directly paste inline screenshots in the notification message field.
- Click Apply.
- Click
if you want to add another condition.
- In the Define Actions Schedule section, from the options in the When to perform the action(s) setting, select Immediately.
- Click Save.