Adding Cross Application Status Tracking Fields

The Cross-Application Status Tracking (CAST) field type allows users to track the completion status of tasks stored in one application against records in another application. For example, track the implementation of security controls against specific assets, indicating status changes, using the list of field status values for the CAST field.

The application that contains the task records (such as security controls or patches) is considered the child application, and the application that contains the object records (such as assets or vendors) that you want to track tasks against is the parent application. For example, if you include a CAST (ScoreCard) field in an Incidents application, the application you relate might store response procedures.

Linking a CAST field

After you link a CAST (ScoreCard) field to a child application, a matching field, CAST (Detail), is created in the child application to note the linkage. When updating a record in the parent application, a user can select a value from the CAST (ScoreCard) field to define the status of the relationship between the parent-application record and the child-application record. For example, while updating an asset record in the parent application, a user can select the implementation status of a related security control from the CAST field.

Important: If you change the associated application for a CAST field, but records with values for the CAST field were already saved in the previously associated application, those values are no longer displayed in the previously associated application because the CAST field is removed. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not change the associated application for a CAST field if records in the current related application have already been saved.

Child-application records can be linked to parent-application records by selecting a field in each application that is populated with an identical global values list or by creating a field-value rule with one or more conditions that filters records in the child application, or both. You can also select a cross-reference field referencing the same application.

The values list that you select must contain status values that users can select to indicate the current completion status for a task. For example, you could select a global values list with the values Accept Risk, Implemented, Time Extension and Not Applicable.

Important: If any records were saved using the current values list for the CAST (ScoreCard) field, changing the status of the values list is not recommended. If you change the values list after records have already been saved with values from a previous values list, the CAST (ScoreCard) values in those records are set to the default value for the new values list. If no default value is configured for the new values list, the CAST (ScoreCard) values in records saved with the previous values list is set to No Value. In either case, you lose any status changes made to records saved with the previous values list.

Task 1: Create the field

1. From your application, go to Designer tab > Layout tab > Objects panel > click .
2. Select the field type and enter a name.

Field name guidelines:

• If possible, keep names under 20 characters. For example, use Description instead of Description of the Asset.
• Capitalize the first letter of each word in the field name. For example, use Predicted Impact instead of Predicted impact.
• Avoid redundant wording in field names. For example, using the word Asset is unnecessary in the following series of fields: Asset Name, Asset Type and Asset Value.
• Use noun-based field names whenever possible. Avoid verb-based field names, for example, Set Asset Name.
• Do not use the names: Version, Level ID, or Content ID for fields that you add to an application or questionnaire. Field do not display properly with these names.
3. In the Associated Application field, select the application or questionnaire to relate through the CAST (ScoreCard) field.
4. If applicable, in the Associated Level field, select the level of the application to relate through the CAST (ScoreCard) field from Step 4.
5. In the Status List field, select the Global Values List to populate the CAST (ScoreCard) field, and click OK.
6. In the General Information section, enter a description.

Note: When you save the field, the system strips any HTML tags <?xm>l, <form>, <textarea>, <option>, <select>, <meta>, and <body> that you may have inserted in the description because they may constitute vulnerabilities in the system. The following example shows how you can correct the cascading style sheet (CSS) syntax for the <body> tag so that it will function correctly:

<html>

<head>

<style type="text/css">.c0 { font-family: 'Arial' } .c1 { margin: 0px; background-color: #ffe4e1 } </style>

</head>

<body class="c0">

<p class="c1">This is a text field.</p>

</body>

</html>

Note: Do not use absolute positioning in HTML content.

Task 2: Configure options

In the Options section, select all of the following options that apply to the CAST (ScoreCard) field.

Note: You can only configure CAST (Detail) fields to be searchable and displayed in global search results.

Option	Description
Make this a searchable field	Makes this field available for display in all search results.
Display this field in global search results	Makes this field available for display in global search results. This option is only available if this field is set as searchable.
Enable status changes on the Status Tracking Results page	Displays statuses in a list on the Status Tracking Results page to enable immediate status changes.

Task 3: Set configuration options

In the Configuration section, set the following options:

Option	Description
Specify fields to connect related applications	Relates two applications based on a field in both applications. There must be a common value between the fields. The fields from both the parent and child application should use Values List fields that reference the same Global Values List. If you have a values list field in your parent application, for example, Asset Management, that denotes the Asset Type, and you have the same field in your child application, for example, Security Controls, you can link the two fields so controls are only linked to an asset if the asset shares the same value in the Asset Type field. If your parent application includes a cross-reference field and your child application also includes a cross-reference field, if both fields reference the same application, you can also link these fields.
Application field and related field	Specifies the application field and related field for two applications when content is related by a field.
Specify a rule to link records from an outside application	Specifies the rule that determines which records to link from an outside application. If you relate content by a rule, all content records in the child application that satisfy that rule are linked to all records in the parent application. For example, you can create a rule that links all records in the child application with the value "High" in the Priority field to records in the parent application.
Rule	Adds or removes search criteria in the table to specify a rule that determines which records to link from the outside application when content is related by a rule.

Task 4: Configure help text

Field-level help provides additional guidelines and instructions to ensure users enter appropriate information in the field. This Help text displays for users when they add, edit, and view records in the application where the field resides.

Consider the following general guidelines when writing field-level Help:

• Use short, concise instructions that direct the user to take a specific action. For example, "Enter your name" is preferable to "This field is used to enter your name."
• Use complete sentences whenever possible.
• Avoid jargon (unless terms are critical and are familiar to your users).
• Consider the technical aptitude of your audience, and author your help text at a corresponding level.
• Use “you” and “your” as if you are speaking directly to the user.
• Consider posing Help text in the form of a question, for example, "What is your level of interest?"

In the Help text section, do the following:

1. Select a display option for both edit and view modes.

Option	Description
None	Help text does not display.
Tooltip Icon	Help icon displays beside the field in edit and view modes. Click this icon to display the field Help. The application dynamically sizes of the Help box based on the number of characters in the text.
Below	Help displays below the field in edit and view modes.

2. If you are using help text, enter the text.

Task 5: Configure field access

Access rights determine whether all users or only select users or groups have access to the field.

In the Access section, do the following:

1. Select Public or Private.

Note: Key fields must be public.

2. If you selected Private, maximize the pane and click to select the users and groups to whom you want to grant access.