CCS HELPDESK 4.x PRO
Install & Configuration of CCS
Business Administrator
Crow Canyon Systems, Inc.
This Manual describes setting up the CCS
Business Administrator for Exchange Server 2003 and 2007.
Overview
CCS HelpDesk 4.2 PRO version includes the CCS Business
Administrator (called CCSBA in this manual from now on). This Administrator
allows you to set:
1)
Rule-based
Ticket Escalations
2)
Automated
Export of Ticket data to SQL or Microsoft Access databases.
The Escalations are based on certain rules, that is, one or
more combinations of property values or fields on the ticket, such as Priority,
Status, Assigned To, Overdue, Last Modified, etc. The rule also includes a
specified Action to take place when the criteria are matched or exceeded. The
Actions include sending an email and changing properties on the ticket. An
Event Sink timer runs through the list of tickets on a schedule you set. When
it finds a ticket that matches or exceeds the rule’s criteria, the specified
Action is taken.
The Export sets up an automated export of the ticket data to
an SQL or Access database. An Event Sink timer runs on a schedule you set to
initiate the export. This allows you to automatically export the tickets on a
daily, weekly, or other timed basis. The exported data can be used to run reports using the database’s reporting tools, while also
providing a backup of ticket data.
Pre-Requisites
Must run on Exchange Server 2003 or
2007 on a Windows 2003 or 2008 Server. The Windows Server can be 32-bit or 64-bit.
Installation of the CCSBA
The files are installed by running the CCSBusinessAdministrator.MSI
on the Exchange Server. When the Setup runs, there is an Introduction screen, a
License Agreement screen, and then the “Select Installation Folder” screen. You
can choose any folder on the server or accept defaults.
Next, type in Help Desk folder path
of existing Help Desk and your Email domain:
Enter an Account that meets requirements shown below the
User Name box:
The next
screen is a Confirmation to proceed. After pressing next on that screen, the CCSBA
will be installed and you should get a Successful screen
After Installation, the CCSBA will be in Start/All Programs
under Crow Canyon Help Desk. When it opens, there will be an Escalations and an
Export tab:
Setting up Escalations
Setting up an Escalation has three steps:
1)
Create
New Escalation
2)
Add
Condition(s)
3)
Add
Action(s)
Create New Escalation
On the Escalations tab, there are several commands at the
top. Press “New” to setup a new rule-based Escalation:
Add a Rule Name, Rule Description, and select which tickets
to run the rule in (All, Unassigned, Assigned):
Add Condition(s)
Press
“Add New Condition”. Select a Property (fields from the ticket), an Operator ( “=” or “<>”), and enter in or select a Value. You
can add additional Conditions for this Escalation by using Add New Condition.
To delete any Conditions, select it (check the box in the left of it) and press
Delete Selected Condition(s)
Add Action(s)
Next,
add an Action. Choose either Add Email Action or Add Property Change,
NOTE:
Multiple Actions can be set up, including combining Email Actions and Property
Change actions.
Setup
an Email Action on the Email Action screen:
The
fields on the Email Action screen are self-explanatory. The “Email Place
Holders” give you the option to add ticket data to the subject or body of the
email.
Setup
a Property Change action in the Property Change screen:
This
tells the Escalation what Property (field) on the ticket to change and what
Value to set that Property to.
After
setting up Conditions and Actions, press OK on the New Escalation screen. The
Escalation shows up on the Escalation Tab as below. Note that it can be
Modified or Deleted using the commands above the tab.
Escalation Example
This
escalation will change the Priority of any Routine tickets that are Overdue to
the highest Priority (in this case, “1-Significant Impact”).
Schedule Escalation
Use
the “Schedule Rules Execution” in the menu on the Escalations tab to set up the
time and interval when the Rules will run. All Rules run at the same time.
The
“Start Time” sets the date and time of the first running of the Rules. The
“Interval in Hours” determines how often the rules will run.
After
setting the date and time, along with the interval, press OK to set it up.
This
will create a COM+ Application in the Component Services that will run
according to the times and intervals specified.
Setting
up an Export
Setting up an Export has two steps:
1)
Create
New Export Configuration
2)
Schedule
the Export
Creating New Export Configuration
During
the creation of a new export configuration, you choose which tickets to export,
what fields on those tickets, whether it should go to Microsoft Access or SQL,
and when it should run. You can choose to add tables to an existing database or
have the configuration setup create a new database.
Export
Tab of CCSBA with Access chosen
Export
Tab of CCSBA with SQL chosen. Note the boxes to enter database name and
user/password information.
Next,
check off which folders to export and then select the fields for each folder.
Next
is an option to Create a New Database or Use an
Existing Database. If “Creating a New Database”, then the
database name and path must be entered. If “Use an Existing Database”,
the database must be selected with the browse button.
For
new databases, you can choose what to name the tables. For existing databases,
the tables will appear in a drop list.
Next
is to match the Ticket fields that were chosen with what the Table fields will
be and the data type.
Review
and Confirm, then the database is configured when the
Next button is pushed.
Scheduling the Export
After
creating or modifying the Export Configuration, the next step is to schedule
it.
There
is an option to Schedule the Export or Run Now. For scheduling, the Start Time
can be set, along with how often the Export should be run. For Run Now, the
Export runs immediately upon confirmation.
Editing or Deleting an Export
Configuration
Once
an Export is configured, it can be edited or deleted in the Configure Ticket
Export screen.