With the most recent release of Infralink/IMMS (v.3.5.19), we are happy to offer the following new features and functionality:

• Increased Contract Template Flexibility
  • A la Carte Template Usage
  • Link Durability
  • Merge vs. Overwrite Option for User Role Updates from Template
• Improved Asset History, Configuration and Life Cycle Controls
  • Asset Details Panel Improvements
  • Expanded Permissions Related to Asset Status Transitions
  • Asset Warranty Set at Asset Model
• Expanded Case Import Capabilities

Increased Contract Template Flexibility

Infralink/IMMS Contract Templates both expedite Contract creation and provide more Users with Contract creation capabilities. 

When creating a Contract, the New Contract form has always presented a "Template" checkbox. Selecting that "Template" option allows the new Contract to be cloned in the future for the expedited creation of Contracts that share the same configuration. 
Traditionally, when Users, with appropriate permissions, elected to clone a new Contract from an existing template, they entered the Name/Number, Customer, Contractor and Start Date for the new Contract. Then, the selected Contract Template would populate the Contract form fields, Details panel settings and associations (e.g., User Roles, Case Custom Fields, Work Forms). Using a template in this way created a link between the Template Contract and the cloned Contract, essential for future, template-driven updates to the cloned Contract. If a User edited a cloned Contract in a way that created a discrepancy between that Contract's configuration and the Contract Template configuration, the link between that cloned Contract and the Template Contract was broken.

With the newest release of Infralink/IMMS (v.3.5.19), Users have access to flexible new options for the creation and management of cloned Contract configurations, and the links between the Contract Templates and cloned Contracts are now less rigid.

A la Carte Template Usage

Now, when a User creates a new Contract from template, the Create Contract From Template form allows for field-specific template selection. That is, the User can clone configuration details from one or more Contract Templates on a section-by-section basis. So, you may clone:

• "General Contract Properties" from Template A;
• "Workflows, Default Problem Case Assignees, Select invoice Recipients" from Template B; and
• "Priorities" from Template C.

If a template is not selected for a configuration section within the Create Contract From Template form, that section of the new Contract will contain no values. Only Users with the necessary permissions are allowed to configure those values manually.

Link Durability

When using multiple templates for the creation of a new Contract, a link is created between the new (i.e., cloned) Contract and each Contract Template used for its creation. These clone-to-template links are now more durable, withstanding changes to the cloned Contract. When cloned configurations are edited, the link between that cloned Contract section and the source Contract Template becomes inactive rather than nullified, even for Contracts configured prior to the v.3.5.19 release. An inactive link can be restored by using the Update from Template feature to overwrite that cloned Contract's configuration.

Merge vs. Overwrite Option for User Role Updates from Template

Editing a Contract Template has never provided automatic update to cloned Contracts via the established clone-to-template link. Rather, a User had to manually propagate template updates to select Contract clones. In doing this, template-based updates were delivered via an overwrite function. That is, the cloned Contract would conform completely to the Contract Template. This functionality still exists.
However, Infralink/IMMS now offers more flexibility when performing template-driven updates to the User Roles under a cloned Contract. This is accomplished with a "Merge" alternative to the overwrite tradition.
Let's say you make a spot change to a cloned Contract, adding a User who was not included in the Template Contract. When performing an Update from Template function for User Roles on that modified clone, you will now be presented with a "Merge" option, as well as an "Overwrite" option:

• Merge – This adds any Contract Template values not included under the cloned Contract, but it does not remove any values unique to that cloned Contract.
• Overwrite – This conforms the cloned Contract to the Contract Template configuration, removing any values not included in the template.

If "Merge" is selected, the template-to-clone link will remain inactive. Selecting "Overwrite" will restore the Contract Template Link.

What You Will See in the User Interface:

• The Create Contract From Template form now includes a unique template-selection field for the following configuration sections: General Contract Properties; Workflows, Default Problem Case Assignees, Select invoice recipients; Native Form Template; Priorities; Work Calendar; User Roles; Service Terms; Work Forms, Work Form Export Templates; Printout Templates; Case Custom Fields; and System Element Type Custom Fields.
• Users with Create Contract From Template and Update Contract From Template permissions will now be able to access the Contracts grid view (Configure -> Contracts), which was previously restricted to global permissions.
• A newly cloned Contract may have numerous Contract Template Links, one for each section cloned from a template. The associated Contract Templates will be listed within the "Templates" section of the Contract Details panel. A clone-to-template link will display "inactive" if that link has been deactivated manually or through a Contract edit.

Improved Asset History, Configuration and Life Cycle Controls

Based on user feedback, v.3.5.19 introduces broader features and controls related to Asset records.

Asset Details Panel Improvements

When a record is selected from either the "All Assets" or "Spares" grid view, the associated Asset Details panel is displayed along the right side of the viewing pane. IMMS v.3.5.19 now provides expanded functionality and record history within the Details panel.

What you will see in the User Interface:

• Status Transition Buttons - Located along the top of the Asset Details panel, status transition buttons allow users to quickly transition the selected Asset from one life cycle status to another. Please note: the available status transition buttons will depend upon user permissions as well as the allowed transitions from the Asset's then-current status. Additionally, the Asset Status drop-down menu has been removed from Asset Edit form.
• Asset Update Log – Located at the very bottom of the Asset Details panel, the Updates section now logs all activities which impact Asset attributes. Updates logged in the Asset Details panel now align, in breadth and detail, with the Updates logs associated with Device Details and Case Details, creating a more consistent experience across modules. Additionally, drop-down filtering options, within the Details panel, allow users to easily refine the Updates displayed and more quickly find the Asset history they are interested in.

Expanded Permissions Related to Asset Status Transitions

As most IMMS instances support multiple programs and Contracts, not all globally-configured definitions (e.g., statuses, work flows, etc.) are relevant to each user or team. To better support Contract-specific procedures and restrictions, while streamlining the user experience, IMMS v.3.5.19 introduces more granular permissions related to the Asset life cycle and status transitions. New "Read" and "Update" permissions are associated with the Asset life cycle, and individual permissions can be created for each status transition within an Asset Life Cycle, similar to System Element Workflow transitions.

What you will see in the User Interface:

• Asset Status Transition Buttons - The individual permissions associated with each Asset status transition will determine whether or not a user sees certain status transition buttons within the Asset Details panel.
• Error Message with System Element Installation - When attempting to install a System Element, a user with inadequate Asset deployment permissions will receive the following error message: "There are no Asset statuses available for which you can perform this update. Please contact your system administrator if you feel this is in error."

Asset Warranty Set at Asset Model

The duration of an Asset Warranty is now being set at the Asset Model level instead of individual Asset. The Asset Model will define the default length of the warranty in months. Each Asset of that Asset Model will have its own warranty end date based on the Asset purchase date. If no purchase date is set for an Asset, the warranty end date will be calculated based on the date the Asset record was created.

What you will see in the User Interface:
When creating new Asset Models in IMMS, the New Model form includes a "Warrant (months)" field.

Expanded Case Import Capabilities

The ability to bulk create and bulk update Case records via file import is a powerful and time-saving tool for many users. With the release of v.3.5.19, Case import capabilities have been expanded to now support import of the following Case attributes:

• Summary - This Case attribute can now be included, under the column header "Summary", with both "CREATE" and "UPDATE" Actions in a Case import file.
• Job Number - This Case attribute can now be included, under the column header "Job Number", with both "CREATE" and "UPDATE" Actions in a Case import file.
• Due Date - This attribute can now be included with imported Case "UPDATE" actions, under the column header "Due", as long as the following criteria are met:
  • The User has the necessary edit permissions.
  • The Case Category does not automatically calculate Due Date based on SLA.
  • The Case Category is not a PM category (i.e., not scheduled PM work).
• Description - If your IMMS instance is configured to support the Description field, this Case attribute can now be included, under the column header "Description", with both "CREATE" and "UPDATE" Actions in a Case import file.

What you will see in the User Interface:

The File Tool Tip, accessible from the Case Import Form, now includes expanded guidance for including Due Date, Description, Summary and Job Number fields within your import file.