Setting up self-approvals for knowledge articles

Self-approvals are system-driven approvals that do not require any manual intervention. A Knowledge Coach can configure a self-approval with qualifications or with a process for knowledge articles. A self-approval with a qualification is triggered when a knowledge article meets the qualifications that are defined in the self-approval. A self-approval with process is triggered when a knowledge article meets the qualifications that are defined in the approval, which in turn triggers a process for the approval.

A Knowledge Coach configures self-approvals for knowledge articles by defining the status of the knowledge articles on which approvals are triggered.

Learn more about self-approvals in Knowledge article approvals.

Sample process for knowledge articles

BMC Helix Innovation Suite Knowledge Management (ISKM) provides a sample process called Knowledge Article - Approval Process to configure a self-approval process. You cannot modify a sample process. To configure self-approvals for knowledge articles, a Knowledge Coach must create a copy of the sample process.

The sample process includes process variables used in the self-approval process. The following table lists the process variable in the sample process:

Process variable type	Process variable name	Variable ID	Description
Input	Knowledge Article Template	57000	Knowledge article ID

To define a self-approval flow by creating a copy of the sample process

1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio as a Knowledge Coach, and navigate to the Workspace tab.
2. Select Knowledge Management Service.
3. Click Processes.
4. Select Knowledge Management - Approval Process, and click Copy.
   In the new process, the process variables are automatically added. The following image shows a copy of the sample process:

5. To add more elements, from Palette, drag the designer elements to the process.

   The following image shows how you can create a self-approval for knowledge articles with the Compute Value element with the expression Priority=Low to be self-approved, while cases with Priority=High/Critical will not be self-approved.

   
   For more information about elements, see Process designer elements.

6. Click Save.
   After the process is created, an administrator must associate it with a self-approval flow.

To create a new approval self-approval process

1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio as a Knowledge Coach, and navigate to the Workspace tab.
2. Select Knowledge Management Service.
3. Click Processes.
4. Click New.
5. Specify a Name for the process.
6. Click Add/Remove Variables.
7. Specify Article Record as the Input Variable.
8. Enter Approval Status as the Output Variable.
9. Click Save.
10. From Palette, drag the elements to configure the process as you want.
    For example, add the Compute Value element and specify the settings.
    Learn more about elements in Process designer elements.
11. Provide appropriate permissions for users.
12. Save the process.
    After the process is created, an administrator must associate it with an approval flow.

Associating the self-approval process to an approval flow

1. Log in to BMC Helix ITSM or BMC Helix Business Workflows as a Knowledge Coach, and navigate to the knowledge settings based on your product:
   • In BMC Helix ITSM, click Application launcher  , select the Knowledge Management application, and then click Settings .
   • In BMC Helix Business Workflows, click Settings .
2. Select Approvals > Approval Configuration.
3. Open the com.bmc.dsm.knowledge:Knowledge Article Template approval configuration.
4. On the Self Approval tab, click Click to build an expression.
   You must manually add the qualification for the Foundation entities to build the expression.
5. On the Edit Expression page, define the conditions by using the available values, and click OK.
6. Select the Precedence for the condition.
7. Select the Self-Approval Process.
8. Add the Audit Information.
9. Click Add.

Self-approval with qualification

Self-approval with qualifications ensures that only knowledge articles that meet the qualifications proceed through the approval process. For example, a self-approval qualification can be Category Tier 1 = Applications, Category Tier 2 = Software, and Category Tier 3 = MS Office. A knowledge article created with these categories will be self-approved.

Where to go from here

Mapping knowledge article status to approvals