Difficulty: novice
Content
Learning Objectives
After reading this article, you’ll be able to:
Understand how a Brain Rule works
Define which Brain Rules fit your use-case
What is the Brain?
The Workplace Brain enables you to define conditions (for example "IF temperature is higher than 25°C") and actions (for example: "Send an e-mail to John Doe") which you can link together. If a condition is met, an action is triggered.
The Brain does not have a user interface. This means you cannot login to a Workplace touch point and start creating conditions and actions. For now, only a fixed set of rules is available (you find that list below). Reach out to your Spacewell Account Manager to have a Brain Rule implemented.
If you are a creative person and want to create rules which are in the same trend as the rules below, but which are not exactly the same: we also have a solution for you. Please use the template below and send send in a product request via your Spacewell Account Manager.
How does the Brain work?
Some people might say the Workplace Brain is a simple IFTTT engine (IF-This-Then-That). That's OK if it helps you understanding the brain basics, it's however not exactly what The Brain is all about. The strength of the Workplace brain is that it continuously scans all incoming (streaming) data from any data source that flows into the Workplace Platform. That means it scans all sensor data & BMS data, but it also scans the IWMS data available in Workplace. Thus, the brain is not a simple IFTTT engine: it's a complex event processing tool.
For die hard fans: in the Workplace architecture, The Brain is identified as "Backchat" and exists out of the Drools Engine, the AKKA concurrent application framework and the actual self-created Backchat architecture code. More detailed info can be found here: /wiki/spaces/SUM/pages/492052
Brain rules deep-links : confirmation by clicking button instead of just clicking the deep-link
In most cases, the Brain can send notifications (via e-mail or SMS) that include a deep-link. There are two possible actions that can be triggered by clicking a deep-link from a notification generated by the brain:
Request to keep a reservation
Request to cancel a reservation
Yet sometimes anti-malware is put in place that auto-clicks links to verify their safety, leading to actions being triggered unintentionally.
To solve this problem, an additional confirmation step can be introduced in the web page behind the deep-link.
When “Brain rules deep-links” is configured, no action is performed immediately when the link in the mail is clicked. The end-user has to confirm the action on the web page by clicking a button.
Standard Brain rules
Decide which brain rules you want to implement, depending on your use case and situation (kind of devices installed).
Possible Brain rules for locations where occupancy or utilization sensors are installed:
Rule description
Automatically sends a message to cancel in case no occupancy has been detected in during the first X minutes after the start of the reservation.
Sends a message to the meeting organizer containing a deep-link. When clicked, the meeting will not be cancelled, independently on the detection of presence.
The system will auto-cancel the meeting Y minutes after the message has been send (and in case no occupancy has been detected in the meanwhile).
Rule exceptions
If no phone number/e-mail address is available, the rule will not be executed.
If no presence signal (of any kind) has been received for 24 hours, the rule will not be executed.
Components
Time before message is triggered X
Default = 15 minutes (*)
Time after the message has been send and canceling the reservation Y
Default = 15 minutes
Message type
Options = Mail or SMS
Default = e-mail
Message subject for e-mail
Default = “Your reservation is about to be cancelled"
Message text
Default = “We noticed your booked space (<NAME>) is empty. We’ll cancel it in 10 minutes. If you’re running late, click this link and we’ll keep it alive: <deep link>”
Locations
Options = All locations (where presence is measured) or a selection of locations (for example only meeting rooms)
Requirements
Dedicated User needed: To change reservation details, a dedicated employee (that can be used as Reservation Responsible) and account (which should be used by the brain exclusively) are needed. Ideally, set up a system account which can perform the required operations.
In case of SMS message: A Clicksend account (https://www.clicksend.com/eu/ ) with sufficient budget needs to be made available by the customer.
The phone number and/or the e-mail address of the reservation responsible needs to be configured
Location Scope (choose a specific location set (= static list) or apply the rule to all the locations categorized as Room/Workplace/Parking in the same building/on the same floor (dynamic)):
provide a list of all the locations (based on Spacewell location ID) to which this rule should apply by using following template.
provide a list of which category (Room/Workplace/Parking) for which specific building or floor are in scope for this Brain rule request
Each Brain Rule has its own cost. Please take this up with your Spacewell Account Manager.
Ideally, brain rules are requested through separate requests (and documents).
Additional comments
(*) When occupancy is measured using Tracknet PIR sensors, the "time before the message is triggered" cannot be lower than 15 minutes. Since Tracknet PIR sensors only send a new "occupied" signal anywhere between every 8 - 12 minutes, every value lower than 15 minutes would trigger faulty messages to be distributed. When measuring occupancy using Pointgrab sensors, the "time before the message is triggered" can be as low as 1 minute.
Spacewell Workplace Team will require the ID of each location to link the Brain Rule (and Floor ID if locations are on different floors). This allows you to detail if there is a difference in "reaction time" ("after X minutes") for eg meeting rooms and workplaces.
Spacewell Meeting Room Displays (MRD) have a stand-alone grace period functionality. If this is used in combination with the described brain rule, it will cause a conflict. If the user clicks on “confirm” in the email or SMS, they still need to “confirm” on the display too. If this is unwanted behavior, the grace period for the display can be disabled.
Possible customizations of this rule while staying within setting up a standard rule (per tenant per rule)
Time before message is triggered X (see additional comments for minimal time per sensor type)
Time after the message has been send Y
Message type: e-mail or SMS
Message subject for e-mail: you can deliver an alternative text, as long as the standard tags are respected
Message text: you can deliver an alternative text, as long as the standard tags are respected (<NAME> and <deep link>)
Time between sending a message and canceling the reservation
Location scope
Additional confirmation by clicking a button instead of just confirming by clicking the deep-link (see description in above chapter "How does it work")
Rule description
Automatically ends (= changes the meeting end-time) a meeting in case no occupancy has been detected in a meeting room for X minutes.
The no occupancy timer starts running as soon as no occupancy is detected, it doesn't necessarily starts counting at the start of a reservation.
Sends a message to the meeting organizer containing a deep-link. When clicked/confirmed not to touch the reservation, the meeting will not be shortened, independently on the detection of presence.
The system will auto-end/shorten (not cancel!) the meeting Y minutes after the message has been send (and in case no occupancy has been detected in the meanwhile).
Rule exceptions
If no phone number/e-mail address is available, the rule will not be executed.
If no presence signal (of any kind) has been received for 24 hours, the rule will not be executed.
Due to the integration method of Bosch Parking Sensor into Workplace: this brain rule is not compatible in combination with Bosch Parking sensor
Components
Time before rule becomes active
Default = 15 minutes (*)
Time before message is triggered
Default = 15 minutes (**)
Message type
Options = Mail or SMS
Default = e-mail
Message subject for e-mail
Default = “Your reservation is about to be stopped"
Message text
Default = “We noticed your booked space (<NAME>) is empty. We’ll end your reservation in 10 minutes. Click this link to keep it alive: <deep link>”
Time between sending a message and ending the reservation
Default = 10 minutes
Rooms
Options = All rooms or a selection of rooms (only rooms where presence is measured)
Requirements
Dedicated User needed: To change reservation details, a dedicated employee (that can be used as Reservation Responsible) and account (which should be used by the brain exclusively) are needed. Ideally, set up a system account which can perform the required operations.
In case of SMS message: A Clicksend account (https://www.clicksend.com/eu/ ) with sufficient budget needs to be made available by the customer.
The phone number and/or the e-mail address of the reservation responsible needs to be configured
Location Scope (choose a specific location set (= static list) or apply the rule to all the locations categorized as Room/Workplace/Parking in the same building/on the same floor (dynamic)):
provide a list of all the locations (based on Spacewell location ID) to which this rule should apply by using following template.
provide a list of which category (Room/Workplace/Parking) for which specific building or floor are in scope for this Brain rule request
Each Brain Rule has its own cost. Please take this up with your Spacewell Account Manager.
Ideally, brain rules are requested through separate requests (and documents).
Additional comments
(*) When used in combination with the auto-cancel rule, you want the auto-end rule only to kick-in after a while. For example: when in the first 15 minutes no presence was detected, you want the meeting to be cancelled. If no presence is detected afterwards, you want the meeting to be made shorter automatically.
(**) When occupancy is measured using Tracknet PIR sensors, the "time before the message is triggered" cannot be lower than 15 minutes. Since Tracknet PIR sensors only send a new "occupied" signal anywhere between every 8 - 12 minutes, every value lower than 15 minutes would trigger faulty messages to be distributed. When measuring occupancy using Pointgrab sensors, the "time before the message is triggered" can be as low as 1 minute.
The Workplace Team requires the ID of each room to link the Brain Rule (and Floor ID if rooms are on different floors). This allows you to detail if there is a difference in "reaction time" ("after X minutes") for eg meeting rooms and workplaces.
Possible customizations of this rule while staying within setting up a standard rule (per tenant per rule)
Time X before message is triggered: The timer starts counting as soon as no-occupancy is detected (see additional comments for minimal time per sensor type)
Message type: e-mail or SMS
Message subject for e-mail: you can deliver an alternative text, as long as the standard tags are respected
Message text: you can deliver an alternative text, as long as the standard tags are respected (<NAME> and <deep link>)
Time between sending a message and ending the reservation
Location scope
Additional confirmation by clicking a button instead of just confirming by clicking the deep-link (see description in above chapter "How does it work")
Rule description
When occupancy was measured on a meeting room or workplace that has been set to inactive status, a social breach is detected a message will be sent to a dedicated group of user(s)
The message is sent after detection
This message is sent every X minutes per location to avoid too much notifications to be triggered for the same event
Default: 1 hour
Rule exceptions
If no phone number/e-mail address is available, the rule will not be executed.
Components
Message type
Mail or SMS
Default = e-mail
Message subject for e-mail: "Occupancy detected ${location.name}"
Message text
Default: "We have detected occupancy in ${room/workplace name} of ${building name} building while this location should not be used"
Phone or email addresses of the receivers
Location scope
Only locations where occupancy is monitored
Options: all locations in scope or a selection of locations in scope
Requirements
Occupancy is measured for locations out of use/set to Disabled status
In case of SMS message: A Clicksend account (https://www.clicksend.com/eu/ ) with sufficient budget needs to be made available.
The phone number and/or the e-mail address of the reservation responsible needs to be configured
Location Scope (choose a specific location set (= static list) or apply the rule to all the locations categorized as Room/Workplace/Parking in the same building/on the same floor (dynamic)):
provide a list of all the locations (based on Spacewell location ID) to which this rule should apply by using following template.
provide a list of which category (Room/Workplace/Parking) for which specific building or floor are in scope for this Brain rule request
Each Brain Rule has its own cost. Please take this up with your Spacewell Account Manager.
Ideally, brain rules are requested through separate requests (and documents).
Additional comments
When occupancy is measured using Tracknet PIR sensors, the "time before the message is triggered" could be 15 minutes. Since Tracknet PIR sensors only send a new "occupied" signal anywhere between every 8 - 12 minutes, every value lower than 15 minutes would trigger faulty messages to be distributed. When measuring occupancy using headcount sensors, the "time before the message is triggered" will be 1 minute.
The Workplace Team requires the ID of each location to link the Brain Rule (and Floor ID if locations are on different floors). This allows you to detail if there is a difference in "notifications to be triggered for the same event in time" ("message is sent every X minutes per location") for eg meeting rooms and workplaces.
Possible customization of this rule while staying within setting up a standard rule (per tenant per rule)
Duration “X” for repeated messages
Message type: e-mail or SMS
Message subject for e-mail: you can deliver an alternative text, as long as the standard tags are respected (${location.name})
Message text: you can deliver an alternative text, as long as the standard tags are respected (${room/workplace name} and ${building name})
Location scope
Rule description
When the utilization threshold is exceeded, and a social breach is detected, a message will be sent to a dedicated (group of) user(s)
The message is sent after detection
This message is sent every X minutes per location to avoid too much notifications to be triggered for the same event
Default: 1 hour
Rule exceptions
If no phone number/e-mail address is available, the rule will not be executed.
Components
Message type
Mail or SMS
Default = mail
Message subject: Capacity limit exceeded <room/workplace name>
Message text
Default: “We have detected <headcount for room or workplace> in <room/workplace name> of <building name>, while the maximum utilization should not exceed <upper limit utilization threshold for room or 1 in case of workplace >”
Phone or email addresses of the receivers
Location scope
Only locations where headcount is monitored can be in scope
Options: all (headcount) rooms in scope or a selection of (headcount) rooms in scope
Requirements
In Workplace back-end Studio: room capacity thresholds for utilization must be enabled
In case of SMS message: A Clicksend account (https://www.clicksend.com/eu/) with sufficient budget needs to be made available
The phone number and/or the e-mail address of the reservation responsible needs to be configured
Location Scope (choose a specific location set (= static list) or apply the rule to all the locations categorized as Room/Workplace/Parking in the same building/on the same floor (dynamic)):
provide a list of all the locations (based on Spacewell location ID) to which this rule should apply by using following template.
provide a list of which category (Room/Workplace/Parking) for which specific building or floor are in scope for this Brain rule request
Each Brain Rule has its own cost. Please take this up with your Spacewell Account Manager.
Ideally, brain rules are requested through separate requests (and documents).
Possible customization of this rule while staying within setting up a standard rule (per tenant per rule)
Duration “X” for repeated messages
Message type: e-mail or SMS
Message subject for e-mail: you can deliver an alternative text, as long as the standard tags are respected (<room/workplace name>)
Message text: you can deliver an alternative text, as long as the standard tags are respected (<headcount for room or workplace>, <room/workplace name>, <building name> and <upper limit utilization threshold for room or 1 in case of workplace >)
Location scope
Remember that Brain Rules are not compatible with Exchange that have a room-centric approach, as reservations can only be changed/canceled in the system they are created in (e.g. either in Outlook or in Workplace). So a reservation created via Outlook, cannot be changed in any way in a Spacewell Workplace touchpoint (hence also not by the Brain Rule).
For more information see High level features, prerequisites and current limitations
Possible Brain rules for Status lights :
This Brain Rule / Scenario can be set up for Status lights
Rule description
For location Y, if no occupancy is detected, light is green*
When occupancy is detected, Status Light with device ID X will turn red
it will stay red as long as occupancy is detected + 15minutes*
Components
Location scope
locations where occupancy is monitored can be in scope
Options: all rooms/workplaces in scope or a selection of rooms/workplaces in scope
Status Lights scope
→ fill in the excel template based on a Basic Export from Studio Devices: first row is an example; make sure you include Status Light ID, location ID and scenario name
Additional Comments
There is only 1 scenario/brain rule per light possible.
Get in touch with your Spacewell Account Manager to request a Brain rule and describe which of the 3 scenarios should apply. The colors are derived from floor plan settings as mentioned above.
Possible customization of this rule : NA
This Brain Rule / Scenario can be set up for Status lights
Rule description
For location Y, depending on Reservation made and Occupancy detected, following outcomes might be possible:
no reservation = Status Light with device ID X will turn green*
no reservation, but occupied = Status Light with device ID X will be blinking green
it will continue to blink as long as occupancy is detected + 15minutes*
reservation = Status Light with device ID X will turn red
it will stay red as long as occupancy is detected + 15minutes*
reservation, but not occupied = Status Light with device ID X will turn orange
Components
Location scope
locations where occupancy is monitored can be in scope
locations where reservations can be made can be in scope
Options: all rooms/workplaces in scope or a selection of rooms/workplaces in scope
Status Lights scope
→ fill in the excel template based on a Basic Export from Studio Devices: first row is an example; make sure you include Status Light ID, location ID and scenario name
Additional Comments
There is only 1 scenario/brain rule per light possible.
Get in touch with your Spacewell Account Manager to request a Brain rule and describe which of the 3 scenarios should apply. The colors are derived from floor plan settings as mentioned above.
Possible customization of this rule : NA
This Brain Rule / Scenario can be set up for Status lights
Rule description
For location Y, depending on CO2 value detected:
if value = "excellent" (as defined in Setup Studio settings (Studio > General > Plan)), Status Light with device ID X will turn the color as defined in floor plan settings*
If value = "fair" (as defined in Setup Studio settings (Studio > General > Plan)), Status Light with device ID X will turn the color as defined in floor plan settings*
If value = "bad" (as defined in Setup Studio settings (Studio > General > Plan)), Status Light with device ID X will turn the color as defined in floor plan settings*
Components
Location scope
locations where CO2 is monitored can be in scope
Status Lights scope
→ fill in the excel template based on a Basic Export from Studio DeviDevices: first row is an example; make sure you include Status Light ID, location ID and scenario name
Additional Comments
There is only 1 scenario/brain rule per light possible.
Get in touch with your Spacewell Account Manager to request a Brain rule and describe which of the 3 scenarios should apply. The colors are derived from floor plan settings as mentioned above.
Possible customization of this rule : NA
* Status light changes that are steered by a brain rule might take time to visualize on the devices. Latency up to 15min might be experienced.
Possible Brain rule when no devices are installed:
Rule description
Send a message to the meeting organizer X minutes before the start of a meeting
The meeting organizer has the option to confirm or cancel the meeting
The system automatically cancels the meeting in case no confirmation has been received for location during the first X minutes after the start of the reservation (grace period Y).
Rule exceptions
If no phone number/e-mail address is available, the rule will not be executed.
Components
Timings:
Confirmation period X
Default = 15 minutes (*)
The message will be sent at the start of the confirmation period (hence x minutes before the planned start time of the reservation).
Grace period Y: 10 minutes (*)
The meeting will be cancelled x minutes after the planned start time of the reservation, in case no “keep” trigger has been received via mail or SMS.
Message type
Options = Mail or SMS
Default = e-mail
Message subject for e-mail
Default = “Please confirm upcoming meeting, otherwise reservation will be cancelled"
Message text
Default: “Your reservation at <ROOM NAME> will start in <CONFIRMATION PERIOD> minutes. Confirm your reservation to keep it alive: <DEEP LINK>. If you don’t confirm, we’ll cancel your booking <GRACE PERIOD> minutes after the planned start time. To cancel your booking immediately, click this link: <DEEP LINK>.”
Locations
Options = All locations or a selection of locations (eg only meeting rooms)
Label for deep-link
Default for confirmation: confirm
Requirements
Dedicated User needed: To change reservation details, a dedicated employee (that can be used as Reservation Responsible) and account (which should be used by the brain exclusively) are needed. Ideally, set up a system account which can perform the required operations.
In case of SMS message: A Clicksend account (https://www.clicksend.com/eu/ ) with sufficient budget needs to be made available by the customer.
The phone number and/or the e-mail address of the reservation responsible needs to be configured
Location Scope (choose a specific location set (= static list) or apply the rule to all the locations categorized as Room/Workplace/Parking in the same building/on the same floor (dynamic):
provide a list of all the locations (based on Spacewell location ID) to which this rule should apply by using following template.
provide a list of which category (Room/Workplace/Parking) for which specific building or floor are in scope for this Brain rule request
Each Brain Rule has its own cost. Please take this up with your Spacewell Account Manager.
Ideally, brain rules are requested through separate requests (and documents).
Additional comments
Spacewell Meeting Room Displays (MRD) have a stand-alone grace period functionality. If this is used in combination with the described brain rule, it will cause a conflict. If the user clicks on “confirm” in the email or SMS, they still need to “confirm” on the display too. If this is unwanted behavior, the grace period for the display can be disabled.
Possible customization of this rule while staying within setting up a standard rule (per tenant per rule)
Comfort parameter(s) in scope: Temperature and/or CO2 and/or TVOC and/or Humidity and/or Radon
Timing confirmation period
Timing grace period
Message type: e-mail or SMS
Message subject for e-mail: you can deliver an alternative text, as long as the standard tags are respected
Message text: you can deliver an alternative text, as long as the standard tags are respected (<ROOM NAME>, <CONFIRMATION PERIOD>, <DEEP LINK>, <GRACE PERIOD> and <DEEP LINK>)
Location scope
Additional confirmation by clicking a button instead of just confirming by clicking the deep-link (see description in above chapter "How does it work")
Custom brain rule
If you are a creative person and want to create rules which are in the same trend as the rules above, but which are not exactly the same; we also have a solution for you. Please use the template below and send send in a product request via your Spacewell Account Manager. Budget and implementation timing will vary based on your request.
Rule description
Describe your rule in words.
Make sure you think about all cases that occur.
Only describe rules & triggers for events that are currently already captured in Workplace (if we don't have the info in the system, we can't make a rule).
Rule exceptions
When will the rule not work?
Components
Define the rule variables and their contents
Requirements
What is needed from the system (configuration) to make this happen?
Verify which Brain Rules are set up for your tenant through Brain Rules visualization
Quality Assurance
After implementing 1 or more Brain Rules for your environment, make sure to test if everything is working as it should. Visit page Quality Assurance Occupancy and Utilization Sensor for tips & tricks on how to test this.
https://spacewell.atlassian.net/wiki/pages/resumedraft.action?draftId=492317 take action based on the sensor values from the sensor that is linked to the same location, so to do Quality Assurance on the sensor installation, please see above.
To do Quality Assurance on the different https://spacewell.atlassian.net/wiki/pages/resumedraft.action?draftId=492317 configured for the tenant, create some test scenarios:
Auto release Reservation when no occupancy is detected (and send a message) :
Select a location for which the above Brain Rule is configured
Make sure that
the motion sensor for that location cannot be triggered in the upcoming time (best practice is to close the door in case of a closed meeting room, and keep an eye on the door to make sure a colleague does not go in/triggers the sensor)
if there is a Meeting Room Display configured to this location, make sure the Auto-Release functionality has been disabled
Make a reservation at this time for the selected location on any of the Workplace touch points, with a user that is configured with as per the Brain Rule requirements (for example phone number and/or e-mail address of the reservation responsible needs to be configured)
If the Brain Rule is working, you should get a message + the location will be cancelled (reservation object receives flag "cancelled")
Auto-end Reservation when no occupancy is detected (and send a message) :
Select a location for which the above Brain Rule is configured
Make a reservation for the selected location on any of the Workplace touch points, with a user that is configured with as per the Brain Rule requirements (for example phone number and/or e-mail address of the reservation responsible needs to be configured)
Enter the location at the meeting start time and make sure the motion sensor is triggered. After some time, go away from the location. Make sure the sensor cannot be triggered (best practice is to close the door in case of a closed meeting room, and keep an eye on the door to make sure no-one goes in/triggers the sensor)
If the Brain Rule is working, you should get a message + the location should be freed up/end (reservation end time is changed)
Send a message when utilization exceeds maximum capacity :
Select a location for which the above Brain Rule is configured
Make sure that
utilization is measured correctly in this room/location (see Quality Assurance on motion & headcount sensors)
Setting the capacity & thresholds of spaces is configured in Workplace back-end Studio
Make a reservation for the selected room/location on any of the touch points
Enter the location with more people than are allowed as per the Setting the capacity & thresholds of spaces configuration
If the Brain Rule is working, dedicated (group of) user(s)) (as defined in the Brain Rule) should get a message
Send a message to confirm an upcoming meeting (and cancel if ignored) :
Select a location for which the above Brain Rule is configured
Make a reservation for the near future for the selected location on any of the touch points, with a user that is configured with as per the Brain Rule requirements (for example phone number and/or e-mail address of the reservation responsible needs to be configured)
If the Brain Rule is working, you should get a message
upon confirmation, the reservation continues to exist
upon cancellation, the location should be cancelled (reservation object receives flag "cancelled")
Search