Entities in Issuetrak serve as unique identifiers for users and groups of users, allowing for efficient organization and management. What a user can see and do in Issuetrak are controlled by user permissions and what entities they are associated with. Users can be grouped in diverse ways to tailor their abilities or for streamlined reporting purposes. This article provides a comprehensive overview of users, groups, organizations, departments, and the role of locations and regions within the Issuetrak platform.
Users
Everyone interacting with Issuetrak, whether logged in or not, is considered a user. A user record contains permissions that govern issue access and actions, with permissions assigned through user records or inherited from user groups. User types, such as Agent or End User, determine available permissions. Granting permissions through groups is a best practice for efficient user management.
User Terminology
User Record
Used to associate individuals with reported issues, work assignments, and viewing permissions. Each User Record includes a record type, user type, and permissions defining capabilities.
- Record Type: User
- Can have a role on an issue, view issues, be a site administrator, log in, or create issues via email.
- Record Type: Template
- Used for creating user accounts, passing setup information, permissions, and group memberships.
User Type
- End User: No agent-level permissions.
- Agent: Eligible for agent-level permissions, controlling issue assignments, Next Actions, submissions on behalf of others, or site administration.
User ID
A unique identifier for logging in, changeable only through the User ID Maintenance section by an admin.
Standard User Roles
Can be found on an Issue. In order for someone to have one of these roles, they must be a user in the site:
- Submitter - The person with the problem that the issue is for.
- Assignee - The agent who owns the issue.
- Enterer - The person logging the issue.
- Next Action - An agent who is a secondary Assignee on an issue.
- Task assignee - The owner of part of the issue process / workflow.
For a more comprehensive overview of users, refer to this article.
Groups
Groups are collections of users serving specific purposes. Group membership can be Any or Agents Only, allowing users to be part of multiple groups. A meaningful naming convention aids in group functionality description. Groups have four main functions in Issuetrak: Permissions, Assignment, Restrictions, and Subscriptions. Groups simplify user management by allowing user permissions to be added or removed from users in bulk. It is considered a best practice to manage user permissions through groups. This approach allows for streamlined control, as adjustments to global permissions can be made by updating the group, rather than necessitating modifications to individual user records.
For a more comprehensive overview of groups, refer to this article.
Organizations
Organization Memberships
Users must be associated with at least one Organization, and can be members of multiple organizations, with one designated as the Primary Organization. Secondary Organizations have editable permissions for issue management.
For a more comprehensive overview of organizations, refer to this article.
Departments
Departments are structural containers linked to users, issues, and assets. Internal Departments control issues and user visibility. Responsible Department allows issues association with a department other than the submitter or assignee. Departments aid in reporting and searching based on submitting or assigned user departments.
Visibility Options
- Limit to Submitting Department: Allows viewing based on the submitting user's department.
- Limit to Assigned Department: Enables viewing based on the assigned agent or group's department.
For a more comprehensive overview of departments, refer to this article.
Locations and Regions
Locations
Locations associated with users and issues and are optional and customizable. Locations can control visibility so that specific users are restricted to viewing issues associated with their designated locations. This is achieved through the collaborative use of issue subscriptions and user permissions.
Regions
Optional structural elements associated with Locations, defining larger areas. Regions and Locations provide flexibility in customization and categorization.
For a more comprehensive overview of locations and regions, refer to this article.
Conclusion
Understanding these entities enhances your proficiency in navigating Issuetrak, ensuring efficient user management, issue tracking, and reporting. For additional assistance, refer to the Issuetrak documentation or contact our support team.
