Entity Specific Issues

Most entities are explained by their metadata. However, various entity-specific characteristics require further explanation. .

The following entity types are supported as parents of communications:

Attachment

Attachments are files that users have uploaded and attached to a parent entity. The insert, get, and delete calls support attachments. The Service Desk Work Space API sends and receives the binary file attachment data that is encoded as a base64 data type.

 Before insert, clients must encode the binary attachment data as base64. Upon receiving an API response, clients must decode the base64 data to binary.

The insert call restricts attachments to a maximum size of 3 MB by default. The maximum size restrictions for an attachment can be configured by modifying the slice-level configuration parameter MAX_ATTACHMENT_SIZE.

Attachments can be queried, downloaded, uploaded, related to a parent entity and deleted using the Service Desk WS API.

The following entity types are supported as parents of attachments:

• Service Request
• Incident
• Problem
• Change Request
• Task Ticket
• Configuration Item
• Knowledge Article

Bulk Upload

CA Cloud Service Management offers Bulk Upload of few entities mainly to perform synchronization operations with the third-party sources. Bulk upload can be used to insert new data, update existing data or delete outdated data to keep the data in the application current and valid.

The following entity types are supported for Bulk Upload:

• Configuration Item
• Asset
• Model
• Software

Categorization

CA Cloud Service Management offers categorization levels for enhanced classification. It also provides up to four levels of classification for tickets, configuration items, knowledge articles, and so on, using a Class, Category, Type, and Item categorization.

The following entity types can be classified using the CCTI taxonomy:

• Service Request
• Incident
• Problem
• Change Request
• Task Ticket
• Configuration Item
• Knowledge Article

Change Request

CA Cloud Service Management includes an ITIL-based Change Module that allows your Help Desk to evaluate, prioritize, plan, test, document, and implement change requests throughout the organization.

The change requests entity including the associated child/sub entities can be queried, inserted, and updated via the Service Desk WS API. The custom fields that are associated with a change request are treated as part of the base entity.

When you execute a get request against the change request base entity, only the base details for that entity are returned however the details pertaining to the associated sub entities such as attachments, configuration item, SLA compliance will not be returned.

The sub entities that are associated with the change request should be separately queried, updated, or deleted.

The following sub entity types are supported as part of Change Request:

Configuration Item 

The Configuration Management Database (CMDB) within CA Cloud Service Management is considered the cornerstone of IT Service Support, providing a centralized view of IT data that is essential to delivering consistent, reliable, effective, and efficient service to your business customers.

The configuration item entity can be queried, inserted, and updated using the Service Desk WS API.

The operations for the associated child/sub entities are currently not implemented and can be provided in a future release. The operations to query or update custom fields that are associated with a configuration item are also not supported.

Contact 

CA Cloud Service Management manages and tracks your contacts; end users who are submitting tickets requesting technical support, employees, or agents that troubleshoot and solve end-user problems.

The detailed information for one or more contact entities can be queried using the Service Desk WS API.

Defined Search

Repeatedly required predictable information needs can be met with Defined Searches. The CA Cloud Service Management Administrator can predefine search criteria. This behavior lets Service Desk Analysts can get the most useful search results. Access rights for the Predefined search can be set for multiple groups, roles, and Individuals.

The defined search entity can be queried, and executed using the Service Desk WS API. Users must have access privileges to perform the predefined search.

Incident

CA Cloud Service Management includes an ITIL-based Incident Management module, with pre-packaged workflows, which allows you to identify, register, prioritize, categorize, and track Incidents reported to your Help Desk.

The incident ticket entity including the associated child/sub entities can be queried, inserted, and updated via the Service Desk WS API. The custom fields associated with a incident ticket are treated as part of the base entity.

When you execute a get request against the incident ticket base entity, only the base details for that entity are returned however the details pertaining to the associated sub-entities such as attachments, configuration item, SLA compliance will not be returned.

The sub entities that are associated with the incident ticket should be separately queried, updated, or deleted. The following sub entity types are supported as part of Incident Ticket:

Knowledge Article 

The CA Cloud Service Management Knowledge Management module improves the quality of decision making made by staff, and management. The module helps to ensure, that reliable and safe information is available to resolve service issues.

The module helps end users search for and solve problems before requesting for support from the support team. The knowledge article entity can be queried, inserted, and updated using the Service Desk WS API.

The operations for accessing or updating the associated child/sub entities are currently not implemented and may be provided in a future release.

Organization

Organization entities are used to capture the following information in a hierarchical n-tier structure. For example:

• Customers
• Service Providers
• Vendors

Each organization can have sub units at lower levels.

The organization entity can be queried using the Service Desk WS API.

Problem 

CA Cloud Service Management includes an ITIL-based Problem Management module to help you identify the underlying cause of service issues. This module lets you implement corrective actions to prevent recurrences and eliminate the impact of these issues on the business.

The problem ticket entity, including the associated child/sub entities can be queried, inserted, and updated using the Web Service API. The custom fields that are associated with a problem ticket are treated as part of the base entity.

When you execute get requests against the problem ticket base entity, only the base details for that entity are returned. However, the details pertaining to the associated subentities, such as attachments, configuration item, SLA compliance, are not returned.

The sub entities that are associated with the problem ticket can be separately queried, updated, or deleted. The following sub entity types are supported as part of Problem Ticket:

Role

The role refers to the actions and activities that are required for or from a person or group. For example, Change Manager, Service Delivery Supervisor.

Individual contacts and support groups within Service Desk can be brought together into a Role. Such grouping of support groups or contacts offers a more effective way of managing permissions.

The detailed information for one or more support group entities can be queried using the Service Desk WS API.  

Service Request 

CA Cloud Service Management lets you publish a catalog of common requests for IT and non-IT services. Service Catalogs leverage the routing capabilities, approvals, service-level management, and other features within the application necessary to fulfill a request.

The service request entity including the associated child/sub entities can be queried, inserted, and updated using the Web Service API. The custom fields that are associated with a service request are treated as part of the base entity.

When you execute get requests against the service request base entity, only the base details for that entity are returned. However, the details pertaining to the associated subentities such as attachments, configuration item, SLA compliance are not returned.

The sub entities that are associated with the service request should be queried, updated, or deleted separately. The following sub entity types are supported as part of Service Request:

Group 

The concept of a Support Group is to have Service Desk Analysts who handle the same type of assignments that are grouped, organized as more skilled work groups, or support groups providing a higher level of technical support.

Contacts within Service Desk are grouped and assigned or made members of different support groups for various purposes. For example, Permission, Assignment, Notification, and Approval.

The Web Service API can query the detailed information for one or more support group entities.

Task Ticket 

CA Cloud Service Management lets you divide work that is related to service requests, incidents, problems, and change resolution into individual components. The individual components are assigned to different groups or individuals.

The task ticket entity including the associated child/sub entities can be queried, inserted, and updated by the Web Service API. The custom fields that are associated with a task ticket are treated as part of the base entity.

When you execute a get request against the task ticket base entity, only the base details for that entity are returned. However, the details pertaining to the associated subentities, such as attachments, configuration item, SLA compliance are not returned.

The sub entities that are associated with the task ticket must be queried, updated, or deleted separately. The following sub entity types are supported as part of Task Ticket:

Ticket 

This entity allows access to the Service Desk functionality for all Types of Tickets as a generic ticket entity. The ticket entity including the associated child/sub entities can be queried, inserted, and updated by the Service Desk WS API. The custom fields that are associated with a ticket are treated as part of the base entity.

When you execute a get request against the ticket base entity, only the base details for that entity are returned. However, the details pertaining to the associated sub entities such as attachments, configuration items, and SLA compliance are not returned.

The sub entities that are associated with the ticket should be queried, updated, or deleted separately. The following subentity types are supported as part of Ticket:

Web Services Communication

CA Cloud Service Management lets enables you and your team communicate with internal and external customers using  web submittals, email, and phone. Communications Management in Cloud SM provides a consistent and professional mode of messaging from your Service Desk to your end users and customers.

Communications can be queried, related to a parent entity by the Service Desk WS API. The following entity types are supported as parents of communications:

• Service Request
• Incident
• Problem
• Change Request
• Task Ticket
• Service Feedback
• Schedule Tasks

Worklog 

Worklogs are manual entries in tickets that are created to record information that is relevant or significant to the ticket. Worklogs let Cloud SM capture information that was not captured automatically by Cloud SM.

The worklog entity can be queried, inserted, and updated by the Service Desk WS API. The following entity types are supported as parents of worklogs:

• Service Request
• Incident
• Problem
• Change Request
• Task Ticket