17.8. Apply Questionnaire Answers to Client and Asset Records

Questionnaires can collect information that otherwise has to be copied into client and asset records. Answer Mapping gives an MSP a controlled way to apply those responses and inspect exactly which fields changed. For Pioneer Law Group, a submitted device questionnaire could update an asset's location after a technician reviews the proposed match.

Before you begin

Create a service request definition with form questions and have a submission available for testing. Viewing mappings and previews requires read access to the service resource; editing, publishing, and applying requires update access. Applying also checks write permission for each destination, so access to the request editor alone is insufficient to update clients or assets.

The available destinations are Account, meaning the submission's client, and Asset. Choose only fields offered in Field; this is a defined catalog, not arbitrary access to every record property.

Define the mapping

1. Open Service Requests, select the definition, and find Answer Mapping.
2. Select Add rule. If it is disabled because there are no questions, add form fields first.
3. Choose the source Question, Destination, and destination Field. For an account rule, the target is the submission account; you do not select an unrelated client.
4. For an asset rule, complete How to find the asset. Choose The answer is the asset, or Match an answer to an asset attribute.
5. For attribute matching, choose Match on—Asset tag, Serial number, or Asset name—and Question whose answer to match. This identifying answer can differ from the answer being written.
6. Select Save rule. Repeat for the fields you intend to update, then review the table's Question, Destination, Field, and Asset selection columns.

For the Pioneer Law Group example, one question could contain the serial number used to find the device and another its new room location. Map the location answer to Location (free text) and use the serial-number answer to select the asset. Asset resolution stays within the submission's client and does not choose arbitrarily between multiple matches.

Asset rules also offer Custom attribute… and a Custom attribute key. The key must start with a lowercase letter and contain lowercase letters, digits, or underscores, such as rack_position. The resolved asset's type must register that attribute; otherwise the field fails validation.

Publish a mapping version

1. Review the draft rules, using Edit or Remove where needed.
2. Select Publish mapping. The section changes from Never published to a numbered Published v… state.
3. After later edits, check for Unpublished changes and publish again when ready.

Saving or removing draft rules does not replace a published version. Mapping publication is its own action; it is not the same control as publishing the service request. Preview and apply use the published mapping, so a draft correction must be published before it affects a run.

Preview and apply a submission

1. In Submissions, use View Detail for the response and open its Answer mapping area.
2. Select Preview. Preview (no changes written) identifies the mapping version used.
3. Review Target, Before, After, Result, and Detail for every field. Resolve incorrect targets and invalid values before applying.
4. Select Apply mapping when the proposed changes are correct.
5. Review Applied runs, including the applied, skipped, and failed counts. The original questionnaire response remains unchanged.

Invalid values and wrong types also appear as per-field failures. A run can be Partially applied, so inspect individual results rather than assuming every field succeeded. Applying the same submission and mapping version again returns the recorded outcome instead of executing it again; a changed mapping requires a newly published version.

Related

• Build the request form
• Review service request submissions
• Publish service requests