Preferences Panel

Layout of the Preferences Panel

The layout of the Preferences panel includes a list of categories in the left pane and a toolbar at the top right (visible when a category on the left is selected). The right pane, the largest area of the panel, is where you can view and modify items in each category. The right pane changes according to whatever you select in the left pane, and the Purchasing "remembers" where you were last in your current browser session.

Toolbar

The Preferences panel's toolbar includes the following button:

• Refresh: Click to refresh the contents of the right pane.

Depending on your selection in the left pane, the toolbar may include an additional button to help you perform tasks relevant to that category, or when the Manufacturer/Vendor category is selected, a Search button.

Left Pane

The left pane includes the following categories for specific tasks:

• Information: Provides an overview of this panel.
• Contract Options: Specifies what licensing channel to use when channel information is not available for an installation even after inventory runs and virtual machines are discovered. By default, the channel from the contract that is associated with the machine is used (the first option), but you can use the second option to select another channel if the machine is not associated with a contract.
  • Click Save after making your selection.
• Contract Types: Lists all existing contract types. Click Add Contract Type to add a new contract type that you will be able to select when adding line items. Hardware, Lease, Master, and Software are the default contract types. You can also edit or delete contract types here.
• Custom Fields: Lists all custom fields you've created, with subcategories for Contract, Line Item, or Order fields. Any custom fields you create will become part of the screen that you complete when you enter information for an item in that category. You can add, edit, or delete custom fields here.
• Hardware Types: Lists all existing hardware types.
  • Click Add Hardware Type to add a new hardware type that you can then select when adding a hardware line item. You can also edit or delete hardware types here.
• Manufacturers/Vendors: Lists all manufacturers/vendors (not their nicknames, but their actual names as found in the CAM database).
  • Click Add Manufacturer/Vendor to create a new name that you can select when adding or editing an order (vendor) or line item (manufacturer), or select Search to search for a particular manufacturer or vendor. You can also edit manufacturer/vendor names here, but you can't delete them.
• Nicknames: Lists all shortened or alternate versions of a manufacturer/vendor or software name you've created to help streamline the manufacturer/vendor and software line item reconciliation process. You can add, edit, or delete nicknames here.
• Reminders: Specifies when to show reminders on the Status panel and used to set up reminder email alerts for certain events. To change when these reminders are generated, enter a new value in the appropriate box. Enter one or more email addresses if you want email generated for any event; you can also edit the content of the message that is sent.
  If access profiles are enabled, the Send email alerts to box is not visible. This is because alerts recipients are specified in the access profile itself. If you didn't set up email alerts recipients when you created the access profile or you want to check who is specified to receive the alerts, go to the Administration panel and select Access Profiles on the left. From there, you can view, edit, and add access profile settings.
• Status Types: Lists all existing status types.
  • Click Add Status Type to add a new type that you will be able to select when adding a hardware, software, or software upgrade line item. You can also edit or delete status types here.

Right Pane

The right pane updates with your selection in the left pane, showing the records that pertain to your selection on the left, as described above.