Creating and managing skills

A skill is a capability that enables performing specific tasks, such as answering queries, generating responses, or automating workflows. Skills and prompts enhance the accuracy of the response by meeting specific user needs.

The BMC HelixGPT includes default skills you can use with supported BMC Software applications such as BMC Digital Workplace or  BMC Helix Business Workflows.

As an administrator, you can use the default skills or create your own skills. 

Best practices for creating Skills

We recommend the following best practices for creating skills in BMC HelixGPT:

• Always create new Skills from the HelixGPT Manager application for BMC Helix Virtual Agent.
• Make sure not to modify the out-of-the-box Skills. Create a new Skill and copy all the required prompts from the out-of-the-box (seeded) Skill into it. The out-of-the-box Skills are only for reference and might be enhanced in the future. 

Before you begin

Make sure you have added the API Endpoint URL and API keys for the generative AI provider you plan to use.
For more information, see Provisioning and setting up the generative AI provider for your application.

To create a skill

1. Log in to the HelixGPT Manager.
   By default, the Skills page is open.
2. Select the Application for which you want to create a skill.
3. Click Add skill. 
   The Add skill dialog box opens.
4. In the Add skill dialog box, specify the following details:
   1. In the Name field, specify a name for your skill. 
   2. Select the Type of skill you want to create.
   3. From the Provider list, select the generative AI provider that you want to use.
   4. From the Model list, select the GPT model that you want to use for the selected AI provider.
   5. In the User context definition list, select a process to evaluate variables you want to use in prompts.
   6. Select the Instruction type.
   7. Click Add.

Repeat the steps to create multiple skills for your application. 

To test a skill

Use the Test option to perform the following actions:

• Modify prompts and perform real-time testing of a prompt.
• View a structured chain of objects contributing to the response, including the global prompt, retrieved context, and intermediate results.
• Interact with the conversation, debug step-by-step, and investigate the variables to refine responses.
• Modify and test the existing skills without impacting production, and check in the updated version across environments seamlessly.
• Test a skill that is created with an instruction type as prompt or agent. When you test a skill created with an agent, BMC HelixGPT retains the message history of previous questions. However, you can choose to clear the history by using the New topic button.

Watch the following video shows details about testing a skill:

Perform the following steps to test a skill:

1. In HelixGPT  Manager, select the application and the skill for which you want to test a prompt.
   The Test Skill dialog box is displayed:
   
2. Type the question and analyze the response.
   The right side panel shows the analysis of the response:
   
    

To associate a skill with another model

1. In HelixGPT Manager, select the application and skill for which you want to change the model.
2. From the Provider and Model lists, select the service provider and model version, respectively.
3. Click Apply.

You can associate custom skills from one model to another. However, you cannot associate out-of-the-box skills from one model to another.

To Add a prompt or an agent in skill

After you create a skill, you must add prompts or agents to the skill as per your instruction type selection while creating a skill.

• For more information about creating prompt, see Adding a prompt to a skill.
• For adding agents in the skill, see Managing AI agents.

To define search settings for skill

set up the search preferences for your application to offer relevant knowledge articles to users. You can specify which applications should be searched to find answers to user questions.
or more information, see Defining knowledge search settings.

To add a channel for skill

Configure MS Teams as a channel to enable seamless interaction.
For more information, see  Enabling Microsoft Teams as a communication channel.

To update the configuration of skill

1. In HelixGPT Manager, select the application and skill for which you want to edit the configuration.
2. Go to the Configure tab, in the Configuration box, and update the field you want.
3. Click Apply.

To import and export skill

To export a skill

1. Log in to BMC HelixGPT Manager and select the application from which you want to export the skill.

2. From the list, select a skill.
3. Click Export.
   
   The skill settings are exported to your local system in JSON format.

• When you export a prompt, the system exports the active version for that skill.
• When you select a skill to export, all the prompts and search settings configured for that skill are automatically exported. You cannot select only a few prompts or search settings in a skill to export. 

To import a skill

1. Log in to HelixGPT Manager and select the application for which you want to import a skill.
2. Click Import.
   
3. In the Import skill dialog box, on the Upload tab, click Upload File
4. Search and select the JSON file in that you want to import and click Next.
5. On the Import tab, in the Import conflict option section, select one of the following options as required for all the fields

   1. Overwrite—HelixGPT overwrites the data if the data already exists in the target system.

   2. Do not overwrite—HelixGPT does not overwrite the data. 
      

6. Click Import.

The skill settings are successfully imported into the target system.

Related topics

Creating and managing prompts

Enabling Microsoft Teams as a communication channel