# HP OpenView Service Desk

## version 4.5

## User Notification upon opening or editing the same record

September 2006

© Copyright 2006 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

## Content:

Last-minute information
Introduction
Getting Started
Known Errors and Limitations

## LAST-MINUTE INFORMATION

There is no last-minute information.

## INTRODUCTION

Since Service Desk SP20, Service Desk allows user to be notified whenever they open a Service Desk record that has already been opened or edited at the same moment by other Service Desk user(s).
The main audience for this document is Service Desk users and administrators authorized to configure user notification options.

## GETTING STARTED

# 1 New User Notification options

In the General Settings of Administrator Console, several options have been added to configure this feature:

Figure 1: Added options in General Settings

## 1.1 User Notification on Viewing

Whenever it is required to be notified in case another Service Desk User is just viewing the same Service Desk record, this checkbox needs to be selected.

When switched on, every time any Service Desk User tries to open a Service Desk record (e.g. a Work order, Service or a Configuration Item) that at that very moment is being viewed only by any other Service Desk User, Service Desk User will be notified.

## 1.2 User Notification on Editing

Whenever it is required to be notified in case another Service Desk User is editing the same Service Desk record, this checkbox needs to be selected.

When switched on, every time any Service Desk User tries to open a Service Desk record (e.g. a Work order, Service or a Configuration Item) that at that very moment is being modified by any other Service Desk User, Service Desk User will be notified.

In case both of these checkboxes have been switched on, only User Notification on Editing will be taken into effect.

## 1.3 Usage Overview StatusBar

With this checkbox selected, t he Status Bar can be added in Service Desk Items Form to provide information for this particular Service Desk record. (please refer to 4 Usage Overview StatusBar)

In case all aforementioned checkboxes are switched off, Service Desk will behave exactly the same as it did before this feature has been introduced; the default behavior therefore remains the same.

## 1.4 (Person) Details

When this is filled with a certain Service Desk Person Table View, every time a user notification is popped-up (either on editing Service Desk Users, or on viewing Service Desk Users), it will be accompanied by a list of all Service Desk Users that actually view/modify that Service Desk record at that very moment.

This list contains the information specified in the definition of selected View. (please refer to 3 Person Details)

When this is left empty, no detailed list will be shown.

# 2 User Notification

When either one of the notification settings has been switched on, every time an Service Desk User tries to open an Service Desk record that is being viewed or edited by an (or some) Service Desk User(s) he will be notified:

Figure 2: User Notification on subsequent opening (viewing)

Or

Figure 3: User Notification on subsequent opening (editing)

Whenever pressing Ok, this Service Desk User will continue working on this particular Service Desk record. If Cancel-ed, the Service Desk record will not be opened.

This warning will also be presented after a refresh of the Service Desk record (as this is considered to be a logical re-opening of the particular Service Desk record).

# 3 Person Details

Whenever Details has been configured (as explained in 1.4 Person Details), the User notification will be accompanied by a detailed list of all Service Desk User that are currently viewing or editing this Service Desk record:

Or

Figure 4: Persons Details of U ser Notification

Like this, firstly required highlight Person contact info details (Name, Telephone number, and E-mail address e.g.) are available at a glance.

Other Person data can be retrieved by simply opening any of the Persons presented in this list. This will result in the opening of the Service Desk Person record referred to.

Because it is possible to have Accounts without Person details assigned to it in Service Desk, a list of Accounts is added on the left to overcome invisibility in such cases.

# 4 Usage Overview StatusBar

Figure 5: Status Bar extension

It is possible to retrieve (upon pressing the Update button there) overall information on how this particular Service Desk record is being used throughout the entire Service Desk environment; it tells:

1. <n> Open:
How many (other) Service Desk Users are only viewing this Service Desk record.
2. <m> Edit:
How many (other) Service Desk Users are currently modifying this Service Desk record.

Note: This can be used to clew the possible occurrence of merge dialogs when saving the record.

3. Saved:
Whether this Service Desk record has been saved.

Note: This can be used to clew the certain occurrence of merge dialogs when saving the record.

Double clicking either <n> Open or <m> Edit whenever the number is not zero (0) results in the presentation of a list, similar to the one mentioned in 3 Person Details, but with corresponding list of either all viewers (whenever the Open is clicked) or modifiers (whenever the Edit is clicked).

Current user's actions causing the status of the Service Desk record to change (e.g. starting to edit it) will be updated in Usage Overview Status Bar automatically.

Other users' actions causing the status of the Service Desk record to change (e.g. starting to edit it) will be updated by pressing the Update button there.

Note: In case the Application Server crash, the Usage Overview StatusBar will not display any information about the usage of current record, show as below:

## KNOWN ERRORS AND LIMITATIONS

1. This feature DOES NOT support notification for actions (opening or editing) made through following ways:

- Web-Console
- Web-Api
- S ervice page
- I nbound email
- Data Exchange (sd_event)
- Database rule

2. When opening a record twice (or more than twice) in the same client, the count of Open and Edit in status bar will be messed up.

Scenario:
1. Create a work order.
2. Create a service call.
3. Open the newly created service call
4. In work order, relate the service call to work order and save the work order.
5. Open the Service call from the work order (there will be 2 forms for the same service call, also you can open more forms for the same service call)
6. Change something in one of them. See the status bar.
The count of Open and Edit for this service call will mess up. Sometimes 1 Open 0 Edit, sometimes 0 Open 1 Edit.
3. The count of Open and Edit in status bar will be incorrect when session time out occurs.

Scenario 1:
1. Open a record. In status bar, there will be 1 Open 0 Edit.
2. Wait session timeout then edit. In status bar, there will be 0 Open 0 Edit.
Scenario 2:
1. Open a record and change something. In status bar, there will be 0 Open 1 Edit.
2. Wait for session timeout then update status bar, there will be 0 Open 0 Edit.