Automating Helix ALM

Automating Helix ALM helps reduce the manual intervention required to keep projects running smoothly and move items through your workflow. When an item meets the criteria configured in an automation rule, an action is automatically performed, such as changing field values, entering a workflow event, emailing users, or running a script.

Helix ALM includes the following types of automation rules.

System notifications

System notifications email users or customers based on items that pass a filter after an item is added or changed. For example, you can configure a notification that emails the QA team lead each time a Fixed event is entered on an issue. See Configuring system notifications.

Triggers

Triggers perform actions before or after items are saved in the project database. Trigger rules are evaluated when the Helix ALM Server receives a request to save items from Helix ALM clients. If the items are created or changed and pass the trigger rule, the specified actions are performed on the items.

Triggers that run before items are saved can prevent users from making a change, enter a workflow event, modify item fields, or run a server-side executable. Triggers that run after items are saved can run a server-side executable, add items to or remove items from folders, or create a requirement document snapshot. For example, you can configure a trigger to automatically assign test runs to testers based on the required operating system for testing. See Configuring triggers.

Escalation rules

Escalation rules evaluate project data based on a schedule and can be used to perform actions on a regular basis.

Escalation rules can enter a workflow event, modify item fields, send email, run a server-side executable, add items to or remove items from folders, recalculate fields, or create a requirement document snapshot. For example, you can configure a rule that is evaluated every Monday morning to modify the Priority field for issues in the same state for more than seven days. See Configuring escalation rules.

Note:  Users can also configure their own notifications. See Email notification types.