Help Request Status
[Stanford Users Only]
Small Change In Reminders function: must Save Help Desk Case form
We have made a slight change to the way Remedy handles Reminders to resolve a problem with the Warning Error reported back in January.
PLEASE NOTE that there is a slight change in behavior you should be aware of (and perhaps need to change your own behavior when sending Reminders):
If you have any questions about this behavior, please let us know: http://helpsu.stanford.edu?pcat=HelpSU
IT Services Order Management Redesign project and HelpSU
IT Services is completing an 18 month project to re-engineer the processes it uses to fulfill client orders for services: phone, cable TV, data lines, etc. as well as Data Center services such as ordering servers, databases, additional storage, etc. (can one use "etc." twice in one sentence?)
This major undertaking has required some rework of HelpSU in order to support its integration with the Pinnacle billing system.
The go-live date for all the changes associated with the Order Management Redesign Project is Tuesday, March 27. Pinnacle itself will be down from Friday night, March 23 through 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, to make all the changes. The HelpSU system will be modified over the weekend to bring in other changes, but it will be available throughout for normal work.
Visible Changes:
Warning error after sending a HelpSU Reminder
On January 11, we made a change to the HelpSU Reminder function to speed that operation. We also began writing the text of Reminders into the Worklog as a permanent record of any email exchanges, which will persist after Cases are archived.
One inadvertent issue that has arisen is an erroneous error presented after one sends a Reminder and then goes to otherwise update the Case in any way:
"This record has been updated by another user since you retrieved it. (ARWARN1203) Saving your changes will overwrite the changes made by that user. Do you want to save your changes?"
[ Yes ] [ No ]
The record has been updated by the AR System in the sending of the Reminder, and the system notes that fact. We have tested this, and, in fact, all the changes HAVE been saved, and agreeing to YES after sending a Reminder will NOT overwrite any data.
We are working to see how we can suppress this error, but wanted to explain how it was occurring. We apologize for this inconvenience.
Remedy Reminders—Pruning and Performance Tuning
On Thursday, January 11, we have a few changes planned around the Remedy Reminder function which will speed its operation—long a frustration:
HOWEVER, we will also begin writing Reminders into the Worklog field when they are sent, as a permanent repository for them. So one will always be able to see Reminders in the Worklog, even after the individual Reminder has been deleted after 6 months. NOTE that this writing into the Worklog will take place at the time the Reminders are sent (usually set to 10 minutes after one opens the Reminder form). This will maintain one's ability to modify a Reminder before it is actually sent.
With these two changes, we believe the Reminder function will be as quick as it can be.
Operating System value of "Windows Vista" added to Remedy Client
On Thursday, January 4, we are added an Operating System value of "Windows Vista" to address that imminent arrival. This will show both on the HelpSU web request form, and on the Help Desk Case form itself (where it will be "Win Vista"), as well as be reflected in the CTI of "Desktop Software | Operating System | Windows Vista".
Change in Reporting Field for "Case ID" in HelpSU
The version of Remedy Help Desk that we are using (5.5) has some permission limitations on who can include the Case ID field in a report. We understand that limitation is fixed in version 6.0, but we do not yet have that work funded, approved or scheduled.
In the meantime, we have created a twin field named "Case ID Report", which anyone using HelpSU is permitted to include in a report. Every time a new HelpSU Case is created, we write the Case ID into both "Case ID +" and "Case ID Report". Only cases in the main HelpSU application have the "Case ID Report" field populated at this time. The HelpSU Archive does not have values in the "Case ID Report" field. As cases migrate from the current form to the archive the "Case ID Report" field will be populated, but older case will never have values in this field. Archive records can't be modified.
Over the past several months, we had extended additional permissions to allow those who needed to included "Case ID" in their reports. We are now planning to withdraw those additional permissions -- since anyone can now report on the "Case ID Report" field.
If you have report definitions which specify the "Case ID+" field, you simply need to update them to refer to "Case ID Report" instead.
This change was implemented Tuesday, August 8
Case ID field now prints with Print Case function
The Case ID field has now been added to the fields which print when one uses the Print Case button at the bottom-left of the Help Desk Case form.
New field added to Remedy Help Desk form: "Training Opportunity"
At the request of the Graduate School of Business, we have added a field "Training Opportunity" to the Help Desk Case form --- on the Solutions tab.
The two values of the field are "Needed" and "Completed". This allows one to tag tickets where additional training/education would help the user, and then to indicate when that training has been completed.
New field added to Remedy Help Desk form
A new field 'Remote software used?' field was added to the Help Desk and Help Desk-Archive forms to allow for reporting on the number of times remote support software (such as WebEx, Timbuktu, etc). was used to resolve a case. The new radio button is on the Solutions tab of the Help Desk Case forms.
Help Desk Case form change: Requester's Cases table returned to "Auto-Refresh": Remote Software Used?
We have re-activated the Requester's Table on the Help Desk Case form, in the lower-left hand corner of the Requester Information tab. This table will automatically display previous cases by the same requester which have not yet been archived.
This functionality had been turned off in January 2005 when we felt it was causing performance problems. Other changes we've made (more memory, more threads) we believe has resolved any issue.
Explanation of HelpSU Archiving
Following is a clarification of how we are handling archiving of Closed HelpSU cases, so that you can understand both the timing and location of the archives.
What is archived?
We are archiving only Help Desk Cases in HelpSU. We are not archiving Individual Support Timelog records (for individuals or groups which record time in HelpSU) or Reminders (the email capability within HelpSU). We are also not archiving any Code & Problem Tracker or BenefitSU records (which are other Remedy applications).
When are Help Desk Cases archived?
Cases are archived after they have been in "Closed" status for 120 days without modification. Cases are moved to "Closed" status automatically from "Resolved" status after 15 days. So cases marked "Resolved" are archived after approximately 135 days if they are not subsequently modified (which restarts the Archive clock).
Reaching the Archives
When you are on a Help Desk Case form, go to the Utilities menu, and pull down to "Archive Data". You have two choices:
HelpSU (closed prior to May 2004)
Help Desk (closed since May 2004)
New Remedy Password Reset Option
We have completed work on a "Remedy password reset" capability, to deal with those occasions when Remedy users forget their password.
As long as you remember your *SUNet ID* password, you can go to https://remedy-prod.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/auth/change_remedy_passwd to reset your Remedy password. This is now the top lnk on the HelpSU for Consultants web page so that it's easily accessible.
Updated HelpSU Case field: Request Impact
On Saturday, February 26, 2005, we modified the Request Severity field on the Help Desk Case form as agreed to by the Remedy Advisory Group. The new values now read:
Campus-Wide Major (School/Dept-Wide) Minor (Group/Single Individual) Non-Service Affecting
At this time, only the values on that one menu have changed (it used to read "High, Medium, Low") . Users do not see this field, nor will utilizing it affect any other fields (like Priority). It is strictly informational at this time, but does allow us to categorize the impact of any particular HelpSU case. More work is planned in this area. The default value is set to "Non-Service Affecting" but can be upgraded to a higher Impact at any time.
HelpSU "Pre-Categorized" capability
The HelpSU system has added a new short-cut capability on Saturday, February 5, 2005 which allows HelpSU requests to be "pre-completed" when coming from specific applications and Web pages.
The new capability will allow application providers to code links to the HelpSU web request form and embed specific keywords which will auto-complete the Request Category and Request Type menus, so that users don't have to make those selections. This will be especially useful when lines are embedded in specific applications or web pages on a specific topic, where questions arising therefrom can be assumed to be about that application or web page content.
The request form will clearly indicate
*NOTE: You have started a specific Request Category submission. If you wish to submit a request with a different Request Category and Type, please* reload the page
An example of this new capability can be seen at http://remedy-prod.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/helpsu2?pcat=CourseWork
Application and web page developers/maintainers who would like to take advantage of this new capability should submit a HelpSU request at http://remedy-prod.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/helpsu2?pcat=HelpSU
The other small change we made with this web form upgrade is that we pull the UnivID (if the submitter is authenticated) and IP address and put it in the Worklog field (on the Activity tab):
2/5/2005 9:25:05 AM RemedyAPIUser Submitter univid is 09993825 Ticket was submitted from: 171.66.176.219
Help Desk Case form: Change in Requester's Cases Table Display
When a HelpSU consultant brings up a Help Desk Case for a particular user, the lower left part of the page has shown a list of other, recent cases by that same user. In an attempt to reduce unnecessary load on this form, we have turned that automatic table display off as of Saturday, January 29, 2005.
This table gets minimal use and we wanted to unplug the auto-update effort. To see a user's prior cases, simply hit the "Refresh" button and that table will update.
Help Desk Case form: Change in Requester's Cases Table Display
For those small numbers of users accessing Remedy applications through MyApps.stanford.edu, a change is planned at 6:00 p.m tonight. The version of Remedy running on a shared server will be turned off, and Remedy running on a dedicated server will replace it. For several weeks we have had a "Remedy NEW" application hosted in MyApps. At 6:00 p.m. tonight, "Remedy NEW" will be renamed "Remedy" and become the sole instance on MyApps.
Users who we know have been using Remedy on MyApps have been added to a Workgroup which is controlling access. If you find you no longer have access to Remedy applications via "MyApps", please submit a HelpSU request.
Small formatting change to HelpSU Results List display
On Saturday, November 20, we will make active a small formatting change on the Results List display in the HelpSU application. The Results List view is the top pane which results when one searches HelpSU and is presented with multiple search results.
After the upgrade this Saturday morning, on the Results List display, student cases will be shown in blue text, faculty remain in red text and others will remain in black text. In addition, we have added an "SU Affiliation" column to that display, so that one can sort on that value if you choose.
Note that this formatting change does not affect the Remedy Support Console display, just the Results List.
Subject: Speeding Operation of the Help Desk Case form
We've been doing some checking on how to speed the operation of opening the Help Desk Case form. Here's one tip we've received from Remedy Technical Support:
Check the Remedy User configuration:
Under Tools - Options - Advanced - Table Fields and see if Refresh Contents on Display is checked. If so, un-check it.
On the Help Desk Case form, the "Requester's Cases" field in the lower left-hand quadrant is updated automatically by hidden workflow when you open it. If you have "Refresh Contents on Display" set, it does a second refresh with your Remedy User software, thereby slowing things down.
The form seems to open up more quickly after that change.
Necessary Add-On DLL For Remedy Users on Windows
ITSS has purchased and installed Remedy's Encryption software to enhance the security of our Remedy applications. The Encryption software encrypts (at a 128-bit level) the data passing between the Remedy web server and the application server, and between the Remedy client and the application server. This is in compliance with the Information Security Offices guidelines on protection of Class 1/FERPA protected data, some of which resides in our Remedy databases.
This notice is the beginning of our effort to have all Remedy users download and install a required encryption software library file (DLL), so that we can turn the server-side software to "required mode".
The software has been installed on our production server, but is running in "optional" mode. In order for the encryption to be enabled, all Windows Remedy users need to download and install the DLL to enable the interaction between the Remedy User software and the server.
The software installer can be located at http://www.stanford.edu/dept/itss/patches/remedy_dll/RemedyEncrypt.exe
At the above URL, you will connect to a small installer file. You will be prompted to OPEN or SAVE it. You can OPEN the installer (and accept the Unknown Publisher warning) which will run the installer. Upon successful completion of the installation, you will see a message:
RemedyEncrypt Done.
Encryption has been installed for the Remedy program located in:
C:\Program Files\AR System\User <--- your path could be slightly different
We can track the rate at which the DLL is downloaded, and so can measure that against our count of Remedy users. As we reach critical mass, we plan to set a date to turn the encryption software on in "required mode". At this point, we anticipate sometime in April 2005 we would be able to do that.
We would appreciate your taking a moment to download and install the above DLL. If you have desktop support staff that take care of such installations for you, please advise them of this email and ask for their assistance. After the download, there is no difference in the login procedures afterwards -- the encryption is entirely silent and transparent. If you do *not* install this software by the time we turn the encryption to "required" in 2005, you will not be able to connect to the Remedy server until you do so.
Communication to Users of Remedy Applications
To: Remedy Users
Re: Remedy Upgrade in May
The server software supporting all Remedy applications will be upgraded to version 6.0 on Monday, May 3, 2004. Additionally, the HelpSU application is being replaced by one of the Remedy applications called Help Desk, version 5.5. This notice is to provide you with key information about those efforts.
ITSS is updating the Remedy software environment to keep current with vendor software releases and to deliver new functionality. The Remedy Help Desk application will replace the home-grown HelpSU application to add new features and capabilities to this very widely-used system. All Remedy applications are being moved to a new server for improved performance.
Anyone who uses any Remedy application (includes HelpSU, Code & Problem Tracker, BenefitSU etc.) must take these actions:
Training sessions will be held the last week in April and first week in May. No registration is needed; seating is first come, first served. The schedule is:
Session 1: Monday, April 26, 2-3 PM, Turing Auditorium
Session 2: Tuesday, April 27, 1:30-2:30 PM, Turing Auditorium
Session 3: Thursday, April 29, 10-11 AM, Turing Auditorium
Session 4: Tuesday, May 4, 9:30-10:30 AM, Turing Auditorium
Session 5: Wednesday, May 5, 2-3 PM, Turing Auditorium
Session 6: Friday, May 7, 11-Noon, Turing Auditorium
The existing Remedy applications, including HelpSU, Code & Problem Tracker, BenefitSU and others, will not be available during the upgrade. The anticipated downtime for all Remedy applications is Friday, April 30 at 6 PM through Sunday, May 2, 8 PM. As with any weekend, voicemail messages for assistance may be left by calling 5-HELP and they will be triaged or answered beginning Monday morning, May 3 at 8 AM.
Within HelpSU, all tickets that are Unresolved (not "Closed" or "Fixed") and that have been submitted since 09/01/03, will be migrated into the new Remedy Help Desk application. All Fixed or Closed tickets will be archived. All Unresolved tickets created *prior* to 09/01/03 will also be archived.
Please help clean up some of the approximately 4,000 Unresolved tickets by reviewing and closing those that can be appropriately closed.
All other Remedy applications will have data converted as is; whatever exists on April 30 at 6 PM will still be there on May 3.
If you (or colleagues) no longer need access to the Remedy applications, please submit a HelpSU request with the Problem Category of "Application-HelpSU." Include the name to be removed, and we will release the license assignment.
You undoubtedly have questions. There are two ways to get answers: Submit a HelpSU request with the Problem Category of "Application-HelpSU" with your question. Or, plan to attend one of the training sessions in Turing in late April or early May.
HelpSU Replacement & Enhancement Project
ITSS has launched a new project: the HelpSU Replacement & Enhancement Project (http://remedy.stanford.edu). The primary goals are to improve metrics reporting, integrate a service level agreement management capability, and to begin to incorporate a knowledge base for support staff. Additionally, we have accumulated a lengthy list of enhancement requests for HelpSU, as it is being used more broadly across campus. This list has continued to grow and we have not had the resources to address them.
This past fall, we had two outside consultants assess our HelpSU implementation. In the process we learned that Remedy's packaged "Help Desk" product (http://www.remedy.com/solutions/servicemgmt/help_desk.htm) already provides the functionality that we are looking to build for HelpSU. They also have out-of-the-box products that offer Service Level Management and improved reporting. The Remedy application suite is based around the "ITIL" service management framework, and will allow ITSS to utilize a much more structured approach to service measurement and quality control. In addition, the staff required to support our Remedy applications will be highly leveraged using Remedy's application suite rather than custom-designing Stanford's versions of the same.
As with other institution-wide applications (PeopleSoft, Oracle, Pinnacle, Sundial, etc.), ITSS has decided to move from our home-grown applications to vendor-supplied and supported applications. We have completed a detailed functional analysis and determined key project implementation timelines and resources. We are utilizing a consultant from Remedy to help us upgrade and convert from our existing custom system to Remedy Help Desk, customize the Help Desk product with Stanford specific functionality, and teach our team industry best-practices using this complex tool.
The first phase of this project is to include the migration to Remedy Help Desk. Some of the new functionality will include:
In addition to the Help Desk application, ITSS has licensed Remedy's Service Level Agreement (SLA) application which allows for robust and flexible notifications to Service Groups when service standards are not being met, as well as excellent reporting of metrics such as elapsed time to resolve, and elapsed time to respond (acknowledge).
Finally, ITSS has licensed the Remedy Flashboards application which allows for the creation and publishing of graphic reports of real-time data.
As part of this project, ITSS will be implementing AR Server 6.0, and updating the back-end Oracle database from version 8.x to 9i.
A second phase of this project will focus on integration between HelpSU and our other systems (Pinnacle, Enterprise Monitoring System (EMS), Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)). We will also assess our custom-built Change Management applications, since Remedy offers a tightly integrated Change Management application.
We have formed a new "Remedy Working Group" which consists of a cross-functional group of ITSS members. They will meet weekly to review the enhancement requests for Remedy, review alternatives, prioritize requests, and look at business system impacts.
This group consists of:
Melissa Janetos
Chris Lundin
Larry Dillard
Jo-Ann Cuevas
Bill Bauriedel
Teresa Janeway
Gayle Delia
Catherine Knipe
We invite you to contact any of the working group members with questions or you may email the list at: itss-remedy@lists.stanford.edu
- Melissa Janetos
Project Manager