Living the ChaRMed Life: How to Create Custom Fields for ChaRM/ITSM and Control Access - Part 1

[meghankrosser]

Hi There!  Thanks for checking out my blog.  As a Solution Manager Architect, I spend a lot of time implementing ChaRM for clients… and with lots of clients come lots of customizing requests!

I will be writing a series of How To’s, based on real world situations and requests.  Hopefully they will benefit you as much as they benefited our clients!

My fifth blog topic is a two-parter, its all about creating custom fields in the CRM UI for ChaRM and ITSM and configuration required to control those custom fields with security authorization, WITHOUT ABAP CODING!

WHAT:  The customer required a field for use in their ChaRM workflows called "Review Date" that they wanted only a certain set of end users to have access to.  They also wanted this field to be searchable and to be reported on.

This need was met by using the Application Enhancement Tool (AET within a Solution Manager 7.2 system SP6.

The Application Enhancement Tool (AET) is used to add, change, and delete new fields and tables in the data model of the business transaction and integrate them into the business processes. The AET extensibility toolset is seamlessly integrated in the UI configuration tool and available on the WebClient UI.  (source help.sap.com)   https://help.sap.com/viewer/14e6b555810a47a0a4d0284e048cb3e0/7.0.3.16/en-US/20b0f4f819e844df9f47bc9c...

The security need was met by using the authorization object crm_fldchk.  I will go into details regarding all work that was required in part 2 of my blog.

 

HOW:

Prerequisites: 

1.) You must have configuration enabled with in the CRM UI

• Launch CRM UI via tcode sm_crm


• Click Personalize link in top right corner of CRM UI home page

• Click Personalize Settings

• Scroll to middle of window, Click Checkbox for Enable Configuration Mode

2.) You must have a package created in Solution Manager

• launch transaction SE80


• Select Package from drop down


• Type name for package, hit enter


• Select Yes at pop up

• give package description at pop up

• save to transport

 

Create Field - Procedure

1.)  Open a ChaRM document you'd wish to enhance (ex. YMMJ)

• Click on Large Cog icon to begin configuration

• At new window that opens, click Create Field

• At new window, choose previously created package


• Select Part CUSTOMER_H


• Click OK

• At new window, define field as desired:
  
  
  
  • Define a Field Name
    
    
    
    • ex. Review Date
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Define the Search Relevance
    
    
    
    • ex. Search and Result List
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Define the Field Type
    
    
    
    • ex. Date
      
      
      
      • Other Supported Field Types:
      
      
      • 
      
      
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

• Click Back


• Select field line item, choose Save and Generate

• Note, Generation may take some time


• Click Back

2.) Add new field to UI

• Click Available Fields

• Search for newly created field

• Click and Drag field over to panel position desired

• Adjust field attributes if necessary


• Save and Close

3.) Final Result of UI



4.) Adjust Search Screens to include custom field

• Return to CRM UI homepage


• Click Change and Request Management menu


• On left side, Search, Click Normal Changes

• On right side of screen Click Config Cog

• Click area to configure

• Enter Custom field name to Filter for custom field


• Select line item of results


• Click right arrow to add to panel on right

• On Right panel, click Check box for Display

• Save and Close

• If Desired, Edit Search Results columns


• Click Results area to configure

• Enter Name to Filter for custom field


• Select line item


• Click right arrow to add to panel on right

• Save and Close

5.)Final Results



 

Thanks for Reading and Stick around for Part 2 of this blog where I get into the config and security work required to CONTROL that field!

 

 

[dinesh_ghanta]

Hi Meghan,

Thanks a lot for adding the steps involved in adding Custom fields to ChaRM screens. This is very important and is something every customer who is using ChaRm will need. Especially when they are migrating their ChangeManagement from a tool like Jira or Service Now(it is very easy to add custom fields in that tools)

SAP has provided some fields which can be added as part of the /AICRM/EXT0000XX and when we try to add these fields to your screen the system will throw a dump. This is because the enhancement is using SAP as the original system.

In order to make changes or regenerate the enhancement, you need to change the original system from SAP to <customer’s development system ID>. You can use TASE03 -> Object Directory – Change Object Directory Entries. The transport object of an enhancement is AXTE.

The following note has some additional details on this.

https://launchpad.support.sap.com/#/notes/2578998

Thanks and have a great time customizing.

Dinesh Ghanta

[former_member611427]

Hi Meghan,

Thanks for your nice blog. However, i wanted to understand if these fields can be used in email conditions (schedule / start conditions). I am unable to locate these fields in standard conditions setup.

We have added a custom field for sub-statuses (with dropdown values) and want to trigger email when these sub-statuses changes. Any idea, how to use these sub-statuses in email conditions??

Regards,

Mohammed. S

[former_member277109]

Hi Meghan,

Thanks for your nice blog.

We want to create an uppercase text field, but it is only possible to include 60 characters.

How can we increase the amount of characters?

 

Regards,

Romero, J

[former_member507814]

Hi Meghan,

 

Thanks for the blog tutorial, it was very useful.

But I have a question, I'm trying to add a new field checkbox, but it has not been possible, I have added input fields without problems. Some suggestions or tips?

Regards.
Montano, J

 

[dmitry_udot3]

Hi Jhon!

Have you tried in SMUD_MODEL_WIZARD -> Advanced UI settings in your custom attribute set Display Type "checkbox"?

[former_member507814]

Hi Dmitry, thanks for the answer.

I'm trying to add the new field(checkbox) using CRM Interface(AET), but when I select the field type checkbox isn´t available(picture below). So, using SMUD_MODEL_WIZARD can I define and select checkbox type?

Thanks for your help.
Regards.

[former_member363226]

Dear Meghan,

thank you for your great blog 🙂

I added a new field for Incidents but face the issue, that a field created for CUSTOMER_H is not available in CUSTOMER_I and vice versa.

My new field is needed in Guided Procedure for Incident Creation in SOLMANREQU (CUSTOMER_I) and also in the Details block of "normal" view in SOLMANPRO (CUSTOMER_H).

Is there a possibility of a kind of copy control? ... or is it possible to make one field available for 2 areas?

 

Thanks in advance & kind regards,

Antonela

[lukeshbansal]

I have followed the steps as per this blog to add a single field under ZMMJ ( copy of normal change) but encounter Dump as soon as I save the New Field as per step 2.

Now we are struck as when I logged a message with SAP , they said its customization and need to go via Consulting channel.

 

Now I can not open Normal Changes at all

 

500 SAP Internal Server Error

ERROR: Exception condition "REFERENCE_IS_INITIAL" triggered. Server time

Short Dump

Category               ABAP Programming Error

Runtime Errors         RAISE_EXCEPTION

ABAP Program           CL_CHTMLB_CONFIG_UTILITY======CP

Application Component  CA-WUI-UI-TAG

Date and Time          05.12.2022 19:35:13

 Short Text

     Exception condition "REFERENCE_IS_INITIAL" triggered