First, the EMS has to be informed about the different possible properties of a recipient. The screenshot shows an overview of the created recipient properties.

To keep the updating effort as small as possible, the EMS synchronizes its own recipient data base with one or more data sources.
The screenshot shows an overview of all the defined recipient sources.

Since the result of a recipient source possibly does not match the customized recipient properties for one hundred per cent (especially if there is more than one source), an assignment of the properties belongs to the definition of the recipient source.
The screenshot shows the mapping, by the means of which the properties of the recipient source are assigned to the properties of the recipients.

For the purpose of minimizing the effort of updating, Escalation Trees are not defined on the basis of the single recipients, but on recipient groups. The EMS updates these groups automa-tically according to predetermined conditions.
The screenshot shows an overview of the determined recipient groups.

In order to keep defining these conditions for recipient groups as simple as possible, the EMS-Admin has a graphical editor at disposal.
The screenshot shows an example of a defined recipient group within the condition defining editor.

The EMS can transmit Escalation Reports in different ways to the recipients (e.g. e-mail, fax, or mail (printout)). Therefore the EMS-Admin has to define a certain communication channel.
The screenshot shows an overview of the predefined communication channels.

A communication channel offers different properties according to the type of channel chosen. These properties have to be determined accorting to the respective recipients. In the screenshot you can see an example assignment of the recipient property “EMailAddress” to the communication channel type “E mail”.

Within the Escalation tree you define which recipient group escalates into another. Normally, the Escalation trees display the respective organizational structure. The screenshot shows an overview of the Escalation trees set up in the EMS.

Because of its hierarchical structure, an Escalation tree has multiple Escalation levels. When an Escalation Tree is defined, the predetermined recipient groups are assigned to the Escalation levels.
The screenshot show the dialogue mask for defining an Escalation Tree.

By the means of so called Escalation definitions you determine where the information regarding your Escalation tickets comes from, how the tickets are to be synchronized with existing tickets, which Escalation tree and which communication channel is to be chosen for informing the recipient.
The screenshot shows an overview of the generated Escalation definitions.

The properties of an imported ticket have to be linked to the properties of the recipients, so that Escalation tickets can be attributed to multiple recipients.
The screenshot shows an exemplary assignment of ticket properties to recipient properties.

For defining how a ticket is to escalate, an Escalation tree has to be chosen and for every level of the tree a condition has to be predetermined. This condition must be »true« to let a ticket escalate up to this level.
The screenshot shows an example of an Escalation definition for an Escalation tree containing four levels.

Normally the EMS is activated once a day, but under certain circumstances it can be necessary to change the intervals (several times a day, once a week etc.) of the activation. Therefore, the EMS contains a very flexible schedule control.
The screenshot shows an overview of the created operation schedules.

To be able to run several tasks in different intervals, for each operation schedule you can define, which Escalation definition is to be executed.
The screenshot shows the dialogue for defining an operation schedule.

The EMS supports different types of routines in order to offer a most flexible time management.

The screenshot shows an exemplary definition of the routine “daily”.

Every time the EMS is executed, an execution log is created that the EMS-Admin can check. Another option is to send the log via e-mail.
The screenshot shows an open log for a successful EMS run.