Escalation Rule Settings

The Events tab displays a special section for Escalation Settings when the rule being created or edited is an Escalation Rule.

The Escalation Criteria, defined in the second row of the Escalation Settings, works in conjunction with the Rule Criteria defined on the Criteria tab. For example, a rule to send out an email when a high priority work order remains unassigned would have criteria set in both places as follows:

• Rule Criteria: Work Order has a high priority and is unassigned

• Escalation Criteria: More than one hour since date requested

Each time the rule is checked, the system first verifies that the Rule Criteria is still met (unassigned, high priority work order). Then, the system checks the Escalation Criteria (has it been more than an hour since the Requested Date). If the given record has already had an action taken against the rule, the system further checks the Recurrence Setting to determine if another action is required.

Set rule escalation settings:

1. Select Tools > Rules Manager from the Main Menu.

   The Rules Manager window opens.

2. Choose between two options:

   • Create a new escalation rule.

   • Edit an existing rule.

     The Event tab displays by default in either mode.

3. Define the Escalation Schedule on the first row:

   1. Indicate the rule frequency by setting both the number and interval type.

      This indicates how often the system will execute the rule, checking to see if any records match the designated criteria.

   2. Select the hours of the day between which the rule should be checked from the provided fields.

   3. Select the check boxes for the days of the week when the rule should be checked.

      This ensures that rule actions only occur during designated business hours.

4. Define the Escalation Criteria on the second row:

   1. Indicate whether the elapsed time check will look forward or backward from the specified date:

      • Set to has been more than to check the designated time since a given Date/Time. For example, has been more than one hour since Requested Date.

      • Set to is within to check the designated time from a given Date/Time. For example, is within one month of warranty expiration.

      • Set to is within or past to check the designated time from a given Date/Time, while also ensuring that all past due records are included. For example, is within or past one month of the performance review due date.

        This option lets you include records that are coming due within one month, along with those that have passed their due date.

   2. Set the time interval by entering the number and interval type in the provided fields.

      Not all date fields include a time component. Time intervals of less than a day should only be used when calculating from a date field that maintains the specific time of day. For example, states such as requested, issued, and completed track the time component, but target date does not.

   3. Select the date field that is being checked against the designated time interval.

      This includes all dates available from the modules that support Escalation Rules. Scroll to select the desired date from the correct module. It is important that the date selected correspond to the module for the rule.

5. Define the Recurrence Setting on the third row:

   • Indicate whether or not the action defined on the actions tab should be repeated:

     • Set to Never to only have the action occur once for the given record.

       When Never is selected, the interval options disappear.

     • Have the escalation repeat:

       1. Select the desired number of recurrences.

       2. Set the interval at which the action should be repeated.

          This setting must logically coordinate with the general frequency set in the first row. This means the recurrence check will only occur at the next designated rule check. So, the recurrence check must be at the same or longer interval than the setting on the first row.

          In most cases, the recurring interval will a multiple of the general interval. For example, check the rule every 15 minutes, and repeat the action if the condition still exists in 60 minutes. Or, check the rule every 5 minutes, but only repeat if the state still exists in 30 minutes.

6. Define the Maximum Records on the fourth row:

   • Indicate the maximum number of records that the action should be executed against each time the rule is checked.

     This value sets a boundary to ensure criteria is set logically based on anticipated results. It also is valuable to use when testing a new escalation rule.Once this maximum value is reached no additional actions will be taken, even if more records meet the criteria.

7. Define the general rule criteria or rule actions as needed.

8. Click Save.