This documentation supports the 21.05 version of BMC Helix ITSM: Change Management. To view an earlier version, select the version from the product version menu.

Creating and updating records by using email

BMC Helix ITSM: Change Management provides the ability to use emails to create new requests, and add work information to incident requests, problem investigations, change requests, known errors, tasks, and work orders. 

Depending on how your system is configured, you can create and update the following BMC Helix ITSM application records by email: 

  • Create and add work information for incident requests, work orders, and change requests
  • Add work information only for problem investigations, known errors, and tasks

The Email Rule Engine checks incoming email messages based on a set of rules that are provided out-of-the-box and the rules configured by your system administrator. The email message must pass the following checks:

  1. The Email Rule Engine determines whether the text in the subject line is part of an Excluded Subjects list. For example, if the subject line contains Delivery Error, the Email Rule Engine rejects the email message because that phrase is on the Excluded Subjects list.
  2. If the email message passes the excluded subject test, the Email Rule Engine evaluates the content of the message according to the Email Rule Engine use cases that have been configured by your system administrator. If a matching use case is found, the Email Rule Engine processes the message according to the rules of that use case. After the first match, the Email Rule Engine does not check any of the remaining use cases for additional matches; it runs only one use case against any given email message. If no use case matches are found in the configured or the default use cases, the Email Rule Engine rejects the email message.

Related topic

Troubleshooting email record creation and updates 

Entering work information for a work order

Configuring the Email Rule Engine

Configuring BMC Helix Cognitive Automation 

Example: Creating a request and updating it by using email

In an environment that is configured to create and update records by using email, an Email Rule Engine use case is defined as follows: 

  • The keywords in the subject line are Server and Upgrade. 
  • If the keywords are in the subject line, the Email Rule Engine creates a change request from the Upgrade Server template (example template name; your system might have different templates).

A customer sends an email message with the following text in the subject line: "change request, upgrade server for payroll". When the email message arrives in the configured inbox, the following events take place:

  1. The Email Rule Engine runs the following tasks:
    1. Scans the Subject field for the defined excluded subjects and finds none.
    2. Evaluates the email message according to the configured use cases.
    3. Discovers that the content of the Subject field matches the criteria in the use case that creates a request using the Upgrade Server template.
    4. Creates a change request by using the Upgrade Server template.
    5. Copies the details of the email message to the change request's Work Information form.
  2. The Change Management assignment rules assign the new change request to a help desk analyst.
  3. The help desk analyst opens the new change request, reviews the details, and has a question about some of the information in the request.
  4. The help desk analyst sends the question to the change request submitter directly from the change request by using the Email function.
  5. The submitter receives the email message and responds to it.
  6. The Email Rule Engine adds the response to the change request as a work information entry.
  7. The help desk analyst opens the change request and reviews the work information.
  8. With the information provided by the submitter, the help desk analyst completes and then closes the change request.


To create a work order by using email

You can use email to create a work order.

Before you begin

Ensure that BMC Service Request Management is installed. You must have Work Order Master, Work Order User, or Work Order Submitter permission to create a work order by using email. This procedure provides only general information for creating a work order by using email. The email feature is configurable, so check with your system administrator for more information about Configuring the Email Rule Engine and for the specific information that applies to your email environment.

To create or update records by using email, you must have your own email address recorded in the Email Address field of your People form record. Ask your system administrator to ensure that your People form record includes your email address.

  1. Open your email editor and create a new email message.
  2. In the To field, enter the email account that is registered with the Email Engine to receive and generate application requests.
  3. Complete the Subject field and the body text according to the rules configured by your system administrator. 
    If global rules are used and no custom rules are defined, add WO: in the Subject field. Check with your system administrator for the defined custom rules.

  4. If you have an attachment, add it to the email message.
    The system adds attachments to the application request's Work Information form. If you add multiple attachments, the system creates a zip file and adds it to the Work Information form.

    Important

    Each attachment must have a unique filename.

  5. Click Send.
    If your email system is configured to send acknowledgments, you receive a confirmation message containing the work order ID.
    If BMC Helix ITSM Automation is configured for your email system, a relevant template is applied to the work order. Also, if your email system is configured to send acknowledgments, you receive a confirmation message containing the work order ID.


To add work information notes to a request by using email

You can add work information to an existing record. Depending on how your system is configured, you can add work information to any of the following BMC Helix ITSM record types:

  • Incident request
  • Problem investigation
  • Known error
  • Work order
  • Service requests (updates the Activity Log on the Service Request form)
  • Task
  • Change request

You can add work information by responding to a system-generated email message about the record, or you can create a new email message.

Important

You can only add work information notes to a record. You cannot update existing work information notes.

Before you begin

Check with your system administrator to ensure that your BMC application is configured to work with email-generated records.

  1. Perform one of the following actions:
    • Reply to an existing email message about the record to which you want to add the work information note.
    • Create a new email message.
  2. If you are creating a new email message, ensure the To field contains the correct email address for your email server.

  3. Ensure that the Subject field starts with RE: and includes the request ID.

    Important

    If the subject line does not start with RE:, the Email Rule Engine rejects the message.

    In some environments, the Email Rule Engine parses the body of the email message for the request ID. If your system is configured to do this (check with your system administrator), you do not need to put the request ID in the subject line; put it in the body of the message instead. If you are unsure of whether your system can read request IDs from the body of an email message, put the request ID in the Subject field.

  4. Type the work information text in the body of the email message.

  5. If you have any attachments, add those to the email message, which are also added to the work information note. If you add more than one attachment, the email engine creates a zip file of the attachments and attaches it to the work information note.

    Important

    Each attachment must have a unique filename.

  6. Send the email message.
    If your email system is configured to send acknowledgments, you receive a confirmation message containing the request ID or the work order ID.

 

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