If you are new to Issuetrak, the terms we use may be overwhelming. In some cases, the words we use may mean different things to different people. This document will give you a repository of the major terms used within Issuetrak. We’ll start with the most basic terms and work through the more advanced ones.
| Term | Definition | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issue | A generic term that describes a unit of work in Issuetrak. The label for this may be changed in your site, so it appears as Item, Work Order, Request, Ticket, Complaint, etc. | ||
| Navigation | |||
| Bookmarks | Bookmarks is a feature allowing you to mark a page for single click access in the site. They are added using the 'Bookmark' flag next to the title of the current page. You can specify a custom title for each that can be navigated to by clicking the corresponding link in the Bookmark menu. You may rename Bookmarks by clicking the edit icon next to them. Additionally, you can re-arrange them by simply clicking and dragging within the section. | ||
| Related Links | Related links is a section that appears in certain Administrative areas within Issuetrak at the bottom of the quick menu. When present, it will always contain links to other features that are closely related to the feature you are currently viewing. | ||
| Settings Lightbox | A pop-up window that appears when you click on the Settings gear icon in the upper right corner of Issuetrak (if you have the right permissions). It provides Sys Admins (and users with lesser Administrative permissions) with the ability to quickly navigate to any configurable system setting in Issuetrak. A Settings Search box is included in the upper right, which allows you to quickly search the Settings Lightbox for the exact setting that you want to adjust. The Settings Lightbox is responsive to different screen resolutions and window sizes, and will auto-adjust to fit under most circumstances. | ||
| Left Menu | The left menu is a collapsible sidebar that is present on every page in Issuetrak. It contains logos, the "New Issue" button, and several permanent links beneath that. The Bookmarks section is found towards the bottom of the left menu, and underneath it is a toggle for collapsing and expanding this menu. | ||
| Quick Menu | The visible sidebar on the right that provides links to action and visibility options for the visible feature or issue you are viewing. The options will change as you navigate the application. At the bottom of the sidebar will be the Related Links section (if applicable to the current page) that will contain links that are related to the area of the product that you're working in. The whole menu can be collapsed or expanded using the toggle at the bottom of it. | ||
| Sidebar | A collapsible set of links to the features of the application. Issuetrak has the Left Menu and the Quick Menu (on the right). | ||
| Gear Icon | Quick Link in the upper right that opens the Settings Lightbox. | ||
| edit | Navigation steps mentioning edit in bold are referring to a pencil icon that will allow you to change the value of a field. | ||
| del or delete | Navigation steps mentioning del or delete in bold are referring to a trash can icon that will allow you to delete a value. | ||
| copy | Navigation steps mentioning copy in bold are referring to an icon with two closely-overlapped rectangles that will allow you to duplicate a value. | ||
| Users and Groups | |||
| User | A record that represents an identifiable account in Issuetrak. They normally are associated with anyone who sends or receives an email, or who may be responsible to perform actions on an issue. It stores contact details, as well as permissions that determine what the user can access and do within Issuetrak. Below are fields that help define a user in Issuetrak | ||
| Record Type | |||
| End User | A role in the site or on the issue. They may also access issues through reports or searches. Users with the record type User can log in, and send, or receive email from Issuetrak. | ||
| Template | A record used only to create other users. Not an active user account, these records have no access to the site and perform no role on the issue. Provides sample information and permissions to a user-type record. | ||
| User Type | |||
| End User | A user in Issuetrak with no agent-level permissions. May be granted access to log in, or may simply send and receive emails. | ||
| Agent | A user with any one of the following permissions:
| ||
| User Roles | define the relationship between the user and the issues. | ||
| Enterer | is a person logging the issue | ||
| Submitter | is a person with the problem that the issue is created on behalf of | ||
| Assignee | is an Agent user or Group that is the owner of the issue | ||
| Next Action | is an Agent User or Group assigned secondary ownership | ||
| Task Assignee | is a User or s Group assigned to a step within a process on an issue | ||
| Group | is a collection of users for a purpose. Each group is assigned a type that determines who can be added to the group. Groups have four main functions within Issuetrak: | ||
| Permission inheritance | all the members of the group inherit the permissions of the group | ||
| Assignment | is used when you want to associate the assignment, next action, or tasks to multiple users | ||
| Round Robin | an agent group designation that instructs Issuetrak to assign issues to members of the Group. The Assignment rotates to all members of the group in order. Users in a Round Robin group are ordered by UserID. | ||
| Restriction | are values such as issue Types, Knowledge Base articles, Issue Templates, and Task Groups may be restricted to only the members of the group | ||
| if you need to email issues or Knowledge Base articles to multiple people, you can send it to the group | |||
| Group Membership Type | |||
| Any | means there are no restrictions on what users may belong to this group. Agent-level permissions are unavailable to be selected. | ||
| Agent | means only users designated as agents may belong to this group. This group is allowed access to agent-level permissions, and any agent added to that group inherits those permissions. | ||
| Permissions | control what each user can do within Issuetrak. Granted at the user level and/or through Group membership. | ||
| Parameters | These are settings on the user record that determine record attributes. | ||
| Active | this parameter may be used to report and respond to issues. Users without this checked are no longer able to be used in the site but are maintained for historical purposes. | ||
| Can Log In | users may fully use the web site and view information. Users who are active but cannot log in can be used as submitters on issues. | ||
| Sys Admin | this parameter can be granted only to Agents by another user with this parameter. This grants full control and an unlimited view of the site. They are the only users that can make modifications to all of the settings in the System section of the Settings Lightbox. | ||
| Show Debug | use only when directed by Issuetrak’s Support Team. It displays the information needed for troubleshooting. | ||
| Suppress All Email | this parameter turns off all mail going to this user from Issuetrak | ||
| Authentication Type | When the Active Directory module is enabled, this controls whether the user record will be authenticated and updated directly in Issuetrak, by Active Directory, or by AD Federated Services. | ||
| Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) | MFA is a security augmentation that makes it necessary for you to enter your usual password, as well as a secondary passcode to successfully authenticate to Issuetrak. MFA can take the form of either a constantly-rotating Time-based One-Time Password (TOTP) 6-digit code or an email containing a randomly-generated one-time password (OTP) that is sent to you whenever you enter your credentials into Issuetrak. | ||
| Building Blocks | |||
| Organizations | These are structural containers for holding users, issues, and assets. Organizations can be used to control the visibility of issues and users in Issuetrak. These containers normally represent companies you support or need to interact with Issuetrak. | ||
| Internal Organizations | an organization may be marked as "internal only". Members of an "internal only" organization can only view users of their organization and they may only view issues of their organization. User permissions may override this restriction | ||
| Additional Organizations | creates a parent/child relationship between organizations. The additional organization’s issues and users may then be seen by users in the parent organization. | ||
| Departments | Optional structural containers associated with users, issues, and assets. Can be used to control the visibility of issues and users in Issuetrak. Provides reporting capabilities, but does not appear as a value on issues. They normally represent a business department. | ||
| Internal Departments | Departments can also be marked "internal only". Members of an internal-only Department can only view users and issues from their department. This restriction can be based on whether the issues are assigned to or submitted by other users in the same department. The “Restrict to…” setting in Features controls whether this restriction is by the department of the submitting user, or by the department of the "Assigned To" user. | ||
| Responsible Departments | Allows an issue to be associated with a named department. It overrides the normal view of the issue by the department and creates another reporting variable. | ||
| Locations | are optional structural elements that can be associated with a user and display as a value on the issue. Is not involved in determining issue visibility. It typically represents offices or buildings associated with your company. | ||
| Regions | is a structural element tied directly to locations. Can be used for reporting, but does not appear on the issue record. | ||
| Issues – Standard Features | |||
| Types | The classification of an issue for reporting. Required to be associated at the submission of all issues. Types also determine which issue form will display when the type is selected. Subtypes may be enabled to allow greater granularity. | ||
| Tool Tips | a message that may be displayed to users based on the selection of a type or subtype on the issue. | ||
| Subtypes | are optional levels of classification going beyond issue types. There are four levels available that create a hierarchical structure with issue types. | ||
| Issue Forms | is a feature that allows an administrator to change which fields are displayed and required. It allows the administrator to change the order the fields appear to a user. Issue Forms are assigned to issue types, so selecting the type on the issue loads the appropriate issue form. | ||
| Screen Text | customizable text positioned on the issue form. | ||
| Section Headers | customizable headers that divide sections of your issue form. | ||
| Issue Template | is a template used for submission of issues that allows for field values, individual tasks, or task groups to be pre-populated. Access to issue templates is determined by permission as well as group and organization restrictions | ||
| Priority | is a value representing the urgency of an issue. May be selected by any user with a role on the issue and the permission to select the priority. A default priority can be set at the system level to apply to newly submitted issues when the submitter doesn’t have the permission to change it. | ||
| Issues – Optional Features | |||
| Attachments | allows files to be linked to issues, assets, users, projects, and Knowledge Base articles. Any type of file may be attached. There is no restriction on the number of files that may be attached to a particular item. | ||
| Causes | A dropdown field to capture the reason why the issue occurred. | ||
| Classes | Allows a broad categorization of issues that can be filtered on the dashboard and in reports. | ||
| Note Printing | Note printing is a feature that allows individual notes to be printed. The notes contain all of the same formatting exactly as you see it on screen. | ||
| Note Tokens | Issue tokens are placeholders for information that you can add to a note, which will be replaced with the actual information once the note is saved to an issue. Stored in their raw form in other locations, they are replaced with actual data during the creation of a note. You can use Note Tokens as a tool for quickly adding bits of issue-relevant information. | ||
| Quick Notes | Quick Notes are pre-fabbed blocks of text that you can define ahead of time, and which you can quickly bring into issues and knowledge base articles. Only agents with "Can create/manage/use own Quick Notes and use shared Quick Notes" permission can utilize Quick Notes. | ||
| Solutions | A field filled out during issue closure that describes how the issue was resolved. Allows administrators to create a drop-down list of pre-filled values to handle repetitive resolutions. | ||
| Substatus | A value representing stages in the issue lifecycle. | ||
| User Defined Fields | Fields within Issuetrak set up by administrators specific to their needs. There is no limit to the number of fields available to be created. Field types include text, large text, drop-down lists, yes/no, integer, number, issue association, hyperlink, and date fields. | ||
| Tasks | |||
| Task | A single item of work that needs to be completed before the issue can be closed. Tasks can be assigned to a user or group. Each task can either be marked when complete or can have a Yes/No/NA response. | ||
| Task Group | A defined collection of tasks that may be added to an issue or triggered in response to another Yes/No/NA task. | ||
| Process | A list of tasks that need to be completed to close the issue. | ||
| Task Manager | The engine that allows you to build individual tasks or add task groups to an issue. It is used to build all task workflows and processes in Issuetrak. | ||
| Automation | |||
| Auto Assignment | Allows you to assign an issue based on predefined conditions. | ||
| Workflows | Allows you to build rules that modify an issue or email users based on criteria on the issue record. Workflows operate by what time the issue was submitted or how long the issue has been idle. | ||
| Last Activity | The last time the issue was edited and saved to change a value, or when a task was marked as completed, or a note added. | ||
| Process Order | The order that the rules are applied to the issue. | ||
| Substatus Rules | An automation mechanism that provides the ability to change substatus values from one to another by an event occurring on the issue. Also used to pause the system clock on an issue. | ||
| Additional Capabilities | |||
| Standard Features | |||
| Events | If enabled, users may create events and reminders. Agent users may also create Out-of-Office events to control routing of issues to another agent. | ||
| Global Issues | issues that are linked together to work as a collective unit. Global issues can be configured to update values on the linked issues as new issues are linked. Global issues can also cascade changes made to the global issue to the linked issues. | ||
| Email Notifications | automated email messages sent to the users involved with an issue. Email notifications are automatically generated based on events that occur within an issue. When an event occurs, emails are sent to users based on the role they hold on the issue. | ||
| Embedded HTML | Provides the ability to add or style specific elements and / or include JavaScript in the site. | ||
| Incoming Email | a processor that converts email into new issues. The processor can also add notes to existing issues when it receives a reply to a system-generated notification. | ||
| Email Tokens | a combination of text and tags that tell the Incoming Email processor to update specific fields within an issue. | ||
| Blocked Attachments | allows specific attachments to be blocked from future processing. Common examples of blocked attachments are company logos or social media icons. | ||
| Private Notes | The Incoming Email Module allows email replies sent from Issuetrak to be parsed and added as Notes on the sending Issue. By default, the Notes added to the Issue will be set to public. However, there is an exception: in a case where a User has the user permission “Can view and add Private Notes,” and where “Private” is enabled on the Defaults page located in the System area of the Settings Lightbox (see Notes Default section). If this combination is true, then the Notes added through Issuetrak email replies will be set to private. | ||
| Issue Hub | A tool to provide a customized view of issues and manage them. May be set as a home page. | ||
| Base Filter | A view of issues, showing columns and or a filtered view that serves as a basis for a customized view. See details on the Feature Documentation icon. | ||
| User Filter | A refined view of the base filter created by the logged in user. Users cannot permanently modify a base filter. See details on the Feature Documentation icon. | ||
| Issue Hub Settings | A tool to enable and disable new and existing views on the Issue Hub in the System area of the Settings Lightbox . | ||
| Feature Documentation Icon | This is a button with a bold 'i' present when editing any view in the Issue Hub. Clicking on this will display a pop-up explanation of the behavior of views, columns and filters. | ||
| Issue Audits | captures detailed changes made to the issues, such as who changed a value, when they changed it, and what the original value was. May be viewed from either the issue or from the Settings Lightbox. | ||
| Admin Audits | captures detailed information about changes made to your issuetrak system. Admin audits cover non-issue related changes in many different areas of the system. The areas covered include changes to the System area of the Settings Lightbox, including features and defaults, as well as entities such as user accounts, permissions, groups, and changes to group memberships and many other areas of the system. | ||
| Knowledge Base | a container that allows for the creation of searchable content in article format. Each article may be associated with a category or subcategory. Articles may be public or viewable only by those with the appropriate permission. Categories or individual articles may also be restricted by group or organization membership. | ||
| Projects | allows issues to be associated with a particular project ID. Projects may have associated hours, dollars, categories, and substatus. Dashboard reporting is available by Project and Project Category. | ||
| Scheduled Issues | pre-filled issue template that submits issues automatically on a defined schedule. | ||
| Service Level Agreements | used if you are required to respond to and/or resolve issues in a certain timeframe. They can be based on either who submits the issue or who the issue is assigned to. | ||
| Response Time | allowed time for someone other than the issue submitter to add a public note in reply to the issue. | ||
| Resolution Time | allowed time to close the issue. | ||
| Severity | rates the issue’s impact on the organization. By using the link to service levels and associated agreements, ultimately determines the required issue response and resolution times. | ||
| Service Level | set of terms defining applicable days and time, response, and resolution times specific to each severity. | ||
| Agreement | applies a service level and a default severity to an issue. Agreements can be applied by organization, group, or asset. | ||
| In Compliance | issue responded to within response time and closed within resolution time. | ||
| Out of Compliance | issue not responded to within response time or closed after allowed resolution time. | ||
| Add On Functionality | |||
| Identity Management | Allows Issuetrak to use external authentication methods with Microsoft and other third-party identity management services. | ||
| Active Directory (LDAP) | Allows for importing and updating of users from Microsoft Active Directory into Issuetrak. Controls user authentication on login. | ||
| Active Directory Federation Services | Allows Issuetrak to perform claims-based authentication to an Active Directory domain. | ||
| Microsoft Entra ID |
Allows Issuetrak to perform claims-based authentication to an Microsoft Entra ID-hosted domain. | ||
| Open Authorization (OAuth 2.0) / Open ID Connect (OIDC) | Allows Issuetrak to perform claims-based authentication to a third-party OAuth 2.0 / OIDC identity provider. | ||
| Claim | A mechanism used with LDAP, AD Federation Services, Microsoft Entra ID, OAuth 2.0, and OIDC to specify the information that is needed from the identity provider. This information is used to match users between Issuetrak and a third party identity provider to provide access to the site, as well as determine what Organization, Department, Location, Group, and other memberships each user should have when they sign in. | ||
| API | Application Programming Interface that allows external systems to integrate with Issuetrak. Its capabilities allow for adding, editing, and deleting issues. | ||
| Asset Management | Allows you to enter, track, and manage assets. They may be associated with issues for reporting. | ||
| Asset | A record, thing, or entity with value to an organization. An asset can be linked to a User, Organization, Department, Location, or issue for combined reporting. | ||
| TrakPC / ScanPC (Legacy) | Issuetrak’s legacy proprietary applications used to scan and audit Windows-based computers. Used to populate and update PC Assets. | ||
| TrakMac | Issuetrak’s proprietary application used to scan and audit MacOS-based computers. Used to populate and update Mac Assets. | ||
| TrakAsset | Issuetrak's proprietary application for scanning Windows-based PCs. Introduced in Issuetrak 15.6. Supersedes TrakPC. | ||
| Billing | Allows for the association of multiple line items to an issue to provide hourly and materials rate information. | ||
| Products/Services | A service charged as a set value or hourly rate, or a billed material. | ||
| Work Order | Billing and materials line items that may be printed and verified but aren’t yet invoiced to the customer. | ||
| Invoice | A work order that has been converted into a billing statement or exported to be used with an external accounting program. | ||
| Surveys | Questionnaires that can be sent manually or automatically to measure the quality of service or gather information. | ||
| Chat | An integration that provides a support channel within your Issuetrak site. Based on your configuration, a floating button can appear, allowing visitors to initiate a chat session with chat agents. | ||
| Chat Agents | Users that have been given access to receive and respond to incoming chat messages. | ||
| Widgets | The interface that visitors use to initiate chat sessions with chat agents. Multiple widgets can be configured, with different options and chat agent assignments. | ||
| Chat Widget ID | Obtained from the Settings section of the Admin Portal; required to have the chat widget appear on your Issuetrak site. | ||
| Chat Portal | Where agents log into to see incoming chats, previous chats, and stats about availability, etc. | ||
| Admin Portal | The page where admins can adjust various aspects of their Chat Widgets and Chat Agents. | ||
| Reporting | |||
| Basic Terms | |||
| Field | is a piece of information stored within Issuetrak. It could be data from an issue, user, asset, etc. | ||
| Record | is a collection of fields. Each record displays as one row. A record can be an issue, a user, an asset, a task, or any other item that you need to report on with your selected fields displayed. | ||
| Table | is a collection of records containing similar data, such as the Organization Table or User Table. | ||
| Dataset | is a collection of multiple fields from related tables selectable for reporting purposes. For example, to report on User information, selecting the Users dataset pulls fields from the Users, Organizations, Departments, and Locations tables. | ||
| Total Time Open | is a calculated value that represents the time elapsed from the Entered On Date/Time to the Closed Date/Time for closed issues. Open issues use the run time of the query or the report instead of the Close Date Time for the calculation. | ||
| Adjusted Time Open | adjusts the Total Time Open when certain conditions apply. First, the optional feature substatus must be enabled. Second, a substatus value must be set to pause the issue time in the Issuetrak Automation Rules. Paused Time is the total time an issue uses a paused time substatus. Total Time Open minus Paused Time results in Adjusted Time Open. | ||
| Reporting Tools | |||
| Saved Searches | an option allowing a user to save the current search criteria to be used again in the future. Output options allow for multiple formats, and sorting may be done on up to three columns. May also be used to create scheduled reports. | ||
| Summary Reports | pre-formatted reports that summarize data over a selected time. | ||
| Report Writer Query Builder | allows you to select a dataset, create a filter, determine the fields that you would like in your output. Each query may be used to build multiple reports. | ||
| Report Writer Report Builder | allows for formatting a Report Writer Query into a recognizable report. A Report Writer Report can be grouped, ordered, and totaled for presentation. Report Writer Reports can be viewed within Issuetrak or exported to Excel or CSV format. | ||
| Scheduled Reports | ability to schedule the delivery of Report Writer Reports and Saved Searches. Scheduled Reports are emailed to designated recipients. Scheduled reports are normally filtered by the recipient's permissions in Issuetrak. Scheduled reports can also be sent to non-user email addresses for unfiltered results. | ||
| Google Analytics | allows integration between an Issuetrak site and Google Analytics. This leverages a free set of digital analytics tools from Google. Google's tools can assist you in gaining a deeper understanding of the customer experience on your site. | ||
| Analytics ID | Required for Issuetrak to provide data to your Analytics account. The Analytics ID is Obtained via your Google Analytics portal. | ||
