Self Help Extractor is a tool for extracting data from Self Help procedures in order to import them to the Service Manager knowledge base using an integration model. You can schedule the integration to update the database on a regular basis.

What is the purpose of Self Help Extractor?

• Synchronize on a daily basis the Self Help and Service Manager knowledge bases.
• Ensure that Support team members can access the latest knowledge articles when they run a full text search when resolving a ticket.
• Ensure that users can access the latest knowledge articles when they run a search on the Self Service portal.

Operating principle

Display

Steps

In Self Help (1) On the Service Manager server, Self Help Extractor sends a request to Self Help to extract the procedures of a Self Help project. (2) A CSV file containing the Self Help project tree structure and data from procedures will be generated. In Service Manager (3) The CSV file will automatically be placed in the FTP folder on the Service Manager server. (4) An integration model is run to import data from the CSV file to the Service Manager knowledge base. (5) The procedures imported from Self Help can be consulted in known errors or knowledge articles in Service Manager.

Examples

• Ticket: Run a full text search and access the knowledge base to consult articles containing the keywords, Print PDF. Click a knowledge article to display the procedure imported from Self Help.
             

• Self Service portal: Access the knowledge base to consult articles containing the keywords, Skype meeting. Click a knowledge article to display the procedure imported from Self Help.
             

Notes

• Self Help Extractor is not installed by default. You must submit a request asking the EasyVista CMC team to implement this tool.
• Any new Self Help project to be synchronized must be configured by the EasyVista CMC team. You must provide the information the CMC team will require for its configuration, e.g. domain, project name, theme, FTP folder, extraction frequency, etc.

• Data in Self Help project folders with no procedures that can be run individually will not be extracted.
• Data from unpublished procedures will not be extracted.

• The CSV file will be placed in the folder called Resources/<Account>/Integration. <Account> corresponds to the Service Manager database where the data should be integrated.
• The name of the file will always be the same. It will be overwritten each time an extraction is run.

• The integration model should be built using the standard connector called Known errors & Knowledge (Self Help Extractor). Depending on requirements, EasyVista may insert additional fields to integrate data specific to Self Help procedures.

Caution

• Self Help Extractor extracts data based on the name of the Self Help project. As such, you must inform the EasyVista CMC team of any changes to Self Help Extractor project names so that the configuration of Self Help Extractor can be modified accordingly. If this is not done:
  • Two Self Help projects will be present in the knowledge base.
  • Only those knowledge articles pointing to the new Self Help project name will be synchronized.
  • Users can still consult knowledge articles from the old Self Help project. These articles may not be up-to-date and may contain obsolete links.

• If you integrated data using the old Self Help project name:
  • In Service Manager, you must remove all knowledge articles pointing to the old Self Help project name.
  • You must provide the new Self Help project name to the EasyVista CMC team.
  • You must run data integration again in Service Manager once the CSV file is generated using the new Self Help project name.

Best Practice

• Plan sufficient time for publishing procedures before data extraction is run by Self Help Extractor.
• Set up the Self Help content validation workflow to publish validated procedures only.

Procedure: How to update the Service Manager knowledge base

Prerequisites

1. Provide the EasyVista CMC team with the required information for implementing Self Help Extractor.

• Domain where the Self Help project to be extracted is found.
• Exact name of the Self Help project.
• Data extraction frequency, by default, three times a day.
• Service Manager database where the data should be integrated.

  example  Production database 50005, test database 40000

• Theme used to display the Self Help project.
   

Step 1: Create the integration model in Service Manager.

      See the detailed procedure.
 

1. Select Administration > Integration > Integration models  in the menu.

2. Create the integration model.
         

• Select the type of update you want, i.e. Insertion & Update to create new records in the database and update the existing ones.
• Select the CSV data type.
• Select the language of the data in the CSV file.
• Select the connector called Known errors & Knowledge (Self Help Extractor).
• Select the Take First Row as Header box to indicate that the first row of the file contains field labels.
• Select the Create Log box to generate a log file at the end of the processing.
• Click Upload and select the CSV file generated by Self Help Extractor.
  Note:  The CSV file will be available in the folder called Resources/<Account>/Integration. <Account> corresponds to the Service Manager database where the data should be integrated.
• Click Next.

3. Map the fields in the CSV file (Source column) with the fields in the connector (Destination column).
         

• Specify a default value for Service Manager fields with no mapped value in the CSV file.
• Click Next.

4. Specify the properties of the fields.  See the description.
         

Step 2: Run the integration model in Service Manager.

Run an immediate execution for data synchronization.

Schedule the data synchronization.

Step 3: Check that the Service Manager knowledge base has been correctly updated.

1. Select Service Operation > Problems & Known Errors > Known Errors or select Service Transition > Knowledge > Knowledge in the menu.

2. Check that the knowledge articles have been correctly updated.