Labs

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Introduction

This document explains how the SolarWinds Service Desk (SWSD) Labs module works and how administrators can use it to their advantage. With Labs you can allow your IT teams to test new features prior to a general release.

Using Labs, you can get feedback from your user community about the benefits and challenges of each Labs feature. If a feature does not behave as expected, you can toggle it off until the matter is resolved or removed.

Navigation

ITSM customers	ESM customers
Setup > Global Settings > Labs	Organization > Global Settings > Labs

How to use Labs

Features in Labs are temporary. You do not need to test each feature. If you feel your organization would benefit from a new feature and/or enhancement, go to Setup > Labs. In the list of available features, toggle the feature to On.

Some features in Labs are interconnected. You may decide to activate more than one feature simultaneously to maximize the benefit of new Labs offerings.

As new features prove successful they will be permanently integrated into the platform. Likewise they will be deleted if they are not found to benefit end users.

Features currently in Labs

Automatic mapping of SolarWinds Platform (previously Orion nodes)

SWSD offers many capabilities to help streamline processes. Automatic mapping of SolarWinds Platform nodes combines two features that offer insight.

Discovery of SolarWinds Platform assets and bringing them to SolarWinds Service Desk Change Management Database (CMDB).
SolarWinds Platform alerts (that meet certain predefined conditions) are automatically converted into Incidents in SWSD.

SWSD supports automatic mapping of the relevant Configuration Item (CI) to an Incident record created from an SolarWinds Platform alert. For example, if Node 348 goes down, and Node 348 is listed in SWSD as a CI, SolarWinds Platform will generate an alert and automatically attach the Node 348 CI to the Incident during its creation.