Managing your work in BMC Helix ITSM console
Each console displays a list of items (or records), such as tickets, knowledge articles, or assets. By filtering and sorting the list, you can locate items that match your criteria, such as open incidents assigned to your group. In the Ticket Console or Knowledge Console, you can perform a specific action on several items at the same time (bulk actions), such as changing the status or assignee.
To view details of a ticket, article, or asset, click or tap the item on the list. In the BMC Helix ITSM universal client, when you click an item in the Ticket, Asset or Knowledge console with the Shift key pressed, the details of that ticket, asset, or knowledge article is displayed on a new browser tab.
In the Ticket Console, the ticket priority is indicated by the following colors in the Priority column:
Ticket priority | Color in the Priority column |
|---|---|
Critical | Red |
High | Orange |
Medium | Yellow |
Low | Green |
After a system administrator installs and configures BMC Helix ITSM, users with a specific role and necessary permissions can access and use BMC Helix ITSM.
To log in to BMC Helix ITSM
- On a web browser, open the BMC Helix ITSM URL.
- Enter your user name and password.
- Click Log In.
Ticket Console is displayed.
To access the Workspaces list to launch BMC Helix ITSM Insights
Users with appropriate permissions can access the Workspaces list in the BMC Helix ITSM menu bar. From this list, you can launch the Proactive problem management and Real-time incident correlation functionality provided by BMC Helix ITSM Insights.
For more information, see:
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- Proactive Problem Management(BMC Helix ITSM Insights documentation)
- Incident correlation(BMC Helix ITSM Insights documentation)
Users can access the Workspaces list in BMC Helix ITSM only when the following conditions are met:
- BMC Helix ITSM Insightsis licensed.
- The innovation_suite.base.url parameter has been set.
- The user has the appropriate incident or problem permissions.
For information about how to enable or disable the Workspaces list, see KA 000394527.
Where to go from here
If you are... | Refer to the following documentation: |
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a new user |
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a service desk agent, specialist, or manager | Navigating-common-interfaces—Basics of using BMC Helix ITSM, managing your work, creating tickets, creating knowledge articles |
an administrator |
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Instructions for classic interfaces
View instructions for classic Smart IT
You can access the BMC Helix ITSM consoles from desktops (through web browsers) as well as Apple iOS and Google Android mobile devices (through applications and web browsers). You can access the Universal client by using any supported mobile or desktop web browser.
The system administrator must provide the following information:
- (Universal client) BMC Helix ITSM URL, for example, http://<hostName:port>/smartit/
- (Mobile devices)
- Mobile apps
- Host name, which is the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)
- Port number
To log in to BMC Helix ITSM for the first time from mobile devices
- Tap
on your device. - Enter the host name and port number.
- Tap Connect.
- Enter your BMC Helix ITSM user name and password.
- Tap Log In.
The Updates feed screen is displayed.
You must log in to BMC Helix ITSM again in the following scenarios:
- You log out of BMC Helix ITSM.
- Due to network issues, BMC Helix ITSM application is disconnected. In this case, you must enter your host name and port number and then log in.
To log in to the universal client
- On a web browser, open the BMC Helix ITSM URL.
- Enter your BMC Helix ITSM user name and password.
- (Optional) To use BMC Helix ITSM with a screen reader, select Use Accessibility Mode. For more information, see Administering.
- Click Log In.
The Dashboard window is displayed.
Data storage on mobile devices
BMC Helix ITSMon iOS and Android stores the application data, user credentials, and user preferences on persistence storage. The following table describes the information that is stored by iOS and Android:
| Apple iOS | Google Android |
|---|---|---|
Application data |
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User credentials | Credentials stored in the iOS keychain to enable the user to log after in the session timeout (non-SSO case) | Stores the host, port, and user name entered by the user. In case of SSO, the system persists cookies as well. |
User preferences | Includes data such as the last filter that was applied on the Ticket Console. |
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All data deleted when... |
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To release floating licenses to a license pool
A floating license is automatically released back to the pool of available licenses in the following conditions:
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- A user logs out of the client.
- A user closes all the client sessions running on the system.
- A user does not perform any action
For more information about the Releasing floating licenses to a license pool, see Releasing floating licenses to a license pool in the Action Request System documentation.
View instructions for Mid Tier
To log in and access the BMC Helix ITSM applications
- Type the following URL into your browser:
http://<webServer>:<port>/arsys/shared/login.jsp- <webServer>: Fully qualified name of the BMC Helix ITSM, specified in the format server_name.company.com.
- <port>: (Optional) Port number (required if the web server is not on the default port)
- In the User Name and Password fields of the Welcome page, enter your user name and password.
- Click Login.
The IT Home page opens by default, however, system administrators can use Configuring home page preferencesto open.
Application consoles
Use the information provided in this topic to understand the application consoles. BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management, BMC Helix ITSM: Change Management, and BMC Helix ITSM: Service Desk each provide one or more consoles. The following table provides information about the consoles provided by each of these applications.
- Navigating the ticket console (Incident management interface)
- Navigating the ticket console (Problem management interface)
- Accessing and navigating the asset console
- The Software Asset Management console
- Data Management consoles and windows
Application | Console |
|---|---|
BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management | This application console provides the following consoles to perform asset management tasks.
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BMC Helix ITSM: Change Management | This application has the following two consoles:
The Change Management console has two views: one focused on the support technician, and one on the manager. The Change Management console also provides the ability to change the support console to focus the work on tasks or change requests. |
BMC Helix ITSM: Service Desk | Service Deskprovides an Incident Managementconsole and a Problem Managementconsole. Each of these consoles provides a single view that is intended for use by service desk analysts and managers. |
Data Management | Data Management provides the Data Management Job Console. |
Navigating consoles, forms, and modules
As a service desk agent, you can navigate around BMC Helix ITSM consoles, forms, and modules.
In most cases, when you open consoles, forms, and modules from the IT Home page, they open inside the IT Home page view. Similarly, if you open a form from a console, the form replaces the console in the view.
If you open a related record from a form, the related record opens in the view that was occupied by the form. For example, if you are working with a problem investigation (the parent record) and from the parent record you open a related incident request, the incident request replaces the parent record in the view. If you then open a change request from the incident request, the change request replaces the incident request in the view, and so on. To help you keep track of the records you are viewing and to help with navigation, there is a breadcrumb bar across the top of the view field.
How do the breadcrumb navigation buttons and bar work?
The breadcrumb bar contains links to the records that you opened from the parent record. When you open a record, the breadcrumb trail expands along the breadcrumb bar. If there are more than six links in the breadcrumb trail, arrows appear at one or both ends of the bar that let you scroll back and forward on the bar to see links not currently in the view.
The first link in the breadcrumb trail indicates the place from which you started. It can be a console or a form. For example, if you open a change request record directly from the IT Home page, the first link in the breadcrumb trail takes you to the change request.
The last link corresponds to the record currently in the view. If you open a link to the left of the record currently in view, the system truncates the breadcrumb trail to that link. The history is retained, however, so you can use the back and forward arrows in the navigation controls to move through the bar one record at a time. There is also a history of your most recently viewed records, which you can use to move directly to a record. Click the down arrow to open the history list.
If you are viewing a record from the middle of the breadcrumb trail and then branch off to another parent-type record, the system removes the forward breadcrumb trail from the point where you branched off and starts a new history from there, using the new parent-type record as the starting point. For example: You open a problem investigation, and then open a related incident request, and from the incident request you open a related change request. If you go back to the incident request record and then open a second problem investigation, the breadcrumb bar no longer contains a link to the change request. The breadcrumb trail now shows the original problem investigation, the incident request, and the second problem investigation. It then shows any related records that you subsequently open from the second problem investigation.
When you close the parent record, the system removes the breadcrumb history.
What happens to data as I move back and forth on the breadcrumb trail?
If you are entering information into a record and open another record from the breadcrumb trail, the system prompts you to save the work, if you have not done so. If you do not save the information, the system does not preserve it on the record and you must re-enter it later.
If someone updates and saves a record on your breadcrumb trail that is not currently in the view, those changes are visible to you when you open the record again.
How does the breadcrumb trail behave with forms in Search mode?
If you run a search from a form that is in Search mode, the last entry in the breadcrumb trail is the name of the form.
When you open a record from the search results table, that record does not appear in the breadcrumb trail. However, if you drill down through that record to open other related records, those related records will appear in the breadcrumb trail.
To return to the originating record, use the history list.
To return to the results table, click the name of the form in the breadcrumb trail.
Can I force a second window to open?
If you press the Shift key and then double-click a record entry in any table, the record opens in a second window. Also, if you hold the Shift key and click a link, button, and so on, the form or dialog box associated with the link or button opens in another window.
If you are working in a new record that has not yet been saved and you open a new child type record (task, activity, CI, and so on), the system will open a new window automatically to accommodate the new child record. This safeguard prevents the information in the new, unsaved parent record from being lost.
Which consoles, forms, and modules open in a new window?
Not all of the consoles, forms, and modules open in the IT Home page's view. The consoles, forms, and modules in the following list open in a new window. If you open one of these from the IT Home page, any unsaved changes to the IT Home page are lost.
- AR System Administration
- Administration Console
- Service Level Management
- Analytics
- Service Management Process Model
User interface standards for field labels
On BMC Helix ITSM forms, field labels provide data entry hints. The following table lists the significance of field label formats and special characters.
Field-label format | Significance for data entry |
|---|---|
Bold label | Field is required to submit and update the form. |
Field label not bold | Field is optional. |
Label followed by an asterisk (*) | Field is Section 508 compliant. For more information about Section 508 requirements, see https://www.section508.gov. |
Italicized label | System-generated value for this field. Typically this field is read-only for the user. |
Label followed by a plus sign + | Additional functionality is associated with this field. Typically, you access this functionality by pressing Enter. For example, you might press Enter in a field to access a search dialog box or to perform a search based on the value typed into the field. |
For examples of field-label formatting in Incident Management, see the following figure:
Requester Console
For organizations that do not install BMC Service Request Management, the Requester Console is an interface for users to create and view their requests. From the Requester Console, users can create a request that is submitted to BMC Helix ITSM: Change Management or BMC Helix ITSM: Service Desk. Depending on how the application is configured, the console might display incident requests and change requests entered on the user's behalf by support staff, in addition to the requests that the user created. Users can also view requests and respond to a survey after the request has been resolved.
Requester Console users are typically employees who need assistance from the IT support staff to implement a change or resolve an incident. However, the user might not be an employee. Non-employees can also be users because non-registered users can also submit service requests.
Traditionally, after a user made a telephone call to a central help desk, a support staff member logged the request. BMC Incident Management and BMC Change Management provide user self-provisioning. Using the Requester Console, users can submit, track, and (in some cases) resolve their own requests. BMC Helix ITSM: Change Management and BMC Helix ITSM: Service Desk are preconfigured to work with the Requester Console. However, an organization can decide to make the Requester Console unavailable.
The following figure illustrates the key areas on the Requester Console.
