Configuring Preferences


Overview

Tasks

Included with

Tivoli Change Management administration


Overview

What are preferences?

In Tivoli Change Management, preferences are used to set or modify the following application options:
  • CCB Name Prefix
    When you add a Change Control Board (CCB), Tivoli Change Management automatically creates the CCB name in the format PrefixNumber, where Prefix is the CCB Name Prefix that you specify and Number is the next available CCB number. The default is CCB.
  • Change Export File Suffix
    With Tivoli Change Management, you can export selected change records into a file, then import the changes back into the database at a later time. You specify the name and path of the export file, then Tivoli Change Management appends the file name with the Change Export File Suffix. The default is CHG.
  • Change Name Prefix
    When you create a new change, Tivoli Change Management automatically creates the change name in the format PrefixNumber, where Prefix is the Change Name Prefix that you specify and Number is the next available change number. The default is Change_.
  • Daily End Time
    When a change is created from a model, the Daily End Time is added to the change as the planned end time for tasks. In the Daily End Time setting, you should specify the normal ending time for a work day, in 24-hour clock format. The default is 17:00:00.
  • Daily Start Time
    When a change is created from a model, the Daily Start Time is added to the change as the planned starting time for tasks. In the Daily Start Time setting, you should specify the normal starting time for a work day, in 24-hour clock format. The default is 08:00:00.
  • DDE Delay
    When data is transferred between two applications in DDE, there must be a delay between statements so data is not lost. The DDE Delay is the length of the delay, in seconds, between DDE statements. The default is 3, the maximum value is 65.535.
  • DDE Timer
    Tivoli Change Management shares data with Microsoft Project through DDE. If you modify change data in Tivoli Change Management, TCM also updates the data in Microsoft Project at the interval, in seconds, that you specify in the DDE Timer setting. The default is 60, the maximum value is 65.535.
  • Display Message When Rule Fires?
    Each time a user saves a new or modified change, Tivoli Change Management fires any applicable time-independent business rules. This preference determines whether Tivoli Change Management displays a message to inform the user when a rule fires. The default is Yes.
  • Fax Path
    Tivoli Change Management sends notification messages to affected users at various stages of the change process. E-mail, fax, and digital pager are notification methods. If a notification attempt fails because, for example, the person does not have a user ID or an assigned notification method, Tivoli Change Management creates the notification in an ASCII document and saves it in the path specified in the Fax Path setting. The resulting document is suitable for sending, via fax, to the intended recipient. The default is c:\fax\.
  • Hot News Duration
    If you use Tivoli Change Management with Tivoli Problem Management, TCM can automatically generate Hot News records as part of its impact analysis. The Hot News Duration setting specifies the number of days to keep a Hot News record. The default is 30.
  • Hot News Severity
    If you use Tivoli Change Management with Tivoli Problem Management, TCM can automatically generate Hot News items as part of its impact analysis. The Hot News Severity setting specifies the severity code to assign to the TPM Hot News items. This must be a valid severity code in TPM. The default is 3.
    Note: 3 may not be a valid severity code in your database.
  • Hours Per Workday
    When you add a schedule task to a change in Tivoli Change Management, you specify the start and end dates for the task. When you transfer the data to Microsoft Project using the DDE interface, Microsoft Project uses the dates you typed, along with the Hours Per Workday value, to schedule the task. For example, if you add a task that takes four days and the Hours Per Workday value is 8, Microsoft Project schedules 32 hours for the task. If the Hours Per Workday value is 6, Microsoft Project schedules 24 hours for the task. The default is 8.0.
  • Import/Export Log File Name
    In Tivoli Change Management, you can import and export changes, rules, and models. The Import/Export Log File Name setting specifies the name of the file to use to track any errors that occur while importing or exporting. The default is c:\exp_imp.log.
  • Model Export File Suffix
    With Tivoli Change Management, you can export models into a file, then import the models back into the database at a later date. You specify the name and path of the export file and Tivoli Change Management appends the file name with the Model Export File Suffix. The default is MOD.
  • Model Name Separator
    When you add a model, Tivoli Change Management automatically creates the model name in the format Model-Number, where - is the Model Name Separator you specify and Number is the next available number. The default is -.
  • Notify Resource Days
    When you add a schedule task to a model or change, you can specify the task resources. Resources are the people available to perform the task. Before a task starts, Tivoli Change Management sends a notification message to the resources for the task. In the Notify Resource Days setting, you can specify the number of days in advance to send the notification. The default is 0.0.
  • Path to Copy Model Attachments
    This setting specifies the destination path to use when copying attached files from a model to a change. The path should be one that is accessible to multiple users, such as a public folder on a network. If, when a file is copied, the file name already exists in the destination folder, Tivoli Change Management changes the last four characters of the file name to include the change ID. The default is c:\.
  • Problem Status Code
    If your company uses Tivoli Change Management with Tivoli Problem Management, you can associate TPM problems with TCM changes. This is useful, for example, when a problem is the source for the change. When the change is complete, TCM updates the problem with the problem status code that you specify in the Problem Status Code setting. There is no default for this setting because the status code you specify must be a valid problem status code in TPM.
  • Project Path
    The Project Path setting specifies the drive and folder containing the Microsoft Project data files that relate to changes. Users must have write permission to this folder. If you want multiple users to have access to the same project files, you should use a shared or public folder. The default is c:\WINPROJ4\.
  • Report Path
    Tivoli Change Management includes a set of report files that you can modify and run to monitor your change data. When you install TCM, the reports are installed in the default Report Path. If you do not use the default installation paths or if you move the reports after they are installed, you should update the Report Path setting. The default is c:\tivtsd\tcm\reports\.
  • Rule Export File Suffix
    With Tivoli Change Management, you can export business rules into a file, then import the rules back into the database at a later date. You specify the name and path of the export file and TCM appends the file name with the Rule Export File Suffix. The default is RUL.
  • Rule Name Prefix
    When you create a new business rule, Tivoli Change Management automatically creates the rule name in the format PrefixNumber, where Prefix is the Rule Name Prefix that you specify and Number is the next available rule number. The default prefix is Rule_.
  • Rule Priority Default
    You can specify the priority in which a rule fires. Rules fire in ascending order. The default is 1.
    Note: Rules for All Categories have precedence over rules for Specific Categories.
  • Statistics Path
    You can run statistics reports and save them to a file. The Statistics Path setting specifies the path for the file. You must specify the file name when you define a statistics report. The default is c:\tsd99\tcm\reports\.
  • Task Command Time Window
    For changes and models, you can associate operating system commands with tasks. When a user adds a command to a task, the user specifies whether the command should run before or after the task is complete. The Task Command Time Window setting specifies the number of days, before or after the task is complete, that commands can be executed. The default is 1.0.
  • Task Sort Order
    You can specify a task sort order by defining an ORDER BY clause in an SQL Select statement that retrieves the tasks. Therefore, the columns referenced in the definition must be valid according to the IMPLEMENT_SCHEDULE table, and the syntax must be valid for your database. If not, database errors occur.
    If you do not define a sort order, tasks are sorted by the default setting, START_DATE, START_TIME.
  • Work Unit
    When you add a resource to a schedule task in Tivoli Change Management, you assign the number of hours you expect the resource to work on the task. When you transfer the data to Microsoft Project using the DDE interface, Microsoft Project uses the number of hours, along with the Work Unit value, to schedule the resource. For example, if a resource is assigned to a task for 24 hours and the Work Unit value is 8, the Project schedules the resource for three days. If the Work Unit value is 6, Project schedules the resource for four days. The default is 8.0.

Tasks

Configuring preferences

You can set or modify Tivoli Change Management preferences.

To modify the value associated with one of the preference options:

  1. From the Configuration menu, choose Configure Change Management.
    Result: The List Maintenance dialog box appears.
  2. From the List Maintenance dialog box, choose the Preferences tab.
  3. Select the preference option to modify.
    Result: The current value for that preference appears in the Replacement Value box.
  4. In the Replacement Value box, modify the string.
  5. Do one of the following:
    • Choose another tab to continue setting options.
    • Choose Close.
      Result: The Tivoli Service Desk window appears.