App portal - Bulk switching of requests

[jayapriya_arul]

Hello

We are using Flexera AppPortal 2017 R2

Some times we have to switch requests from one catalog to another in a bulk. At times there would be 40 to 50 requests of this case. Is there any API for switching requests? I know that there are APIs to cancel and create requests, but in this case, we cannot port the Approval status automatically. Or is there a way?

Or even simpler, is there any way in GUI to select all requests of a catatalog and switch to another catalog in a single run?

Your suggestions would be very much appreciated.

[CharlesW]

Once a request has been submitted, there would be no supported way to change the catalog item tied to the request. Doing so would potentially break the integrity of the database.. If the requests have not yet completed, you could cancel the active requests using the API, and then submit a new request, for the desired catalog item. 

[jayapriya_arul]

Thanks Charles.

We do have a supported way from App portal to switch a request from one catalog to another In UI. Open the request, go to Tools tab, select the Alternative and switch. And we definitely switch catalogs only if it they are compatible to switch. 

I am wondering if there is any way to switch multiple requests like this.

[CharlesW]

This is not really the same thing.. You can go an change the alternative catalog items, but this really does not change the requests which have been submitted/deployed already.

[jayapriya_arul]

Hi,

Yes, I fully understand that. We have reasons why we do it. Until we make the packages ready for production, we create a temporary catalog in JDSRS just to allow users to request for it in advance. Once the package is ready, we create a permanent catalog and switch any requests created for temp catalog to permanent one.

So, I really would like to know if there is any way to switch requests from one catalog to another in bulk.

Thanks
Jayapriya
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[jdempsey]

Let me try to restate your scenario to see if I have it right.

1. You create a placeholder catalog item for new software with no package/application yet. (Are you creating this as a general catalog item or a software catalog item with a placeholder package?)  I assume this placeholder catalog has an approval workflow with your team as the final approver.
2. Users request this placeholder catalog item and the approval workflow completes except for the final approval (your team).
3. When the new software is packaged and available, you create a new software catalog item and make it available as an alternative catalog item.
4. Your team goes into the approvals for each existing request (for the placeholder catalog item) and uses the capability to change the request to an alternative item to select the new software catalog item before providing the final approval for the request.

Is that an accurate description of the process?

I haven't tried this to see if it would work, but have you considered just editing the deployment properties of the placeholder catalog item to add the new package/application deployment (if using a general catalog item) or change the placeholder deployment to point to the new package/application deployment (if using a software catalog item with a placeholder package)?  Assuming this works, then you could just bulk select/approve all the requests instead of switching them to a new catalog item.

[jayapriya_arul]

Thanks for the reply.

You have described it right, the temp catalog is a general catalog. There is one more subprocess we follow which I have not described it before, and that makes the difference why the temp catalog itself cannot get the deployment details updated. For users who need the software urgently, we get this installed manually and complete the request. Our permanent catalogs are created as software catalog for the features it provide. So once the permanent catalog is ready, we switch the requests and archive the temp one.

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