1. What is this module about
Catalog items are all the objects that can be used, but are not actually physically available at the customers location, as opposed to assets, which are all the objects that are physically present. Therefore, as the name suggested, catalog items are part of a catalog of potential objects.
Catalog items are used as master data components for other modules
Different to most of the modules that require activation, these master data modules are always available. Each customers always has at least one person, as users are created based on person or organizations (Both considered 'Contacts' (See Creating users for more information) . It is not mandatory to link this person to an organisation and address, but by default this is available.
1.1 Organizations
Organizations encompass all the entities within or affiliated with your organization, whether internal departments or external suppliers. Any entity worth tracking for organizational purposes, such as managing collaborations, can be added to the Organizations module.
The Organizations module serves as a central hub for organizing and managing these entities, offering several practical benefits:
Integration with Other Modules: Linking organizations to other modules facilitates seamless integration across the different modules. For example:
Service Desk: Connecting requests to specific organizations (e.g., a supplier) allows for more comprehensive data access, aiding in issue resolution and resource management.
Contracts: Linking organizations to contracts enables tracking of costs and responsibilities per entity, enhancing strategic decision-making and supplier management.
Beyond integration with other modules, the Organizations module provides valuable insights into your organization's structure and relationships. Gain visibility into the structure, location, ownership, and relationships of different entities within your organization. This overview aids in resource allocation, cost optimization, and strategic planning.
Most of the core concepts of this module can be managed by key users (Contact editors). Therefore, most concepts are described in the user manual, which can be found here: User manual: Organizations, persons, and addresses
The next parts will go into more detail on some of the core concepts of this module that are mostly relevant for administrators:
1.1.1 categories
Each organization that is created is created in a category. For more general information about categories, see: Categories
The following default categories are available for this module:
1.2 Persons
Persons in the software are all the contacts that represent actual persons. This encompass all the persons within or affiliated with your organization, whether internal employees or external suppliers. Any person worth tracking for organizational purposes, such as managing collaborations or providing access to the system as a user, can be added as a person in this module.
Similar to the organizations, persons are also used as an integration with other modules:
For example:
Service Desk: Assign requests to specific persons (e.g., a service desk employee) allows for clear tasks assigned to specific persons and the ability to track the personal performance.
Contract: Linking which persons should receive contract reminders for a contract, will help to track responsibilities and keep the correct persons informed, enhancing strategic decision-making and contract management.
Most of the core concepts of this module can be managed by key users (Contact editors). Therefore, most concepts are described in the user manual, which can be found here: User manual: Organizations, persons, and addresses
The next parts will go into more detail on some of the core concepts of this module that are mostly relevant for administrators:
1.2.1 Categories
Each persons that is created is created in a category. For more general information about categories, see: Categories
The following default categories are available for this module:
Hidden contacts category can be used for any person that is technically needed (for instance for a user account), but should not be shown to other users. A good example for this are the system administrators. Since administrators can also be employees (application managers), it is often advised to use a separate account for the user activities (e.g create reservations) vs the account to do the application management (as mixing these tasks in one account can lead to mistakes, as administrators can often see and do more in a process than is relevant for users). By putting the person object related to the administrator user in the hidden contacts category, other users cannot select this contract by mistake in a process (e.g. when assigning a ticket)
1.3 Addresses
Addresses are mostly not managed separately , but in relation to organisations and buildings. To be able to register the address of organizations and buildings, this module is also always available by default.
All of the core concepts of this module can be managed by key users (Contact editors). Therefore, these concepts are described in the user manual, which can be found here: User manual: Organizations, persons, and addresses
By default, all addresses are created in the same (default) category
2. Additional information on this module
More information on the Asset module can be found via the following related articles:
For an (end) user manual, see: User manual: Organizations, persons, and addresses
For more detailed implementation information (including which system groups are involved, data imports, and more information on the startboard and navigation menu options), see: Initialize the environment