Service Records - The "See Also" Field

The "See Also" field is a handy way of grouping related work requests, by serial numbers (just the numbers, no text). E.g. sometimes two requests really aren't the same thing, but the outcome of one might affect the other. Or while completing work for a (client) request, followon work is determined that doesn't affect the completion of this work.

It's usually the case that if a request refers to another, that request refers to the original.

To be specific about whether a related request must be done first, use the "Dependencies" field.

Preceding the list is one line for each item, in the same format as used by the dependencies display. Unlike dependencies, a complete tree is not displayed, as it tends to be annoying large.

It's also possible to refer to items in some other systems, although no attempt is made to determine and display any details about them.

When specifying this field in a customized sort or display, use the name "see_also".

Creating See Also's

In the item update page, which displays all of the data associated with a service record, there is a button, to the right of the See Also input box, labeled "Create". Selecting it reveals a text area, in which one can place the subjects, one per line, of records to create as See Also's of the item being displayed. The items are created when the page "Update" button is selected. The See Also field of the created items refers back to the item being displayed, resulting in a two-way reference.

The new records would have these fields set:

owner - whoever is creating the See Also's
responsible - the owner
requestors - the owner
priority - an upcoming project, unless it's in the uncommitted list
timing - 'proactive'
and inherit these fields from the record being displayed:
private?
department
type of work (queue_id)
activity (sponsors)
subscription code
theme
service
component
advancement
summary
These are just defaults. Once the new records have been created it is expected that appropriate changes will be made.

In addition to creating See Also's, dependencies of the See Also's can be created at the same time by indenting the subject lines to reflect the desired relationships. This is identical to the mechanism used to create dependencies, where it is documented in detail.