Dynamic fields

Dynamic fields are fields that are added to case and task templates to store additional information that is related to the case or task. Dynamic fields are also defined as questions in questionnaires in BMC Helix Digital Workplace Advanced.

Scenario

Mary Mann, a case business analyst in the Apex Global company, adds the New address dynamic field in the Change my address case template from the dynamic field library. Mary adds another field — Reason of relocation in the case template. When Francie Stafford, a case agent, creates a case by using the Change my address case template, requester responses for the New address and Reason of relocation are stored as additional information in the case.

These dynamic fields are reused in all cases that are created by using the Change my address case template.

Data types

Dynamic fields can be of the following data types:

Text
Boolean
Numeric
Date
Attachment

Dynamic fields can be shared between cases and tasks and changes made to the dynamic fields are tracked in audit records. Dynamic fields can also be hidden in a case. However, users with the permission to view the process history, such as an administrator, can view the hidden dynamic fields in the Manage Process.

Dynamic data fields are stored in a JSON structure in dynamic data questions. Dynamic data fields have a one to many relationship from a case. A single dynamic field can be reused in multiple cases when the same case template is used to create those cases. They act as child fields in the case record definition and therefore cannot be used in reporting, consoles, approval, notifications, and service level management. For example, in the above scenario, the New address and Reason of relocation fields can be reused in all cases that are created by using the Change my address case template.

Advantages of dynamic fields

The following image shows the advantages of dynamic fields in cases and tasks:

Default values for dynamic fields

A case business analyst can define default values for dynamic fields so that the value is automatically populated in cases and tasks in which those dynamic fields are used. With default values, case agents can create cases without having to select a value when requesters do not provide the answer to the questions.

A case business analyst can define default values for dynamic fields in the following ways:

In the dynamic field library
For the dynamic fields in case or task templates
For questions in case templates

Points to consider for defining default values

Consider the following points for defining default values:

A case business analyst can define default values for the following attribute types:
- Text
- Date
- Date and time
- Time
- Boolean
Default values cannot be defined for List and Attachment types.
When a dynamic data question is created in a case template, and a case is created from BMC Helix Digital Workplace Advanced or by an email, BMC Helix Business Workflows does not copy the default values for the requester question from the case template into the case. Only values for non-requester questions are copied from the corresponding case template into the case.
The default value for dynamic fields is not copied from a case or task template definition to the Requester's Response field. The dynamic data questions that are not visible in the Requester's Response field, such as agent or task assignee are automatically populated with default answers from the case or task template definition.

A case agent can view the prepopulated default values for requester questions in the Requester's Response field that is available on the Create Case and Quick Case views.

Regex for dynamic fields

A case business analyst can add validation to the Text type of dynamic fields by defining a regular expression (regex) for the fields. The regex provides a format to specify the value for the field. While specifying the value for the dynamic field, if a case agent enters a different format, a validation error is displayed. The validation enforces uniformity for the input value and also avoids manual errors.

As a case business analyst, you can define and update a regular expression for dynamic fields from the dynamic fields library, case templates, or task templates. To help case agents understand the format to be used for a dynamic field, you must define a hint for the Text field.

When the value that is entered by the case agent for the Text dynamic field doesn't match the regex that is defined for the field, the hint is displayed. The case agent cannot save the value until the value is specified in the correct format.

For example, as a case business analyst for Apex Global, Ajay defines a regex of a maximum of 20 characters for a dynamic field. When a case agent specifies a value of more than 20 characters for the dynamic data field, the field is highlighted and the hint that Ajay defined for the field is displayed.

Any dynamic field containing a regex that is received from BMC Helix Digital Workplace Advanced is also applied to the dynamic field in the case when the case is created. However, any change made to the field in BMC Helix Digital Workplace Advanced after the case is created is not reflected in the case automatically. You must manually update the dynamic field in BMC Helix Business Workflows.

Important

You must add a regex only to new fields. If you add a regex to an existing dynamic field, the regex validates the existing case and task records and may prevent the tickets from being saved.

Dynamic fields for tasks

As a case business analyst, you can define dynamic fields only for tasks by enabling the Show on Task Only option when you create the dynamic fields. The option to create task-only dynamic fields is available only from a new or existing task template.

When a dynamic field is a task-only field, it is visible only in the tasks that are created from the task template in which you created the dynamic field. The field is not visible in the corresponding case.

For example, Ajay defines a Time spent on this task dynamic field in a task template. He enables the Show on Task Only option for this field. When a case agent creates a case with this task template, the Time spent on this task field is visible only in the task, and is not visible in the case.

With task-only dynamic fields, a case business analyst can restrict the information added in the dynamic field to a task. Only the case agent that is working on the specific task can view the dynamic field. Because the dynamic field is not available in the corresponding case, it is not visible to any other users, thus maintaining the privacy of the information.

Dependent menu for dynamic fields

As a case business analyst, build multi-tiered menus for the List type of dynamic fields by defining an additional expression in the Additional Named List Filter field. With the dependent menu, you can restrict the available options to select from, making sure that only those values that are related to the parent dynamic field are available for selection, thus improving the user experience.

For example, Ajay creates a case template to generate a Visa letter for an employee. The template contains "Travel country" and "Travel city" dynamic fields. Ajay configures the "Travel city" field values to be dependent on the value selected for the "Travel country" field. When Bill, a case agent, creates a case for a Visa letter by using the case template that Ajay created, Bill can select the "Travel city" based on the "Travel country" that he selects. The dependent dynamic field of "Travel city" lists the cities that belong only to the "Travel country" that is selected.

A case business analyst can define dependent menus for dynamic fields from the case or task templates. While you are defining the dependent menu, the expression is validated and if found incorrect, a message is displayed. When you remove a parent dynamic field from a case or task template, a message is displayed about the dependent dynamic field.