Glossary
Last updated on 7 August 2020
This glossary is a collection of useful and accessible definitions of terms used in ServiceDesk Plus. Where applicable, information on where the term may be used and the feature that uses it is provided for a better context.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A #
Active Directory #
A technology that is used for user management, authentication, and device management in Windows Domains networks.
AD Authentication #
An Active Directory service used to authenticate users, devices, and services in Windows Domain networks.
Alias URL #
An alternate URL for the application server.
Always On availability Groups #
Always on Availability Groups (AOAG) is a high availability cluster of MSSQL servers that serves as a backup to store attachments, notifications, and external resources in case the DB server fails.
AMS #
Annual Maintenance Support (AMS) is a license that is purchased for continued support from the ServiceDesk Plus team. You can find this on the upper-right of the self-service portal.
Announcements #
Announcements are company-wide messages or information from the help desk that are displayed on the Home Page of the self-service portal.
API #
Application programming interface (API) is used to integrate various applications and facilitate sharing of data between them. With API, ServiceDesk Plus operations can be accessed from other applications or web services.
Approver #
A user who approves a request.
Asset Components #
Asset components cannot function on their own and are grouped with assets. They can be classified as IT components or non-IT components.
Asset Depreciation #
Asset Depreciation calculates the decrease in product value over time.
Asset State #
Asset State denotes the different states of assets in the organization
Attributes #
Attributes are data elements that describe the characteristics of CIs under a CI Type.
B #
Backout Plan #
A contingency plan to be implemented in case change technicians decides to back out of the change.
Backup Approver #
Technician configured to execute approval actions in the absence of a technician with approval permission.
Backup Scheduling #
Schedules periodic backups of application files that are password-protected.
Backup Technician #
Technician configured to be assigned requests in the absence of the actual technician.
Backup Technician Chart #
Tabular view of technicians, their leave records, and the corresponding backup technician for a given period.
Broadcast #
Broadcast is a feature used by administrators or technicians to send out important/emergency messages to all technicians. These messages are displayed as desktop, or push notifications.
Business Rules #
Rules set up exclusively to organize the incoming incident/service requests and perform actions such as delivering them to groups, assigning status, and other request parameters.
Business View #
Business views allow users to view and manage saved relationship maps from one place.
C #
Category #
The topmost level in grouping of requests. Each category has a classified group of sub-categories and items.
Change #
A planned activity that could affect IT services. Change usually involves addition, modification, or removal of an asset, service, or infrastructure within an organization.
Change Advisory Board #
A designated group of technicians or users to assist the Change Manager in assessing, scheduling, and prioritizing changes.
Change Approver #
The person who has the authority to approve/reject the change in approval stage.
Change Calendar View #
Change Calendar View displays the schedule of various changes in weekly and monthly calendars at a single glance.
Change Custom Function #
A user-defined function that can be added to Change Custom Triggers to perform various changes-related actions.
Change List View #
The Change List View is a compact, table view that allows users to create and track change requests.
Change Manager #
The person who has full authority over the change and has the privilege to approve/reject a change.
Change Requester #
The person who initiates the change.
Change Roles #
A set of roles that define access permissions in the Change module.
Change Stages #
A directional classification to manage and track the progress of various activities and functions in changes. The available change stages are submission, planning, approval, implementation, review, and close.
Change Status #
Change Status shows the current state of the change in the organization.
Change Type #
Change types are used to classify changes typically based on importance or priority.
Change Workflow #
Change workflow is a sequential process that defines various actions to be performed on a change based on the status of each change stage.
Checklist (Change) #
A to-do list of essential steps to be completed in order to verify whether the change implementation is completed with all requirements fulfilled.
Checklist (Request) #
Checklist is used to configure and add little chunks of tasks or to-do list in request templates for technicians to follow before closing/completing a request.
Child Contract #
Contracts dependent on the parent contract are called child contracts.
Child Task #
Tasks dependent on the parent task are called child tasks.
CI Type #
Configuration item types (CI Types) denote the broad classification of different entities under which the CIs are categorized.
Closing Rules #
A feature used to select the mandatory fields to be filled in by the technicians while closing the requests.
Closure Code #
Closure Code denotes the reason behind closing a request.
Comments (Project) #
Comments allow project members belonging to different ranks to communicate and raise notifications to each other.
Configuration Items #
Configuration items (CI) refer to all significant entities in an IT environment such as hardware, software applications, documents, business services. and people.
Contracts #
A legal maintenance agreement between an organization and its third-party vendors. Contracts maintain proper functioning without any major downtime due to bad maintenance of the assets owned by the organization.
Contract Type #
Contract Type denotes the different types of contracts that can be added in the application.
Conversations #
A thread containing all the communication within an incident, service, or change request.
Cost Center #
Cost Center refers to individual departments or a group of departments that are budgeted and tracked for the cost, income, and allocation.
Credential Library #
A repository that stores the credentials used in various asset-related operations.
Custom Fields #
Additional fields that can be configured with templates to capture extra information.
Custom Reports #
Reports that can be custom-created by technicians. Custom reports are of four types: Tabular Reports, Matrix Reports, Summary Reports, Audit Reports.
Custom Schedule #
Custom Schedule performs actions specified in a customized script file automatically at specified intervals.
Custom Scripts #
Customized scripts used to modify the application's behavior and UI.
Custom Triggers #
Custom Triggers help customize automatic workflows for different types of user requests.
Custom Views #
Custom Views filter the data displayed based on the specified criteria.
D #
Dashboard #
A graphical display of real-time information of the help desk, problems, changes, assets, and projects consolidated and arranged in a single view for easy monitoring.
Data Archiving #
Data Archiving backs up requests regularly based on predefined criteria.
Data Deletion #
Data deletion deletes any old request data that is unnecessarily taking up space in the system memory.
Data Enriched Language for the Universal Grid Environment (DELUGE) #
A scripting language bundled with ServiceDesk Plus to convert complex functional workflows and automate processes. Using Deluge scripting, users can build custom functions, which can be invoked from Business Rules, Triggers, and Request Life Cycle to manipulate data within ServiceDesk Plus and external applications.
Departments #
Departments are site-specific and configured with departmental roles.
Development Head (Release) #
The person who manages the team that builds and documents the service.
Distributed Asset Scan #
Distributed Asset Scan is used to scan assets distributed across multiple sites using a Remote AssetExplorer Server. The scanned data is pushed to the Central Server manually or automatically.
Downtime #
Downtime Scheduling allows technicians to plan in advance the time during which the related services/assets will be unavailable while implementing a Change.
Dynamic View #
Dynamic View displays the data models of all modules as a visual map. It is mainly used as a reference when creating Query Reports.
E #
Encryption At Rest (EAR) #
Encryption At Rest (EAR) is a feature that encrypts columns in the database to secure user data.
ESM Directory #
The ESM directory lists application-wide configurations applicable across instances. An OrgAdmin can do the following operations from the ESM Directory: New ServiceDesk Instance creation, User Management, User Authorization, and Organizational-Level configuration.
ESM Portal #
The ESM portal is a central console that provides users access to various services and service desk instances within the organization.
F #
Fail Over Service #
Fail Over Service (FOS) is a feature that ensures the availability of service desk application even during a software/hardware failure.
Field And Form Rules #
Rules are used to create dynamic request forms based on user input. Field And Form Rules are executed on requests during request form load, field change, or form submission.
First Call Resolution #
First call resolution (FCR) is a key performance indicator to show whether the customer's problem or inquiry was resolved in the first call.
First Response Time #
First response time indicates the time when a technician responds to the request for the first time.
G #
Gantt View #
Gantt View displays the schedule summary of projects cumulatively and individually as a bar chart. It presents the different phases and the various activities that occur in the project's work breakdown structure.
GDPR #
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European regulation that requires businesses to protect their user's personal data from misuse. GDPR is applicable to organisations operating within the EU and organizations outside of the EU which provide goods or services to EU citizens/residents.
GL Code #
An alpha-numeric string of characters recorded with financial transactions to track, identify, and classify entries for accounting purposes.
Global Search #
Global search allows users to search for any information across all modules in the application.
H #
Health Meter #
Health Meter displays the complete application-related metrics in one glance. It helps to assess the health of your application.
I #
Impact #
A measure of the business criticality of an incident or a problem based on the number of people or systems affected.
Impact Analysis (Change) #
Impact Analysis records the positive and negative impact a change will have before and after implementation.
Impact Details (Problem) #
A detailed explanation of the consequences or areas affected by the raised problem.
Implementer (Change) #
The person or group responsible for implementing the planned change.
Incident/Issue #
An incident/issue is anything that disrupts normal business activity and requires the attention of the help desk. It could be classified as a low, medium, or high-risk event.
Incident Catalog #
A ready-to-use collection of predefined templates of incidents/issues.
Incident Request #
An unplanned interruption to an IT service or reduction in the quality of an IT service that affects normal business activity.
Instance #
An instance is a service desk created specifically for a business function like IT, HR, or Facilities to manage their service desk operations.
IT Assets #
IT Assets possess an IP address and are reachable in a network.
K #
Knowledge Base #
An up-to-date searchable repository of solutions for commonly encountered issues and previously recorded issues.
L #
LDAP #
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is a protocol used to import users from a user directory.
Level #
Level indicates the complexity of a request and helps in the proper assignment of requests to the corresponding technicians based on their experience.
License Expiry Alert #
The License Expiry Alert displays the number of days before which the existing license (or the trial version) will expire.
Line Manager (Change) #
The person who authorizes the initial level of acceptance of a new change request.
Live Chat #
Live Chat enables users to interact with technicians. It is available on the lower-right corner of the self-service portal.
Local Authentication #
Authentication based on the user's application credentials.
M #
Mail Server Settings #
Mail server settings are used to configure incoming and outgoing email settings so that requesters and technicians can send and receive emails.
MIB Browser #
The MIB browser allows technicians to navigate within the MIB of the selected network device, retrieve the value of any MIB variables, issue SNMP MIB queries on a specified network device, and display the result of these queries.
Milestone #
A milestone marks a significant event in a project. It is used to group project tasks to establish relationships between them and define task dependency.
Mode #
Modes refer to the paths in which incident/service requests can be submitted and tracked in the application.
N #
Network Scan #
Network scan discovers the devices that are part of the networks present in the organization.
Non-IT Assets #
Non-IT Assets do not have an IP address.
Notes #
Notes are used to supply small pieces of additional information to already placed requests. It can be accessed from the Actions drop-down menu on the request details page.
Notification Rules #
Notification rules define the conditions under which the application must trigger notifications to stakeholders, technicians, and other users.
O #
OAuth #
OAuth is a standard authorization protocol that provides delegated access to a protected resource using web tokens instead of passwords.
Operational Hours #
Operational hours define the standard working days and hours of technicians.
Operational Level Agreements #
Operational level agreements (OLA) define how various IT groups within a company plan to deliver a service. OLAs decide how the SLA can be achieved by the internal groups working on the request.
P #
Page Scripts #
Page Scripts are used to customize the UI elements and functionalities in the application page-wise.
Parent Contract #
A contract on which one or more contracts depend is called the parent contract.
Parent Task #
The first task in the sequence on which other tasks depend is called the parent task.
PII #
Personally identifiable information (with respect to GDPR) within the application such as user's name, social security number, insurance details, or racial or ethnic data
PO Approver #
Users configured to execute approval actions on purchase orders.
Preventive Maintenance Tasks #
Preventive Maintenance Tasks help schedule and manage periodic maintenance activities to ensure operating efficiency and safety of the organization.
Priority #
Priority defines the importance that is to be given to the request.
Priority Matrix #
Priority Matrix helps to determine the priority of a request automatically based on impact and urgency.
Problem #
A problem is an unknown cause of one or more incidents.
Problem Request #
A Problem Request is raised to resolve an underlying cause of one or more recurring incidents.
Product #
Products refer to the commodities purchased by the organization.
Product Type #
Product Type is the high-level categorization in grouping products.
Profile Picture #
Profile pictures are user-customizable images that serve as an identity. It appears on the upper-right of the self-service portal.
Project #
A change request is broken down into smaller workable sub-parts called projects. It is essentially a set of tasks organized to accomplish a common goal. To work on a project, a user must be assigned a project role.
Project List View #
The Project List View is a compact, tabular view that allows users to create and track projects.
Project Members #
Any user with an assigned project role.
Project Overview Map #
A map presenting a bird's eye view of the project. It provides an overview of the entire project with its milestones and tasks representing clearly the different layers existing within the project.
Project Role #
Unique roles assigned to the project members for efficient project management. Different roles have different levels of access or permission to the project.
Proxy Settings #
Proxy settings configure the proxy server to establish a secure connection between the organization and other servers.
Purchase Order #
An official document issued by a purchaser to a seller confirming purchase details, including items, quantities, type, and price.
Purchase Request #
Purchase Requests serve as a record in documenting the organization’s approval process of a purchase proposal prior to the issuance of a purchase order.
Purchase Workflow #
A predefined sequential process that defines status transitions of Purchase Requests and Purchase Orders.
Q #
QA Manager (Release) #
The person who leads the team that evaluates the functionality of the service.
Query Reports #
Reports generated by executing SQL queries to get information from the application database.
Quick Actions #
Quick Actions lists Add New forms, Scheduler, Tasks, Reminders, Asset - Groups, Scanning inventories, and Archived Requests for ease of access.
Quick Create #
An instant mode to create a new incident.
R #
Region #
Region refers to the various geographic locations where an organization has its branches.
Relationship Map #
The Relationship Map displays the dependencies between the CIs and the requests, problems, and changes raised for the associated CIs in a map layout.
Relationships #
Relationships denote the link between two CIs that identifies the dependency or connection between them.
Relationship Type #
Relationship Types shows how the CIs are interconnected and interdependent with other CIs. Relationship Type is expressed twice, one as Relationship Type and the other as Inverse Relationship Type.
Release Engineer #
The person who plans the release process, deploys the service, and trains stakeholders to use the service.
Release Manager #
The person who oversees the release process and ensures that the service meets objectives and quality standards.
Release Requester #
The person who initiates service release by defining priority, risk, and business requirements.
Release Reviewer #
The person who analyses the entire release process and evaluates possible outcomes.
Reminder #
A digital substitute for sticky notes or post-it notes that helps remember the tasks for a particular day.
Remote AE Server #
Remote AssetExplorer server or AssetExplorer probe can be installed in geographically dispersed sites to periodically scan remote IT assets and push the data into the central server.
Remote Control Tools #
Remote Control Tools allows administrators and technicians to access remote machines from the server.
Reports #
A set of preset help desk, problem/change, and asset information generated from the data available in the application.
Request Catalog #
A ready-to-use collection of incident and service request templates.
Request Classic View #
Request Classic View presents the request data in a linear manner.
Request Collaboration #
Request Collaboration feature enables a technician to stay aware of other technicians working on a request simultaneously.
Request Combined View #
Request Combined View enables technicians to track requests and tasks on the same page.
Request Dependency #
Request dependency is a logical relationship between requests that defines the order of completion of each request.
Request Life Cycle #
A request resolution process with built-in guidance for the help desk technicians to establish a directional flow, minimize scope for human errors and provide privileged (role-based) access to status transitions.
Request List View #
Request List View is a compact, tabular view of requests.
Resolution #
Resolution is added by technicians to service and incident requests when they are fully or partially resolved.
Resource Information #
Resource information is displayed in service requests to help the assigned technician collect more information on the requested service.
Resource Management #
Resource Management provides an overview of the distribution of all tasks, across all resources or technicians. It helps track resource load and plan, manage, and deploy the right resources to the right tasks.
Reviewer (Change) #
The person who authorizes the initial level of acceptance of a new change request.
Roadmap #
Roadmap provides an overview of what users can expect from ServiceDesk Plus in future releases.
Roles #
Roles are a set of permissions that enables each technician in accessing the help desk tool to execute specific tasks in the application.
Rollout Plan #
The Plan to implement the change in a phased manner or as a whole using a single change or a series of changes.
Root Cause #
The underlying reason for the problem to occur, which is to be resolved.
S #
SAML Authentication #
Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) brings an easier alternative to conventional sign-in methods by exchanging authentication and authorization data between two entities, namely an Identity Provider(IdP) and a Service Provider(SP).
SCCM #
System Centre Configuration Manager (SCCM) integration facilitates inventory management while promptly updating the asset data from SCCM to ServiceDesk Plus.
Scheduled Reports #
Reports that can be configured to run based on a specific schedule/cycle.
Scheduler #
A schedule calendar displaying the number of open requests, problems, changes, tasks, and reminders for groups/technicians in a given month.
Scheduled Scan #
A type of scan that can be used to discover assets at a set regular interval.
Scribble Pad #
Scribble Pad is an alternative to notes/reminders, which is present across all modules, for technicians to jot down hurried notes while working on requests.
Self-Service Portal #
A portal that enables users to raise requests, find solutions, manage projects, and interact with technicians.
Serverlog Parser #
Serverlog parser displays only the exception traces from the server logs for identifying the functional failure/issue.
Server Protocol #
A protocol used to connect the ServiceDesk Plus server with an external/remote one.
Service Catalog #
A ready-to-use collection of predefined templates that lists all the available IT services, across the organization.
Service Categories #
Service Category is a comprehensive list of IT services provided by the organization to the end-users. Each service has a classified group of service items that can be made available to specific user groups.
Service Desk #
The point of communication between service providers and the organization’s users.
Service Items #
Service Items are further categorizations of service sub-categories.
Service Level Agreements #
A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is an official commitment between a service provider and a customer. SLAs define the time within which technicians must respond to and resolve requests.
Service Request #
A formal communication that is used to request any service from the help desk. Unlike incidents, service requests are not used for things that affect normal business activity.
Service Request Editor #
A user, apart from the technician, who has the permission to add additional information to a service request.
Service Tags #
A unique number given to assets by manufacturers.
Site #
Sites classify the various branches of an organization present in the same region. They provide control over ITAM processes across the organization from a single console.
SNMP Configuration #
SNMP Configuration allows technicians to map Object IDs (OIDs) to SNMP device attributes, which have so far been reserved to the database.
Software Compliance #
Software Compliance tracks the purchased and installed software licenses to ensure software license compliance.
Software Metering #
Software Compliance tracks the purchased and installed software licenses to ensure software license compliance.
Solution #
A brief description of the process or steps undertaken to resolve the problem.
SSL Certificate #
A Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificate is signed by a valid Certificate Authority (CA) that enables applications to run on HTTPS.
Standalone Audit #
Standalone Audit scans workstations and servers that are not part of any domain/network by installing a script in the device.
Status #
Status indicates the level of progress of a request.
Status Comments #
Status Comments are prompted when technicians edit the status of a request/change. Technicians enter status comments to state the reason for altering the request/change status.
Support File #
A file created by the application containing all server data that is used to log your queries to the support team.
Support Groups #
Support Groups denote the classification of technicians, so that the incoming requests are categorized and distributed based on the technicians' expertise. Support Groups can also restrict a technician's access to requests, sites, or configurations.
Survey Reports #
The summary details of the survey results can be generated as survey reports.
Surveys #
Surveys interact with end-users to capture feedback about the service provided. In ServiceDesk Plus, surveys are coupled with intuitive reporting.
Symptoms #
A descriptive note of the minor defects or malfunctions that indicates the problem, so as to identify it in the future.
SysOID #
The SysOID of a network device identifies the device's model, product type, and manufacturer.
System Log Viewer #
System Log Viewer lists all the log details of admin configurations.
T #
Tags #
Keywords that are used to group similar types of requests.
Task #
A discrete piece of work or activity that can be done in a project.
Task Dependency #
It is a logical relationship between tasks that is used to define the order of completion of each task.
Task Trigger #
Task trigger sequences tasks to be executed automatically and ensures that child tasks are executed only upon the completion of the parent task.
TCP Protocol #
Transmission Control Protocol is a connection-based communications protocol.
Technician #
The help desk team responsible for handling requests raised by the employees of the organization.
Technician Availablity Chart #
The Technician Availability Chart displays a matrix view of technicians, along with the number of open requests assigned to them and their availability for a given month.
Template #
A ready-to-use form with auto-populated fields that is available for various tasks, projects, issues, and service requests. Users can use templates to save time and effort spent in creating the forms from scratch.
Thread Dump #
A collective record of all the activities running in the JAVA running system.
Time Analysis #
Time Analysis displays SLAs defined for the request and tracks the time spent by support groups/technicians individually and cumulatively in resolving the request, and the intervals between various statuses.
Timesheet #
Timesheet displays the time spent by project members individually and cumulatively on various tasks of the Project.
Topics #
Solutions are grouped into topics and subtopics for efficient management.
Type #
Type is a subdivision of product types that is classified into Asset, Components, and Consumable.
U #
UAT Owner (Release) #
The person who organizes and manages the testing of the service by stakeholders and select clients.
Urgency #
Urgency defines the necessary speed of solving an incident of a certain impact.
User #
A user denotes a requester, technician, or administrator.
User Groups #
A classification of all the ServiceDesk Plus users (requesters) within the organization. User grouping restricts everyone from accessing certain service items, solutions, announcements, and templates.
W #
Widget #
Widgets are interactive UI elements that can be embedded in the application's dashboard.
Windows Agent #
Windows agent is an application that helps in fetching hardware and software information and to take remote control of the device in which it is installed.
Windows Domain Scan #
Windows Domain Scan is a scanning method based on WMI protocol that scans all the Windows machines in a domain or workgroup.
Workaround #
Workarounds are temporary solutions to problems that can be used by the technician till the actual solution is ready.
Work Log #
A common platform where technicians can log the time spent in resolving a request, problem, or task.
Work Log Timer #
A timer to track the time spent (by a technician) on a request.
Workstation/Device Scan #
Workstation/device scan is used to scan a newly added workstation/device added to a network instead of scanning the entire network.
Z #
Zia #
Zia is a continuously learning AI assistant that can be trained to help automate various service desk tasks.