Exchange Infrastructure (XI)

XI Scenarios

Alert Configuration in XI 

By Suraj Kumar Pabbathi, PI Competency Lead, YASH Technologies

Alert:

An alert is a notification informing its recipients that a critical or very important situation has arisen. The situation is as severe that an action must be taken immediately in order to resolve the situation. The system recognizes the situation and sends the alert. 

Alerts can be used to prevent delays in the processing of critical situations, because the time between discovering and responding to such situations is reduced considerably.           

Now we will go through the steps required for Alert Configuration, 

1.      Alert Classification

To be able to send different types of alerts under specific conditions,  different alert categories are to be defined. A category contains various  properties and other specifications that define the alerts within that category, for  example expiry date, or the escalation recipient.

Alert categories can be assigned to an alert classification. If you do not want to create a classification on your own, you can always create categories within the        default classification folder Unclassified. However, for a better overview, it is recommendable to create different alert classifications to group alert categories that belong to the same topic.

Procedure to Create Alert Classification,

•  Open the alert category/classification definition environment (transaction ALRTCATDEF).

• Ensure you are in change mode.

• In the group box with the alert classifications, right-click All classifications to open the context menu, and choose Create.

• Under Classification, enter a name for the classification.

• Under Description, enter a description of the classification.

• Save your entries.

 Go to Transaction code ALRTCATDEF and make sure that you are in change mode,   

2.      Alert Category 

An alert category contains various properties and other specifications that define the alerts within that category. The category defines the conditions when a specific alert is sent to whom. 

Alert categories can be defined by applications or customers using the alert category definition environment, which is accessed in transaction ALRTCATDEF. You can define an alert category to suit your business requirements. When the critical situation defined in the alert category arises, the system recognizes this and sends an alert instance of this category to the recipients determined. 

Procedure to Create Alert Category 

• Ensure that you are in change mode in the alert category definition environment (transaction ALRTCATDEF).

• Choose Create Alert Category.

On the Properties tab page: 

• In the Description field, enter a description for the alert category. Choose a description that is informative with respect to the content of the alert category. The description is language-dependent.

• If required, you can select a classification in the Classification field. If you do not choose a specific classification, the category is stored in the classification folder Unclassified. For more information on classifications, see Alert Classification.

• In the Max. No. of Dels field, specify a maximum number of times that an alert of this category is to be delivered if it is not confirmed. This refers to delivery using a communication channel other than to the recipient’s display program (UWL, application-specific program, or alert inbox).

• Select Dynamic Text if the texts of the alert category cannot be defined at this stage. This refers to situations in which the texts are not known until runtime.

  • No translation can be performed for alerts with dynamic text. System messages can be entered manually in several languages.

• In the Expiry Time in Min. field, you can enter a life span for alerts of this category if the alerts will no longer be relevant after a specific period of time. If the expiry time elapses, the alert is removed from the alert inbox and is no longer delivered using any other channel.

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