Tutorial - Creating services

Overview - Understanding service creation

Services can include anything from physical products to actions that can be performed by people, processes, or systems. Common services include requests to perform maintenance or repair work, provisioning an account on a system, or ordering supplies.

Lesson 1 - Standard process for creating services

The following illustration shows an overview of the end-to-end service authoring and publishing process.

Lesson 2 - Creating a template to restrict the categories

A service template provides a consistent catalog profile structure for services. This tutorial shows you how to create a template to limit the category selection to computer hardware and software. You can create services and assign specific categories quickly with this new template. You do not need to create a new template for every service.

To create a new template:

1. Go to Services > Templates.
2. Click New Template.
3. Enter the template name: Computer services.
4. Click Catalog profile.
   The form structure for the catalog profile appears. You do not enter information into this form.
5. Expand Type of Service.
6. Clear all the check boxes, except:
   • Computer hardware
   • Computer peripherals and accessories
   • Computer software
7. Expand Computer software to see all the subcategories selected.
8. Click Save Profile, and click Close.

Lesson 3 - Creating a service based on the new template

To create the base service

1. Go to Services > Services.
2. Click Create New > Service.
3. Enter a Service Name: Draft service.
4. Select the Service Template: Computer services.
5. Click Create Service to open the Service Options panel.
6. Click Edit beyond Catalog Profile.

7. Expand Categories > Type of Service.

   Note

   In the catalog profile, you can expand the Computer software category you expanded in the template. You can also return to the template to expand the other categories, too.

8. Click Save, click Close.

   Important

   The service is saved in Draft status.

To update the template to show expanded categories

1. Return to Services > Templates.
2. Open Computer services.
3. Click Catalog Profile.
4. Expand Type of Service.
5. Expand the top-level categories:
   • Computer hardware
   • Computer peripherals and accessories
6. Select one of the top-level categories to activate the Save Profile button.
7. Click Save Profile, and click Close.

To test the change to the service

1. Return to Services > Services.
2. Open Draft service.
3. Click Edit beyond Catalog Profile.
4. Expand Categories > Type of Service.
   Now, you can see all the subcategories below each top-level category.
5. Click Close, and click Close.

Lesson 4 - Using the draft service as a base for other services

To export the draft service

1. Go to Services > Services.
2. Select Draft service.
3. Click Actions>Export.
   The zip file is automatically downloaded to your hard drive.

To import the draft service

1. Go to Services > Services.
2. Click Import From File.
3. Select the zip file of the exported service.
   Your imported service is at the top of My Services list.

To update the draft service for use

1. Go to Services > Services.
2. Select the Draft service.
3. Click Actions > Edit Service Name.
4. Enter new Service Name, and click Save.
5. Double-click the service.
6. Click Edit beyond Catalog Profile.
7. Complete the service details as required.
8. Click Save, and click Close.

Conclusion - Considerations when exporting and importing services

In this tutorial, you exported services while in draft state. The service zip file contained the draft catalog profile and attached structural template. However, you can export services in any state.

An exported service zip file can contain everything required to create a copy of the service, including (but not limited to) details, images, workflows, and questions. When you import a service zip file into a system where the service already exists, the new service will replace the existing service.

Required licensing

SaaS subscribers who use BMC Helix ITSM or BMC-Helix-Virtual-Agent-Basic-service are entitled to this feature.