Configuring Business Rules

Business Rules automate actions that the application performs when certain conditions are met. You can create rules based on a combination of various conditions and actions.

You can create Business Rules that can add and modify data for records that belong to a few modules in Track-It!. You can automate actions, such as sending email notifications when a record is created, updated, or deleted based on field updates.

The following figure shows the process to configure a Business Rule:

This topic contains the following information:

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:

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:

1. On the header bar, expand the hamburger menu  and select Configuration.
2. Click SLAs and Business Rules and then click Business Rules.
3. On the Business Rules page, click New.
4. In the Add Business Rule dialog box, in the Business Rule Name field, enter a name.
5. To activate the Business Rule, clear the Inactive check box.
6. In the Business Rule Description field, enter a brief description about the Business Rule.
7. In the Define Conditions section, perform these steps:
   
   
   1. From the When list, select an appropriate option, such as Ticket.
   2. Based on the Business Rule that you want to configure, select one or more of the following check boxes:
      • Created
      • Updated

      • Deleted

        Important

        You cannot select multiple options with Deleted. Deleting a record must be a stand-alone condition.

   3. From the Select a Field list, select a field that you want to use to configure the Business Rule, such as Status.

      Important

      • If you configure a Business Rule to close a ticket and if this ticket has open linked assignments, then only the ticket is closed and the linked assignments are not closed.
      • If you configure a Business Rule to close a Parent ticket and if this Parent ticket has open Child tickets, then the Child tickets are also closed.
   4. From the Select a Condition list, select a required condition.
   5. 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.
   6. (Optional) To add another condition, click and repeat step 7.a through step 7.e.
   7. (Optional) To delete a condition, click .
8. Click the Define Actions section and perform these steps:
   
   
   1. From the Select an Action list, select an appropriate action that the Business Rule must perform, such as Create Record.
   2. From the Select Record Type list, select an appropriate value, such as Asset.

   3. 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.

      Important

      (2023 Release 01) The Update Record or Create a Linked Record actions require mapping of the Record ID when defining a Business Rule. If you select either of these actions from the Select an Action list, then the Select a Field dialog box automatically maps the Record ID as displayed in the following figure:
      

      You must retain the Record ID mapping to complete the action.

      • (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.

          Important

          • All active ticket templates are visible to all users, even those without access to those templates.
          • Any manually added field value takes precedence over the predefined template value.
          • The selected template is applied to a ticket irrespective of template group permissions.
            
          • When you use a Business Rule to apply template values to a ticket record, additional logs are displayed in the TemplateLinks_yyyy-mm-dd.log file.
          • If a template contains any inactive field values, then applying a Business Rule populates the ticket record with those inactive values.
          • If a template contains any deleted field values, then applying a Business Rule does not create a ticket record.
        • 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.

          Important

          • All active ticket templates are visible to all users, even those without access to those templates.
          • Any manually added field value takes precedence over the predefined template value.
          • The selected template is applied to a ticket irrespective of template group permissions.
          • When you use a Business Rule to apply template values to a ticket record, additional logs are displayed in the TemplateLinks_yyyy-mm-dd.log file.
          • If the Business Rules updating the ticket has the same template as the ticket, then linked records are not created again. So any linked records added to the template later are also not created.
          • If a template contains any inactive field values, then applying a Business Rule updates the ticket record with those inactive values.
          • If a template contains any deleted field values, then applying a Business Rule does not update the ticket record.
        • 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.

   4. To add configured action, click .

   5. (Optional) To add multiple actions, repeat step 8.a through step 8.d.
   6. (Optional) To delete an action, click .
9. Click the Define Actions Schedule section, perform these steps:
   
   
   1. For the When to perform the actions setting, select one of the following options: 
      • Immediately
      • At a later time
   2. If you select the At a later time option, perform these steps:
      1. Set the time at which you want to run the Business Rule.
         For example, 2 hours After the Open Date.
      2. To set a recurrence for the Business Rule, in the Repeat field, enter a value and set the duration.
   3. From the Time Zone list, select a preferred time zone in which you want to run the Business Rule.
   4. From the Work Schedule list, select a work schedule.
10. 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:

1. On the header bar, expand the hamburger menu  and select Configuration.
2. Click SLAs and Business Rules and then click Business Rules.
3. On the Business Rules page, click New.
4. 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.
5. Clear the Inactive check box.
6. 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.
7. In the Define Conditions section, perform these steps:
   
   
   1. From the When list, select Ticket and then select the Created check box.
   2. From the Select a Field list, select Priority.
   3. From the Select a Condition list, select equals.
   4. From the Select/Enter a Value list, select 1 - Critical.
   5. Click .
8. Click the Define Actions section and perform these steps:
   
   
   
   1. From the Select an Action list, select Update Record.
   2. From the Select Record Type list, Select Update Ticket Values.
   3. Click the Select/Edit fields.
   4. In the Select a Field dialog box, from the Select a Field list, select Ticket ID.
   5. From the Select a Value from list, select Use a value from current record.
   6. From the Select/Enter a Value list, select {Ticket - Ticket ID}.
   7. Click .
   8. In the Select a Field dialog box, from the Select a Field list, select Assigned To Technician.
   9. From the Select a Value from list, select Use a value or an expression.
   10. From the Select/Enter a Value list, select John.
   11. Click Apply.
       
9. Click the Define Actions Schedule section and perform these steps:
   
   
   1. For the When to perform the action(s) setting, select the At a later time option.
   2. In the Hour(s) field, enter 1.
   3. Select the After option and from the next list, select Last Modified.
   4. In the Repeat field, enter 1.
   5. In the Hour(s) field next to the Repeat field, enter 1.
   6. From the Time Zone list, select (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada).
   7. From the Work Schedule list, select 40-hour work week.
10. 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:

1. On the header bar, expand the hamburger menu  and select Configuration.
2. Click SLAs and Business Rules and then click Business Rules.
3. On the Business Rules page, click New.
4. 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.
5. Clear the Inactive check box.
6. In the Business Rule Description field, enter Notify technician that ticket is created or updated with multiple conditions with Critical priority and Operating Systems.
7. In the Define Conditions section, perform these steps:
   
   
   1. From the When list, select Ticket and then select the Created and Updated check boxes.
   2. From the Select a Field list, select Category.
   3. From the Select a Condition list, select equals.
   4. From the Select/Enter a Value list, select Operating System.
   5. Click .
   6. To add the next condition, from the Select a Field list, select Priority.
   7. From the Select a Condition list, select equals.
   8. From the Select/Enter a Value list, select 1 - Critical.
   9. Click .
   10. To add the next condition, from the Select a Field list, select Ticket Summary.
   11. From the Select a Condition list, select is not blank.
   12. Click if you want to add another condition.
8. Click the Define Actions section and perform these steps:
    
   
   1. From the Select an Action list, select Send Notification.

   2. Click Notification Details.
      The Notification Details dialog box is displayed as shown in the following figure:
      

   3. In the Recipient Details section, perform these steps:
      1. From the To list, select {Ticket - Technician} from the list.
      2. From the Select Groups list, select {Ticket - Group}.
      3. (Optional) In the CC field, select {Ticket - Cc} or enter email addresses.
      4. (Optional) In the BCC field, select {Ticket - Bcc} or enter email addresses.

   4. (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. 

      Important

      • The following considerations apply to the Attachment(s) section:
        
        • It is displayed when you select Send Notification for one of the following record types from the When list in the Define Conditions section:
          • Ticket
          • Assignment
          • Solution
          • Asset
          • Change Request
          • Purchase Order
        • It is also displayed when you select Send Notification with details for one of the following record types from the Select Record Type list in the Define Actions section:

          • Ticket

          • Assignment

          • Asset

          • Change Request

          Send Notification with details is available in the Select an Action list only when you select New Email Received from the When list in the Define Conditions section.

      • If the record type consists of attachments that have local files and URLs, then only the local files are included in the notification email. The URLs in the attachments are not included in the notification email.

      • The email message and the attachments associated with the record type must not exceed the size limit of the notification email that is configured on the email server. If they exceed the size limit, then the notification email is not sent.

   5. In the Message Details section, enter Ticket with {Ticket -Ticket ID} - {Ticket - Ticket Summary} has been created in the Subject field.

      Important

      You must enter the data in the particular fields of the Notification Details dialog box, depending on the recipient of the Business Rule notification. The recipients could either be an individual technician, a group of technicians, all system administrators, or any technician who is available.

   6. 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.

   7. Click Apply.

   8. Click  if you want to add another condition.
9. In the Define Actions Schedule section, from the options in the When to perform the action(s) setting, select Immediately. 
10. Click Save.