Inheriting permissions by using hierarchical companies for catalog agents
BMC Helix Digital Workplace uses Foundation data that consists of common data elements, such as people, organization, locations, categorizations, and geography, in an organization from BMC Helix ITSM.
As an administrator, you can leverage the hierarchical company structure in BMC Helix ITSM to benefit the catalog agents in the following ways:
- If they have access to a parent company, they can also view requests belonging to its child companies.
- They get access to the complete multilevel company structure including children of the child companies, and so forth.
- They can view service requests from the multilevel company structure without requiring full administrative access to BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog.
For more information about Foundation data, see Foundation data model.
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Related topics
If you are an agent with access to the parent company Apex Global, you can also access requests belonging to its subcompanies. Any request made to the subcompanies, such as Calbro Services, Petramco, or Centari, can be viewed and managed by agents of Apex Global.
The following diagram illustrates company-level access to subcompanies in BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog:
Before you begin
Administrators must make sure that the agents have access to appropriate company data before configuring the company hierarchy.
To enable extended request access for agents in BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog
- Log in to the Catalog console.
- Select Application Settings
. - Click Extended request access for agents to enable or disable the setting and click Save.
These requests belong to different companies that might be part of parent-child relationship structure.
To enable extended request access for agents in BMC Helix Innovation Studio
- In the BMC Helix Innovation Studio Admin console, select Administration.
- In the Settings pane, select Digital Workplace Catalog > Service Request.
- Click Extended Request Access for Agents.
- Click Save.
(Optional) To configure a parent group in Mid Tier
The Action Request System builds and manages business applications. Integrating BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog with Action Request System enables workflow automation. This integration allows the BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog to leverage the capabilities of the Action Request System for managing workflows.
Access the CTM:SYS-HG_SelectParentGroup form in Mid Tier to configure the parent group:
- On the Hierarchical Group Configuration form, select the Parent Group For, and then select the Company.
- Select the required company check box.
- In the Set Parent Group Type, select the Company.
- In the Parent Group Name, click
.
A list of companies is displayed. - Select the required company from the list and click Save.
The Parent Group Name column displays the updated parent group for the selected company.
To unlink a parent group
As an Action Request System administrator, you might remove the parent-child relationship between companies due to organizational restructuring or other reasons specific to your organization. When you remove a company's parent group, the parent group is no longer associated with the child company and therefore cannot access the data of the child companies.
Access the CTM:SYS-HG_SelectParentGroup form in Mid Tier to unlink the parent-child company structure. This form is a part of the hierarchical group feature workflow. When you delete a parent group, a specific workflow related to this form is executed. This workflow triggers another workflow that updates records in the Group form.
- On the Hierarchical Group Configuration form, select the Parent Group For, and then select the Company.
A list of companies is displayed. - Select the required company from the list.
- In the Parent Group Name, select the Set as Blank check box to remove the parent group and click Save.
The Parent Group Name column is displayed blank for the selected company.
To modify company structure
If you want to change the structure of the companies, such as defining which companies are parents and which are children, and setting up their relationships, you will need to make these modifications in Mid Tier.
To assign access to agents
To assign agents access to a parent company, access the CTM:People form in Mid Tier. In the Access Restriction tab, add the companies the agent must access and click Save.
Troubleshooting
Consult the following table for information about troubleshooting common issues related to hierarchical permissions:
Issue/Symptom | Possible cause and solution |
|---|---|
In the BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog console, agents can't access the correct service requests. |
|
Enabling or disabling the Extended request access for agents setting is not reflected in BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog. | When the Extended request access for agents setting is enabled or disabled, we recommend that you clear the Tenant Configuration cache. |