Resource relations

Introduction to resource relations in ConSol CM

Resource relations are links between resources and other objects. This can be cases, contacts or other resources. A link can be created if a matching definition exists, e.g. you can link a resource to a case if there is a resource relation to cases of the given queue for the resource type.

Concepts, terms and definitions

Concept	Other terms	Definition
resource		Asset used in the business process; always belongs to a resource type
resource type		Lower hierarchical level of the resource model; defines the data model used for its resources; basis for assigning permissions and determining the available activities and relations
resource category	resource group	Upper hierarchical level of the resource model; can contain several resource types
resource model		Hierarchical data model for resource objects, which contains resource categories on the upper hierarchical level and resource types on the lower hierarchical level
resource relation		Link between a resource and another object (case, contact or resource)

Purpose and usage

Relations are links between objects in ConSol CM. Resources can be linked to cases, contacts and resources. All possible relations are defined on the Resource relations page. A resource can be linked to an object if a relation with its resource type as a source and the desired target object (queue for cases, customer group for contacts and resource type for resources) has been defined.

The number of relations which can be created depends on the cardinality.

Settings for resource relations

The following basic settings are available for resource relations:

• Internal name: Mandatory. The technical name of the relation.

• Relation without its own name: Optional. If selected, the name of the relation is “related” for relations to cases and contacts, and the resource type for relations to resources.

• Cardinality: Mandatory. Determines how many relations of this type can be created for a resource and the target object (case, contact or resource). Possible options are:

  • One to one: Each resource can be related to one target object. The target object can be related to one resource only.

  • One to many: Each resource can be related to many target objects. The target object can be related to one resource only.

  • Many to one: Many resources can be related to one target object.

  • Many to many: Many resources can be related to many target objects.

• Transferred to the DWH: Optional. If selected, the relation is transferred to the data warehouse.

• Can only be set via script: Optional. If selected, the relation cannot be created, modified or removed in the Web Client. It is displayed in the Web Client but manipulated by script.

• Show note field in Web Client. Optional. If selected, the note field is displayed for the relation in the Web Client.

• Localized name: Only relations which do not have Relation without its own name checked. Determines the name of the relation when creating a relation to a case or contact and viewing the relations in a list or graph.

The following settings are available for the relation source, i.e. the resource for which the relation is created:

• Source resource type: Mandatory. Determines the resource type of the source.

• Localized description: Optional, only relations which do not have Relation without its own name checked. Determines the name of the relation when creating a relation to a resource and viewing the relations in a box on the source side (only relations to resources).

The following settings are available for the relation target, i.e. the object to which the relation is created:

• Target type: Mandatory. Determines the type of object which can be selected as a target for the relation. Possible values are:

  • Case: Select the queues which the target case must belong to.

  • Contact, Person or Company: Select the customer group which the target contact must belong to.

  • Resource: Select the resource type which the target resource must belong to.

• Localized description: Optional, only relations which do not have Relation without its own name checked. Determines the name of the relation when viewing the relations in a box on the target side (all relations).

Basic tasks

Managing resource relations

Resource relations are managed on the Resource relations page of the Web Admin Suite. The following actions are available:

• Create a new resource relation
  Click the New relation button above the list of resource relations or duplicate an existing resource relation by clicking the Duplicate icon of a relation. Provide the required settings, see Settings for resource relations.

• Edit a resource relation
  Click the Edit icon or resource relation’s row and update the desired data, see Settings for resource relations.

• Sort the resource relations
  There are two ways to sort the resource relations. You can either drag each relation to the desired position or use the Move up and Move down icons to determine the order. This way, you determine the order in which the relations are displayed in the relations sections of the Web Client.

• Deactivate a resource relation
  You can a deactivate resource relation by clicking the Deactivate icon.

  If you deactivate a resource relation, it is not possible to create new relations of this type. Existing relations are still displayed in the Web Client, but they cannot be modified or deleted.

• Activate a resource relation
  You can activate resource relations which are deactivated by clicking the Activate icon.

• Delete a resource relation
  You can delete a resource relation which is not set for any resource by clicking the Delete icon.

Advanced tasks

Adjusting the display of resource relations

You can define additional aspects of the relation display using the page customization:

• Relations to cases: Configure when the filtering feature is shown above the results table and how the related cases are sorted in TicketRelation.

• Relations to contacts: Configure when the filtering feature is shown above the results table and how the related contacts are sorted UnitResourceRelation.

• Relations to resources: Configure the initial visibility of the section, the display of the number of related resources in the headline and how the related resources are sorted in resourceRelations.