Create a shared dashboard

It is common to create shared dashboards for case handlers in a queue. This is often a good idea to make it easier to follow up on tickets in the queue and to work more efficiently. The main functionality of dashboards is searches, and saved searches in RT can be used in several contexts. These can include:

• Facilitating our own RT overview (often called the home screen)
• Creating personal dashboards
• Creating shared dashboards available for, for example, other case handlers or queue managers

Set up a dashboard

To create a new dashboard, go to Reports  in the top menu of RT and click on New dashboard.

Give a descriptive name for this and select the correct Visibility. If you choose to save this under My dashboards, you will be the only one who can see it. If you are a queue manager, you will have additional options available.

Then click on Create. Now that the dashboard is created, we can change the content by clicking on Content.

There are two different lists of content in a dashboard, the body and the sidebar. The body is the primary display where you often have the most important searches, as these tend to take up a lot of space. The sidebar shows to the right side of the dashboard. Here you can have components that do not need much space.

Dashboards are made up of components, which often consist of searches. To add components, you just need to drag them from the overview on the left to where you want the component to be. This is also how you change the order.

The overview has several categories. The top ones and those under System are built-in components that you cannot modify. The other components are listed under the name of the group they belong to.

• See the guide for case handlers for more information.

How to save searches

First, you need to create the search you want to use. Feel free to follow the guide for case handlers. Try your search to ensure it works as expected.

Then, you can click on Save (1) in the field to the right of the screen. Here you can name your search. You also need to choose who has access to the saved search. You can also load saved search (2) to use it again later.

There are several different types of visibility you can set on your search. To use it in a shared dashboard, it is important that everyone using the dashboard has access to the search.

Below, we have examples of commonly used searches. We recommend getting familiar with the search function by experimenting a bit and perhaps creating the searches below.

Commonly used searches

New tickets in the queue 

1. In RT, go to Search -> Tickets -> New search
2. In Advanced search you should look at the following criteria: Queue, Status and Owner. You can set these to the following values:
   • Queue: the queue you are interested in
   • Status: This should be set to new
   • Owner: This should be set to Nobody

   

3. When you have selected the correct criteria, you can click on Add these terms. You will see this:

   

4. Then it's important to save your search in the correct place so that it is available to all case handlers.
5. Under Privacy,  select the group named something like <queue>-case handler's saved searches. For Description, use a suitable name.

   

Tickets with responses from the user/customer

When you want to retrieve tickets with responses from the user, there are two things to consider:

• We need to find tickets that have not been last updated by ourselves
• We need to find tickets that have not been last updated by other case handlers at our unit.

These arguments will be translated into a search in RT.

1. Go to Search -> Tickets -> New search
2. In Add criteria first select
   • Queue: the queue you are searching in
   • Owner: yourself - because you want to see responses from the customer on your tickets
   • Click on Add these terms

   

3. Next, we need to choose the status of the ticket. Initially, it should be open, but it can also be new or stopped. Initially, add that the ticket is open. It should look like this:

   

   In the image, you can see that AND Status = 'open' is highlighted. If you do not have that now, just click on the line. Then click on the arrow pointing to the right. Once you have done this, the entire line should be moved slightly to the right and be in parentheses. This allows you to add additional arguments that can search for tickets that are open, new or stopped.

4. While the line with the argument is still highlighted, go back to your criteria and specify that the ticket should be new. Before adding the new criteria, make sure that Aggregator is set to OR. Then you can click on Add these terms. 

   

5. Result:

   

   Do the same with the next argument Status = stopped.

6. The next step is to specify who last updated the ticket. Earlier, we mentioned that we want to find tickets that have not been updated by you or by other case handlers in your unit.
   In Add criteria specify Last updated is not <username> and click on Add these terms.

   

7. We need to do the same with all other case handlers at your unit. You will need to select them based on username. You will find all of them in the dropdown menu where you found yourself.
8. Remember to save the search under the correct Visibility!

My tickets updated by other case handlers

Sometimes, there is a need to see if anyone has updated your tickets while you have been away. To create such a search, there are two aspects to consider:

• Tickets should be owned by me.
• Tickets should be last updated by others, but not by me.

1. At first, you can choose which queue this applies to and who should own the ticket. In this case, you should set yourself as the Owner. Add these arguments by clicking on Add these terms.
2. Then set the Status to open. Click on Add these terms.
3. Finally, you should specify that your tickets should be last updated by others. You do this by setting Last updated by to not equal the respective user. 

   

    

4. Then you can click on Add these terms. As a result, you should get something similar to below, except that you are the owner and instead of having the request-tracker queue - you have your own.

   

5. Remember to save the search under the correct Visibility!

My tickets in the queue

No matter what role one has in RT, it is very useful to have an overview of one's own tickets in one or more queues. There are three criteria:

• You should own the tickets.
• The tickets should be in the correct queue
• The tickets should either be open,new or stopped,

1. Set the Queue to be the one you wish to search in, then set the Owner to yourself. Click on Add these terms. If you own tickets in multiple queues, it may be wise to refrain from specifying a queue. This way, you will search in all queues.
2. Set the Status to be open; click on Add these terms. While the argument is highlighted, click on the arrow pointing to the right under Current search.
3. Next, go back to set the Status to new - but with a Aggregator set to OR; click on Add these terms. Do the same with another argument stopped under Status. The result should look like this: