Helix IPLM Customer Handbook

Helix IPLM Support Plans

• Standard support during normal business hours
  • Direct phone and email access with support offices in North America, Europe and Australia
• Critical Care support for application outages
• Community Management Resource (CMR)

Helix IPLM Support accepts requests through the Community Portal, Email ([email protected]), and by telephone.

We recommend using the Community Portal. This method provides us with the most background information that we will use to quickly handle your case and allows you to track the case progress.

Perforce Community Portal

The Community Portal is the best method to use for opening and tracking your support tickets. Please review the Community Portal FAQ for details.

Telephone

Helix IPLM support engineers are available during normal business hours.

Video session support can be requested by email ([email protected]), or telephone.

Please Note:      

• A single video session may be scheduled for up to 60 minutes. If more time is required, an additional video session may be set up for a later time based on the Technical Support Engineer’s availability.
• The Technical Support Engineer cannot take over control of your system at any time

The Technical Support Engineer will request the following information for preliminary research prior to scheduling the video session:

1. Summary of the problem
2. Preferred date and time for the video session (including time zone)
3. Severity (Low, Med, High, Critical)
4. Product version and configurations
5. Additional data may be requested such as error messages, logs, and journals

If you are concerned about how your case is being handled or need to expedite a critical issue, please ask your Support Engineer to escalate the case, or contact your Account Executive.

On top of our Standard Support plan, you may optionally add our Critical Care Support. This plan gives you access to the help you need – outside of normal business hours – for emergency or critical situations.

A “Critical Care Situation” is defined as a condition preventing an entire group from performing critical tasks using Helix IPLM.

Examples of Critical Care situations include:

• Helix IPLM fails following a server upgrade.
• Unable to access the Helix IPLM server.
• Assistance recovering Helix IPLM server data after a hardware failure or crash.

For enterprises that have our Standard Support plan, and need help upgrading their servers, we offer prearranged Weekend Upgrade Support. This just-in-case option is available for existing support customers.

You can contact Professional Services ([email protected]) or discuss with your Account Executive to set up specific weekend coverage.

Note: We will require two weeks' notice to complete the statement of work (SOW) and schedule coverage.

The Community Portal is the best method to use for opening, viewing and tracking your support tickets. Please see the Community Portal FAQ for details.

Helix IPLM Support aims to correct an Issue in accordance with Target Resolution Times set forth below and shall provide the Authorized Technical Contact with updates on the progress of the resolution (“Updates”) in accordance with the times set forth in the Updates column in the table below.

In each case, appropriate bug reports will be logged where necessary.

Severity Definitions

Blocker - Complete System Outage.

• Helix IPLM server is not operational and end users cannot access the Helix IPLM server, or the functionality is significantly decreased, or back up or other security of data can no longer be performed.
  • Helix IPLM server is down or a major performance issue resulting in the Helix IPLM being unresponsive with no workaround immediately available.
  • All or a clear majority of users are not able to access the system, to reasonably perform their normal functions.
  • Denial of access to where the Helix IPLM server resides.
  • Hardware failure or crash on the server where Helix IPLM server resides.

Examples

• Helix IPLM server is down.
• Helix IPLM is not accessible to all users.
• Severe data loss/data corruption.
• Upgrade failure.

Critical - Significant Impact/Severe Downgrade Of Common Usage

• While the Helix IPLM server is operational, (i) functional limitations or restrictions have materially impacted Helix IPLM server operations, (ii) non-essential functions were disabled in production, or (iii) essential non-production functions were disabled
  • Critical loss of application functionality or performance, resulting in most users being unable to perform their normal functions. 
  • The Helix IPLM server is usable but severely limited

Examples:

• Helix IPLM server is not working system-wide and impacting an entire team
• Helix IPLM is ​available, but performance is hindering the usability of the Helix IPLM server for required business processes
• A significant number of users are not able to use the Helix IPLM server for their normal operations or functions

Major - Major Non-Critical Impact/Most Of The System Is Functioning Properly

• Helix IPLM server is operational with functional limitations or restrictions that are not critical to the overall operation of the Helix IPLM server
  • Moderate loss of functionality or performance, resulting in multiple users impacted for their normal functions. 
  • Component/feature failure.

Examples:

• The system is accessible, but there are some functional limitations that are not critical in the daily operation.
• Some components are not functioning as expected.
• Some processes are working as expected but others are timing out or not completing within the expected timeframe
• A specific user configuration is not working, but alternative solutions work.
• A workaround exists, but it is only temporary

Minor - Minor Impact/Informational

• Helix IPLM server is operational with problems or errors that have little impact on operation of the Helix IPLM server
  • Problems or questions that do not affect product functionality include how-to's, documentation, and general questions regarding application commands and usage.

Examples

• Issues with Helix IPLM components
• How-To questions.
• General questions about Helix IPLM products
• Feature requests
• Documentation requests
• Issues isolated to one or only a few users

The Helix IPLM software is available for download as package installation as described in our documentation (requires login):

https://help.perforce.com/methodics/current/Content/MethodicsIPLM/Methodics_IPLM_deployment_and_installation_guide.htm

Helix IPLM licenses are issued by our licensing team. Contact your Account Manager for new licenses; the support team can help direct your request to the relevant people.

To purchase new licenses, please read: https://www.perforce.com/how-buy

We provide monthly sessions with Helix IPLM experts.  For more information, please see:

https://www.perforce.com/products/helix-iplm/user-group

https://help.perforce.com/methodics/current/Content/MethodicsIPLM/Methodics_IPLM_Training.htm

The Helix IPLM support team can put you in contact with your account manager to discuss your training needs, and the possibility of a private course tailored to your requirements.

Our Self-Service Resources include official documentation, video tutorials, Knowledge Base, and product release notes.

These resources are updated regularly and should be your first stop for problem solving and how-to questions. Checking these resources before opening a new case may result in a faster resolution of your issue.

Feel free to ask a support engineer about anything you find in these self-help materials.

Sometimes your problem will be traced to issues with software that is not under the control of Helix IPLM (e.g., third-party software and networking.) The support team will guide you as far as they can and can put you in contact with the Account Executive or Sales Team to discuss further options, including engaging our Professional Services team.

https://www.perforce.com/support/consulting/helix-iplm-consulting