Managing requests

In BMC Release Process Management, the main unit of deployment is a request. A request represents the deployment of components of an application into an environment. A request describes the work to be done in the deployment process, such as putting an application in an environment, adding attributes, and packaging and deploying the software. A request is composed of steps, which can be manual (for example, “Check the tables for blank cells”) or automated (for example, “Deploy package”). Requests are assigned to users and scheduled on the calendar. They have a duration, a planned date, and a due date.

You can set notification options to specify who receives notifications about changes to requests. You can change the component versions associated with the request, so that you can accommodate changes to the contents of a release. You can clone requests, run them in sequence, and run them in parallel.

Requests progress through the following series of states:

1. Created
2. Planned
3. Started
4. Problem
5. Hold
6. Canceled
7. Completed
8. Reopened

This topic provides the following information and instructions for managing requests and their steps:

• • Creating a request
  • To assign a plan to a request
  • About steps
  • To add steps to a request
  • To use the links associated with the steps
  • Where to go from here

Creating a request

You can create a request in the following ways:

• Create a request from the request header
• Create a request from a request template (create a request template, and then create a new request from this template)
• Import a request (export an existing request to an .xml file, and then import this file to create a new request)

You can create request templates from existing requests and use templates to save time in creating requests over and over again.

To create a request template

1. Click the Requests tab.
2. In the requests list, click open a request from which you want to create a template.
3. Click the Create New Template button on the right.
4. In the dialog box that appears, type a name for the template.
5. Click Create Template.

To create a request from a request header (workflow 1)

1. Click the Requests tab.
2. On the Requests page, click the Create Request tab in the right pane.
3. In the fields under Core Attributes, enter the required data.
4. From the Plan list, select the appropriate plan.
5. From the Stage list, select the appropriate plan stage.
6. Click Show next to Extended Attributes, and then enter the Projects, Package Contents, Wiki, and Assets attributes.
7. Under Scheduling and Estimation, from the Estimate list, select the estimated time for the request to complete.
8. In the empty space in the Planned Start field, click once.
9. In the monthly calendar, select the start date and the start time for the request.
10. In the empty space in the Due by field, click once.
11. In the monthly calendar, select the due date and the due time for the request.
12. Click Create Request.
     The request is created and the Request page opens. You can see the request ID at the top left corner.

You can add steps to the request.

To create a request from a request header (workflow 2)

1. Click the Requests tab.
2. Click the Create Requests button at the right.
3. In the Name field in Core Attributes, type a name for your request.
4. Click Choose Template on the right.
    The requests template page appears.
5. Click the Create Request button next to the template that you want to use.
6. In the dialog box that appears, select the required environment from the Select environment list.
7. Click Create Request.

You can add steps to the request..

To create a request from a request template

1. Click Environment > Metadata > Manage Request Templates.
2. From the Request Templates list, find the template that you want to use.
3. Click New Request from Template at the right of the appropriate template.
    A new request is created and is displayed.

To export a request

1. Click the Requests tab.
2. When the request list appears, click open a request.
3. After the request opens, click Export as xml on the right. The file opens in an .xml format.
4. Click File > Save from the browser and select the folder in which to save the file.

To import a request

1. Click the Requests tab.
2. Click the Import Request link on the right.
3. In the Import dialog box, select the required XML file from your local computer.
4. Click Create Request.

To modify a request

1. On the Requests page, click open the request that you want to modify.
2. Click the expand link below the request.
    The request details open.
3. Click the Modify Request Details link.
4. In the Edit Request dialog box, edit the details as required.
5. Click Update.

To change notification options

1. On the Requests page, open the request for which you want to change the notifications.
2. Click the expand link below the request.
3. Click the Change Notifications Options link.
    The Notifications Options for Request dialog box opens.
4. Select the check boxes for the notification options that you want to set.
5. In the Users field, select the users to which you want to set the email notifications.
    You can select multiple users by using the Ctrl key.
6. In the Groups field, select the groups to which you want to sent the notifications.
    You can select multiple groups by using the Ctrl key.
7. If all the required participants are not found in the Users and the Groups fields, add email addresses in the Other Email Ids field.
8. Click Update.

To edit component versions

1. On the Requests page, open the request for which you need to change the component version.
2. Click the expand link below the request.
3. Click the Edit Component Versions link.
    The Edit Component Versions dialog box opens.
   
   (Click the image to expand it)
   
   
   In the Edit Component Versions dialog box, the check box for the default environment is unavailable. To see the other environments, select the check box for the environment under View other environments for this application.
4. From the Proposed testdev list, select the required version.
5. Click Submit.

To assign a plan to a request

1. Click the Requests tab.
2. Click the request to which you want to assign a plan.
3. Click the Modify Request Details link.
4. From the Plan list, change the new plan for the request.
5. From the Stage list, select the new plan stage for the request.
6. Click Update to save the changes.

About steps

A step is a part of the request. Steps indicate the way a request is executed. A step includes components and automation assigned to the application that you are dealing with. A step can also indicate a phase or runtime phase (for example, “third phase of the release”). Steps can be completed in series, where each step must be completed before starting the next, or in parallel, where execution can proceed asynchronously to accommodate dependencies. Anytime steps can be performed at any time during the request but must be completed to complete the request (for example, “update documentation”).

Steps progress through the following series of states:

1. Locked
2. Ready
3. In Process
4. Blocked
5. Process
6. Hold
7. Complete
8. Reopened

To add steps to a request

1. On the Requests page, click open a request.
2. Click the Add steps link below the request.

3. In the Creating steps dialog box, enter the required data, including:

   Field name	Description
   Name	Name of the step
   Assigned to	A user or a group, selected from the list
   Work task	Name of the work task, selected from the list
   Phase	Name of the phase for the step, selected from the list
   Runtime phase	A cardinal number, selected from the list, that represents the phase
   Automation	Selected by default; depends on your preceding selections
   Component	Component for the step
   Version	Version of the component for the step The version list appears only if the component is specified.
   Commit on completion	Check box to select to change the version of the component to the next version
   Estimate	Estimated start and end dates

4. Click Save Step.

To use the links associated with the steps

The steps of a request use links as shown in the following figure and described in the table. The links are divided into Select and Actions links.

Where to go from here

Read about managing procedures.