Steps for Configuring E-mail Alerts

About E-mail Alerts in XFRACAS

In XFRACAS, a variety of settings on the Preferences page (Admin > Configure > Preferences) allow admin users to specify not only the conditions for sending e-mail alerts but also the contents of these e-mails. In general, XFRACAS can be configured to send e-mails when:

• An incident, problem, project, action, failure analysis (FA) or customer support (CSI) record is created or closed.
• An incident or problem is assigned a new owner.
• An action is created or closed.
• An action has an approaching or past due date.
• A status is updated.
• A user selects a drop-down list option that’s configured to trigger an alert.
• A problem resolution step requires signoff, or has been signed off, by a failure review board (FRB) member.
• A user wants to notify a specified recipient about certain events related to FAs or the processing of failed parts.

Steps for Configuring E-mails

To configure e-mail settings, you’ll need to have the “Manage System-Wide Preferences” and “Manage Entity Preferences” permissions.

1. Configure your implementation to send and receive e-mails.
• In the System-Wide Preferences section of the Preferences page, specify an SMTP server, port and connection timeout. (See System-Wide Preferences, Implementation Guide.)
• In Admin > Configure > Security > Users, make sure each user account that will send or receive e-mails has a valid e-mail address. (See Managing Users.)

Tip: You can use the "Manage User - E-mail Suffix Used for Auto Build" preference to define the suffix (e.g., @company.com) to be used for e-mail addresses that are automatically generated for new users if the "Manage User - E-mail/Login Auto Build" Boolean preference is True.

2. Set the applicable preferences in the Boolean Preferences section of the Preferences page to True.
• To determine which preferences apply, follow the applicable links in Conditions for Triggering E-mail Alerts.
• If you plan to use e-mails in detail lists, follow the instructions in Working with E-mails in Detail Lists.
3. Configure the applicable e-mail “formats” (content) in the String Preferences section using the variables defined in the following help topics:
• E-mail Variables for Incidents, Problems, Projects, FAs and CSIs
• Action E-mail Variables
• Status E-mail Variables

To determine which formats apply for each preference, follow the applicable links in Conditions for Triggering E-mail Alerts.

Note: If you enable a preference but leave its corresponding format blank, your organization’s SMTP server may prevent those e-mails from being sent.

4. Optional: In the E-mail Preferences section of the Preferences page, specify the following:
• E-mail - Single From Address - defines the default “from” address for all e-mails
• E-mail - Default New Incident From - defines the default “from” address for new incidents

If you leave these preferences blank, the sender will be the user who initiates the e-mail — i.e., the user who creates the new incident, closes an action, etc.

5. To send copies of e-mails containing data from incident, problem, project, FA or CSI records / reports to an administrator for your organization, do the following:
• Set E-mail - BCC Administrator on XFRACAS Data Sent to True in the Boolean Preferences section.
• Specify an address for the Administrator E-mail in the E-mail Preferences section.

These settings apply to e-mails that are triggered whenever a user selects the Printer Friendly View option in the Send E-mail utility. (See Send E-mail Utility in the user help). They create an audit trail and allow an administrator to monitor outbound e-mails to ensure compliance with ITAR and other security requirements.

6. If you plan to send reminder e-mails based on calendar date, do the following:
• Configure the appropriate preferences and formats. (See “Action Due Date is Approaching or Past Due” and “Closure Date for Problem Step is Approaching or Past Due.”)
• In the Integer Preferences section of the Preferences page, specify the intervals, in days, for any reminder e-mails you wish to send for actions and FRB signoffs.
• Verify that the DIU service is running by checking its status at the top of the Data Import page. If not, follow the instructions in the Implementation Guide to start the service. (This may require support from an IT admin.)