Overview
Custom ticket attributes are fields that can be added to ticket forms within a Ticketing Application to capture virtually any data you desire or need to capture.
Important
A few things to keep in mind when using custom attributes:
- Make Structures Transparent - Stay away from shortcuts, abbreviations, or plurals. Use consistent, and descriptive conventions for the attribute name (e.g. 'Person (All Users)', 'Person (Employee)', 'Person (Non-Employee)', 'Fund Source', 'Fund Destination', etc.) will help yourself, and future App Admins maintain the system. Set header text to values useful when displaying information in reports and graphs.
- Don't Reinvent the Wheel (i.e. Data Normalization) - Reusing existing attributes will make data, and report management simpler. The field's label can be customized on a form, by form basis to facilitate data collection from customers via the service portal, as well as department employees via TDNext.
- Add Description/Help Text - No matter how trivial it may seem, take the time to add brief description to all custom attributes. This will help out both yourself, and other individuals utilizing the application over the years. Individuals creating ESM Reports will see the help text when clicking on the Help button within the new report window.
- Plan for the Future - Create attributes that scale/grow to accommodate changes in business needs. Planning ahead reduces issues associated with storing similar looking data (e.g. person information) in different attributes.
In this article:
Custom Attribute Fields
There are a variety of fields which can be configured to tailor ticketing attributes as needed. Each of these options should be provided as follows:
- Name – The name of the attribute as it will display in component forms and attribute configuration pages, has a 100 character limit.
- Header Text – The text that will appear if this attribute is included ina report for the component, has a 25 character limit.
- Attribute Type – Affects the values that can be provided, as well as how the field will appear to the user. This cannot be edited once the custom attribute has been saved.
Currently, the following types of attributes are supported in TeamDynamix.
- Asset
- Checkbox List - Contains a list options (100 character limit, each label) which allows the select of one, or more choices.
- Color - Displays a dropdown list from which you can select "Green", "Yellow", and "Red".
- Configuration Item
- Date Field - Allows you to select a date with no time component.
- Date/Time Field - Allows you to select a date with an included time component.
- Dropdown - Displays a list of choices, from which no more than one can be selected (100 character limit, each choice).
- Location - Allows you to select a single building from a list of university owned or leased buildings.
- Location and Room - Allows you to select a single building, and optionally a specific room, from a list of university owned or leased buildings.
- Multiselect - Displays a list of choices, from which you can select any number (100 character limit, each choice). Note from a customer experience, the use of a Checkbox List is usually a better choice.
- Person - Displays a list of people, within the ESM system, from which you can select one. The custom person attribute can be filtered by one, or more, of the following:
- Person Type(s) - Available types include User, Customer, Contact, Resource Placeholder. Most active UA student, staff, and faculty are listed as user.
- Department Membership - Only individuals associated with the specified department(s), or a descendant, will be available for selection. Department association within the ESM system is retrieved from the UA Online Directory system.
- Group Membership - Only members of the specified ESM group(s) will be available for selection.
- Employee Status - Employees, Non-Employees, Both.
- Radio Button List (Horizontal) - Displays horizontal a list of choices, from which no more than one can be selected.
- Radio Button List (Vertical) - Displays vertical a list of choices, from which no more than one can be selected.
- Text Area - Allows you to provide multiple lines of text (4,000 character limit).
- Text Box - Allows you to provide a single line of text (4,000 character limit). A default value can be provided. The field can have one of the following data types specified:
- Text - The value in the field will be stored as a string.
- Integer - The value in the field may only contain an integer number.
- Decimal - The value in teh field may only contain a decimal number.
- Yes/No Dropdown - Displays a dropdown which allows you to select Yes or No.
- Sort Order – The order in which the attribute will appear relative to other attributes on the component form. Each Attribute Section is ordered by the Sort Order, and then alphabetically.
- Description/Help – Summarizes the attribute's purpose. A description should always be provided as it aids individuals when creating reports to understand the purpose and nature of the data stored within the attribute.
- Options – Configuration settings for how the attribute will behave in a form. These work as follows:
- Protected – Sets the visibility of the attribute only to authorized individuals. If selected, additional configuration, and a PIN number is required to view the attribute values. Protected attributes cannot be deleted. Note that custom attributes with the protected bit set, will not be have the option to select Client Visible.
- Always allow request to view data in Client Portal
- Require technician to enter PIN to access data
- Number of characters to unmask - The number of characters that will automatically be unmasked to users without requiring them to enter a PIN (e.x. *****1234)
- Number of seconds to display values - The number of seconds an unmasked value can be viewed before it automatically becomes masked again.
- Protected attributes can be restricted to specific associated groups.
- Updatable – Whether or not the attribute will appear within TDNext when the Update option is used. Editable fields are always available when Edit is selected.
- Active – Determines whether or not the attribute is active. Only active attributes will be used in forms when creating tickets.
- Client Visible – Whether or not the attribute should be displayed to customers who are creating tickets via Service Requests.
- Required – Whether or not the attribute must have a value provided when used in a ticket form. If not set at the attribute level, it can be overridden on a form, by form basis.
- Associated Type(s) – Ticket types associated with the attribute. Not selecting any ticket types will associate the attribute with all ticket types. Selecting ticket types to associate the attribute with will only associate the attribute with those choices.
Asset Custom Attribute
Custom attributes can let you choose an Asset from the Assets/CIs database by setting the Attribute Type to Asset. When an asset custom object is configured, the Asset Filtering section will appear at the bottom of the New Attribute/Edit Attribute page. This will allow you to chose how the assets in the attribute is filtered.
Status(es)
When this has been provided, only assets with one of these statuses will be available for selection for this attribute's values.
Owning Acc/tDept
When this has been provided, only assets with this Owning Acct/Dept will be available for selection for this attribute's values.
Using Acct/Dept
When this has been provided, only assets with this Acct/Dept listed as a user will be available for selection for this attribute's values.
Product Type
When this has been provided, only assets with this Product Type (or one its child Product Types) will be available for selection for this attribute's values.
Product Model(s)
When this has been provided, only assets with one of these product models will be available for selection for this attribute's values.
Requesting Acct/Dept
When this has been provided, only individuals associated with this account/department or a descendant will be available for selection for this attribute's values. This will be based on both people's default accounts/departments and their assigned accounts/departments.
Person Custom Attributes
Custom attributes can let you choose a person from the People database by setting the Attribute Type to Person. When a person custom object is configured, the Person Filtering section will appear at the bottom of the New Attribute/Edit Attribute page. This will allow you to chose how the people in the attribute is filtered.
Person Type(s)
The Person Type(s) governs the types of people that will be available for selection from this attribute's values. Only people of the type User can be used in ticketing workflow role evaluation. Contacts that lack an email address and resource placeholders cannot be notified.
Account/Department Membership
When this option is specified, only individuals associated with the selected university department(s), or a descendant will be available for selection for this attribute's values. This will be based on both people's default department and their assigned departments.
Group Membership
When this option is specified, only members of these Enterprise Service Management (ESM) group(s) will be available for selection for this attribute's values. Note that this will inherently limit results to the User type as only full users may be members of ESM groups.
Employee Status
When this option is specified, only individuals associated with the selected status will be returned.
- Employees: Includes only individuals with an active UA employee role (e.g. Staff, Faculty, Adjunct Faculty, Student Employee, etc.)
- Non-Employees: Includes only individuals with no active UA employee role.
- Both: Includes all people regardless of UA employee status.
Protected Custom Attributes
Warning
At this time
Protected Custom Attributes can
only be created by ESM Enterprise Administrators. Department's desiring to use a PCA should submit an
Enterprise Service Management request for assistance.
Before you consider using Protected Custom Attributes (PCAs), you should be aware of the following security driven limitations:
- PCAs cannot be included in Reports or Desktops.
- PCAs cannot be the driver for a Cascading Attribute.
- PCAs are excluded from the TDWebAPI.
- PCAs are excluded from Notifications.
- Changes to PCAs are not logged in the feed. If only PCAs change as part of an edit, the feed entry will read “Edited this [item].”
- Changes to PCAs are logged within the application's admin section under the custom attribute's Access Log. App Admins are able to review this log.
- PCAs can only be applied to new attributes.
- PCAs cannot be added in Ticket Templates
- PCAs cannot be imported using the ticket or asset import tools.
Important
After creation, by default, protected custom attributes are not be available to any groups. You must explicitly go into the attribute's Permissions tab and add at least one Associated Group. Additionally, within TDNext protected custom attributes can only be set to Editable, or Editable and Required. You will be unable to set it as Hidden, or Read-Only. Setting options related to the Client Portal remain unchanged.
Gotchas & Pitfalls
- Once an Attribute Type has been selected, and the attribute saved, it is not possible to change the type. In order to correct this, it would be necessary to create a new attribute with the correct Attribute Type.
Need additional help or have issues
For support, requests may be submitted anytime using the appropriate Enterprise Service Management form. Requests generate a Ticket which will be worked in order received and urgency by IT Employees with the knowledge and permissions to assist with the request.
For immediate assistance please review the Contact Us page for the appropriate support group.