[rt-users] Re: managing multiple queues

[rtusers-lists-fsck-com at jal.org]

On Fri, 12 Dec 2003, seph wrote:

> >> what happens when you move a ticket between queues? 
> >
> > The way this is normally* handled is that database-internal unique IDs are 
> > not exposed. Every ticket has a unique ID, and a queue ID. If a ticket 
> > moves between queues, you Do Something to make it unique, such as 
> > renumbering it, appending something, or whatever.
> 
> except that there must be an exposed unique id, otherwise the system
> (RT or otherwise) can't route things to the right place. For example:
> 
>    user sends mail to support, gets autoresponse with [support #36]
> 
>    staff member decided it really belongs to billing, ticket is 
>    now [billing #29]
> 
>    user sends some additional informational mail, to their tag 
>    of [support #36]
> 
> How does the system know where to route it? 

That's the part in capitals ("Do Something"). Like renumbering it,
appending something, or whatever. I was speaking to the general problem,
which is identifying a unique instance of something, when multiple
methods of referring to that something might apply. Handling the
indirection is a different problem than identifying the original thing,
and if you're interested in scaling, that's important.

As far as this particular case goes, it depends on goals. If you (for
some business reason) need consecutive tickets, then of course you have
to add something else, and do something like [billing #36 *3f9a85*], or
whatever. If you don't, you have a primary key of the two identifiers.

None of this has anything to do with RT development, and I apologize for
leading in a direction that was not applicable.

-j




-- 
Jamie Lawrence                                        jal at jal.org
"In human stupidity, when it is not malicious, there is something 
very touching, even beautiful... There always is."
   -Leo Tolstoy