Projects

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What is a Project?

In Enterprise HelpDesk, projects are used to keep issues in separate databases. How you organize your projects is up to you. You can have one project for tracking all issues, or you can have several projects. To create and manage projects, use HelpDesk Admin.

A project includes:

A database of issues and their revision histories.
A set of project-specific definitions, which include styles (queries, sorts, layouts, reports, and report pages), the fields, and notification definitions. These definitions are shared by all users of a project.

Project Structure

Creating New Projects

Typically, you start a new project because you want to start tracking issues in a new database. However, there are other reasons for creating a new project. For example, you may want to:

Share the definitions of styles, notifications, and fields with another project.
Stop sharing definitions so you can add project-specific changes. For example, you may need to change the fields for one project but not for the others.
Build a template project and use it as a base for all other projects.
Break a large project into several smaller projects.

New projects are always based on an existing project. When you create a new project, you can copy the issues, styles, notifications, and the fields from the base project. You can also share the styles, notifications, and fields between projects.

To create a new project:

In HelpDesk Admin, click New Project on the File menu. The New Project dialog box appears.
Type the name of the new project and select a base project.
Select a location for the new project.
Select the styles and notifications you want, and choose whether to copy the issues and revision history from the base project.

Want to control access to the project?

The Groups Allowed to Open Project list allows you to grant access permissions to selected groups of users.

Creating your first project?

Use one of the sample projects that come with Enterprise HelpDesk as the base project. Copy the styles and notifications, but do not copy the issues and revision history. Also, you should read Building a Project Template before you start tracking issues.

Copying and Sharing Definitions

A new project is always based on an existing project. The new project can either share or take a copy of the styles, notifications, and fields in the base project. In the New Project dialog box, select the option that corresponds to what you want to do with the new project:

None

Clear the styles and notifications so you can build your own. Copy the fields from the base project and use it as a starting point.

Copy from the Base Project

Copy the styles, notifications, and fields from the base project and use them as a starting point, or template, for the new project.

Share with Base Project

Share styles, notifications, and fields with the base project.

Why copy styles and notifications?

Copying styles and notifications allows you to make changes on a project-by-project basis. For example, you may need to add project-specific fields. In turn, the new fields may require changes to the styles (for example, you may need to include new fields in queries and reports).

Why share styles and notifications?

Sharing styles and notifications provides consistency across projects and simplifies the distribution of new styles and notifications. For example, when you define a new report, it is immediately available in all projects that share the same styles.

Shared Project Definitions

Sharing styles and notifications sometimes requires that you create extra styles. For example, suppose you want to print the product name in report titles. To do this, you need a copy of your standard report page for each product. Then for each report that uses that report page, you need to provide a product-specific report definition.

Building a Project Template

Before you start using Enterprise HelpDesk to track issues, you should build a project template. A project template is a project that you use as the base for all new projects. The project template contains styles and definitions common to all projects.

For example, a project template can define a standard set of queries, reports, and notifications. In addition, a project template can include a set of fields customized to match your company's process and terminology.

Using a project template allows you to reuse custom styles, notifications, and fields. Each new project can copy (or share) the styles and definitions from the project template.

Before you build a project template, you must first evaluate your issue tracking and reporting requirements. For example, you should decide:

What custom fields and choice lists are required.
What standard queries and reports you want in each project.
What notifications are needed to the workflow in your process.

To build the actual project template, create a new project based on the HelpDesk project, then customize the issue fields and define the custom styles and notifications you need.

Moving Projects

You can move project files from one location to another. For example, in a network environment, you may want to move a project to another server. After you select a new location, Enterprise HelpDesk moves the project files for you.

When you move a project, you must also move any projects that share styles and notifications with that project.

Note that projects that use SQL Server must be located on the same computer as the SQL Server.

To move a project:

In HelpDesk Admin, click a project in the Project list.
In the Project Properties, click the current project location.

The Project Location Editor appears.

Click and select the new location for the project files.

You can also move a project by clicking Relocate Project on the File menu.

Deleting Projects

To delete a project:

In HelpDesk Admin, click a project in the Project list.
On the File menu, click Delete Project.

Migrating Projects

You can automatically migrate projects from MS-Access/Jet to SQL Server. To migrate a project to SQL Server, you must have a license for PC-Duo Enterprise HelpDesk SQL Enabled.

To migrate a project to SQL Server:

In HelpDesk Admin, click a project in the Project list.
On the File menu, click Migrate Project.
In the SQL Server Name box, type the name of the SQL server.
Click Start.

Editing Project Properties

The project properties are displayed when you click a project in the Project list.

Project Location

Location of the project files, which include the issue database and the definitions database.

Definitions Database

The name of the definitions database. The definitions database contains the definitions of the fields, queries, sorts, layouts, reports, and notifications for the project.

If a project shares the definitions of another project, the two projects have the same definitions database.

Database Engine

Specifies whether the project uses Microsoft Access or SQL Server for the issue database.

Groups Allowed to Open Project

List of user groups that are allowed to open the project. Groups allowed to open a project can:

Log on to Web views of the project (if they also have permission to open the views).
Edit the project in HelpDesk Admin (depending on what features are enabled for the group).
Edit views of that project in Web View Editor, or generate new views of that project.

If the Users group is allowed to open the project, then all groups can open the project. The Admins group is always allowed to open projects.

Current Users

Displays the users currently logged on to Web views of the project.

Name

Logon name of the user.

Date/Time

Date and time that the user logged on.

Workstation

The user’s IP address or computer name.

Project

The user is logged on to a Web view of this project.

Virtual Directory

The virtual directory is the final part of the URL used to access the Web view. For example, if the virtual directory is named “helpdesk”, then the URL is http://server/helpdesk.

Virtual directories such as helpdesk00, helpdesk01, and helpdesk02 are all accessed through the //server/helpdesk URL.

Application

This is always “Web View”. The Logons Editor also lists the Web View Editor and Web Admin.

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