Categorization of a ticket is usually done by the dispatcher before authorization. Categories can be graded as desired in i-net HelpDesk. Different sub-levels can be specified for a level. For example, the first level can contain "Software" the second level "Microsoft", "Oracle" and "SAP R3". Now, in the third level, in the case of Microsoft, it would be possible to have, e.g. "Word", "Excel", "Outlook" and "other programs".

The following should be considered when creating categories:

• The name of a category must be less than 50 characters.
• Once a parent category has been defined, it cannot be changed again. The node must then be deleted.
• Deleting a category entails deleting all its subcategories.
• Renaming a category results in the new name being updated in existing tickets as well.

Note: If a category has been deleted and created again with the same name, or path, these two categories are not identical and will be listed independently in reports or the ticket list for example.

Each category can define a resource. If the category is applied to a ticket, this resource will be set automatically. It should be noted that no resource has been set on the ticket beforehand.

The following rules apply in the order:

1. Category of the ticket
2. Member of a User Class

First, it is checked whether the ticket has a category. If a resource is assigned for this category, then this resource will receive the ticket, regardless of any setting that may apply to the user of a User Class.

If no category has been selected, the check is made for membership of the user in a User Class. If a resource has been assigned for that User Class, that resource will automatically be assigned the request.

Example: All employees of Department A have the User Class Telephone Support, whose requests automatically go to a resource that provides phone support only. However, the subcategory "Error - telephone system" should be authorized to the experts of the technical department. If an employee makes a request and selects "Error - telephone system" as a subcategory, the ticket will be processed by the experts. In case of no category or any other category, the ticket will be given to the resource that is exclusively responsible for Telephone Support.

Note: If a parent category has a resource set, but the subcategory does not - then, when the subcategory is selected, the parent category's resource is applied automatically. In the overview of the categories' configuration, this resource is displayed.

The setting Take over resource from the category also determines how the resources in a category should be used. The default setting Take Over If Resource Is Not Set, Otherwise Ask leads to the behavior described above. Alternatively, one of the following options can be selected.

• Never Take Over Resource: The resources set in the category will never be set automatically.
• Take Over Resource For New Tickets, If Not Set: If a category is selected when creating a new ticket, but the resource is left empty, the resource stored in the category will be set when the ticket is created.
• Ask Whether The Resource Should Be Taken Over: In the Tickets application, every time the category with a stored resource is changed, the system asks whether it should be taken over.
• Take Over If Resource Is Not Set, Otherwise Ask: (Default) If the category is changed without a resource being set, a resource is taken from the category, if available. If a resource has already been set, the user is asked whether the resource should be changed.
• Always Take Over Resource: Every time the category is changed in the Tickets application, the resource is taken over directly.

Note: This setting mainly affects the control in the Tickets application. Please note that, for example, Task Planner and the email inbox, as well as other applications, only handle the option Never Take Over Resource separately for new tickets and always set the resource for all other options if it is empty.

An email address that is attached to this category. It will be used only for sending emails from tickets that have this category applied and if it is configured in the Sending emails configuration.

End users can have the Category field displayed in the Tickets application via Ticket Fields configuration. The category can also be declared as a mandatory field there.

In order not to overwhelm the end user with many categories and subcategories, only individual categories can be enabled, and the rest be hidden with this option.

Note: If this option is active for a category, then none of the associated subcategories will be displayed to the user.