Automatically Updating Linked Incident Statuses (Status Settings)

Use Status Settings to automatically update Incident service records that are linked to a Request, Problem, or Change service record.

When the linked Request, Problem, or Change moves to a specific status, SysAid can update its linked Incidents to a matching Incident status. This helps IT agents keep related Incidents aligned without updating each one manually.

Available for:
Customers using SysAid Spaces. If you're using SysAid Classic, see Status Settings.

How it works

Status Settings use simple rules that follow this logic:

If the status of a Request, Problem, or Change changes to a selected status, whether the change is made manually or automatically.
Then SysAid updates all linked Incidents to the selected Incident status.
Unless a linked Incident is currently in one of the statuses in the Exclude List.

The automation only updates linked Incidents. It does not update the Request, Problem, or Change based on changes made to the Incident.

Rules run when the status of the Request, Problem, or Change changes. Linking an Incident to an existing Request, Problem, or Change does not trigger a rule on its own.

Rules apply to all linked Incidents, including Incidents that were linked before the rule was created. A rule takes effect after the changes are saved.

How the Status Update Rule works

Example

You can create a rule that says:

When a linked Change is moved to Change Completed, update all linked Incidents to Closed, unless an Incident is currently in a status included in the Exclude List.

This means that most linked Incidents can be closed automatically, while Incidents in specific statuses can stay untouched.

Status settings rule fields

The change in statuses is governed by rules. Each status rule includes the following fields:

Field	Description
SR Status	The Request, Problem, or Change status that triggers the rule.
Incident	The status that linked Incidents are changed to when the rule runs.
Exclude List	Incident statuses that the rule does not change. Incidents currently in one of these statuses are left unchanged when the rule runs.

Notifications and escalations

When a rule updates a linked Incident's status:

Notifications are sent according to the notification settings under Settings > Customization > Notifications > Notifications.
Escalation rules still apply. If the Incident's new status meets the criteria of an escalation rule, the escalation runs as usual.

Limitations

Access is restricted to System Administrators. Only users with System Administrator permissions can access and update Status Settings.
Rules do not run at link time. Linking an Incident to an existing Request, Problem, or Change does not change the Incident's status. The rule runs the next time the linked item's status changes.
Conflicting rules are not resolved automatically. See Handling rule conflicts.
The Spaces Service Desk must be activated and enabled for Status Settings to work.
Parent-Child relationships take priority. If a linked Incident is also the Child of a Parent service record, the Parent-Child relationship overrides Status Settings rules, and the Incident inherits the Parent's status. For more information, see Service Record Related Items in Spaces.

Handling rule conflicts

SysAid does not prevent you from creating multiple rules that use the same SR Status, including duplicate rules. If more than one rule applies to the same status change, SysAid does not resolve the conflict, and the resulting Incident status can be unpredictable.

To avoid conflicts:

Create only one rule for each SR Status.
Keep the logic of each rule clear and distinct, and avoid overlapping rules where possible.
Remember that statuses can be enabled per service record type under Settings > Customization > Templates & Fields > Fields Value Lists. Scoping statuses to the service record types that actually use them reduces the chance of overlapping rules.

Tip!
Before adding a new rule, take a moment to check whether a rule already exists for that status. A small review upfront can prevent unexpected behavior later on.

Before you start

Status Settings rules only affect Incidents that are linked to a Request, Problem, or Change as related items. To learn how to link an Incident to a service record, see Service Record Related Items in Spaces.

For Status Settings automation to update a linked service record, the status must be enabled for that service record type:

Go to Settings > Customization > Templates & Fields > Fields Value Lists.
From the List drop-down menu, select Status.
Confirm that each status used in your rules has the checkbox selected for every service record type it needs to apply to (Incident, Request, Change, Problem).

Please note:
If a status is not enabled for a linked service record type, the automation still runs, but it silently skips updating that service record type. No error is shown, so it can look like the rule isn't working when the real issue is a missing status permission.

Example

Say a rule updates linked Incidents to Closed when a Request moves to Closed. If Closed is not enabled for Incident under Fields Value Lists, the rule runs, but the linked Incident's status won't change.

Creating a status rule

To create a status rule:

Go to Settings > Customization > Templates & Fields > Status Settings.
In the SR Status field, select the Request, Problem, or Change status that should trigger the rule.
In the Incident field, select the status that linked Incidents should be changed to.
In the Exclude List field, click the 3-dot menu.
Select the Incident statuses that should be excluded from this rule.
Click Add.
Click Save.

Managing status rules

You can update existing status rules from the Status Settings screen.

To manage a rule:

Go to Settings > Customization > Templates & Fields > Status Settings.
Locate the rule you want to update. You can:
- Change the selected SR Status.
- Change the selected Incident status.
- Click the 3-dot menu to update the Exclude List.
- Click Delete to remove the rule.
Click Save to apply your changes.

Status Settings control what happens to linked Incidents when the status of an existing Request, Problem, or Change changes.

There are also related settings under Settings > Customization > Service Desk > General Service Desk Customizations that control what happens when a linked Request, Problem, or Change is created from an Incident:

When creating a linked Change from an incident, change the status of the incident to
When creating a linked Problem from an incident, change the status of the incident to
When creating a linked Request from an incident, change the status of the incident to

These settings apply only at the time the linked item is created from the Incident. Status Settings apply later, when the linked Request, Problem, or Change changes status. For more information, see General Service Desk Customizations for SysAid Spaces.

Next steps

Status Settings is one of several ways to automate service record updates in SysAid. To set up additional automation rules, go to Settings > Customization > Automations and select the type of automation you want to create.

For example, to learn how to automatically perform actions on service records when predefined criteria are met, see Escalation Rules.

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