Data migration from Alloy Navigator 6

All Alloy Navigator object records are imported.

Approval Management

Alloy Navigator 2023 offers an improved Approval functionality. In contrast to version 6, approval procedure can be applied to any Alloy Navigator object class (Contracts, Incidents, Purchase Orders, etc.), not only to Change Requests.

Approval Stages — Approval Stages are stages (voting scenarios) of approval processes. There can be one or several Approval Stages within each approval process.

Approval Requests — Approval Requests are requests sent to specific persons (approvers) to approve or reject them. There can be one or several Approval Requests within each Approval Stage.

During the migration process, the existing Approval functionality for Change Requests is retained. The Settings enables you to choose which logic to use for Change Request Approvals (Workflow and Business Logic > Service Desk > Change Requests > Options). By default, the old logic is applied.

IMPORTANT: We recommend that you upgrade to the new, full-featured Approval Workflow to get the most out of Alloy Navigator for your Change Management. For instructions, see Upgrade to the new approval workflow.

Purchasing and Stock Management

Consumables — Consumables are goods that are used continually until run out or discarded, such as paper, post-it notes, or toner cartridges.

Products — Products are assets, consumables, or services that you offer to your internal company users through the Product Catalog. Products used to describe what products your company may order from Vendors.

Vendors — Vendors are companies that supply goods or services to your company.

Vendor Products — Vendor Products are goods or services supplied by a particular Vendor.

Stock Rooms — Stock Rooms are places where consumables and assets are stored for future use.

Stock Rules — Stock Rules are rules for automatic movement of assets and consumables. When stock is running low (i.e. the quantity of consumables or assets reaches a specified threshold), the Stock Rule business logic may notify the manager to move assets or consumables from another Stock Room or order goods from a Vendor.

Equipment Lending Library and Equipment Reservation Management

Equipment Reservations — Equipment Reservations are requests for Library Items made in advance in order to reserve an item for the specified period of time. Alloy Navigator uses Equipment Reservations to visualize and manage the Library reservation queue and the reservation calendar for each Library Item.

Service Catalog and Service Request Management

Service Catalog Items — Service Catalog Items are standard services that you offer to your customers through the Service Catalog.

Service Requests — Service Requests are Service Desk tickets of a new class, which are prioritized and handled in the scope of Service Request Management. Unlike other Tickets that are used to fix things that break, Service Requests are used to get services or perform certain actions (e.g. reset password or replace a printer cartridge) that your customers need. When users request a service from the Service Catalog, they submit Service Requests.

HTML Fields

The new version supports HTML in these fields:

• The Description field for Tickets (Change Requests, Incidents, Problems, Service Requests, and Work Orders).
• The Activity.Details field for all object classes.

In previous versions of Alloy Navigator, these were Memo (plain text) fields. In order to support HTML input and pass HTML values to other workflow components, the new version introduces a new HTML type for virtual fields, parameters, and variables.

Install the default workflow:

New workflow items and components uses HTML virtual fields, parameters, and variables to support HTML for the Description and Activity.Details fields.

Keep the existing workflow:

If your imported workflow items and components continue to treat the Description and the Activity.Details fields as Memo fields.

If you want to enable HTML format in Ticket descriptions and Activity details, now you should review your imported workflow and change the Memo type to HTML type in all virtual fields, parameters, and variables that supply data to the Description and Activity.Details fields.

For details, see Administration Guide: Workflow Management.

Person Pager numbers

The Pager field has been removed from Person records as obsolete. The contents of that field are imported into the user-defined field UDF_Pager, and the business logic involving this field is updated correspondingly.

If there are any reports or views based on the Pager field, you will need to review them and update as necessary.

Summary reports

Summary reports are imported.

Alloy Navigator 2023 offers report categorization, and all reports are broken down by categories. When building the categories tree, users can add new categories or subcategories, move, modify and delete any of them.

During the migration, Alloy Navigator 2023 automatically creates two system categories:

• Legacy Reports (Alloy Navigator 6) -- includes all imported reports.
• New in Alloy Navigator 2023 – includes new Alloy Navigator 2023 reports. All new reports are Microsoft Report Builder (RDL) reports.

For details, see Help: Summary Reports.

The new version introduces Scheduled Reports, a new type of Automation Service jobs. For details, see Administration Guide: Scheduling Reports.

Detail reports

Detail reports are imported.

Alloy Navigator 2023 enables technicians to hide or reveal detail reports from the Print menu. During the migration, Alloy Navigator 2023 automatically hides the imported detail reports, and the Print menu contains only the new ones. If you need to enable imported reports, select Print > Manage Reports in the object detail window and choose to show hidden reports in Print menu.

For details, see Help: Detail Reports.

Object Identifiers

Object Identifiers are imported.

For new object classes, new object identifiers are added.

For details, see Administration Guide: Configuring Object Identifiers.

Object Relationship Map

Object Relationship Map is imported.

For new object classes, new relationship types are added.

For details, see Administration Guide: Configuring Object Relationship

Work Calendars

Work Calendars are imported.

In addition to corporate work calendar with corporate exception lists, each technician now may have a personal work calendar defined by the corporate support hours and their individual list of personal events such as vacations and other time off.
For details, see Administration Guide: Setting Up Work Calendars.

User Macros

Install the default workflow:

All existing macros are replaced with new ones.

Keep the existing workflow:

All macros are imported.

TIP: All user macros have a new location: Workflow and Business Logic > Macros. Alternatively, you can still use the Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Macros section to access user macros for a particular object class.

System Macros

System macros are imported.

These system macros are converted into user macros, so you can customize them in AN8:

• Activity List Published
• Links All
• Assignee Group E-mail List
• Activity List All
• PO Items All

System Performance settings

System Performance settings are imported.

For details, see:

• Administration Guide: Full-Text Search
• Administration Guide: Limiting Attachment Size
• Administration Guide: Controlling the Action Bar Options

Dashboards

In Alloy Navigator 6, dashboards consist of informative Panels, which include Charts, Tables, Report Lists, etc.

Each dashboard has its own panels, which are not shared. For example, if you have two dashboards and want to add the same table to them (e.g. the list of computers), you need to create the table for each dashboard separately.

In dashboards, panels are arranged according to layouts. A dashboard layout is a grid of cells, i.e. a combination or rows and columns. Each dashboard has its own layout.

Install the default workflow:

All default AN6 dashboards are replaced with the latest ones. If you created custom dashboards in AN6, they are imported into AN8, along with their role assignments.

Keep the existing workflow:

All existing dashboards are imported with their role assignments. You should review these assignments and include new and imported security roles as needed.

Dashboards in AN8 consist of widgets and layouts, which are reusable components that you can share among multiple dashboards. Because in AN6 dashboard panels were unique for each dashboard, widgets may be multiplied during the migration. For example, if two AN6 dashboards, "Tech Support" and "Asset Management," contained the same table panel named "Computers List," there will be two "Computers List" table widgets in Alloy Navigator —"Computers List (Tech Support)" and "Computers List (Asset Management)."

Original layouts for each imported dashboard are preserved. This means that imported dashboards in AN8 will look exactly like that they did in AN6. In AN8, users are able to create shared layouts, which can be applied to multiple dashboards. Layouts are not shared during the migration.

You should review dashboards, customize them if needed, and modify their security role assignments.

For details, see Administration Guide: Setting Up Dashboards.

CSS Styles

All CSS Styles are imported.

TIP: In addition to existing CSS styles, CSS Styles for HTML E-mail Notifications are added. For details, see Administration Guide: Customizing the Style of E-mail Notifications.

TIP: The new version adds the ability to customize the content of the Preview Pane. For details, see Administration Guide: Customizing the Content of the Preview Pane.

For details, see Administration Guide: Customizing Style Sheets.

Field Customization

Custom labels for system fields and user-defined fields.

Field settings are imported.

For details, see Administration Guide: Field Customization.

TIP: The new version supports user-defined fields of "Encrypted" type. This enables you to store sensitive information in the database in an encrypted form. For details, see Administration Guide: User Defined Field Types.

Shared Views

Install the default workflow:

All default AN6 shared views are replaced with the latest ones. If you created custom shared views in AN6, they are imported into AN8, along with their role assignments.

Keep the existing workflow:

All existing dashboards are imported with their role assignments. You should review these assignments and include new and imported security roles as needed.

For details, see Administration Guide: Setting Up Shared Views.

NOTE: If you have Quick Filter conditions in AN6 shared views, the migration converts them into Advanced Filter conditions. For details, see Help: Using the Advanced Filter.

Accounts and Roles

Accounts and Roles are imported; new permissions may be granted to existing roles during the migration. For details, see New permissions

If you have the "Administrator (AN6)" Role in AN6, this role is renamed "Administrator" and linked to the default workflow items, shared views, and dashboards automatically.

In addition to existing roles, the migration adds new roles, which grant access to the new functionality and objects. Note that new roles have no members.

Settings for auto-termination of idle session are imported.

Alloy Navigator 2023 can terminate only concurrent idle sessions.

For details, see Administration Guide: Account Administration.

Classification Lists

Install the default workflow:

All AN6 classification list items are removed and the latest ones are added. However, if you created custom classification list items in AN6 and they were used in AN6 business processes, those items are retained.

Keep the existing workflow:

All classification settings are imported, and new classification lists for new functionality and objects are added. For example, now you will have lists of Activity Categories for all objects.

Review your classification lists and customize them, as needed.

For details, see Administration Guide: Setting Up Lookup Lists.

Workflow Items and Components

• Actions
• Triggers
• System Actions
• Components (Templates, Forms, Functions, E-mail Notifications)
• Validation Rules

Install the default workflow:

All AN6 workflow Actions, Triggers, Templates, Forms, Functions, E-mail Notifications, and Validation Rules are removed and the latest workflow Actions, Triggers, Templates, and Forms are installed. Note that the new version uses "On Created/Modified" Triggers instead of Validation Rules.

IMPORTANT: For example, if you changed any parameters or texts of your default AN6’s E-mail Notifications, all your customizations will be removed.

The migration preserves only these workflow settings:

• Service Actions used in AN6 — all Service Actions used by AN6 services are imported to the new database. In addition, new Service Actions for new object classes and the related functionality appear.
• Related CI Template
• Full Name Template
• Address Template

Keep the existing workflow:

All Actions, Triggers, Templates, Forms, Functions, E-mail Notifications are imported from Alloy Navigator 6 to 2023. Validation Rules are converted into "On Created/Modified" Triggers.

In addition to imported items and components, the migration procedure creates new items and components for new object classes and the related functionality introduced in version 2023.

The migration affects only the following workflow settings:

• Service Actions used in AN6’s synchronization jobs for creating and updating Persons — Those Service Actions are replaced with new Service Actions. New Actions have (New 2023.x.x) in their names.

Creating Organizations and Locations during the synchronization no longer needs individual Service Actions but is triggered by special "Create Organizations" and "Create Locations" processing options, available in new jobs. You must review your Alloy Discovery Synchronization jobs and Active Directory Synchronization jobs and reconfigure them, if needed. For details, see Review and reconfigure Synchronization jobs.

The principles of configuring Actions, Triggers, and Functions to add Activity Log records has been changed in version 2023. Therefore, the migration converts all existing Activity settings for your workflow items into new Update Field operations. For details on Activity Log changes, see Administration Guide: How to Maintain Activity Log for Objects.

Now you should review both imported and new items and components and adjust the new settings to your existing business logic.

For details, see Administration Guide: Workflow Management.

About ICO Icons for Workflow Actions
Instead of the ICO format, version 2023 comes with icons for workflow actions in the PNG format. If there are issues with displaying custom ICO icons in the Web App, save those images to your local disk and then add them to your workflow actions again. Alloy Navigator 2023 will automatically convert them to the PNG format.
For instructions, see Administration Guide: Adding Interactive Create Actions and Administration Guide: Adding Interactive Task Actions.

Workflow Configuration Parameters

The new version introduces Workflow Configuration Parameters— workflow configuration settings that help you tailor the business logic to the specifics of your business processes.

Install the default workflow:

Default workflow configuration parameters are added.

Go to Workflow and Business Logic > Workflow Configuration, review your parameters, and customize them as needed. Configuration parameters are organized in sections by processes. For details, see Administration Guide: Adjusting Workflow Configuration.

Keep the existing workflow:

No workflow configuration parameters exist.

You can create workflow parameters and specify their values. For details, see Administration Guide: How to Create and Customize Workflow Parameters. However, you can skip this step and proceed without configuration parameters, since they just help you manage the workflow and do not affect your business logic.

Recurrent Tickets

Install the default workflow:

All default Actions for creating Recurrent Tickets and all existing custom Recurrent Ticket jobs are removed. Instead, a new Action for creating Recurrent Tickets (specifically, Work Orders) is installed.

Keep the existing workflow:

All default Actions for creating Recurrent Tickets and all existing custom Recurrent Ticket jobs are imported. You should review these Actions and Recurrent Tickets and modify them as needed.

For details, see Administration Guide: Adding Interactive Create Actions and Help: Managing Recurrent Tickets.

NOTE: In order to prevent data loss in your production system, the Recurrent Tickets Agent in the pilot Alloy Navigator 2023 database is disabled.

Outgoing Notifications

All outgoing E-mail Notification settings are imported. In addition, new settings are available:

• Message ID Tag — These options define whether to insert the "MessageID Tag" system macro into Subject lines of all outgoing notifications. The Mail Connector uses this tag for updating existing objects using threaded messages. For details, see Administration Guide: Customizing the MessageID Tag.
• HTML Templates — Custom HTML e-mail templates that you can create and then use in your workflow E-mail Notifications in HTML format. For details, see Administration Guide: Creating HTML E-mail Templates.

HTML E-mail Notifications
The new version generates all e-mail notifications in HTML format. However, if your organization prohibits the use of HTML in e-mail messages, you can select the Send all e-mail messages in plain text format check box, available in Notifications > E-mail Notifications > Settings, under Message options. This will convert all outgoing HTML messages to the plain text format.

NOTE: In order to prevent duplicate or unnecessary notifications, the Notification Queue is paused.

For details, see Administration Guide: Configuring and Controlling Outgoing Notifications.

Processing Incoming E-Mail

In AN6, the Mail Connector converts incoming messages into Tickets (Change Requests, Incidents, Problems, or Work Orders). It analyzes the e-mail Subject to determine whether an incoming message refers to an already open Ticket.

If the Subject contains the tag MessageID:[TicketID]#, then the Mail Connector updates that non-closed Ticket. Otherwise, it creates a new one.

Mail Connector jobs are converted into the new format and imported. All Service Actions used in your AN6 Mail Connector jobs are imported, regardless of the workflow upgrade option you chose.

In AN8, the Mail Connector can convert incoming messages into any AN8 objects (Tickets, Purchase Orders, Documents, etc.) A single job can create and update various AN8 objects, depending on the information that the e-mail contains.

During the migration, existing Mail Connector jobs are converted into the new format as follows:

• E-mail Parser — The new E-Mail Parser section contains a system parsing rule. In accordance with this rule, the Mail Connector searches the Subject line of e-mail messages for the tag MessageID:[ObjectID]#. If found, it extracts the object ID and checks whether a non-closed object with this ID exists, just as Alloy Navigator 6 Mail Connector did. Then the Mail Connector saves the extracted ID in a special virtual field ObjectRef for further processing.
• Processing — The Processing section for the imported Mail Connector jobs contains the default configuration settings for exactly the same tasks that the Mail Connector performed in Alloy Navigator 6. For example, if the Alloy Navigator 6 Mail Connector was configured to convert incoming e-mail messages into Work Orders, then the processing statement in Alloy Navigator 2023 looks like this:
  
  

IF (ObjectRef is blank)

	Create new Work Order

ELSE

	Update existing Work Order

END IF

For details, see Administration Guide: Using Incoming Messages to Update Objects.

• Preprocessing Rules — In order to prevent the Mail Connector from creating duplicate records, the new version introduces preprocessing rules. The Mail Connector analyzes e-mail messages and cleans unwanted text from the message when it matches the rule. Alloy Navigator offers a set of preconfigured rules for the popular e-mail clients, which are initially disabled. You can enable these rules, and add your own preprocessing rules, if needed. You enable (select) the rules when configuring the Mail Connector job. For details, see .Administration Guide: Configuring Preprocessing Rules

NOTE: In order to prevent data loss in your production system, the imported Mail Connector jobs are disabled.

Self Service Portal settings

All Self Service Portal settings are imported.

The Self Service Portal in version 2023 has been greatly enhanced. Now SSP users can not only submit Incidents and browse the Knowledge Base, but also reserve equipment for special events or temporary use, browse the Service Catalog and submit Service Requests, approve and reject Approval Requests, and report issues related to computers and hardware equipment they own.

Self-Registration

Self-Registration settings are imported.

E-mail Templates

Install the default workflow:

All E-mail Templates for SSP notifications are replaced with new ones.

Keep the existing workflow:

All E-mail Templates for SSP notifications are imported.

Workflow Settings

Workflow settings are imported, regardless of the workflow upgrade option you chose. In addition, you will get new Service Actions for new objects that are now available in the SSP.

For details, see Administration Guide: Configuring the Self Service Portal.

TIP: The new version adds the ability to customize the appearance of SSP pages. For details, see Administration Guide: Customizing the Appearance of SSP Pages.

TIP: In addition to standard (SQL) authentication the new version offers LDAP authentication for SSP customers. For details, see Administration Guide: User Authentication Types for the Self Service Portal.

Service settings

All service settings are imported.

Active Directory Synchronization settings

Active Directory Synchronization jobs are imported. Service Actions used by these jobs are imported, regardless of the workflow upgrade option you chose.

IMPORTANT: The new version introduces a new way how to create Organizations and Locations, so you should review imported jobs. For details, see Review and reconfigure Synchronization jobs.

Alloy Discovery Synchronization settings

Alloy Discovery Synchronization jobs and Conflict Policies are imported. Service Actions used by these jobs are imported, regardless of the workflow upgrade option you chose. The new version introduces a new way how to create Organizations and Locations, so you must review imported jobs. For details, see Review and reconfigure Synchronization jobs.

The imported Alloy Discovery Synchronization jobs use your production Alloy Discovery 6 database as the source of audit data. To test those jobs, you need to modify them and temporarily redirect them to your test Alloy Discovery 2023 database. For details, see Redirect the Alloy Discovery Synchronization jobs to the pilot Alloy Discovery database.

NOTE: In order to prevent data loss in your production system, the imported Alloy Discovery Synchronization jobs are disabled.

E-mail Processing

E-mail Processing settings are imported. See Processing Incoming E-Mail.

Self Service Portal settings

Self Service Portal settings are imported. See Self Service Portal settings above.

TIP: New version introduces new Automation Server jobs: archiving jobs and scheduled reports. For details, see Administration Guide: Archiving Unused Data and Administration Guide: Scheduling Reports.

Log settings

Log settings are imported.

System Log

System Log settings, administrative alerts, and log data are imported.

Other Logs (Workflow Log, Incoming Mail Log, etc.)

All log settings are imported, log data are discarded.

TIP: Alloy Navigator 2023 introduces new Logs: Outgoing Notification Log, Archiving Log, Reporting Log, On Condition Triggers Log, and Recurrent Tickets Log. For details, see Administration Guide: Log Management.