Contents for SupportDesk Help

SupportDesk is a unique Multi-User Windows 3 Support package. It allows Users to catalogue, analyse and report on Product related Customer Events / Problems.

The Contents lists all Help topics available for SupportDesk. Use the scroll bar to see entries not currently visible in the Help window.

To learn how to use Help, press F1 or choose Using Help from the Help menu.

How To...

Enter Company Details

Enter User Details

Delete Users

Reactivate Users

Print a Summary of Users

Set Up Event Categories

Define Extra Event Fields

Import External Data

Import Formats

Initialise SupportDesk Databases

Backup/Archive SupportDesk Databases

Restore SupportDesk Databases

Rebuild SupportDesk Indexes

Enter Product Details

Enter Product Versions

Delete a Product

Print a Summary of Products

Enter Customer Details

Configure Products to Customers

Delete a Customer

Print a Summary of Customers

Add a New Event

Add Extra Event Data

Enter a Reply

Updating an Event

Deleting an Event

View Selected Events

Text Search Events

'Go To' an Event

Print Event Reports

Design a Report

Update a Report

Re-run a Report

Delete a Report

Fields Option

Fonts Option

Colours Option

Change Your Password

Printer Setup

Use The Clipboard

What's New in SupportDesk 1.60

What's New in SupportDesk 1.61

Commands

File Menu Commands

Edit Menu Commands

Options Menu Commands

Event Menu Commands

Report Menu Commands

Product Menu Commands

Customer Menu Commands

Supervisor Menu Commands


File Menu Commands

Password...	Allows you to Change your Password.

Printer Setup...Takes you to the Windows Printer Setup dialogue.

Exit	Leave SupportDesk.


  Edit Menu Commands

Copy	Copies details of selected Event to Clipboard.


Options Menu Commands

Fields	Define the Event fields to be presented at the Main window.

Fonts	Define styles for Report Output.

Colours	Define the Colours used at the Main Window.


Event Menu Commands

New...	Create a new Event.

Open...	Open an existing Event.

Delete...	Delete current 'closed' Event.

Select...	Allows you to selectively view certain Events.

Search...	Search Events for text string.

Go To...	Start Main window list from a known Event.

Print	Print a summary of all your Events.


Report Menu Commands

New...	Create a new Report.

Open...	Open an existing Report

Delete...	Delete selected Report.


Product Menu Commands

New...	Allows you to add New Products and Versions.

Open...	Change a selected Product's Details.

Delete...	Delete selected Product and its Versions.

Print	Print a summary of your Products


Customer Menu Commands

New...	Allows you to add a New Customer.

Open...	Change a Customer's details.

Delete...	Delete a selected Customer.

Print	Print a summary of all Customers.


Supervisor Menu Commands

User	Add, Change or Delete SupportDesk Users

Categories...	Modify user definable Event Categories.

Details...	Change your Company Details for Reports etc.

Extra Event Fields...	Define upto 5 extra fields for Events

Database	Initialise, Load or Backup SupportDesk Databases.


User Menu Commands

New...	Add a New User.

Open...	Change details or privileges of a User.

Delete	Delete a User from System.

Clear Users	Reactivate locked out Users.

Print	Printa summary of Users.


Database Menu Commands

Backup...	Backup selective Databases.

Import...	Import text (CSV) File records into Databases..

Initialise	Initialise all SupportDesk Databases.

Restore...	Restore Databases.

Rebuild Indexes...	Rebuild SupportDesk Indexes.


Enter Company Details

This window allows  the Supervisor to enter the Name and Address details of your Company. You can also specify whether you require automatic generation of Event Reference Numbers. The Company Name and Department fields will appear on the top of all Reports and Summaries produced by SupportDesk.

To activate the Company Details dialogue:

 From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Supervisor.

                                              Then, click on Details...

Fields

Name:

The Name of your Company.

32 characters.

Department:

The Name of your Department.

32 Characters.

Address:

The Address and Postal Code of your Company.

5 lines of 40 characters each.

Phone No:

The Telephone Number of your Company or Department.

20 characters.

Date Format

 Select one of the 2 radio buttons to determine which date format you require for the input and display of dates. By default, UK date format is set.

UK     DD/MM/YY

USA    MM/DD/YY

Reply Generation

Leave this check box marked with an 'X' if you wish Replies to be created automatically when details are altered at the Event dialogue. Replies are created when the Product, Customer, Assignee or Status fields are changed.

Event Reference

You can define whether you wish SupportDesk to generate Event References for you and whether a fixed prefix is required.

Generation

Leave this check box marked with an 'x' if you require automatic generation of Event  Reference Numbers. The Event Reference Number is an 8 character field. Automatic references start at '00000001' and increment by 1 up to '99999999' providing each Event with a unique reference.

Prefix:

Use this field if a Prefix is required on your generated Event Reference numbers. The numeric portion of the reference will reduce accordingly, leaving the total Event Reference length as 8 characters,.

3 Characters

Buttons

OK

Click on OK to save the details you have entered.

To amend the Company Details, return to this window and over type the existing data. Again, clicking on OK will save the information.

Cancel

Click on Cancel to exit this window without performing any updates.

After activating either of these buttons, you are returned to the Main SupportDesk window.


Enter User Details

As SupportDesk is a  Multi-User product, it is necessary that all Users of the system be uniquely identified.

The Supervisor is responsible for the set up and maintenance of User Details. The privilege assigned to a User determines the functions that User may perform within SupportDesk. It is permissible for another User to be created with Supervisor status, allowing this new User the full range of functions and responsibilities.

The number of Users of SupportDesk is determined by the version of the system in operation. You are informed that the maximum number of Users has been reached, when a further attempt is made to activate the New User's dialogue. SupportDesk responds with an Error box.

To enter New User Details:

From the Main SupportDesk  window, click on Supervisor.

                                              Then, click on User.

                                            Finally, click on New...

To amend User Details:

From the Main SupportDesk  window, click on Supervisor.

                                              Then, click on User.

                                              Then, click on Open...

      Finally, select the required User and click OK

Fields

Name:

This is a mandatory field for the input of the unique Name of the new User requiring access to SupportDesk. The User Name is displayed in the SupportDesk banner at the Main Window when the User is logged on.

32 Characters, mandatory.

Tag:

This is a mandatory field for the input of a unique User Reference. An Error box appears if the Tag in not entered or is not unique. Events reported by Customers are assigned to Users of SupportDesk. After logging in to SupportDesk, the Main window displays all the Events in chronological order. The information displayed includes Assignee, i.e. the User (referenced by their Tag) assigned to resolve the Event.  If the User Tag is modified, the Tag against existing Events is also changed.

8 Characters, mandatory.

Position:

The User's title within the Company.

32 Characters.

Narrative:

Supervisor definable input field.

50 Characters.

Login:

In this field, specify the unique User's 'Login' identifier, which is required at the SupportDesk Login window.

8 Characters, mandatory.

Password:

The User's Password associated with the Login above. Again, this must be supplied at the SupportDesk Login window.

8 Characters, mandatory.

Configuration

A User may modify and close an Event that has been input by or assigned to the User. (A Supervisor can automatically modify all Events.) Events for the User are listed at the main SupportDesk window.

Events can be deleted by a Supervisor or the Owner of the Event (ie the User who initially input the Event Details).

When a Reply is added to an Event, the text may only be altered prior to clicking the OK button at the Event dialogue. After this time, the text can only be viewed and not updated.

The following five configuration check boxes enable the Supervisor to over rule these standard User functions.

Enabled

Leave this check box marked with an 'x' if the new User is allowed to use SupportDesk immediately.

Delete Events

Events can only be deleted by Supervisors and the User who originally input the Event. Mark this check box with an 'x' if the User is allowed to delete 'closed' Events.

View All Events

Mark this check box with an 'x' if the User is allowed to see all Events listed at the Main SupportDesk window. Only Events entered by and assigned to the User may be modified, unless the following check box is also selected.

Modify Events

Mark this check box with an 'x' if the User is allowed to alter the detail of any Event. Note, for all the Events to be listed at the Main SupportDesk window, the previous check box must also be selected. Modify Events includes the ability to close an Event.

Modify History

Mark this check box with an 'x' if the User is allowed to amend Reply detail after it has been entered. The User must also be able to modify the Event in question.

Privilege

Select one of the five radio buttons below:

Supervisor

SupportDesk Supervisors are allowed to perform updates on Users, Category Codes, Products, Customers and Events. A Supervisor has access to all parts of the system.

Support

A User with Support privileges may update Customers, Products and Events.

Analyst

This is the default privilege and allows Users to input Events and add Replies to Events that have been assigned to them.

Hotline

This privilege level allows the User to access the Event and Reply dialogues only. On completion of the Login procedure, the User is taken directly to the Event dialogue. When all the Events have been entered, and Exit has been requested, the User is taken out of SupportDesk.

 Engineer

This privilege enters the User in the list of Assignees that can be selected at the Event dialogue. An Engineer has no Login and Password. Consequently, selecting this option disables the Login and Password fields. The 'Enabled' check box is swithced off and cannot be updated as the Engineer has no access to SupportDesk.

Buttons

OK

This button adds a new User to the System. An enabled User can then Login, perform any of the allowed tasks and report on Events assigned to them using the Report Designer. After activating this button, you are returned to the Main SupportDesk window.

Cancel

Return to the Main SupportDesk window without creating a new User.


Delete Users

A User may only be deleted by a Supervisor and only if the Events assigned to that User have been 'closed'.  Any outstanding Events must be reassigned prior to the removal of the User.

To activate the Delete Users... List:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Supervisor.

                                             Then, click on User.

                                           Finally, click on Delete

The window displays a list of the SupportDesk Users. The controlling Supervisor, is not included in this list, nor are any Users who are currently active in  the system.

Buttons

Close

This button returns you to the Main SupportDesk window. No Users are removed.

Delete

To delete a User, click on the required entry and then click on Delete.

Alternatively, double click on the entry in the list.

You are asked to confirm your request to delete the selected User


Reactivate Users

In the unlikely, but possible event of a hardware or software failure,  the Supervisor will have to re-enable Users who were using SupportDesk at the time of the failure. If this action is not taken, these Users will not be able to re-enter the System.

To Reactivate Users:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Supervisor,

                                             Then, click on User.

                                          Finally, click on Clear Users.

An Information box appears to confirm that the action has taken place.


Print a Summary of Users

If a hard copy of all the Users created is required, then the Print of a Summary of Users can easily be requested by a Supervisor. The Windows Print Setup dialogue is activated, allowing the output to be redirected.

To Print a Summary of Users:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Supervisor.

                                             Then, click on User.

                                           Finally, click on Print.

The Users' Configuration details are printed, using the following codes:

C - Close Events

D - Delete Events

E - Enabled

H - Modify History

M - Modify Events

V - View All Events


Set Up Event Categories

An Event can be considered as any incident relating to a Customer and / or Product that needs to be recorded to ensure that the Event is progressed to its conclusion without 'getting lost' within the 'hustle and bustle' of a busy office.

Within SupportDesk, Events are categorised by the Supervisor in three ways:-

i) Type of Event

I.e. the type of incident or situation to be recorded. For example, Fault, Query, Documentation.

ii) Status of Event

I.e. the current stage the Event has reached in its life cycle, terminating with closure. For example, Opened, Waiting more Evidence, In Progress.

iii) Priority of Event

This Category determines how imperative it is for the Event to be resolved. This could be because the Customer reporting the Event is deemed to be an important site for future sales. Hence, the speedy conclusion of Events, in this situation, could have a significant influence in the turn around of an imminent sale.

Within SupportDesk, the terminology of Event Categories is fixed. (I.e. Type, Status and Priority.) The system is supplied with a number of defaults for each Category, but these may be changed at any time to suit your own requirements. New categories may be entered and existing ones may be renamed or deleted.  Upto 100 Categories may be established.

If a Category is assigned to an Event and the Category is subsequently renamed, then the Event will have the renamed Category attributed to it. SupportDesk does not allow the deletion of a Category that is currently in use by an Event.

To activate the Event Categories dialogue:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Supervisor.

                                            Then, click on  Categories...

Alternatively, from the Main SupportDesk window, click on the Event Category icon.

The same dialogue is used for each Category subset. The Radio buttons determine which subset is listed. When the dialogue is activated, the Event Types are listed by default.

Radio Buttons

Click on Types, Status's or Priorities to change the Category subset listed.

Buttons

New...

Click on New to enter a new Category into the current subset.

Rename...

Click on the listed entry that you wish to rename and then click on Rename.

Alternatively, double click on the required listed entry.

Delete

To delete an entry, click on the Category to be removed and then click on Delete. You will be asked to confirm your request.

Close

Click on this button at the Categories... dialogue, if you wish to return to the Main SupportDesk window, performing no further updates.

For the New and Rename buttons, you are presented with the Category Name dialogue, described below, to input the new or amended Category Name.

Fields

Name:

Enter the Name of the new Category, or the revised Name of an existing Category.

16 Characters, mandatory

Buttons

OK

To update the Category Name, click on the OK button, you are then returned to the refreshed Categories... list.

Cancel

Clicking on Cancel simply returns you to the Categories... list.


Define Extra Event Fields

This feature allows the Supervisor to define upto 5 extra fields with a maximum length of 16 characters, which can be attached to the Event record.

The fields required must be set a Prompt and Length. The fields defined are then available for update when an Event is initiated or amended and have the same definition for all Users.

To activate the Extra Fields dialogue:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Supervisor.

                                             Then, click on Extra Event Fields...

Fields

Names:

Enter upto 5 prompts for the fields to be made available at the Event dialogue.

16 Characters

Lengths:

For the Names entered, selected the length required by clicking on the scroll bars and marking the length required.

The default length is 0, maximum length 16.

Accumulated:

For the Names entered, mark the adjacent 'Accumulated' check box with an 'x', if the User Defined Field is to be accumulated by the Report Designer.

Buttons

OK

Click on OK to define the Extra Event fields. Please note that you can define a field with a Name and zero Length, this allows you to use more than one Name as a prompt to a field. You can also set a field to have a Length and no Name prompt. On completion, you are returned to the Main SupportDesk window.

Cancel

Click on Cancel to return to the Main SupportDesk window leaving the definition of Extra Event fields unchanged.


Import External Data

SupportDesk has the ability to load external data files directly into the Databases. This allows the Supervisor to download data from any existing Customer support package and swiftly populate the SupportDesk Databases.

The files to be imported must be flat text files with 'Comma Separated Values' (CSV). Each line in the text file represents a SupportDesk record of a particular type. The first characters in each line indicate the type of record to be loaded.

To activate Import dialogue:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Supervisor.

                                             Then, click on Database.

                                           Finally, click on Import...

A window  appears, allowing you to name or select the DOS file containing the CSV records for importing into the SupportDesk Databases.

Fields

File Name:

Enter the name of the file to be imported in the File Name field box. The extension defaults to TXT.

Files in

Alternatively, if you do not know the name of the file, you may use the 'Files in' list box to browse and select the required drive and directory.  The list box defaults to the drive and directory where SupportDesk was loaded.

To change the drive, double click on the listed available drives. Drives are itemised with square braces and hyphens. For example, [-a-] .

To change directory, double click on one of the listed available directories. Directories are itemised in square braces. Double clicking on [..] moves you up a directory.

The files with the extension TXT will be listed. Single clicking on a listed file name moves the name of the file to the File Name field box. (Double clicking on a file name in the list box, selects the file and initiates the Import action.)

Buttons

OK

Click on OK to import the data from the selected file. You will be asked to confirm your selection. Click on Yes to proceed with the import. Clicking on No, returns you to the Import... dialogue.

Cancel

Clicking on Cancel at the Import... dialogue returns you to the Main SupportDesk window.

On completion of the Import, an Information box is presented, summarising the results of the Import.

Click on OK. If you have any errors, you will be presented with a Message box, giving you the opportunity to view the offending records. The Error log is listed to the file suppdesk.err .

For full details on the format of the Import records and validation please refer to Import Formats


Import Formats
Import Text Formats

SupportDesk Databases can be loaded directly from Comma Separated Value (CSV) Text Files. Use The Supervisor + Database + Import... menu option. See Demoload.Txt in SupportDesk directory for an example Import CSV file. The topic of Importing data is described under Import External Data.

The record Types are as follows:-

Product

Product Version

Customer

Customer Product

Event

Reply

User


Product Record Type
Product record type - 'P'

[ P, Reference, Name, Description, Creation Date, Status, Analysis Date, Price ]

Reference	Up to 8 Characters, mandatory and unique.

(The Product must not currently exist.)

Name	Up to 32 Characters, mandatory and unique.

Description	Up to 60 Characters.

Creation Date	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.

If omitted, today's date is used.

Status	Up to 16 Characters.

Analysis Date	8 Characters, DD/MM/YY.

Price	10 numeric characters, 2 decimal places.


Product Version Record Type
Product Version record type -  'PV'

[ PV, Product Ref, Version Ref, Environment, Creation Date, Description, Status, Analysis Date, Price ]

Product Ref	Up to 8 Characters.

(Product must exist.)

Version Ref	Up to 8 Characters, mandatory and unique for this Product.

Environment	Up to 16 Characters.

Creation Date	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.

If omitted, today's date is used.

Description	Up to 60 Characters.

Status	Up to 16 Characters.

Analysis Date	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.

Price	10 numeric characters, 2 decimal places.


Customer Record Type
Customer record type - 'C'

[C, Reference, Name, AddressLine1, AddressLine2, AddressLine3, AddressLine4, AddressLine5, PostCode, PhoneNo, CreationDate, Contact1, Contact2, Contact3, AccountMgr, Narrative, FaxNo ]

Reference	Up to 8 Characters, mandatory and unique.

(The Customer must not currently exist).

Name	Up to 32 Characters, mandatory and unique.

AddressLine1	Up to 40 Characters.

AddressLine2	Up to 40 Characters.

AddressLine3	Up to 40 Characters.

AddressLine4	Up to 40 Characters.

AddressLine5	Up to 40 Characters.

PostCode	Up to 16 Characters.

PhoneNo	Up to 20 Characters.

CreationDate	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.

If omitted, today's date is used.

Contact1	Name. Up to 32 Characters.

Contact2	Name. Up to 32 Characters.

Contact3	Name. Up to 32 Characters.

AccountMgr	Name. Up to 32 Characters.

Narrative	Up to 60 Characters.

FaxNo	Up to 20 Characters.


Customer Product Record Type
Customer Product record type -  'CP'

[ CP, Customer Ref, Product Ref, Version Ref, Date, Narrative, SerialNo, AssetNo, Status, Analysis, WarrantyStart, WarrantyEnd, WarrantyPeriod, WarrantyFee, WarrantyCode, PurchaseDate, PurchasePrice, PurOrderNo, PurInvoiceNo, PurContractNo, InstallationStart, InstallationEnd ]

Customer Ref	Up to 8 Characters, mandatory.

(Customer must exist.)

Product Ref	Up to 8 Characters, mandatory.

(Product must exist.)

Version Ref	Up to 8 Characters, mandatory.

(Product Version must exist.)

Date	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.

If omitted, today's date is used.

Narrative	Up to 60  Characters.

SerialNo	Up to 16 Characters.

AssetNo	Up to 16 Characters.

Status	Up to 16 Characters.

Analysis	Up to 16 Characters.

WarrantyStart	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.

WarrantyEnd	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.

WarrantyPeriod	Up to 16 Characters.

WarrantyFee	10 numeric characters, 2 decimal places.

WarrantyCode	Up to 16 Characters.

PurchaseDate	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.

PurchasePrice	10 numeric characters, 2 decimal places.

PurOrderNo	Up to 16 Characters.

PurInvoiceNo	Up to 16 Characters.

PurContractNo	Up to 16 Characters.

InstallationStart	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.

InstallationEnd	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.


Event Record Type
Event record type - 'E'

[ E, Event Ref, Customer Ref, Product Ref, Version Ref, Type, Status, Priority, Owner's Ref, Creation Date, Close Date, Subject, Reporter, Handler's Ref, Customer's Own Ref, Medium, User Defined Fields ]

Event Ref	Up to 8 Characters, mandatory and unique.

Customer Ref	Up to 8 Characters.

(Customer must exist.)

Product Ref	Up to 8 Characters.

(Product must exist.)

Version Ref	Up to 8 Characters.

(Product Version must exist.)

Category Type	Up to 16 Characters.

Category Status	Up to 16 Characters.

Category Priority	Up to 16 Characters.

Owner's Ref	User ref. Up to 8 Characters, mandatory.

(User must exist.)

Creation Date	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.

If omitted, today's date is used.

Creation Time	5 Characters HH:MM,  24 hour clock.

If omitted, the current time is used.

Close Date	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.

If omitted, Event is still open.

Close Time	5 Characters HH:MM,  24 hour clock.

Subject	Up to 60 Characters.

Contact	Up to 32 Characters.

Assignee	User ref. Up to 8 Characters, default to Owner's Ref.

(User must exist.)

Customer Ref	Up to 8 Characters.

Medium	1 - phone, 2 - fax, 4 - letter, 8 - disk

or combinations,      e.g.  6 - fax & letter

User Defined Fields	5 fields of up to 16 Characters each


Event Reply Record Type
Event Reply record type - 'ER'

[ER, Event Reference, Respondent, Creation Date, Creation Time, Windows Appl., Attached File Name, Type, Status, Priority, Reply Text... ]

Event Ref	Up to 8 Characters.

(Event must exist.)

Author	User ref. Up to 8 Characters, mandatory

(User must exist.)

Creation Date	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.

If omitted, today's date is used.

Creation Time	5 Characters HH:MM, 24 hour clock.

If omitted, current time is used.

Windows Appl	8 Character Program Name eg. Write.

Attached File	Up to 12 characters eg. dgmetal.wri.

Category Type	Up to 16 Characters.

Category Status	Up to 16 Characters.

Category Priority	Up to 16 Characters.

Reply Text	Up to 10,000 characters.


User Record Type
User record type - 'U'

[U, Ref, Name,  Position, Narrative,  CreationDate, Login, Password, Privilege, Enabled ]

User Ref	Up to 8 Characters, mandatory and unique.

Name	Up to 32 Characters, mandatory and unique.

Position	Up to 32 Characters.

Narrative	Up to 60  Characters.

Creation Date	8 Characters DD/MM/YY.

If omitted, today's date is used.

Login	Up to 8 Characters, mandatory and unique.

Password	Up to 8 Characters, mandatory.

Privilege	0 - Supervisor

1 - Support

2 - Analyst

3 - Hotline

4 - Engineer

Enabled	1 - Enabled

0 - Disabled


Initialise SupportDesk Databases

The Supervisor is allowed to Initialise the SupportDesk Databases. This feature may be used if  the Demonstration Data has been installed and now needs  to be removed. Initialising the SupportDesk Databases may also be useful if you have imported data from an existing Customer Support package and the operation has not run smoothly due to data errors.

Initialising Support Desk Databases, clears all the Databases except the User Database. If you need to purge the User records, then this task must be performed on each individual User record. Refer to  Delete Users The Initialise Database function is not allowed if any other User is currently active in the system.

Before utilising this operation, it is advised that a recent backup of the Databases has been taken. Refer to the next point on how to perform this task.

To Initialise SupportDesk Databases:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Supervisor.

                                             Then, click on Databases.

                                           Finally, click on Initialise

Buttons

Yes

Click on Yes to clear the Databases On completion of the task you are returned to the Main SupportDesk window. You will notice immediately, that any Events that were previously listed have now been erased.

No

Click on No to return to the Main SupportDesk window. No initialisation will be performed.


Backup / Archive Databases
Backup/Archive SupportDesk Databases

Within SupportDesk, the Supervisor has the ability to take a full backup of the current Databases in to a named directory. Alternatively, a specific groups of Events may be archived.

To activate the Backup Databases dialogue:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Supervisor.

                                             Then, click on Database

                                           Finally, click on Backup...

Fields

To Directory:

Enter the name of the directory and/or disk where you wish to backup the Databases to. If the directory does not exist, SupportDesk will create it for you. You are not allowed to archive the Databases to the directory where SupportDesk has been installed, because the backup files have the same names as the working Database. The file names are listed at the end of the Restore Databases point.

Mandatory, 26 characters.

Databases

Use these check boxes to mark which of the SupportDesk Databases you wish to archive. By default, all the Database boxes will be crossed.

Event Selection Details

All the Events are archived by default. However, you may use these selection boxes to archive a subset of Events. If the Event selection options are used, part or all of the Event Database will be archived, irrespective of whether the Event check box is crossed.

The selections Categories, Customers and Products can all be used in the same way to define the subset of Events to be archived. In each selection list, all the available values are listed. Use the scroll bars, by clicking on the up or down arrows,  to view the options in each list. If there are no more than five entries in a list, then the scroll bars are not seen, as they are redundant.

Under each list, you may select either the All or None buttons. If you click on All, all the entries in the list are selected. You can then deselect any entry by clicking on it. Highlighted entries will be used to determine the Events to be archived. If you click on None, none of the entries listed in the list are selected. You can select an individual entry by clicking on it.

Only those Events meeting all the selection criteria will be archived.

Date

You may enter From: and To: dates, Events created on and between these dates will be included in the backup. The date must be in the appropriate UK or USA format.

Remove Closed

Click on this check box if you want 'closed' Events to be removed from the current working Database following the Backup. The Events will be archived before they are purged.

Closed

Click on this check box, if you only wish to archive those Events that have been 'closed'. Closed Events hold a Closed Date and are marked with a 'closed door' icon at the Main SupportDesk window. Refer to Closed Events.

Buttons

OK

Click on OK to perform the backup. On completion, you are returned to the Main SupportDesk window.

Cancel

Click on Cancel to return to the Main SupportDesk window.


Restore Databases
Restore SupportDesk Databases

SupportDesk also provides the Supervisor with the facility to Restore Databases archived using the SupportDesk Backup facility. SupportDesk will not allow you to proceed with the Restore function unless there are no other Users currently active within the system.

To activate the Restore Databases dialogue:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Supervisor.

                                             Then, click on Databases.

                                          Finally, click on Restore...

Fields

From Directory:

Enter the name of the directory and/or disk where the archived SupportDesk Databases exist. Mandatory, 26 characters.

Databases

Use these check boxes to mark which of the SupportDesk Databases you wish to restore. By default, none of the boxes are crossed.

For all the Databases except Events, the archived Database will completely replace the current working Database. As you are able to take only a partial backup of the Events Database, SupportDesk has to restore this Database in a different fashion. When restoring Events, SupportDesk will replace any Events on the current working Database with the archived Events on the backup. Events on the backup that do not exist on the current working Database will be added.

Buttons

OK

Click on OK to perform the Restore. On completion you are returned to the Main Window.

Cancel

Click on Cancel to return to the Main SupportDesk window.


Rebuild SupportDesk Indexes

The Supervisor is allowed to Rebuild the SupportDesk Indexes. This feature should not need to be called upon in the normal course of events, however it can be used if the indexes have been lost or corrupted.

To Rebuild SupportDesk Indexes:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Supervisor.

                                             Then, click on Databases.

                                           Finally, click on Rebuild Indexes

Buttons

Yes

Click on Yes to rebuild the Indexes. The index files are deleted and recreated, no other Users must be active on the system. On completion of the task you are returned to the Main SupportDesk window.

No

Click on No to return to the Main SupportDesk window. No correction will be performed.


Enter Customer Details

The Customer Details dialogue allows Supervisor and Support Users  to enter Customer details and define the Products that the Customer has.

To enter new Customer Details:

From the Main Support Desk window, click on Customer.

                                              Then, click on New...

To amend existing Customer Details:

There are 2 stages to this activity, with a window for each stage.

1. Display Customer... List

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Customer.

                     Then, click on Open...

Alternatively, you may simply click on the Customer icon displayed at the Main SupportDesk window.

2. Select Customer from the List:

Double click on the required listed entry.

Alternatively, click on the entry and then click on Open...

Fields

Name:

Full Customer Name.

32 Characters, mandatory and unique.

Ref:

Unique Customer Reference.

8 Characters, mandatory and unique.

Address:

5 lines of 40 Characters each for the input of the Customer's Address.

Postcode:

16 Characters

Narrative:

Any descriptive text.

60 Characters.

Contact Phone:

Customer's Telephone Number.

20 Characters

Contact Fax:

Customer's Fax Number.

20 Characters

Contacts:

Enter up to 3 names of Contacts at the Customer site.

3 lines of  32 Characters each.

Acc Mgr:

Enter the name of the person within your Company who is handling this Customer's account.

32 Characters.

Buttons

OK

Click on OK to add or amend the Customer. You will then be returned to the Main SupportDesk window for new Customers, or to the Customer List for amended Customers.

Please Note, that if you wish to assign any Products to this Customer then you should click on the Configuration button prior to selecting OK.

Cancel

Click on Cancel to return  performing no update.

Print...

The Print button is not available for New Customers. When modifying existing Customers, click on the Print button to produce a hard copy of the Customer Details and the assigned Products. The output will be sent to the default Windows 3 printer.

Configuration...

Click on Configuration to assign Products to the Customer or amend Product assignments. This is covered in detail in Customer Product ConfigurationI.

Cancel

Click on Cancel to return to the Customers... List, performing no update.


Configure Products to Customers

SupportDesk allows Supervisor and Support Users to record which Products and Versions a Customer has.

There are 2 dialogues associated with assigning Products to Customers.

The first lists the Products the Customer has and allows you to chose the function you wish to perform: assign another Product,  alter a current Product assignment or delete a Product / Customer association. The Customer Configuration dialogue is activated from the Customer Details dialogue when the Configuration button is selected.

The second dialogue, Configuration Details, is activated from the Customer Configuration dialogue described above. This window allows you to make new assignments between Customer and Product or alter any existing assignments.

1. Select the Product Configuration function you wish to perform.

To activate the Customer Configuration dialogue:

From the Customer Details dialogue, click on Configuration...

If the Customer has no Products assigned to it, then the list box will be empty. In this case, you should click on Add... to record the Products the Customer has.

Fields

Product

Under the heading Product is listed the Product and Version combinations currently assigned to the Customer. Please note that a Customer may have more than one entry for the same Product and Version combination.

Serial No

Under the heading Serial No is listed the serial number of the Product, should one exist.

Buttons

Add...

Click on Add to assign a Product to the Customer. The Configuration Details dialogue will be activated.

Open...

Click on the Product in the list that you wish to alter and then click on Open. Alternatively, you may just double click on required Product. You will be presented with the Configuration Details dialogue, displaying the current information regarding this Product assignment.

Delete...

Click on the Product you no longer wish to assign to the Customer and then select Delete. You will be asked to confirm your action.

Close

Clicking on Close at the Customer Configuration dialogue returns you to the Customer Details window.


2.  Assign Product and Version to Customer.

To activate the Configuration Details dialogue:

Click on Add... at the Customer Configuration dialogue to assign a new Product to this Customer.

Click on Open... at the Customer Configuration dialogue to amend the selected Product assignment.

Fields

Product Details

Products:

For New Product assignments this field will be empty. If you have Opened an existing Product assignment, the Product and Version will be displayed here.

If you click on the pull down, a list of the available Product Version combinations will be displayed. Click on the required entry and this will be substituted into the Products field.

The selection of a Product is mandatory.

The remaining fields are optional, all or any additional fields may be completed as required.

Serial No:

16 Characters

Asset No:

16 Characters

Status:

16 Characters

Analysis:

16 Characters

Purchase Details

Date:

Date field, in the format DD/MM/YY or MM/DD/YY depending on the date option selected. Invalid dates are ignored.

Price:

10 Numeric Characters in the range 0 to 9999999.99

Order No:

16 Characters

Invoice No:

16 Characters

Contract No:

16 Characters

Warranty Details

Start Date:

Date field.

End Date:

Date field.

Period:

16 Characters

Fee:

10 Numeric Characters in the range 0 to 9999999.99

Code:

16 Characters

Installation Details

Start Date:

Date field.

End Date:

Date field.

Narrative:

60 Characters

Buttons

OK

Click on OK to assign the Product and Product Version to the Customer. You will be returned to the Customer Configuration dialogue.

Cancel

Returns you to the Customer Configuration dialogue, performing no update.


Delete a Customer

To remove a Customer from SupportDesk, a Supervisor or Support User needs to identify the Customer to be removed from the Customer List and then select the Delete button.

To activate the Delete Customers... dialogue:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Customers.

                                             Then, click on Delete...

Buttons

Delete

Click on the required Customer and then select the Delete button. SupportDesk will then ask you to confirm your request by presenting a Confirmation box.

If there are Events outstanding relating to this Customer, then the delete will not be allowed and an Error box will be displayed.

Close

Click on Close to return to the Main SupportDesk window. No delete will be actioned.


Print a Summary of Customers

Supervisor and Support Users can request the printing of Customer List. The Windows Print Setup dialogue is activated, allowing you to redirect the output.

After making your request, you are returned to the Main SupportDesk window.

To produce a Summary Listing of all the Customers held on SupportDesk:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Customer.

                                              Then, click on Print.


Entering Product Details
Enter Product Details

The Product Details dialogue allows Supervisor and Support Users  to enter Product details and define the Versions of the Product that exist.

To enter new Product Details:

From the Main Support Desk window, click on Product.

                                              Then, click on New...

To amend existing Product Details:

There are 2 stages to this activity, with a window for each stage.

1. Display Products... List

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Product.

                     Then, click on Open...

Alternatively, you may click on the Products icon displayed at the Main SupportDesk window.

2. Select Product from the List:

Double click on the required listed entry.

Alternatively, click on the entry and then click on Open...

Fields

Name:

Full name of the Product.

32 Characters, mandatory and unique.

Ref:

In this field, you must enter a unique reference for the Product.

8 Characters, mandatory and unique.

Status:

This field is designated to hold a release Status for the Product.

16 Characters.

Description:

In this field you may enter a full Description of the Product.

60 Characters.

Price:

This field can hold the current Price of the Product. The data entered should be numeric with 2 decimal places. Entering 999 will be interpreted as 999.00 The Price entered must be within the range 0 to 9,999,999.99 . The input of invalid data, for example alphabetic characters or a Price out of range, will be ignored.

10 Numeric Characters, in the form £££££££.00

Analysis Date:

In this field you may enter a date for your own analysis purposes. The date entered should be in the format DD/MM/YY or MM/DD/YY depending on whether UK or USA date format is required. The input of a date in the wrong format or the input of an invalid date will be ignored.

Date field, DD/MM/YY or MM/DD/YY.

Date:

This field displays the date the Product was created. In the case of New Products, this is today's date.

Buttons

OK

Click on OK to save the Product details you have entered. On acceptance of the data, you will be returned to the Main SupportDesk window for new Products, or the Product List for amended Products. If you wish to define Versions of the Product before departing, you must click on New prior to selecting OK. In this case, you will then be transferred to the Version Details window.

Cancel

Click on Cancel to return without adding or amending the Product information.

Print

This function is not available for New Products. You may produce a hard copy of the Product and its Versions when you Open an existing Product. The output is sent to the current Windows 3 default printer. Control will remain with the Product Details window, awaiting your next request.

New...

Click on New to add Product Versions. This action should be taken before clicking on OK.

Open...

This button allows you to alter an existing Product Version, it is only available when amending an existing Product.You select the Version by clicking on the required entry in the Versions list. You will be transferred to the Version Details window. Alternatively, you may simply double click on the required listed entry.

Delete...

Click on Delete to remove a Product Version. As for Open, this button is only available when amending an existing Product.You select the Version to be removed by clicking on the required entry in the Versions list. You will be asked to confirm your request.

SupportDesk checks that there are no Customers or outstanding Events referring to this Product Version. If so, an Error box will be presented. Otherwise, the selected Product Version will be removed and the Product Details window  redisplayed.


 Enter Product Versions

When a Product is developed, various Versions of it may be released. To accommodate this, SupportDesk has the ability to hold multiple Versions for any defined Product. A Customer incident or Event can then be related not only to a Product, but its Version as well. Product Versions may only be defined by Supervisor and Support Users.

Product Versions can be established either when a new Product is being added or when an existing  Product has been opened for amendment. This is achieved by clicking the New... button at the Product Details window.

To enter new Product Versionss:

From the Product Details window, click on New...

To amend existing Product Versions:

From the Product Details window, click on the required Version and click Open...

Fields

Version:

In this field you must enter a unique Version reference.

8 Characters, mandatory and unique.

Environment:

Here you may enter the machine or operating system platform.

10 Characters.

Status:

The release status of the version. For example Beta or Development.

16 Characters.

Price:

This field is supplied to hold the current Price of the Version. The Price must be entered in the range 0 to 9,999,999.99 . The input of an invalid Price will be ignored.

10 Numeric Characters, in the form £££££££.00

Analysis Date:

This field is designated to hold a date for your own analysis purposes. The date should be entered as DD/MM/YY or MM/DD/YY depending on the date format set by the Supervisor, either UK or USA. The input of an invalid Date will be ignored.

Date field, DD/MM/YY or MM/DD/YY

Description:

In this field you may enter a full Description of the Version.

60 Characters.

Date:

This field displays the date the Product Version was created. In the case of New Versions, this is today's date.

Buttons

OK

Click the OK button to add or amend a Version for the current Product. On acceptance of the data, you will be returned to the Product Details window. For new Versions, you will notice the Version added to the list of Versions.

Cancel

Click on Cancel to return to the Product Details window without adding or amending the Version.


 Delete a Product

SupportDesk allows Supervisor and Support Users to delete a Product and all its Versions. However, you are prevented from taking this action if outstanding Events refer to the Product or any of its Versions. Similarly, a Product and Version cannot be removed if it is currently assigned to a Customer.

To activate the Delete Products dialogue:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Product.

                                             Then, click on Delete...

Buttons

Close

Clicking on the Close button returns you to the Main SupportDesk window, performing no further Product deletes.

Delete

To delete a Product, simply click on the required listed entry and then click on Delete.

You will be asked to confirm this action.

If you click on Yes, SupportDesk will then check if there are any outstanding Events referring to the Product or any of its Versions. If this is so, you will be presented with an Error box and the removal of the Product will not be allowed. If the Product  is deleted, you will note its absence from the Delete Products... List when you are returned to this window.


Print a Summary of Products

Supervisor and Support Users can request a summary listing of all the Products. The Windows Print Setup dialogue is activated, allowing you to redirect the output.

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Product

                                             Then, click on Print.


Add a New Event

An Event consists basically of two parts, a Header Form which describes the Event's main attributes, followed by a number of  attached Reply Items. The Event Header is the initial Customer related incident or piece of correspondence, which requires a response of some sort. The Reply Items record the subsequent conversations, phone calls, letters etc. which occur in order to resolve the original Event.

To activate the Event Details dialogue:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Event.

                                             Then, click on New...

Alternatively, you may simply click on the Event icon displayed at the Main window.

Fields

Ref:

If the system is set up for automatic Reference generation, then this field will display the next generated Reference. Otherwise, you must input your own unique Reference.

8 Characters, mandatory and unique.

Category

Type, Status and Priority:

These three fields operate in the same fashion. You are not able to key in a Category Code, you click on the pull down to display the options available for each of the three Category Codes. Click on the code required and it will be substituted into the field. Should you require a different Category Code to the ones on display, then discuss this with your Supervisor who is entitled to update the available Category Codes.

For those Users who are allowed to modify Events, selecting a Status of Closed automatically marks the Event as being closed. You will note that this check box is now marked with an 'X'. For more information on User privileges, see Configuration under Enter User Details.

Product:

In this field, you may identify the Product related to the Event. Click on the pull down to display the Products and Versions available. Select the Product by clicking on the required listed entry. The selection will be entered into the Product field.

Subject:

This is a free format area for you to describe the incident you wish to record. If you leave this field empty, it will default to the first 60 characters of the first Reply text. The Text SearchI facility uses the contents of this field when attempting to find a match on the search criterion.

60 Characters.

Customer Name:

In this field you may identify the Name of the Customer relating to this Event. Click on the pull down to display the Customer List and make a selection. Click on the Name you require  and it will be substituted in the Customer Name field.

If your Customer list is extensive, you can enter the first character or string of characters of the Customer Name, subsequently clicking on the pulldown displays the subset of Customers conforming to the selection criterion.

For those Users with Supervisor or Support level privileges, the Customer need not currently exist on the SupportDesk Customer Database. The Customer details can be entered at this time by clicking on the Details button.

32 Characters

Contact:

This field enables you to name a Customer Contact. You may use the pull down to list the Contacts already named for the Customer and click on the required entry. If no Customer has been identified, then there will be no entries in the selection box.

32 Characters.

Ref:

Enter here any Reference the Customer wishes to associate with the Event .

8 Characters.

Medium

The four check boxes: Letter, Phone, Hardcopy and Disk, can be used to specify the Medium by which the Event was reported by the Customer. Click any of the required boxes with your mouse.

Owner:

This field displays the name of the User inputting the Event Details.

Assignee:

Assignee defaults to the name of the User displayed in Owner. You can click on the pull down to list the Users and select an entry from this list. The Event will then be assigned to the selected User. The Event will be listed at the Main SupportDesk window for the Supervisor, Owner (or initiator) of the Event and the Assignee, plus any other User who may View All Events. (If the assigned User has Engineer privilege, then this User will be unable to view the event, as Engineers are not enabled to use SupportDesk.) For more information on User privileges, see Configuration under Enter User Details.

Open Date:

The date the Event was input into the system is displayed here. For New Events, this is today's date.

Open Time:

The time the Event was input into the system is displayed here. For New Events, this is the current time.

Close Date:

If there are no more Replies to add, then the Event may be Closed by clicking on the Close check box. To perform this action, the User must be the Owner, Assignee or a Supervisor. Users who have been configured to 'Modify Events' can also check the Close check box. For more information on User privileges, see Configuration under Enter User Details.

For Events that have been 'closed' Today's date will be entered into this field. On return to the Main SupportDesk window, you will notice that the Event is marked with a closed door icon. Closed Events can be removed from the system by the Supervisor using the Backup facility or by using the Delete Event facility.

For those Users who are allowed to modify Events, selecting the Category Status of Closed also results in the Event being Closed.

Close Time:

Clicking on the Close check box substitutes the time the Event was closed into this field.

Elapse:

This field displays the elapsed time since the Event was entered in days, hours and minutes.

Reply History

This box displays the history of the Event. For new Events there will be nothing to display and the box will be empty. Reply History lines can be added by clicking the Add... button. Existing lines that have just been added, can be amended by clicking on the line to be changed and then selecting the Open... button. The update of Reply History is covered under Enter Replies.

Buttons

Details...

For Users who have Supervisor or Support level access, then clicking on Details will display the Customer Details window. The Customer Name entered will be displayed at the Customer Details window. If this Customer has not previously been added to SupportDesk then you are able to swiftly input the new Customer information. If the Customer already exists, then its details will be displayed ready for checking or update. Clicking on OK or Cancel at the Customer Details dialogue returns you to the Event Details dialogue.

For Users with Analyst or Hotline level privileges, this box appears grey and cannot be selected.

Add...

Click on Add to input details of conversations regarding this Event. You are transferred to the Reply dialogue.

Open...

To alter a Reply line for this Event, select the appropriate line and then click on Open. You are transferred to the Reply dialogue.

OK

Click on OK to add the Event. You will be returned to the Main SupportDesk window where the new Event will be included in the list.

More

The More button allows you to insert the current Event. The Event dialogue is refreshed retaining the pull down selections, ready for the input of another Event, ideally for the same Customer and Product. This allows for the swift input of multiple Events for the same Customer and Product. The pull down details may be changed if required.

The More button is only available when inputting new Events. When an existing Event is opened, this button does not appear.

Cancel

Clicking on Cancel reactivates the Main SupportDesk window and no update is performed.

Extra...

The Extra button caters for the input of extra data to be assigned to this Event. This is covered under Extra Event Fields.

Print

For new Events the Print button is disabled and appears grey. For existing Events, that have been opened, the Print button produces a report of the Event and its Replies. The output is directed to the Window 3 default printer.


Add Extra Event Details

Extra Event fields defined by the Supervisor, are available for update by all Users who are allowed to modify the Event. For set up details, see Define Extra Events

To activate the Extra Event Fields dialogue:

From the Event dialogue, click on the Extra... button.

Fields

The prompts defined by the Supervisor are associated with fields of the specified length. Key in the required data into the appropriate fields.

Buttons

OK

Click on OK to add the extra information to the Event record and return to the Event dialogue.

Cancel

Click on Cancel to return to the Event dialogue making no change to the Event record.


Enter a Reply

Having input a summary of the Event details, you now need to record the responses to and from the Customer relating to this incident. Within SupportDesk, these are termed Replies. The Replies are logically attached to the Event to which they belong, in chronological order, thus providing a full history of the Event from its initial input to its final closure.

New Replies may be added and existing Replies may be opened for amendment. However, only a Supervisor, the Owner or Assignee of the  Event may automatically perform any updates regarding the Event or it's Replies. Other Users can update Replies providing that they are configured to do so. The Reply is marked with the User Tag in order to discern, at a later date, who input the response. Against the Reply, the current Status and Priority Categories are also recorded, plus the input date. This information can be viewed in the Reply History box at the Event Details dialogue.

Replies can only be associated with an Event. Therefore, the Reply dialogue is activated from the Event Details dialogue, attaching the Replies to the current Event.

While the Event is open, Replies that have been added during the current 'Open Event' session may be updated. Replies input  during a previous session may not be updated, unless the User's configuration permits this activity. See Configuration under Entering Users for more information on configuration.

To Add a New Reply:

From the Event Details dialogue, click Add...

To Amend or View an existing Reply:

Click on the required Reply in the Reply History box, at the Event Details window.

Click on Open...

Alternatively, you can double click on the required Reply.

The Reply dialogue will be activated and the current Reply details displayed. Users may alter the Text and Document information by simply over typing the current data.

Fields

Event:

The Event Reference is displayed here.

Author:

The Author, i.e. the User inputting the Reply details, is displayed here.

Category:

The 3 Category Codes, Type, Status and Priority are displayed here, separated by commas.

Date:

This field displays the Reply's creation  date. When adding new Replies, this will be today's date.

Time:

This field displays the time the Reply was input. When adding new Replies, this will be the current time as determined by your PC.

Reply:

The sequence number of the current Reply is displayed here, for example 2 of 3.

This is followed by a free format area for you to input any information regarding the Event. For example, you may wish to record a summary of a telephone conversation held with the Customer about the problem or detail that the incident has been resolved and a response to the Customer has been sent in the post.

If this is the initial Reply for an Event then the first 60 characters will be used as a default for the Event Subject matter.

Reply text can only be altered prior to saving the Event, unless the User has specifically been configured to 'Modify History' at the User Details dialogue. In which case, the User can update the Reply text at any time.

Using the keys Ctrl plus Enter introduces a line skip.

10,000 Characters.

Application:

You may attach to your Reply an associated document. This document must exist as a physical file in your working directory and have been created via a Windows application such as 'Write' or 'Winword'. If you wish to utilise this facility, you should enter the name of the Windows application in this field.

8 Characters.

Name:

In this field you should enter the Name of the document / file created by the Application described above. These 2 fields are used by the Edit... button, to start the Application with the Named file.

12 Characters.

Buttons

Edit...

The Edit button starts the Windows application identified in the Application field using the Named File. The Edit button will not operate if the Application is not valid or cannot be found on your Path.

Previous and Next

When the Reply of an established Event is viewed, the Previous or Next Reply can be displayed by selecting the appropriate button. If the text of the current Reply has been amended, then you are asked to confirm the alteration before switching to another Reply. If there are no Previous or Next Replies to view, then the buttons are disabled and appear grey.

OK

Click on OK to save the Reply. You will be returned to the Event Details dialogue.

Cancel

Click on Cancel to return to the Event dialogue without saving the Reply.


Update an Event

Events will need to be updated when  new Replies are added. At this time, you may also wish to alter the Status or Priority of an Event. For example, the Status may change from being 'Assigned' to 'Response sent to Customer', or the Priority may be upgraded to 'Urgent' from 'Medium' if, after investigation, the problem appears more serious.

All Events can be altered by a Supervisor. Events can also be updated by their Owner (i.e. the User who originally input the Event) or the Assignee. These Users will have this particular Event included in their Event list at the Main window and it follows that they can view and modify their listed Events. However, other Users can also update an Event, providing that the User has been configured to 'Modify Events' at the User Details dialogue.

To activate the Event Details dialogue for an existing Event:

At the Main SupportDesk window double click on the required Event listed,

or click on the required Event and hit the Enter key.

You will be presented with the details of the Event.

Alternatively, from the Main SupportDesk window, click on Event.

                                                               Then, click on Open...

You will activate the Open Event... dialogue where you can enter the reference of the required Event.

This method will be most useful in the situation of having pages of Events listed at the Main window and the Reference of the particular Event to be opened is known. If the User is not allowed to modify the Event, then the Event details can only be viewed.

A successful Open activates the Event Details dialogue.

Fields

The use of fields is covered under the earlier Add a New Event. Please note that the More button is not available when opening an existing Event. For Users who are not allowed to modify the Event details, all the fields are 'grey' and cannot be altered.

Buttons

The use of Buttons is also been described under Add a New Event. However, the following items are worth noting again.

Add...

Click on Add to add more Replies to this Event. The Reply dialogue will be activated. Before leaving the Event Details window, you should click on OK to store the added Replies.

Open...

Click on Open to view / update Replies. Prior to this, you should select the Reply by clicking on the required entry in the Reply History box. Only Replies entered during this current 'Open Event' session may be updated. However, Users configured to 'Modify History' can update the Reply text of their own  Events at any time. This option can be set for the User at the User Details dialogue.

.

OK

If any Replies have been added, then you should click on OK, irrespective of whether any updates have been made to the Event Details themselves. If not, the new Replies will be discarded. If existing Replies have been modified, then the updates will be saved irrespective of whether OK is selected.

Extra...

Click on Extra to enter or alter any extra fields associated with the Event. If the User can only view the Event, the Extra Event fields cannot be amended.

Print

Click on Print to produce a hardcopy of the Event and its Replies. The Windows Print Setup dialogue is activated.


Delete an Event

SupportDesk allows Supervisors and Event Owners  to delete an Event providing that it is marked as 'closed' with a closed door icon. Other Users can also be configured to perform the delete operation. For more information on User privileges, see Configuration under Enter User Details.

To delete an Event:

At the Main SupportDesk window, highlight the Event to be deleted.

Then, click on Event.

Then, click on Delete...

You will be asked to confirm your request.

If the Event is not 'closed', the delete request will be rejected. If you are not configured to delete Events, the request will be rejected.

On completion of the task, you are returned to the Main SupportDesk window.


View Selected Events

SupportDesk allows you to select which Event subsets are to be listed at the Main window. This is achieved at the Select dialogue, where you indicate which attributes an Event must have to appear at the Main window.

The Select dialogue can be left active on your desktop as long as you want and you can alter your selection criteria when desired. Note, that if you exit SupportDesk with the Select dialogue active, then it will automatically be activated when the system is next initiated. If you leave the Select dialogue on your screen, but wish to move it, then click on the  title bar and drag the window with your mouse to a more favourable position. You may also minimise the Select dialogue.

If you cancel the Select dialogue, the display at the Main window will revert to a full Event list. The Select window can be closed by clicking on Cancel. You may also close the Select window by clicking on Select at the Event Menu pull down. You will note that Select is marked with a tick while it is active.

To activate the Select dialogue:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Event.

                                             Then, click on Select...

Fields

Events

When the Selection dialogue is first activated, all the Categories, Customers, Products and Users will be selected. (This reflects the full display of Events at the Main Window.) Selected entries appear highlighted. The 4 selection criteria, Categories, Customers, Products and Users, operate in the same fashion. If there are more than 6 entries to display, then you can use the scroll bars to view other entries. Click the corresponding All button to select all the entries, subsequently clicking with your mouse on an individual entry deselects it. Click on the corresponding None button to deselect all the entries, subsequently clicking on an individual entry selects it.  Events meeting the highlighted selection criteria will be displayed at the Main SupportDesk window when you click the Refresh button.

Categories:

All of the Category Codes are listed here. Each Code is prefixed by its Category Group Name, i.e. Priority, Status or Type. You can click on the scroll bars to view all the available options.

Customers:

A full list of the Customers is displayed. Mark the required entries. Events relating to selected Customers will be presented at the Main SupportDesk window.

Products:

Products are listed with their Versions. As before, Events for highlighted Products will be displayed at the Main window.

Users:

A  list of the Users of SupportDesk is displayed. Mark the required entries. Events relating to selected Users will be presented at the Main SupportDesk window. Note, the term Users includes Engineers, who can be assigned Events but are not able to log in to SupportDesk.

Buttons

All

For each of the 4 selection criteria; Categories, Customers, Products and Users, the All button selects all the entries. Particular entries can then be deselected by clicking on them with your mouse.

None

Click on the None button to deselect all of the entries in a selection list. Clicking on individual entries will then reselect the entry.

Refresh

The Refresh button causes the Event list at the Main SupportDesk window to be renewed, according to the selections you have made. The selections may be altered and the Event list refreshed at any time while the Select dialogue is active.

Cancel

The Cancel button cancels the Select window; the Main window reverts to displaying a full Event list.


Text Search Events

SupportDesk provides a Text Search facility, searching the Event Subject field and the Reply History, for a defined string of characters. Only displaying those Events that meet the Search criteria. The Events listed will also meet any Selection criteria set.

To activate the Search dialogue:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Event.

                                             Then, click on Search...

Fields

For:

In this box you enter the string of characters you wish to search for. SupportDesk will only display those Events where the Subject contains this string. If you wish to remove an active Search, then replace the current character string with spaces.

60 Characters

Case Sensitive

By default, this check box is marked on. I.e. the Subject text must match in characters and case. Click this box off, if you want a match to be found irrespective of case.

Reply History

By default, this check box is marked off. I.e. the Replies will not be searched. Click this box on, if you want to search the Replies as well as the Event Subject matter.

Buttons

OK

Click OK to start the Search. The Main window will be refreshed with Events meeting the Search criterion. Remember, that the display will also comply with any Selection options defined. The Search will remain in operation until altered or cleared.

Cancel

Click on Cancel to return to the Main window without effecting the Search.


'Go To' an Event

SupportDesk provides you with the ability to start the Event list at the Main window from a known Event Reference. This is particularly useful in the situation where there are many Events to display.

To activate the Go To Event dialogue:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Event.

                                             Then, click on Go To...

Fields

Ref:

The Reference field defaults to the currently selected Event Reference. I.e. the Event highlighted. To change this, simply over type with a new Reference. The Event with this Reference must exist or the request will be rejected with an Error box.

For valid References, the Events listed at the Main window will start from this Reference, but will also comply with any Select or Search criteria set.

Buttons

OK

The OK button actions the new Go To request, returning you to the Main SupportDesk window with a refreshed screen.

Cancel

Cancel, returns you to the Main SupportDesk window without effecting the current display.


Print Event Reports

To print a Summary of the Events input by or assigned to you:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Event.

                                             Then, click on Print.

The report contains the list of Events that would appear at the Main SupportDesk window. I.e. the Events listed in the report are subject to any active Select and Search options.

Prior to printing, the Windows Print Setup dialogue is activated, allowing you to redirect the output. You are subsequently returned to the Main SupportDesk window.


Input a New Report

Report definitions are input and updated at the Report Designer dialogue. To add a Report, this dialogue must be initiated as New to define the report parameters for the first time.

To activate the Report Designer dialogue for the input of a New Report:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Report.

                                             Then, click on New...

Fields

Title:

Enter the text which is to appear at the top of the Report. For example, 'Summary Of  Faults Over One Month Old'. This field is mandatory and must be unique as it is also used to identify existing Reports when they need to be updated or run again. An error box will be presented if this field is not supplied satisfactorily.

60 Characters, mandatory and unique.

Include

The Include subset of fields all operate in the same fashion. If there are more than 5 entries to display, then you can use the scroll bars to view other entries. Click the corresponding All button to select all the entries, subsequently clicking with your mouse on an individual entry deselects it. Click on the corresponding None button to deselect all the entries, subsequently clicking on an individual entry selects it.  Events meeting the highlighted selection criteria will be included in the Report.

Categories:

All of the Category Codes are listed here. Each Code is prefixed by its Category Group Name, i.e. Priority, Status or Type. You can click on the scroll bars to view all the available options. By default, none of the Categories are selected.

Customers:

A full list of the Customers is displayed. Mark the required entries. Events relating to selected Customers will be reported on. By default, none of the Customers are selected.

Products:

Products are listed with their Versions. As before, Events for highlighted Products will be included in the Report. By default, none of the Products are selected.

Users:

The Users are listed here and by default, they are All selected. For Users accessing SupportDesk with Analyst or Support level privileges, then only that User's tag is displayed here. I.e. Analyst and Support Users can only report on their own Events. If the Supervisor designs a Report, then all the Users are listed, enabling the Supervisor to produce a report of all Events, irrespective of User, or to list Events being handled by a particular group of Users.

Date

The Date selection criteria evaluate an Event for inclusion in the Report based on its Creation or Open Date.

There are a variety of ways of defining the Date parameters, the method is determined by the radio button you select. Only one method can be selected. The default is All . In other words, all Events will be included in the Report, irrespective of Creation Date.

All

Click on All if you wish Events to be included in the Report, regardless of Date.

Less than

If you click on Less than, then the Number of Days, Months, Years fields become active. Events less than the number of time units old will be included in the Report. For example, if the Run Date is 28/03/93 and the date parameter is 'less than 7 days old', then Events created since 21/03/93 will be considered for the Report. This is useful if you wish to report on recently opened Events.

More than

Clicking on More than also makes the Number of Days, Months, Years fields active. Events more than the number of time units old will be included in the Report. For example, if the Run Date is 28/03/93 and the date parameter is 'more than 2 months old', then Events created before 28/01/93 will be considered for the Report. This is useful if you wish to report on Events that have been outstanding for a long time.

From

When you click on From, the To date field becomes active. You may now input a date range. Events with Open dates on and within this range will all be included in the report. Both date fields should be entered, in either UK or US format as defined by the Supervisor. The From Date must be earlier than the To date and both fields should be valid dates. Invalid input will be ignored. As an example, From could be set to 01/01/93 and To could be set to 01/03/93 in order to report on Events in the first quarter of the year. If you click on a different Date Selection radio button after having input From and To dates, these dates will remain, but because the From radio button is no longer active, the Report Designer will not refer to this date range.

Number of Time Units:

This field is unlabelled but becomes available when you click on Less than or More than. You should enter the number of Days, Months or Years that are required for the Less than / More than request and then click on one of  the radio buttons, Days, Months or Years.

3 Numeric Characters.

Days

The Days radio button is used in  conjunction with the Less than and More than fields. You should also supply a Number of days.

Months

The Months radio button is used in  conjunction with the Less than and More than fields. You should also supply a Number of months.

Years

The Years radio button is used in  conjunction with the Less than and More than fields. You should also supply a Number of years.

Sort Parameters

The Event record fields to be used for sorting must be listed in the Order box in the required order of priority. You make your selection from the list of fields, using the arrow buttons.

>>

The currently selected Field will be transferred to the Order box. When the Report is run, Events will be sorted on this field.

<<

The currently selected Order entry will be returned to the list of Fields. Events will no longer be sorted on this field when the Report is run.

List of available Fields

The Fields available for sorting are listed here, Customer, Date (Open), Priority, Product, Status, Type and User.

Order:

The fields selected for sorting are listed here in the Order required.

When choosing your sort fields and their order, you should consider the other parameters you have supplied for the report. For example, if you have already selected that the Events must relate to one Customer only, then there is no point including Customer as a sort key field as there will never be a change of Customer.

Page Feeds

Click the Page Feeds check box on, i.e. marked with a cross,  if you wish to have a page throw after a change of the primary sort key. (The primary sort key is the first entry in the Order box.)

Sub Totals

Cross the Sub Totals check box, if you wish the Report to detail the number of Events in each primary sort key and to sum User Defined Fields.

Grand Totals

Cross the Grand Totals check box, if you wish the Report to state the total number of Events and to sum User Defined Fields.

Orientation

Select either of the radio buttons Portrait or Landscape.

Fields

This list contains all the Event fields available for inclusion in the report. Simply highlight those fields required, by clicking on them with your mouse.

Buttons

All

Click All to select all the entries in the corresponding Include selection box.

None

Click None to deselect all the entries in the corresponding Include selection box.

OK

Save the Report parameters and return to the Main SupportDesk window.

Cancel

Return to the Main SupportDesk window, without saving or activating the Report parameters.

Run

Click Run to execute the Report using the current Report parameters. The Windows Printer Setup dialogue wil be activated to enable you to redirect the print output.


Update and Reprint a Report

Existing Reports can be recalled for updating or reprinting at anytime. You simply select and open the Report you require, reactivating the Report Designer dialogue. Any of the parameters may be changed, as described under Input a New Report. These changes will not be saved unless you click the OK button. If you Run the Report, the parameters displayed will be used. This allows you to tailor the parameters for one run, but leaving the original parameters unchanged.

To Select a Report for Update :

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Report.

                                               The, click on Open...

The Reports... List is also activated by clicking on the Report icon, displayed at the Main SupportDesk window.

Buttons

Open...

Click with your mouse on the Report you require and then click Open. The Report Designer dialogue will be activated and you can process the Report as desired.

A Report can also be selected by double clicking on the required entry.

Close

Click on Close if you wish to return to the Main SupportDesk window.


Re-run a Report

Existing Reports can be re-run at anytime. You simply select and run the Report you require.

To Select a Report for Reprinting :

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Report.

                                               The, click on Run...

Buttons

Run...

Click with your mouse on the Report you require and then click Run. The Windows Printer Setup dialogue wil be activated to enable you to redirect the print output.

You can also double click on the required Report.

Close

Click on Close if you wish to return to the Main SupportDesk window.


Delete a Report

To delete a Report, you must identify the Report to be removed from the Report List and then select the Delete button.

To activate the Delete Reports... List:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Reports.

                                            Then, click on  Delete...

Buttons

Delete

Click on the required Report and then select the Delete button. SupportDesk  will ask you to confirm your request by presenting a Confirmation box.

Close

Click on Close to return to the Main SupportDesk window, no delete will be actioned.


SupportDesk Fields Option

The Fields Option allows the User to tailor the Event information displayed at the Main SupportDesk window. The available fields are listed, those included in the display are marked with a tick. You can click the fields on and off with your mouse.

To select Event fields for display:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Options.

                                            Then, click on  Fields

To alter the fields on display, simply click on the field, to add or remove it as appropriate. The fields available are:

Reference

Customer

Product

Version

Type

Status

Priority

Date

Assignee

Subject


SupportDesk Fonts Option

The Fonts Option allows the User to tailor the Fonts used when producing print output from SupportDesk.  Various Fonts can be selected for the headings and detail lines of the reports.  The font styles can be altered at any time, and the standard defaults can be re-established.

To select Font styles:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Options.

                                            Then, click on  Fonts

Three choices are then available;

Window...	Not currently available.

Reports/Summaries	See below.

Restore Defaults	To reset the standard font styles.

For the Reports/Summaries menu item, one of four choices can then be made;

Page No/Date...	The first Heading Line

Co. Name/Dept...	The second Heading Line

Title...	The third Heading Line

Detail Lines...	The body of the report

Each of these 4 options, when selected, activates the standard Windows Font dialogue. Simply, identify the style required and it will be used when printing the appropriate line. On completion of the current selection, control is returned to the Main window.


SupportDesk Colours Option

The Colours Option allows the User to tailor the Colours used at the Main SupportDesk window.

To select Colours:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on Options.

                                            Then, click on  Colours

Two choices are then available;

Background...

Highlighted...

Both options activate the standard Windows Colour dialogue. Simply, identify the colour required and it will be used for the selected area.


Change Your Password

The procedure to change the Password associated with your Login is very straightforward, however you must know your current Password in order to login to perform this update. If you have forgotten your Password, consult your Supervisor who is able to enquire upon this information.

To activate the Password dialogue:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on File.

                                             Then, click on Password...

Alternatively, you may simply click on the Key icon displayed at the Main SupportDesk window.

Fields

Password:

Enter your new Password. The contents of the field remain hidden.

8 Characters, mandatory.

Buttons

OK

Click on OK to update your Password and return to the Main SupportDesk window.

Cancel

The Cancel button returns you to the Main SupportDesk window without changing your Password.


Printer Setup

SupportDesk allows access to the standard Windows Printer Setup dialogue so that you can redirect print output.

To activate the Printer Setup dialogue:

From the Main SupportDesk window, click on File.

                                             Then, click on Printer Setup...


Use the Clipboard

The Windows environment provides a Clipboard facility for pasting information to a common area for inclusion in similar Windows products.

SupportDesk has the ability to paste Event information as comma separated text to the Windows Clipboard. This can then be retrieved from the Clipboard by other Windows products.

To copy Event detail to the Clipboard:

At the Main SupportDesk window, click on the Event to be copied.

                                               Then, click on Edit.

                                            Finally, click on Copy.

Note:

To view the current contents of the Clipboard, double click with your mouse on the Clipboard icon in the Main Group of the Windows 3 Program Manager.


What's New in SupportDesk 1.60

User Privileges and Configuration

A new User privilege, entitled Engineer, has been added. Any number of Engineers can be entered, but they have no access to the system. However, Events can be assigned to Engineers and the Main SupportDesk window can be refreshed to display jobs outstanding to particular Users including Engineers.

Usually, an Event can be updated and closed by a Supervisor, the Owner or Assignee of an Event. Replies, once saved, cannot be amended and at the Main SupportDesk window, only the Events that the User can update are listed. These rules can be over-ridden for a particular User by checking specific Configuration boxes at the User Details dialogue.

Event

A new field Elapse Time has been added to the Event dialogue. The field displays the length of time the Event has been open and is available for printing in the Report Designer.

Events can only be closed by Users configured to perform this task.

Previous and Next Replies

New buttons have been added to the Reply dialogue to display the Previous or Next Reply record for an Event.

Reference Generation

Reference Generation has been extended to cater for a prefix of upto 3 characters.

Categories

The Category text has been increased from 8 to 16 characters.

Select by User

Users have been added to the Select window. This enables you to view Events assigned to a selected set of Users.

Search on Replies

The Search facility has been extended to optionally include Reply text.

Accumulated User Defined Fields

The User Defined Fields have a new attribute of Accumulated.  If this field is switched on, the Report Designer will attempt to accumulate the field when totalling has been requested.

Options

A new Options Menu has been included in the system so that the User can define the display at the Main window and the fonts used in Report output.

Fields	 - to determine which Event fields are to be displayed at the Main window.

Fonts	 - to define the styles for Headings and Detail Lines of Report output.

Colours - to define the background and highlight colours used at the Main window.

Printer Setup

The Windows Print Setup dialogue can be activated from the File Menu.

Report Designer - New Features

New options have been added to the Report Designer;

Orientation - select either Portrait or Landscape

Fields - select the Event fields that you want to print in the Report. The selection list includes User Defined Fields and the Event Elapsed Time. If Sub or Grand Totals have been requested and User Defined Fields are selected for the report, then the Report Designer will attempt to sum these fields.

Fonts - can be defined from the Options Menu.

Printer Setup - prior to printing a report, the Printer Setup dialogue is activated to enable the print output to be redirected.

Run... - Reports can be Run, without having to Open the report.

Help System

The User Manual has been incorporated into the Help System for on-line access of the text. Direct access Help buttons have been added to most dialogues.

Argument Passing

You can now pass the Login and Password to SupportDesk as parameters using the Windows Program Properties dialogue.


What's New in SupportDesk 1.61

Rebuild Indexes

The SupportDesk Indexes can be rebuilt by the Supervisor in the unusual situation of Index corruption.