ESM Terms and Acronyms

Toni Tolvanen
2024-02-22T14:06:32Z

The following glossary provides you with alphabetized entries as a general overview of some terms and acronyms that you may encounter as you utilize Efecte Service Management.

Term | Description

Administrative views

Administrative views, accessible through the Administration main menu, are where administrators conduct all the system maintenance and administration tasks, such as creating and managing users and templates, defining rights and access levels for different ESM module items, and importing and exporting data.

Since ESM does not include separate user interfaces for different user categories, users’ rights to access and edit different program items is administered on a user role basis. Administrative views are accessible only by users whose role permissions grant them access. ESM includes the following administrative views: User view, Licenses view, Template view, Import view, and Maintenance view.

Advanced Conditions | Advanced conditions are used for more accurate searches. It is used e.g. when searching for data cards with certain data stored in certain field.
Alert | E-mail alerts can concern events and changes in data cards.
Attribute | Attributes are the smallest building blocks of information in the ESM data hierarchy. They label the data card fields and define rules and properties for the allowed data types.
Attribute code | An attribute code is an attribute identifier that is required in order to, for example, import data or to use metadata and attribute handlers. Each attribute requires a unique code.
Attribute handler | An attribute handler, also known as a special handler, is an attribute plug-in feature that generates a value or performs an action that an attribute does not bring about alone.
Attribute order | Attribute display order defines how attributes are placed on a data card. You can specify the order in the Edit attribute view by numbering.

Attribute value

Attribute value is a piece of information a user inserts in ESM data cards. For example, if the data card concerns company computers, an attribute defines and labels the data field, an example being IP address. An attribute value is the actual address inserted in the field.

Back-reference

A back-reference is used for creating bi-directional links between data cards. When a link is created, both data cards contain a link to each other. If there are more than 50 references in one data card, list of references will be paged.

Basic Conditions | Basic conditions are used to search data cards in certain modules or folders and/or created using certain template. It allows searches which e.g. include hidden data cards.

Class

Classes gather and label attribute groups displayed on a data card. When creating a template, you start by creating a class under which you group attributes. It is advisable to gather attributes that typically appear together under a class so that you can reuse the group in other templates.

Class order | Class display order defines how classes are presented in data cards. You can specify the order in the Edit classes view through numbering.

Color theme

In ESM Administration view, the top frame background color can be changed to enable, e.g., visual differentiation of user groups. By default, the available color themes are red and blue. The change affects only the Administration UI.

Content area | The content area is a user interface component located at the right of the ESM user interface. The program’s main area.
Data card | A data card is where information is stored in ESM and displayed to the users. A data card is based on a template that specifies data card appearance and the information content allowed.
Data card field | A data card field corresponds to an attribute given in the template that defines the data card. When you create an attribute in a template, a corresponding field appears on the data card.

Data card listener

Data card listeners make it is possible to add various functionalities to ESM templates. For example, when a value is changed in a data card, an action launched by a listener can modify and save another data card.

Data type

Attribute data type specifies the data type and data form required for a single attribute field of a data card. For example, if the attribute data type is number, only integer numbers are allowed in the attribute field. The data types accepted in ESM are: string, number, decimal number, date, date and time, text, reference, embedded reference, external reference, and back reference.

Date macro | With a date macro, you can give ESM date fields (date as well as date and time) a specified macro, which gives the field a date on the basis of the macro. See Appendix A.
Dedicated license | A dedicated license is a user license that is assigned to one specific user. With a dedicated license, you can ensure that the user can access ESM every time he or she needs to.
Display area | The display area is ESM’s main view, which displays the content of the current selection.

Display menu

The display menu is a user interface component located at the top of the ESM user interface content area. It includes all command buttons that are applicable in the active view in the ESM user interface work area. In the module views, a display menu holds all the command buttons that affect the data cards, and in the administrative views, it holds the command buttons affecting ESM maintenance and administration.

Efecte Dashboard | Efecte Dashboard is a view for gathering frequently used and crucial information from several views to a single view.
Efecte Inspector | Efecte Inspector is an ESM solution for scanning and gathering information about computers in the company LAN and saving the information on data cards.
Efecte Visual Analyzer | Efecte Visual Analyzer is a tool for visualizing and analyzing complex references between ESM data cards.
Embedded reference | An embedded reference allows a user to create data cards that are accessible only through their parent. When the parent data card is removed, the embedded data card is removed as well.

Event

An event is a conditional scheduled alert that you can attach to templates and data cards in order to receive real-time information concerning important data. The alert is sent to predefined recipients or recipient groups via e-mail according to conditions set for the event. The conditions can be based on time or one or more user-defined comparison value. An event is also referred to as an e-mail alert.

Export

Export is an ESM administrative functionality for transferring data from ESM as XML. You can either export data cards and templates one at a time or export the entire dataset your ESM system contains at once.

External reference | An external reference is used to refer to material outside ESM, such as Web pages, documents, and so on.
Floating license | A floating user license can be allocated to any user but only to one user at a time. For example, five floating licenses allow five concurrent users to login to ESM.

Folder

In ESM, all data cards and other data objects are arranged under folders (directories). A single data card always belongs to a certain folder, and a single folder always belongs to a certain ESM module. A folder's information content is protected by folder permissions.

Framework properties

framework.properties is a configuration file that contains application configuration information. You should not make changes to the file unless you know precisely what effect the changes are going to have.

The framework.properties file can be used to change the platform settings when ESM is not running. When ESM is (re)started the next time, settings in this file are read, stored in database (overriding any existing values), and finally cleared from the framework.properties file.

The file is located in \Efecte\webapp\WEB-INF.

Global search

Global search is a quick and easy searching mode accessed from the top of the user interface above the navigation pane. When used in Working space it searches any data card. To target the search to a selected module Background data can be used.

Graphical view

Graphical view is a presentation mode for search results. Graphical view mode provides the ability to present search results in various types of graphical charts, such as pie charts, bar charts, stacked bar charts, relative stacked bar charts, and speedometer.

History | The whole life cycle of data cards stored in Efecte is recorded in a history that can be examined afterwards. Data card history is accessed through Administration UI.
Host | The host is a workstation or a server computer. The host address can be presented as an IP address (e.g., 123.221.12.10) or as a hostname (the network name of the computer).
Import | Import is an administrative functionality for bringing data into ESM in XML file form. You can import templates and data cards as well as create new data cards in the system.

Main menu

The main menu is a horizontal command bar that remains at the top of the ESM user interface. It provides access to View navigation, Start-up screen / Working space, Global search, 0-5 Create-New buttons, Administraton UI, Background data UI, User manual and Profile settings. The options that the main menu holds depend on the relevant user role's permissions.

Metadata | “Metadata” refers to a name–value pair that defines and alters the behavior of attributes and folders. Typically, attribute handlers require metadata in order to work as intended.

Module

Data card templates are stored in different ESM modules, e.g. CMDB, IT Processes, Contract, HR and Organization. The module selection in template editor indicates the ESM module to which a template is dedicated. Word “product” is used in some cases instead of “module”.

Multivalue attribute | Multivalue is an attribute data type that allows giving several values for a single attribute.

Navigation pane

The navigation pane is a user interface component located at the left of the ESM user interface. In Working Space it displays all available views and in Background data it displays folders of selected module. User’s permissions define what is shown.

Organization | Organization is a module that is common to all ESM modules. It functions as a contact directory comprising person or company contact and other information data stored in ESM.
Password | A password is a word or a sequence of characters (string) used to verify that the user may legitimately access ESM.
Permissions | Permissions determine user roles' rights to access and edit data cards, folders, templates, and attributes.
Primary attribute | A primary attribute is a data card identifier that is defined in creating a template. All individual data cards get their names from the value given to the primary attribute.
Product license | A product license supplied by Efecte Service Desk is used when installing ESM or expanding the usage to new modules.

Reference

A reference is a link from an attribute to a template or multiple templates, or to an external address. In a data card, a reference appears as a link from a data card to another data card or to an external address. If there are more than 50 references in one data card, list of references will be paged.

Referrer | The referrer is a referring data card or the data card from which reference is made. See Reference.
Role | See User role.
Root user | Root is a user account with privileged system maintenance permission. The root user has privileged permission to all data and functionality included in ESM.
Saved view | A saved view provides quick access to a view you have previously defined and saved.

Search key

The search key is the word to search for. A search key can be a string, a word or part of a word, or some other combination of characters. The search proceeds by matching the search key to the attribute values found in the database.

Generally, you can use the wildcards asterisk (*) and underscore (_) in any search key except date and time. Use an underscore to replace any single character, and an asterisk to match any number of characters in the search criterion.

Session | A session opens when a user logs in to ESM and closes or invalidates a session, when the user either logs out or is idle for long enough and the previous session expires.
Special handler | See Attribute handler.

Static attribute

Static is an attribute data type that includes a ready-made menu of static values. Instead of entering a value for an attribute manually, the user chooses it from a selection menu available from a data card.

Static form

Static forms offer the possibility of inserting new data in the system even when the ESM user interface is not available. A static form can be available, for instance, on the intranet, where users can access it and send the data directly to ESM.

Static value | A static value is an item from a static values menu that is included in a static attribute.
Template | A template is the basis for definition for ESM data cards. A template consists of classes and attributes that determine, for example, the appearance and content allowed for the data card.
Template code | The template code is a template identifier that is necessary for importing data into the system or using the attribute handlers. Each template must have a unique code.
Template name | The template name describes the template, and the templates’ placement in the templates tree pane is based on the template name.
Transformations | Transformations are used to transform any ESM data card from one template to another template. The user can create a data card from another data card and copy chosen values to the target data card.
Trashcan | The trashcan is where ESM stores deleted data cards. Note that objects deleted in administrative views are not stored in the trashcan and therefore are not recoverable.

Unique attribute

A unique attribute requires a value that is different from all the other values the same attribute has in different data cards. ESM uses the value of a unique attribute to identify a data card in, for example, data card imports. In addition, unique attributes are useful when the attribute value is, for example, a serial number, a license plate number, an ID, or anything that is presumed to have a unique value.

User | A user is a person with a user role assigned in ESM, who logs in using the personal user name and password.
User license | A user license can be a dedicated license / floating license or a read/write license and is assigned by the administrator.
User preferences | User preferences contains user-specific information allowing the adjustment and modification language and start-up view.
User rights | In ESM, user rights are defined by means of user roles. The user’s rights are based on the specified user role.
User role | In ESM, all user permissions for different program items are administered on a role basis. A user role is a set of permissions that a group of users have.
XML | XML (Extensible Mark-up Language) is a standard way to present structured data. ESM uses XML format to import and export data.