Configuring columns in ticket console

As a Smart IT administrator you can add additional custom fields as columns to the ticket console. You can also add an existing OOTB field as column in the ticket console. For detailed configuration steps, see Adding a custom column to the ticket console. To add a new field, first you need to define the field in the Action Request System forms. For the details of the appropriate forms, see Adding-custom-fields-to-your-views-using-Smart-IT.

If a field is defined in the Action Request System forms, use the following BMC Helix ITSM forms to add custom columns in the ticket console of Smart IT:

Form name	Purpose
SHR:Union_DataSource_Fields	This form is used to register the fields from the union view. The Union form refers to this form to populate the respective columns.
SHR:Union_DataSource_FieldMappings	This form is used for mapping ticket field with union fields.
SHR:Union_ConfigurationConsole	This form is used to manually trigger union view generation/re-generation Logic. It uses service filters to invoke the SQL generation logic internally.
SMT:UnionSmartIT_TicketConsole	This form is used to support existing console functionalities.

Before you begin

All of these forms are available only to users with administrator permissions. Configuring columns in ticket console is not supported for mobile platforms.

To add a custom column to the ticket console

If a field is defined in the Action Request System forms, use the following procedure to add custom columns in the ticket console of Smart IT. This procedure uses Incident tickets as an example. For other ticket types, select the appropriate forms and relevant filter in the Action Request System. The required forms and fields of BMC Helix ITSM are the same for all ticket types.

Open Developer Studio in Best Practice Customization mode (the default).
If a custom field does not exist in the HPD:HelpDesk form, create a new field and assign it the appropriate permissions.
From BMC Helix ITSM, open the SHR:Union_DataSource_Fields form.
1. Select New request.
2. Select SmartIT Ticket Console in the Implementation Area.
3. Enter a unique name in Union Field Name in uppercase characters.
  Important
  Make sure that there is no blank space between characters. You can replace blank space with _ (underscore).
4. Select Enabled in the Status and Save the record.
Important
For fields that are not enumerated, (for example, Character, Menu, Date only, Date/Time, Time only, and so on) the Convert Enumerated Values check box should not be selected. The Ticket Console in Smart IT does not display any information if the Convert Enumerated Values check box is erroneously selected.
Open the SHR:Union_DataSource_FieldMappings form and map the custom field with the column that you have created on the SHR:Union_DataSource_Fields form.
Open the SHR:Union_ConfigurationConsole form.
1. Select SmartIT Ticket Console in the Implementation Area.
2. (Optional) For an enumerated field, select Yes next to Bypass Enum Value Conversion.
  Important
  For a non-enumerated field, don't select Bypass Enum Value Conversion.
  If you are adding a new custom value for enumerated fields such as Status reason, then the value must be added to the SMT:UnionSmartIT_TicketConsole form before you build the view.
3. Click Build/Rebuild Database Union Structure.
On the Developer Studio, open the SMT:UnionSmartIT_TicketConsole form.
1. Create an overlay of the SMT:UnionSmartIT_TicketConsole form by selecting the Form > Create View Overlay.
2. Add a field from view option or create a new field and update the view information.
  Important
  For enumerated fields, Date only, Date/Time, Time only, drop down fields, if you add a field from view option, it will appear as an integer field on ticket console. To make it appear as an enumerated field, Date only, Date/Time, Time only, drop down field, either copy from the source form or create a new selection field and update the view information.
3. Modify the display name, permission and database name in the Property. Under the View Information of the Property, enter the column name that you created in the SHR:Union_DataSource_Fields form for the field Union Field Name .
  Any new custom field must be added to default view on the SMT:UnionSmartIT_TicketConsole form for it to be shown in the Smart IT column list. While adding a new field on the SMT:UnionSmartIT_TicketConsole form, make sure that the Column Name value (under the View Information property) matches with the corresponding Union Field Name value defined on the SHR:Union_DataSource_Fields form.
For enumerated field, on a ticket console form with all consolidated values from different ticket types, go back to the SHR:Union_ConfigurationConsole form.
1. Uncheck the Bypass Enum Value Conversion.
2. Click Build/Rebuild Database Union Structure.
Log on to the Smart IT universal client as an Admin user.
1. (For enumerated fields only) From the Configuration menu, select Screen Configuration. Refresh the Smart IT server cache to reload the metadata.
2. In the Ticket Console, click Refresh Metadata in the Change and Order Columns panel.
3. Click the menu that appears below the ticket counts to display the Change and Order Columns panel.
  The newly added column appears in the Available Columns section.
4. Select the column.
  The selected column appears in the Visible Columns section.
5. Click Save.
6. Click Ticket Console in the Console option and verify the field name that you have added.

Important

Currently, the following fields are supported: Character, Integer, Date only, Date/Time, Time only, Decimal, Real, Menu, Drop-down list, Radio Buttons, Check box.
Currently, the following fields are not supported: Currency, Binary Large Object (BLOB) data type, Character Large Object (CLOB).
If a request is about to miss an SLA and the manager needs to be informed, then the Escalated field is set to Yes. The values of this field are displayed in the Escalated column in the Ticket Console.

To apply filters

When you add a custom column in a ticket console, it becomes available as custom filter in the ticket console filters. To search for specific tickets on the ticket console, you can select multiple filters and click Apply. The system displays the result according to the filters that you specified. When selecting filters if you select Cancel, the system cancels your selection and displays the result according to the filters that were previously applied. Note that you must select minimum two filters for the system to display the result. If you have set preset, and additionally specified filters, the system displays the result as per the preset and filters. To clear all the filters, click the Clear Filters option. The system now displays the result according to the default preset.

If you move an out-of-the-box column from Available Columns to Visible Columns, the filter for this column does not appear in Filters in Ticket Console. To make the filters available in the Ticket console for an out-of-the-box column, you need to add the field as custom field by following the steps mentioned in the Adding a custom column to the ticket console section.

Important

When a menu is attached to a character field, it is treated as a character based search. For a filter to work you need to type the character, press enter and apply the filter.

To add custom selection options to the default selection fields using customization utility

You can add custom selection options to the SMT:UnionSmartIT_TicketConsole form for selection fields by executing the Smart IT customization utility. You can only add selection values. You cannot update or delete an existing value by using this utility. While executing this utility, only selection fields that are mapped in SHR:Union_DataSource_FieldMappings configuration form are considered. It also considers only those views that are mapped in SMT:Union_DataSource_FormsViews form. If this form is absent, then the mapping is done based on the local language configured in user's computer. The name of the ticket console form name is retrieved from SHR:Union_DataSource_UsedBy config form.

Open Developer Studio in Best Practice Customization mode (the default).
Open the specific form related to the ticket type in which you want to add a custom option to the out-of-the-box selection field.
For example, open the HPD:Help Desk form for the Incident ticket type.
Right click and select Create Overlay.
Select the field to which you want to add a custom option.
For example, select Status reason.
In the Properties dialog box,
1. Select Overwrite from the Overlay Type menu.
2. Under Property section, click Selection in the Attributes options.
3. Select the view and click OK.
  The Selection dialog box appears.
4. Click Add.
5. Add the option as per your requirement and click OK.
Save the form.
Unzip the smartit-customization-utils.zip folder from the following path in your machine:
Program Files\BMC Software\Smart_IT\SmartITCustomizationUtil

For Linux, the readme.md file for the SmartIT Customization Utility is available in the following directory:
/opt/bmc/Smart_IT/SmartITCustomizationUtil/smartit-customization-utils/src/main/resources
Open folder the smartit-customization-utils folder.
Execute the customization-utility-script.bat (or sh) file.
Provide the BMC Helix ITSM server name, username, password and port number where you have saved the Developer Studio form.
After successfully execution, the custom option is added in the selection field.
Note
You need to click the Build/Rebuild Database Union Structure in the SHR:Union_ConfigurationConsole form in Mid Tier to reflect the added custom selection option in the Ticket Console of Smart IT.

Rules for customization

Only selection fields that are mapped in "SHR:Union_DataSource_FieldMappings" config form are considered.
Only addition to the selection values in the above fields are considered. More specifically, updates/deletes of existing values are ignored.
Only views that are mapped in "SMT:Union_DataSource_FormsViews" config form are considered.
The locale specific values in the above views are mapped to views with the same locale in the ticket console form.
If config form "SMT:Union_DataSource_FormsViews" is absent, then the mapping is based on locale only. i.e. A view with Chinese locale in HPD:Help Desk form is mapped to the corresponding view with Chinese locale in the ticket console form.
The name of the ticket console form name is retrieved from "SHR:Union_DataSource_UsedBy" config form.