whats new 7.5

What’s New

BMC Remedy Action Request SystemVersion 7.5.00January 16, 2009

This document summarizes the main features added to the 7.5.00 version of BMC Remedy Action Request System (AR System).

The following topics are provided:

! Installer (page 4)

! BMC Remedy Developer Studio

! Searching for objects (page 4)

! Exploring object relationships (page 5)

! Analyzing server objects (page 5)

! User experience

! Auto-completion in menus (page 5)

! Tooltips (page 6)

! File system browsers for character fields (page 7)

! Cell-based tables (page 7)

! Tree-view sorting enhancement (page 7)

! Drop-down list character field enhancements (page 8)

! Panels (page 8)

! Text formatting template and rich text formatting (page 10)

! Buttons and URLs in tables (page 11)

! Transparent images (page 11)

! Field effects for state transition and highlight focus (page 11)

! Quick reports in a browser (page 13)

! Right-to-left form views (page 13)

! Flagging fields and views for translation (page 13)

! Adobe Flash technology used in flashboards (page 14)

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! Enterprise capability

! Pure Java API (page 14)

! 64-bit servers (UNIX and Linux platforms) (page 14)

! Image server object (page 16)

! Querying multiple forms at run time (page 17)

! Integration with BMC Atrium Orchestrator (page 17)

! Registering a web service with the BMC Atrium Web Services Registry (page 18)

! Enhanced behavior of deployable application objects (page 18)

! New SQL Server isolation level (page 18)

! Management of CLOB storage (page 18)

! Auditing only when field values change (page 18)

! Run Process command-line limit increment (page 19)

! Workflow import enhancement (page 19)

! ARGetCacheEvent API (page 19)

! New BMC Remedy Data Import tool (page 19)

! Java data import command-line interface (page 19)

! Row-level security for Flashboards (page 20)

! Business time enhancements (page 20)

! Virtual URL mapping of cached resources (page 20)

! Optimizing bulk operations (page 20)

! Faster server initialization (page 21)

! DSO enhancements (page 21)

! FIPS compliance (page 23)

! Encryption user interface (page 24)

! Support for cert8.db certificates (page 24)

! Server improvements

! Version control (page 25)

! Workflow debugger (page 25)

! Java plug-in server updates (page 25)

! Server group signaling performance improvement (page 27)

! C plug-in server enhancement (page 27)

! Two application forms implemented as System forms (page 27)

! Including view forms in join forms (page 27)

! Active-link firing condition on table refresh (page 27)

2 What’s New January 16, 2009

! Server improvements (continued)

! Character counts for character fields (page 28)

! Service action added to filters and escalations (page 28)

! Improved default form view selection (page 28)

! Support for multiple mail servers in Email Engine (page 29)

! New keywords (page 29)

! Updated third-party libraries (page 29)

! Driver return code enhancement (page 29)

! Exporting views based on locale selection (page 29)

! License management

! Current and historical license usage (page 30)

! Licenses released when closing browser or navigating away from the mid tier (page 30)

! Session timeout clock in browsers (page 31)

! Accessibility

! Identifying rows selected in a table field to non-vision users (page 31)

! Supportability

! Database consistency checker (page 31)

! Logging to a form (page 32)

! Updates to log files (page 32)

! New log for mid-tier performance (page 32)

! BMC Remedy Approval Server changes

! New approval console (page 33)

! Field mapping for application forms (page 35)

! Full name in the signature line (page 35)

! Role-aware signature (page 35)

! Configurable reassignment through process definition (page 35)

! BMC Remedy Migrator changes

! Enhancements to Differences, Dependency, and Results reports (page 35)

! Data migration with field mapping (page 36)

! Ability to disable related workflow during a migration (page 36)

! Use of Fast and List threads for data migration (page 36)

! Reassignment of forms during migrations (page 36)

! Command-line interface (page 36)

BMC Remedy Action Request System Version 7.5.00 3

Installer

! New online help systems

! Online help for BMC Remedy Developer Studio (page 37)

! Online help for browser users (page 37)

InstallerInstalling AR System components is simpler with a new suite installer that enables you to install some or all of the components at the same time.

See the Installation Guide.

BMC Remedy Developer StudioBMC Remedy Developer Studio is a new integrated development environment (IDE) for AR System applications. It provides all the application development functions of the previous BMC Remedy Administrator tool with a modern, powerful, easy-to-use interface. (The AR System Administration Console provides the server administration functions that BMC Remedy Administrator provided before release 7.1.)

See the Introduction to Application Development with BMC Remedy Developer Studio guide for an introduction to BMC Remedy Developer Studio.

NOTE BMC Remedy Developer Studio replaces the previous BMC Remedy Administrator tool. See the Introduction to Application Development with BMC Remedy Developer Studio guide for information about the differences between BMC Remedy Administrator and BMC Remedy Developer Studio.

Searching for objectsThe BMC Remedy Developer Studio Search command lists in the Search Results tab those forms whose fields or those objects whose attributes, properties, and field references match a text string or field ID that you specify. For example, use search to find the following:

! All forms that have fields whose names equal, begin with, or contain the search string.

! All objects of a given type whose names equal, begin with, or contain the search string.

! All workflow objects of a given type that have an associated form whose name begins with or contains the search string.

! All workflow objects of a given type that reference a field with a specified name.

For more information about the Search command, see “Searching for objects” in the Introduction to Application Development with BMC Remedy Developer Studio guide.


User experience

Exploring object relationshipsThe BMC Remedy Developer Studio Show Relationships command lists in the Relationships tab all fields and objects related to a selected field or object. For example, use relationships to find the following:

! All workflow objects that have a given form as an associated form.

! All Open Window actions that open a given form.

! All forms and fields that reference a given image or menu.

! All images or menus that are referenced by any field in a form or by a particular field.

For more information about the Show Relationships command, see “Finding related objects” in the Introduction to Application Development with BMC Remedy Developer Studio guide.

Analyzing server objectsThe BMC Remedy Developer Studio Analyzer command can help you optimize and troubleshoot your AR System application. When you run the Analyzer, it finds objects that are not consistent with the Analyzer rules you select. The rules check for potential performance problems, such as inefficient database queries, and potential errors, such as workflow that cannot be run.

For more information about analyzing server objects, see the Workflow Objects Guide.

User experience

Auto-completion in menusFor forms that are viewed in a web browser, you can turn on an “automatic complete” feature for character fields that have a menu attached to them. When this feature is turned on for a field and a user begins typing text into the field, a list of values that match the text appears. When multiple values are presented, the user can change the selection with the up and down arrow keys or using the mouse. To select a highlighted option, the user presses Enter or clicks it.

To enable this feature, select the field in BMC Remedy Developer Studio, and set the Auto Complete and Auto Complete Match By properties accordingly.

See the “Automatically completing menu entries” section of the Form and Application Objects Guide.


User experience

TooltipsTooltips are brief informational messages that are displayed in response to a user action with an object on the screen. Tooltips are commonly used to provide descriptions of menu items, toolbar buttons, or other objects. In AR System, tooltips can be applied to tables, attachments, field labels, or field data.

A tooltip can be displayed by hovering the mouse over an area in a form or by clicking on an object such as a button. For table fields, a tooltip can be displayed by hovering over a row. The tooltip displays the values for the row being hovered over, even if that row is not the currently selected row.

Tooltips can include URL links, which can be added through a Set Fields action. Tooltips do not appear for disabled fields.

Tooltips are implemented through two types of AR System features:

! HOVER event

! Active link Message action

The HOVER event triggers the active link action that displays a tooltip. Depending on the precise hover event, active links are triggered that are defined with three possible execution options: Hover on Label, Hover on Data, and Hover on Field. The HOVER event does not fire on fields that are disabled or hidden.

In addition, a new HOVER function is available in BMC Remedy Developer Studio, which supports the ability to retrieve hovered-over values.

A ToolTip selection is available as a message action option for an active link. Tooltip message actions are not available for filters.

With templates, you can enhance the appearance of tooltips. For example, you can use a template to set the color and appearance of the tooltip’s text and background.

You can also format tooltips manually using HTML. However, the HTML is not validated.

For those using assistive devices, a tooltip is rendered as a dialog box, which can be dismissed by clicking its OK button. The following keyboard actions correspond to the areas on a form where a tooltip can be displayed:

! ALT+F9—label

! ALT+F10—data

! ALT+F12—field

! For more information about tooltips, see the “The Message action” section in chapter 4, “Specifying workflow actions,” of the Workflow Objects Guide.


User experience

File system browsers for character fieldsA new display type, File, was added to character fields in BMC Remedy Developer Studio. Use this display type to add file-system browsers to forms. File-system browsers enable application users to browse network file systems for a file name without uploading or attaching the file. Instead, the file name is simply added to the character field.

See “Adding a file system browser to character fields” in Chapter 6 of the Form and Application Objects Guide.

Cell-based tablesUse the new cell-based table field to display a row of data in a single cell instead of in a traditional grid format with column headings. For example, see Figure 1-1.

Figure 1-1: Cell-based table field

See “Cell-based tables” in Chapter 7 of the Form and Application Objects Guide.

Tree-view sorting enhancementEach level in a tree-view table corresponds to a column field in a list view table. In previous releases, BMC Remedy User and browsers did not hide tree levels whose column field was marked Hidden in BMC Remedy Administrator. Thus, you could sort the nodes in tree levels alphanumerically, but you could not use hidden levels to sort subsequent levels in a logical order. Sometimes, however, a logical sort order is more desirable—for example, you might want to display items in their order of importance or their frequency of occurrence instead of alphabetically.

In this release, BMC Remedy User and browsers hide tree levels marked Hidden in BMC Remedy Developer Studio, so you can now use hidden levels to create logical sorts.

See “Arranging nodes in tree views” in Chapter 7 of the Form and Application Objects Guide.


User experience

Drop-down list character field enhancementsThe following enhancements were made to character fields whose Display Type property is set to Drop-Down List:

! Removing (clear)—Developers can now remove the (clear) item from character field drop-down lists in all modes except Search. This enables you to ensure that such character fields contain values in non-Search modes while providing users the flexibility to omit such character fields from their search criteria. See “Removing (clear) from drop-down lists” in Chapter 8 of the Form and Application Objects Guide.

! Entering partial values—In Search mode, users can now enter a partial value in a drop-down list character field; they are no longer limited to selecting complete values from the list. For example, if a character field’s drop-down list includes Business Development and Business Services, users can type Business in the field to search for all requests that contain either of the longer terms. See “Automatically completing menu entries” in Chapter 8 of the Form and Application Objects Guide.

PanelsA panel (what served as the page field prior to AR System 7.5.00) is a container that enables an application designer to group specific fields together on a form. Unlike a trim box, which can provide only a visual grouping for fields, a panel provides both the visual grouping and the ability to function as a true container. Panels can be placed anywhere on a form, or within a panel holder.

You can style panels by setting a background color, opacity (transparent or opaque), border thickness, and border color.

You can also set a background image for a panel, and choose how the image is proportioned in the panel. You can keep the image as it is, or you can set the image to be stretched or tiled horizontally or vertically. For example, you can stretch the image so it will fill the entire container. Or, you can stretch the image to lengthen or widen it.

For more information, see the “Field Types” section in the Form and Application Objects Guide.

Panel holdersAR System 7.5.00 provides new options for configuring the layout and behavior of panel holders.

In addition to color and background options, you now can configure panel holders so that the multiple panels they contain are all visible at the same time, or visible in an accordion display that stacks panels but shows only one panel at a time.

Users can display a splitter that controls the relative size of adjacent panels. Panels can also be displayed in a horizontal or vertical orientation. Panels now have a header area. Also, a new option allows a panel’s contents to change its size dynamically.


User experience

These display options enable developers and users to make better use of screen space, reduce the number of panel transitions needed to get to optional information, and remove clutter on the screen.

New layout policy: Fill LayoutIn AR System 7.5.00, a new policy, Fill Layout, can be applied to a panel in addition to the traditional XY layout. This new policy is applicable only for forms viewed in a browser; the policy is ignored in BMC Remedy User. You can use this option to allow the screen layout to be readjusted automatically when the browser window size changes, and to allow the contents of panels divided by a splitter to re-adjust their layout when the user moves the splitter.

When Fill Layout is selected, the container ignores the field’s XY width and height properties. Instead, each field takes up the panel’s entire width. Setting the form view to Fill Layout allows the screen to be adjusted dynamically to changes in the browser window size.

Setting a panel to Fill Layout is useful when the panel contains a nested panel holder, or when the panel contains a field that can make good use of resizing, such as a table field, tree field, view field, or data visualization field.

Panel holder display typesThe following display types are available for panel holders:

Tabbed

In the tabbed panel holder, two panels in the panel holder are created by default, with a tab for each panel. Users view each panel by clicking on its tab or by pressing the left or right arrow keys. Only the horizontal orientation is available for Tabbed panel holders.

Collapsible

In a collapsible (stacked) display, multiple panels can be viewed at the same time, either horizontally or vertically.

For panels within a horizontal panel holder, the height is fixed while the width always fills the panel holder. For vertical panel holders, the width is fixed, while the height always fills the panel holder.

Splitter

In a splitter display, all panels in the panel holder can be viewed at the same time, either vertically or horizontally, and can be dynamically resized by dragging a splitter control on either side.


User experience

Accordion

The accordion display is similar to a tabbed display because the content of one panel in the panel holder visible at a time. Only the headers for the remaining panels of the container are visible. At runtime, when you click on a panel header, that panel is expanded to display its contents. If another panel was open, it is automatically collapsed and only its header is visible. The header cannot be hidden in an accordion display.

Color and gradient optionsAR System 7.5.00 provides new options for setting colors in panels and headers in panel holders. You can set solid background colors, set an opacity level, and select vertical or horizontal color gradient effects. (Gradient effects apply only to the Web.)

Rounded cornersYou can apply rounding to one or more corners of a panel by setting rounded radius values using the Rounded Corners property in Developer Studio. For example, you can apply the same rounding radius to all four corners of a panel, or apply different rounding radii to specific panel corners. Rounded corners apply only to the Web.

Expanding and collapsing panels using workflowIn addition to the ability to expand or collapse panels from the header, you can expand or collapse panels through new active link Execute On conditions and Change Field options. These options are available only for panels.

Two new active link Execute On conditions, On Expand and On Collapse, enable you to apply workflow actions when a panels is expanded or collapsed.

The Change Field options now include an Expand/Collapse option that allows you to specify expanding or collapsing a panel on a Change Field action.

For more information about panels, see the “Field types” section in the Form and Application Objects Guide.

Text formatting template and rich text formattingTemplates are a method of formatting text dynamically for presentation in AR System. The data included in templates is specified through parameters that the client workflow substitutes at runtime. Templates can be used to format text in tooltips and view fields.

Templates are stored as HTML file attachments in the AR System Resource Definitions form, which enables you to store information about the template.

A template is HTML code with parameters or field IDs. The template can be a complete HTML document (starting and ending with <html> and <body> tags) or a portion (snippet) of an HTML document (for example, a group of table rows).


User experience

A template can be processed using either of these methods:

! Create a Set Fields workflow action that uses the TEMPLATE function to place content into a character field or a view field.

! Bind a template directly to a view field. Use this method when you do not need to calculate parameter values in workflow.

Templates can be nested within templates, either by using workflow to generate content from a template with an HTML snippet and placing it into a hidden field, or by using the TEMPLATE function within another TEMPLATE function.

A message action of the type Tooltip can display the HTML generated by an earlier Set Fields action.

For more information about templates, see Chapter 10, “Using templates,” in the Form and Application Objects Guide.

Buttons and URLs in tablesIn previous releases, buttons that affected table items had to be outside the tables. To perform actions with the buttons, users first selected a field in a table row and then clicked the button.

Now, you can add buttons to columns inside list view and cell-based tables. Buttons in tables can have text or images but not both. In browsers, they can also be displayed as URLs.

See “Adding buttons and URLs to tables” in Chapter 7 of the Form and Application Objects Guide.

Transparent imagesIn previous releases, AR System supported only BMP, DIB, JPEG, JPG, TARGA, and TIFF images. Those image types cannot have transparent backgrounds.

In AR System 7.5.00, the following AR System components now support GIF and PNG images, which can have transparent backgrounds:

! BMC Remedy Developer Studio

! BMC Remedy Mid Tier

! BMC Remedy User

See “Transparent images” in Chapter 9 of the Form and Application Objects Guide.

Field effects for state transition and highlight focusField effects in AR System can serve as visual cues to specific system actions. These effects are supported by the Yahoo User Interlace Library, a collection of libraries in JavaScript™ that provide tools for building rich interactivity in web applications. These libraries are installed with AR System 7.5.00.


User experience

New propertiesThree new field properties specify whether a field is highlighted when a value is changed through a Set Field action, and the color of the highlight. These properties apply only to data fields (character, diary, date, time, date/time, currency, integer, real, and decimal, radio-button fields, check boxes, and drop-down lists).

Field effects can be disabled by selecting No in the Animated Effects field of the AR System User Preference form (Web tab).

Enabled

When the Enabled property is set to True, you can specify a highlight start color and a highlight end color.

Highlight Start Color

The Highlight Start Color property enables selection of a color for the highlight based on the theme of the form, background color, and other factors. If no highlight start color is specified, the mid tier uses the default color of yellow.

Highlight End Color

The Highlight End Color property enables a smooth visual transition following a system action. For best results, choose a color that matches the background color of the element on which the field resides, whether is a panel or form. The default color is white.

For display as text fields, the default color is the background color of the form.

Additional effects The following effects are also available.

Highlight changes on value change (data fields)

This effect is applied if the value of a field changed through a Set Field action and when the Highlight Enabled property is set to True. The field’s input element is highlighted with the color specified by the Highlight Start Color property, or with the default color of yellow if no color is specified. The highlighted field fades to the color specified by the Highlight End Color property.

If the value being changed is in a selection field that does not have a single input element, the entire set of boxes or buttons is highlighted.

Dialog zoom out

This effect applies to calendar pop-ups, currency field pop-ups, and character/diary Edit field pop-ups. When a pop-up button is clicked, the associated dialog box zooms out.

For No Vision users (those using assistive devices), pop-up windows are rendered the same as in AR System 7.1 and earlier.


User experience

Highlight on required fields when a submit action fails

When a submit action fails due to missing required values, fields needing values are highlighted with a red border. This effect applies only to data fields.

Slide in and slide out of items in vertical navigation bar and panels

This effect enables submenu items in a vertical navigation bar to be slowly shown and hidden by having them slide in and out.

For more information about field effects, see the “Field types” section of the Form and Application Objects Guide.

Quick reports in a browserWith the My Reports toolbar button, you can save reports from searches you perform on a form. Each report is saved per server, per form, and per user.

For more information, see the “Using the My Reports toolbar button” section in the BMC Remedy Mid Tier Guide.

Right-to-left form viewsThe text direction of languages such as Arabic and Hebrew flows from right to left (RTL) instead of the Western left to right (LTR).

With BMC Remedy Developer Studio, you can create form views with a RTL flow that display a RTL flow in an Internet Explorer version 6 or later browser. Other browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari browser, are not supported. (The form view does not appear or function properly in these browsers.)

BMC Remedy User cannot display RTL flows.

The current version of BMC Remedy Flashboards does not support RTL.

See the “Setting form view properties” and “Rendering forms in right-to-left format” sections in the Form and Application Objects Guide.

For information about configuring right-to-left format in a data visualization field (DVF), see the “Configuring right-to-left format in a data visualization field (DVF)” section in the Integration Guide.

Flagging fields and views for translationThe new Localization Required property for fields and views enables you to specify whether a field label or the text in a view must be translated. See these sections in the Form and Application Objects Guide:

! Appendix D

! “Setting form view properties” in Chapter 11


Enterprise capability

Adobe Flash technology used in flashboardsAdobe Flash technology has been incorporated into BMC Remedy Flashboards to enable you to create more robust flashboards with interactive effects that allow users to see the flashboard in a full-screen view, zoom in and out, change chart types, modify labels, and show and hide the legend.

Using Flash technology, Flashboards also has a new look and feel to make flashboards sleeker and better looking.

Note the following tips regarding flashboards:

! A 3D view of flashboards is not supported for flashboards that use the Adobe Flex technology (the default format).

! If a flashboard is too small for the Flash technology to generate the image legibly, the flashboard rendering reverts to the previous “image-based” technology for optimal use of the space on the form.

For more information about creating flashboards, see the BMC Remedy Flashboards Guide.

For more information about viewing the flashboards, see the BMC Remedy User Help.


Pure Java APIIn previous releases, the JNI™ layer was used to pass Java™ calls through the C API. Beginning with release 7.5.00, the JNI layer is replaced with a pure Java implementation.

When running against a release 7.5.00, 7.1.00, or 7.0.01 AR System server, the release 7.5.00 Java API runs as pure Java. If the release 7.5.00 Java API needs to communicate with a pre-7.0.01 AR System server, it still uses the JNI layer. You can configure the Java API to never use the JNI layer, in which case it is unable to communicate with older servers.

Deployment of the Java API is simplified by consolidating multiple JAR files into arapi75.jar (excluding logj-1.2.14.jar).

For more information, see the Integration Guide and the C API Reference.

64-bit servers (UNIX and Linux platforms)In the AR System 7.5.00 release, the AR System server binary is compiled as a native 64-bit executable for supported UNIX® operating systems (Solaris™, HP-UX on Itanium and RISC platforms, and AIX®) and for Linux®. The 64-bit AR System server cache on these platforms can now take advantage of the 64-bit address space on 64-bit operating systems. This provides enhanced server reliability in enterprise environments where AR System supports a Service Support solution or other complex applications and a large and active user population.



The C API libraries are provided in 64-bit and 32-bit versions to support new 64-bit applications and legacy 32-bit applications. In addition, the 64-bit AR System server is compatible with and required for use with the 64-bit BMC Atrium CMDB 7.5.00 release.

The 64-bit AR System server is compatible with the following 64-bit platforms and operating systems:

For the most up-to-date information about 64-bit AR System server compatibility with specific operating systems and versions, see the compatibility matrix on the Support website (http://www.bmc.com/support_home).

Database compatibilityThe database for a 64-bit AR System server must use 64-bit database client libraries. Before installing a 64-bit version of AR System 7.5.00, make sure that the 64-bit database client libraries are installed on the computer that will run the AR System server (arserverd).

NOTE Although the 64-bit server can make use of a 64 bit address space, it stores 32-bit values in the database and exchanges 32-bit values with API clients. It does not store 64-bit values in the database in this release.

Client and application compatibilityAR System clients that are 32-bit, including the BMC Remedy Mid Tier, the plug-in server, BMC Remedy Email Engine, BMC Remedy Approval Server, and AR System-based Service Support solution applications, run unchanged on AR System 7.5.00 64-bit servers. Custom applications based on the AR System C API or Java API can also run without changes.

NOTE Custom plug-ins also run without change, except for C/C++ plug-ins on the Itanium platform. In AR System 7.1.00, the C plug-in server ran under the HP ARIES emulator and supported 32-bit plug-ins compiled for the PA-RISC platform. AR System 7.5.00 for the Itanium platform no longer supports PA-RISC plug-ins. Recompile C/C++ plug-ins as 32-bit Itanium shared libraries.

CPU type Operating systems

Sun™ SPARC™ Solaris 9, 10

Intel Itanium HP-UX 11iv2, 11iv3

HP PA-RISC HP-UX 11iv2, 11iv3

IBM® Power AIX 5L 5.3, 6.1

AMD64 and Intel 64

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and 5

AMD64 and Intel 64

Novell SUSE Linux 9 and 10


http://www.bmc.com/support_home

http://www.bmc.com/support_home


AR System Java-based applications, such as BMC Remedy Mid Tier, Email Engine, and Approval Server, are compiled 32-bit for all platforms, and require that you install a 32-bit JVM™. Using a 64-bit JVM is not supported.

For information about installing the 64-bit AR System server, see the Installation Guide. For configuration and optimization information, see the Configuration Guide and the Optimizing and Troubleshooting Guide.

HP-UX Integrity servers

Under HP-UX on Itanium-based HP Integrity servers, all 32-bit AR System components now run in native 32-bit mode (IA-64N). Therefore, you can now install Java-based AR System components (such as the BMC Remedy Mid Tier) on this platform.

The AR System server and applications compiled using the 64-bit C API run in native 64-bit mode (IA-64) when running under HP-UX on Itanium-based HP Integrity servers.

Image server objectA new AR System object type, Images, is now available. Images are used in AR System forms as backgrounds and buttons. In previous versions, a separate copy of each image was stored as data in the field display property list for each field or form view with which the image was associated. This could result in a significant amount of duplicated data in the database as well as in the server's cache.

In release 7.5.00, you can use an image object to store an image only once, as a binary object, in a new AR System table, and then set the field display property for any field or form view to include the image by reference. This allows for significant improvements in database storage, server initialization time, and import time.

To support this new feature, release 7.5.00 includes the following enhancements:

! A change to the content of the field and form view display properties. Field and form view display properties now reference the image by name, rather than storing the image as a byte list. For information about how to create image objects and configure their properties, see the Workflow Objects Guide.

! Backward compatibility for clients older than release 7.5.00. In this case, the AR System server converts the image back to a data string in the field or form view display properties.

! A new database table (image) and a new image ID number (imageID). See the Database Reference.

! Two new structures (ARImageStruct and ARImageDataStruct) and a set of new API calls to support image objects, including creation (ARCreateImage), deletion (ARDeleteImage), modification (ARSetImage and ARSetImageToXML), and retrieval (ARGetImage, ARGetListImage, ARGetMultipleImage and ARGetImageFromXML). Related new commands are also added to the driver program. See the C API Reference and C API Quick Reference.



! Two new XML ENUM data types for exporting images (AR_STRUCT_ITEM_IMAGE and AR_STRUCT_ITEM_XML_IMAGE), and a new export format (image).

! A conversion program, ImageExtractor.jar (ImageExtractor.bat on Windows), to convert existing image objects to the new format. You can convert images associated with individual forms or multiple forms at any time. See the Configuration Guide for information about using the ImageExtractor.jar utility.

Querying multiple forms at run timeThe C and Java APIs contain a new function, ARGetListEntryWithMultiSchemaFields. The main operation performed by this function is a dynamic join. Unlike AR System join forms, which are created at design time, dynamic joins are performed at runtime. They enable you to perform database queries across multiple forms—including view and vendor forms—on an ad hoc basis.

Depending on the structure of your data, this function might also perform the following suboperations to support the dynamic join:

! Recursive queries—If a form contains hierarchical (parent-child) data, such as manager and employee relationships, this function can use one query to search the form recursively and retrieve the complete hierarchy and related attributes.

! Value set queries—This function can perform IN and NOT IN operations on a fixed value set and on a value set returned by a subquery.

! Vendor form joins—Joining vendor forms with other types of forms enables a single query to access data in both AR System and external sources.

See these sections in the C API Reference:

! “ARGetListEntryWithMultiSchemaFields” in Chapter 4

! “Structures for ARGetListEntryWithMultiSchemaFields” in Chapter 3

! Appendix B, “Retrieving entries from multiple forms“

Integration with BMC Atrium OrchestratorYou can now use AR System workflow to integrate an application with BMC Atrium Orchestrator. Orchestrator enables IT organizations to automate tasks and processes, such as trouble ticketing, virtualization management, and so on. For more information about integrating an AR System application with Orchestrator, see the Integration Guide.



Registering a web service with the BMC Atrium Web Services RegistryThe AR System Web Services Registry form and its workflow provide an interface to the BMC Atrium Web Services Registry. Creating a request in the form and enabling it registers a web service. Disabling or deleting the request removes the registration. If the registry is unavailable, the workflow attempts to register or deregister the web service later. The form also reports whether the web service is registered. For more information about registering a web service with the BMC Atrium Web Services Registry, see the Integration Guide.

Enhanced behavior of deployable application objectsThis feature enables users to retain excess forms, import forms with the deployable application name information, and import forms with precedence, by using the ImportOption argument in the ARImport C API function. For more information, see the C API Reference. This functionality also appears in the Import wizard when importing forms in Developer Studio.

You can move a form to a different deployable application in Developer Studio, while retaining form permissions, by dragging the form from the Forms tab group to the Application node.

New SQL Server isolation levelBMC recommends that you use the following database settings to reduce the possibility of deadlocks and improve performance of AR System:

! Snapshot isolation level with Microsoft SQL Server 2005

! Forced parameterization

However, to completely avoid deadlocks, you need to develop proper workflows that take care of deadlocks.

See the “Using Microsoft SQL Server with AR System” section of the Database Reference.

Management of CLOB storageThis feature enables AR System administrators to manage the CLOB storage for individual fields. A new database property is added to the Character field, and its value is used only when dealing with an Oracle® database.

See the “Character Fields” section of the Form and Application Objects Guide.

Auditing only when field values changeAuditing is done only for those records whose field values have changed in a transaction. To use the previous mechanism, wherein all records were audited regardless of the change in their field values, you can use the Server-level or Form-level configuration.



See the “Server Information-Configuration tab” and “ar.conf (ar.cfg)” sections of the Configuration Guide, and the “Configuring a form for auditing” section of the Form and Application Objects Guide.

Run Process command-line limit incrementThe limit for the Run Process command-line string length has been increased from 256 to 4096 bytes. The actual maximum length to run the process is limited by the operating system in use with AR System.

See the “The Run Process active link, filter, or escalation action” section of the Workflow Objects Guide, and Chapter 2, “SQL Definitions of the data dictionary tables” of the Database Reference Guide.

Workflow import enhancementTwo new options are added to the ARImport API for workflow, which allow:

! Overwriting workflow objects while preserving the attached list

! Removing forms from the attached list without modifying the workflow object

See the “ARImport” section of the C API Reference.

ARGetCacheEvent APIThis is a new API added to the AR System server. You can use this API call to write a utility to monitor cache events. Installers and automation tests no longer need to use polling to check whether the changes they perform have occurred or not. Automation tests can use this API call to achieve a 100% pass rate. BMC Remedy Developer Studio can add a thread to know when changes become public for testing.

See the “ARGetCacheEvent” section of the C API Reference.

New BMC Remedy Data Import toolAn updated BMC Remedy Data Import tool (which replaces BMC Remedy Import) is included with the AR System product and is compatible with Unicode. This GUI tool allows you to import data to AR System forms. For information about using BMC Remedy Data Import, see the Configuration Guide.

Java data import command-line interfaceIn Release 7.5.00, the arimportcmd command-line interface is replaced with a Java data import command-line utility. See “Using the BMC Remedy Data Import utility” in the Integration Guide.



Row-level security for FlashboardsFor real-time data, Flashboards grants access to statistical data based on user login information.

For historical and summary data in multi-tenant environments, you can grant access to flashboards variables by implementing row-level security. If you do not set permissions for a variable, only the administrator who created the variable can see the information in the flashboard.

Row-level security enables you to show and hide information based on a user’s permissions. For example, if you place a flashboard on a Help Desk form, you can display one set of data to support representatives and a different set of data to requesters.

See the “Setting row-level security for variables” section of the BMC Remedy Flashboards Guide.

Business time enhancementsBusiness time segments can be associated with time zones.

Business Time commands work accurately for Daylight Saving Time (DST).

See the “Using time zones” section of the Configuration Guide.

Virtual URL mapping of cached resourcesThe browser caches mid-tier resource files (such as JavaScript and css files). Consequently, when the mid tier is upgraded, the new mid-tier files do not match the files currently in the browser cache.

So that users do not have to clear out the browser’s cache when a new mid tier is installed, the browser requests a new copy of the resource (instead of the cached files) through a virtual URL that the mid tier generates and maps to the new resource files.

Optimizing bulk operationsThe new Application-Set-Filter-Phasing Run Process command enables administrators to delay the creation of individual form entries so that they can be created in bulk. This command determines whether form entries are created when the workflow operation to create them occurs or whether they are created in bulk during a later filter phase.

See “Process commands” in Appendix C of the Workflow Objects Guide.



Faster server initializationYou can now configure the server to use multiple threads (known as “preload threads”) when loading the cache from the database. This option allows the server to make better use of system resources such as CPU and network bandwidth, and can greatly reduce the time required to load the cache at server initialization. This option can also be configured for use during run time. For information about using this option, see “Using preload threads” in the Configuration Guide.

DSO enhancements

Polling options for DSO serverIn previous releases, the DSO server queried the distributed pending queue every time a request was submitted to the queue. If the request was associated with a nonpolling pool, the server then immediately notified the pool. This could degrade the performance of AR System by overloading it with unnecessary operations.

To enhance the performance of DSO, a polling option for the DSO server was added to AR System 7.5.00:

! Polling server—Queries the distributed pending queue at specified intervals.

! Nonpolling server (Default)—Immediately queries the distributed pending queue whenever a request is submitted to the queue. If the request is associated with a nonpolling pool, immediately notifies the pool.

See “Setting a polling interval for the DSO server” in Chapter 2 of the BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option Guide.

Polling options for distributed poolsIn previous releases, as soon as a request was submitted to the distributed pending queue, it could be processed. Hence, all distributed pools queried the queue every time the queue received a request. During periods of heavy activity, these queries could overload the database and degrade the performance of AR System.

To alleviate this congestion, polling options for distributed pools were added to AR System 7.5.00. Now, you can create two types of distributed pools:

! Polling pool—Queries the distributed pending queue at specified intervals.

! Nonpolling pool (Default)—Immediately queries the distributed pending queue whenever a request associated with the pool is submitted to the queue.

See “Setting polling intervals for distributed pools” in Chapter 3 of the BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option Guide.



Caching distributed mappingsTo reduce the load on the AR System database, distributed mapping information is now cached. By default, the cache is refreshed every 30 minutes. You can change this refresh interval.

See “Setting the distributed mapping cache refresh interval” in Chapter 2 of the BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option Guide.

DSO log levelsYou can now set a log level for the DSO log files:

If you set the log level to Error or Warning, you can use the following entry in the AR System server configuration file to include a list of source entry field/value pairs for errors and warnings in the DSO log files: Log-DSO-Field-Values: T.

See “Configuring DSO logging” in Chapter 2 of the BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option Guide.

Logging matching qualification valuesWhen DSO implements a distributed mapping that contains a matching qualification, it now logs the fields and values used to match the source and target request. The Mapping match qualifier values entry in the DSO log files identifies these values.

See “Logging matching qualification values” in Chapter 2 of the BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option Guide.

Performing distributed operations on join formsDSO can now perform all types of distributed operations—transfer, update, return, and delete—on join forms.

See “Performing distributed operations on join forms” in Chapter 3 of the BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option Guide.

Log level Description

Error Logs only errors.

Warning Logs errors and warnings.

Info Logs errors, warnings, and other information to provide a step-by-step record of DSO activities.



FIPS complianceTo be used by Federal government agencies, software must comply with Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 200. Per FIPS 200, information that needs cryptographic protection must use software that complies with FIPS 140-2.

AR System 7.5.00 was enhanced so that data transmitted between AR System servers and clients can comply with FIPS 140-2 encryption requirements.

The enhancements are described in the following sections.

BMC Remedy Encryption Performance SecurityPerformance Security now includes a FIPS encryption option. When this option is enabled, network traffic is encrypted using AES CBC with a 128-bit key for data encryption and a 1024-bit modulus for the RSA key exchange. It uses SHA-1 for message authentication. This option supports the minimum Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 encryption requirements.

NOTE BMC Remedy Encryption Performance Security is sold separately from AR System 7.5.00.

BMC Remedy Encryption Premium SecurityPremium Security now includes a premium FIPS encryption option. When this option is enabled, network traffic is encrypted using AES CBC with a 256-bit key for data encryption and a 2048-bit modulus for the RSA key exchange. It uses SHA-1 for message authentication. This option supports premium FIPS 140-2 encryption requirements.

NOTE BMC Remedy Encryption Premium Security is sold separately from AR System 7.5.00.

FIPS 140-2 certification The following FIPS-certified libraries provide the cryptography used by the Performance and Premium FIPS encryption options:

! Network Security Services (NSS) 3.11.4

! RSA Crypto-J 4.0 FIPS-140

! OpenSSL FIPS 1.2

NOTE The BMC Remedy Encryption Security products will be released with a precertified version of the OpenSSL FIPS library. This library will be upgraded to the OpenSSL FIPS Object Module v1.2 certified version when it is available.



FIPS-compliant AREA and ARDBC LDAP plug-ins When you install the AR System server, the FIPS-certified Network Security Services (NSS) 3.11.4 libraries from Mozilla are added to the following Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) plug-ins:

! AR System External Authentication (AREA)

! AR System Database Connectivity (ARDBC)

IMPORTANT These libraries provide the capability to comply with FIPS 140-2. To make your LDAP environment actually compliant with FIPS 140-2, you must further configure your LDAP server. See the Federal government FIPS 200 and 140-2 guidelines and your LDAP server documentation.

NOTE To comply with FIPS 140-2, the plug-ins must use SSL to connect to the LDAP server.

See the BMC Remedy Encryption Security Guide.

Encryption user interfaceThe AR System Administration: Server Information form now has an Encryption tab. Administrators can use this tab instead of the AR System server configuration file to view and modify their AR System server’s encryption configuration.

See the BMC Remedy Encryption Security Guide.

Support for cert8.db certificatesAR System uses the Mozilla C-LDAP libraries to support LDAP plug-ins and remote authentication. To enable the plug-ins to establish Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connections to LDAP servers, these libraries use the Mozilla Network Security Services (NSS). Previously, AR System used NSS 3.2, which supports only cert7.db certificates. In this release, AR System uses NSS 3.11.4, which now supports cert8.db certificates and complies with FIPS 140-2.

NOTE NSS 3.11.4 is backward compatible with cert7.db. So if you use a cert7.db certificate database, you do not have to upgrade to cert8.db.

See Appendix E of the Integration Guide.


Server improvements

Server improvements

Version controlThe AR System server provides the following version control functions:

! Object reservation—With this feature enforced, users can reserve server objects. The AR System server prevents other users from modifying reserved objects. BMC Remedy Developer Studio includes commands to reserve and release objects.

! Object modification log—With this feature enabled, the AR System server automatically logs every change to an object and, optionally, exports the objects. Users can view the log entries in the AR Server Version Control: Object Modification Log form and restore a saved version of an object from the .def file attached to a log entry.

For more information, see the Form and Application Objects Guide.

Workflow debuggerThe AR System Workflow Debugger is a command-line utility that enables AR System application developers to debug workflow interactively. In release 7.5.00, this feature is available for filters and escalations.

Application developers can use the workflow debugger to:

! Set breakpoints

! Begin and resume filter and escalation execution

! Single-step through filter and escalation workflow

! Examine data items associated with the workflow

! Overwrite data items associated with the workflow

The workflow debugger is automatically installed with the AR System server, and it uses a dedicated private queue for communication with the AR System server. For information about using the workflow debugger, see the Optimizing and Troubleshooting Guide.

Java plug-in server updates

ConfigurationConfiguring plug-ins for the Java plug-in server is simpler than in previous releases. Now, a plug-in requires less description, and some of the redundant configuration elements have been removed.

For simplified plug-in configuration, see the sample pluginsvr_config.xml file.

For more information, see the “Configuring the plug-in server” section of the Integration Guide.


Server improvements

Support for C plug-insThe Java plug-in server no longer supports C plug-ins. Instead, it supports only Java plug-ins, such as the Web Services plug-in, that use the Java plug-in API.

If you try to configure the Java plug-in server to run a C plug-in, an error is recorded in the ARServerInstallDir\Arserver\Db\arjavaplugin.log file.

See “Java plug-in server” in Appendix C of the Configuration Guide.

Multithreading In previous releases, the Java plug-in server created a thread to handle each RPC connection as it was received from the AR System server, often creating many threads. If a connection failed, the plug-in server programmatically shut down the plug-in instances associated with the thread for that connection, often losing data in the process. To improve performance, the Java plug-in server now uses a configurable pool of worker threads to handle RPC calls.

See “Multithreading in the Java plug-in server” in Chapter 7 of the Integration Guide.

Dynamic plug-in loading Most changes made to the pluginsvr_config.xml file require a plug-in server restart to take effect. You can now add plug-ins to the file, however, without restarting the server.

See “Dynamic plug-in loading” in Chapter 7 of the Integration Guide.

Exception logWhen a run-time exception or an ARException class error occurs during a Java plug-in server call to a plug-in, enhanced information is now recorded in the ARServerInstallDir\Arserver\Db\arjavaplugin.log file.

See “Logging exceptions for calls to Java plug-ins” in Chapter 7 of the Integration Guide.

Error 8753The following error has been added to AR System:

Error 8753: Error in plugin: pluginName

Users receive this error when a run-time exception occurs during a Java plug-in server call to a plug-in. AR System adds detailed information about the error to the ARServerInstallDir\Arserver\Db\arjavaplugin.log file.


Server improvements

Server group signaling performance improvementServers in a server group now use a new process, the arsignald daemon, to notify other members of the group about changes to the server cache. arsignald is a persistent process that AR System server starts at startup. The process maintains a pipe to the associated AR System server and handles all signals to the other members of the server group. Therefore, signaling between members of a server group now requires only one additional server process per server, which greatly reduces the impact on system resources. (The arsignal program is still available for use by AR System workflow, but is no longer used for server group signaling.)

C plug-in server enhancement Exception handling in the C plug-in server now produces a stack trace. The stack trace includes the names of the operation, vendor, and plug-in library. It is written to the arerror.log file.

Two application forms implemented as System formsThe SHARE:Application_Properties and SHARE:Application_Interface application forms are now distributed as system forms to support AR System application interfaces.

For more information, see the “AR System installed forms” section of the Form and Application Objects Guide.

Including view forms in join formsWith AR System 7.5.00, you can build a join form that includes a view form. The primary benefit of this feature is the ability to perform simultaneous searches on internal and external database tables.

For more information, see Chapter 4, “Creating AR System forms,” in the Form and Application Objects Guide, and the “View forms” section of the Integration Guide.

Active-link firing condition on table refreshAn active link is executed on a table in the following events: loading, refreshing, sorting, resetting, or displaying the previous and next chunks. This active link has a Table Refresh execute action, which is triggered when the table contents are updated.

See the “Defining workflow execution options” section of the Workflow Objects Guide.


Server improvements

Character counts for character fieldsA new field property for character fields called Length Units specifies whether the Input Length of a character field is calculated in bytes or characters. In previous releases, the length of character fields was always calculated in bytes.

Because character sets use varying numbers of bytes to represent a single character, setting the Length Units property to Characters allows better control of character field sizes in the database. When this is set, AR System applies a multiplier (determined by the server character set and the database code unit) to calculate the column size for the field.

The default value for this property is bytes. The administrator can change the default value for newly created fields by setting the administrator preference for Input Length Units. (Changing this preference does not affect fields that already exist.)

For information about setting and using this character field property, see the Form and Application Objects Guide.

Service action added to filters and escalationsIn release 7.5.00, you can now create a Service action in filters and escalations, as well as in active links.

See “The Service action” section of the Workflow Objects Guide.

Improved default form view selectionA form can have multiple views. Previously, AR System determined which view to display by selecting the first view available in this order of preference:

1 View specified by the user or by workflow

2 Default view specified in the User Preferences form

3 Default view specified in the form

Now, AR System can also select a form view based on the function that a user performs in an application. For example, a user might use an application to manage, submit, or audit help desk requests. In AR System, each of those functions—manager, submitter, auditor—is called an actor. Each actor can be associated with a different view. When a user opens a form, AR System determines which view to display by matching the user to an actor in the context of the current application and then matching the actor to a view.

See “How a form view is selected for the user” in Chapter 11 of the Form and Application Objects Guide.


Server improvements

Support for multiple mail servers in Email EngineAdministrators can configure failover mail servers such that Email Engine can continue with the processing of messages when the primary mail server stops functioning.

See the “Multiple mail server support” and “AR System Email Failover Mail Server Configuration form” sections of the BMC Remedy Email Engine Guide.

New keywordsThe following keywords replaced the $FILTER-ERRNO$, $FILTER-ERRMSG$, and $FILTER-ERRAPPENDMSG$ keywords:

! $ERRNO$—The number of the error that just occurred.

! $ERRMSG$—The message of the error that just occurred.

! $ERRAPPENDMSG$—The appended message for the error that just occurred, if any.

The $FILTER-ERRNO$, $FILTER-ERRMSG$, and $FILTER-ERRAPPENDMSG$ are backward compatible, but use the new keywords in new workflow you create.

Updated third-party librariesIn release 7.5.00, the following third-party libraries are updated:

! Xerces-C 2.6 to Xerces-C 2.8

! Xerces 2.0 to Xerces 2.9.1 (Java)

! Xalan-C 1.9 to Xalan-C 1.10

! Xalan 1.9 to Xalan 1.10 (Java)

! WSDL4J 1.5.1 to WSDL4J 1.6.2

Axis.jar (Java) is updated from version 1.2 to 1.4 to support Java-based web services and plug-in applications.

In addition, the data files for the ICU 3.2.1 C library and the ICU 3.6 Java library are updated to the 2007 version to support additional time zones.

Driver return code enhancementThe driver program exits with a non-zero return code that indicates whether an API failed during the execution. This information is useful during API program debugging.

Exporting views based on locale selectionAPI programs can export a form and selected form views by specifying the form name and a list of locales of the views to be exported. For more information, see the C API Reference.


License management

License management

Current and historical license usageTo provide data for flashboards so that they can display current and historical license usage, these read-only forms were added to AR System 7.5.00:

! AR System Current License Usage—Tracks all licenses currently in use on the server when the Enable License Tracking option is selected in the AR System Administration: Server Information form. You can use the data in the AR System Current License Usage form to generate flashboards that show current license usage.

! AR System Historical License Usage—Tracks information about licenses that are released while the Enable License Tracking option is selected in the AR System Administration: Server Information form. You can use this data to generate flashboards that show the following information for specified time periods:

! License usage for a single user, including each time that the user acquired or released a particular license type

! Number of licenses used by all users for a specified application, license type, or license pool

See “Displaying license usage” in Chapter 2 of the Configuration Guide.

Licenses released when closing browser or navigating away from the mid tier

You can set a delay timer that releases an AR System user license associated with a user if that user navigates away from the mid tier or does not log out of the BMC Remedy Mid Tier properly by closing the last browser window associated with the current HTTP session.

The mid tier initiates a delay timer when the user closes the last browser window associated with the established HTTP session. When the delay timer expires, the user’s license is released, and the HTTP session terminated.

If the user navigates back to the mid-tier URL before the delay time expires, the delay timer is cancelled, and the current HTTP session is resumed.

To set the timer, edit the License Release Timeout field in the BMC Remedy Mid Tier Configuration Tool.

See the “General settings” section of the BMC Remedy Mid Tier Guide.


Accessibility

Session timeout clock in browsersA session timeout clock in the status bar report shows how much time is left before an HTTP session will time out. If a user is logged in and performs any activity in an application on the mid tier, the clock’s timer starts over.

To set the timeout clock, edit the Session Timeout (Minutes) field in the BMC Remedy Mid Tier Configuration Tool.

See the “General settings” section of the BMC Remedy Mid Tier Guide.

Accessibility

Identifying rows selected in a table field to non-vision usersThis feature provides a way to identify rows in table fields for non-vision users. Prior to AR System 7.5.00, there has been no way to provide assistive technology tools with information to speak about the state of row selection in a table. This feature will provide such capability by adding a column to a table field that contains links to allow row selection using assistive devices.

The new column, which is the first column in the table, contains three links: Select, Single Click, and Double Click. In addition, Select All/Deselect All links are provided to enable no vision users to select or clear all table rows. These two links are not shown in the no vision user’s form, but they are accessible by the assistive device.

This feature applies only to tables viewed on the Web.

Supportability

Database consistency checkerThe database consistency checker is a command-line option for the arserver.exe/arserverd process. When used, it initiates a separate server process that diagnoses the corresponding AR System database and generates a report, then quits.

See “Using the database consistency checker” in the Optimizing and Troubleshooting Guide and “arserverd (arserver.exe)” in the Configuration Guide.


Supportability

Logging to a formYou can configure the AR System to log information to forms instead of files. Administrators can decide whether the information is logged into predefined forms or new ones.

You can add workflow (qualifications) on the log to filter information going in (for example, only log information on a particular user, error number, error level, and so on). You can also search for results on fields (that is, search for all errors between two dates, all errors logged against a particular user, and so on).

See the “Server Information-Log Files tab” and “ar.conf (ar.cfg)” sections of the Configuration Guide.

Updates to log filesA new naming convention for per-thread log files makes it easier to open the files on Windows. The thread ID is inserted into the name when a file extension exists. For example, a file name like arsql.log becomes arsql-2144.log for per-thread log files. (The previous naming convention was arsql.log-2144.) For log file names without file extensions (for example, arsqllogfile), the naming convention has not changed, and the per thread name becomes arsqllogfile-2144.

In previous versions, when a server was started and per-thread logging was running, the Admin thread's SQL statements that gathered object definitions for the cache were placed in the process-level SQL log. Now, the server places the Admin thread's cache-related SQL statements in the Admin thread's log file. The process-level SQL log (that is, arsql.log without a thread ID appended) has various SQL-connection-related statements for the different threads.

For more information, see the “Creating per-thread log files” section of the Optimizing and Troubleshooting Guide.

New log for mid-tier performanceA new log file allows you to log information for mid-tier response time. The log is activated when you when you select the Yes option for the Timings (Web) logging type on the Logging tab of the AR System User Preference form.

For more information, see “Log information for mid-tier response time” section in the Optimizing and Troubleshooting Guide.


BMC Remedy Approval Server changes

BMC Remedy Approval Server changesThere are several new features added to Approval Server. For more information about these, see the relevant sections of the BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide.

New approval consoleApproval Central, the new approval console, provides easier and faster access to approval requests. The various actions that you can perform on such requests are just a click away. The new approval console appears when you click the Approval Central link on the AR System home page.

AP:Pending ApprovalsThe AP:Pending Approvals form acts as the Approval Central console, and organizes the various activities that you can perform here into the Approval Tasks, Action Menu, and Pending Approvals sections.

See the “Approval Central” section of the BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide.

Tooltip to display request detailsOn the Approval Central console, the Summary column of an approval request table displays a tooltip, which contains the comment that the requestor provided when creating the request. This additional information allows you take a quick decision about that request without having to open the original request, thereby avoiding multiple clicks.

AP:Show-DetailA new form, AP:Show-Detail, is added to display the details of an approval request. Approvers can access this form from Approval Central, and use it to add questions or comments, approve, reject, reassign, or hold a request, and even manage relevant ad hoc approvers.

See the “AP:Show-Detail” section of the BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide.

Questions

Approvers can ask questions and receive responses for a request. This information may be useful to the current and future approvers, and is associated with the request record.


Comments and attachments

Requesters and approvers can associate comments with the request or approval that they submit. They can also provide one attachment per comment. This information may be useful to the next approver in the chain.



BMC Remedy Approval Server changes

Approval process previews for a requestUsing the AP:Show-Detail form, you can see the list of approvers in a flowchart or a tabular format. This enables you to see who has approved the request and who will approve the request after you approve it.

Elements on the flowchart view are localized.

See the “Configuring Approval Server to work with flowcharts,” “AP:Preview Data,” and “AP:Show-Detail” sections of the BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide.

Multi-process preview

A new application command, Get-Multi-Process-Preview, creates a multi-process preview request for the associated application request. The preview appears as a flowchart or a table that lists all the approvers whose signatures are required for the approval processes to be completed.

See the “Generate-Multi-Process-Preview” and “AP:Show-Detail” sections of the BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide.

Ad hoc approversYou can add or remove ad hoc approvers for a request using the default AP:AdhocDialog, which is available through the AP:Show-Detail form. Alternatively, you can provide a custom dialog by using the Ad hoc Settings and Ad hoc Form fields on the AP:Process Definition form.

See the “AP:AdhocDetails” and “AP:AdhocDialog” sections of the BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide.

Working with multiple requestsOn the Approval Central console, you can select multiple rows, which represent approval requests, to perform similar actions (approve, reject, reassign, and hold) on them.

See the “Approval Central” section of the BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide.

Action Date fieldThe Action Date field appears on the Approval Central console and the AP:Show-Detail form. It indicates the duration after which the state of the approval request will be changed automatically. Administrators can configure this duration using the AP:Process Definition form.

See the “Approval Central” and “AP:Show-Detail” sections of the BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide.


BMC Remedy Migrator changes

Field mapping for application formsApplications can optionally display additional information for an approval request using certain fields that can be mapped to the Approval Server fields on the Advanced tab of AP:Form.

You can label some of these fields dynamically and also in a locale-specific manner.

See the “AP:Form” and “AP:DynamicLabels” sections of the BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide.

Full name in the signature lineThe Approver field in a signature line displays the full name of the user. This information is fetched from the default User form or the custom form specified in the Full Name Form field on AP:Process Definition.

See the “AP:Signature” section of the BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide.

Role-aware signatureTo make a signature role-aware, a new, hidden character field (of infinite size; SIZE set to 0) has been added to the AP:Signature form. If a signature is created by expanding a role, then the character field stores the role ID of the source role.

See the “AP:Signature” section of the BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide.

Configurable reassignment through process definitionUsers can reassign a pending request only if the Can Reassign option for the corresponding approval process is set to Yes in the AP:Process Definition form.

See the “AP:Process Definition” section of the BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide.

BMC Remedy Migrator changesThe following changes are available in BMC Remedy Migrator 7.5.00. For more information about these features, see the BMC Remedy Migrator Guide.

Enhancements to Differences, Dependency, and Results reportsMigrator reports now display information about new AR System 7.5.00 objects and properties. In addition, migrated images can be displayed in the Differences report. Mask options now include properties for Image objects.


BMC Remedy Migrator changes

Data migration with field mappingData migration now includes the ability to map fields, similar to the process used in BMC Remedy Data Import. In the Data Migration Options dialog box, you can now enable field mapping and configure mapping options, including adding mappings, saving mappings, and reusing saved mappings. Using this feature, you can auto-map using field IDs or the field names, which are based on field names and fields IDs used in BMC Remedy Developer Studio. (Field mapping in Migrator does not work with data files such as .arx files.) The Request/Entry ID can now also be prefixed during data migrations and can, for example, be used to identify a source site for a data set.

Ability to disable related workflow during a migrationYou can now temporarily disable only workflow that executes on merge and that is related to the destination form, before any data is migrated to that form. This disabled workflow is then enabled after the migration. The ability to disable this particular workflow prevents the possibility of filters and escalations firing on the form while the data migration is in process.

This feature applies only to workflow that executes on merge and not to all related workflow.

Use of Fast and List threads for data migrationIn previous releases of Migrator, data could be migrated using only the Admin thread. Migrator 7.5.00 provides the option to migrate data using Fast and List threads, freeing up the Admin thread and enabling data to be migrated simultaneously in multiple threads to and from the same server.

Reassignment of forms during migrationsWhen migrating a form that belongs to an application, Migrator can now reassign that form if the application to which is belongs on the destination differs from the application to which it belongs on the source.

Command-line interfaceMigrator provides a command-line interface for migration of forms and data, including CMDB-related metadata such as classes, attributes and indexes. You can also use the command line for reporting differences and comparing data migrations. You can use XML files to configure migration options and provide additional instructions for a migration.


New online help systems

New online help systems

Online help for BMC Remedy Developer StudioBMC Remedy Developer Studio includes online help. To access it, select Help > Help Contents from the Developer Studio main menu.

Online help for browser usersA small set of help files is available for administrators to provide to browser users. The help files were created from appendixes in the BMC Remedy Mid Tier Guide. These files are packaged in BrowserHelp.zip, which is included with the AR System documentation files. To view this help in a browser, open the helpfile.htm file first.

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