## Consolidating Categories – What to Expect and How to Do It Safely

Short answer: SysAid won’t automatically notify users when you change categories on closed tickets, but notifications can be triggered by escalation rules or bulk operations if they’re configured to send emails. Disable/suppress notifications before any mass change to be safe.

Key points and recommendations:

- Notifications
- Manual edits on closed SRs typically don’t send emails by default.
- If you use an escalation rule or automation to recategorize, it can send emails if its action or related notification rules are enabled.
- Before any bulk change:
- Temporarily disable relevant notifications (Settings > General > Notifications) or
- In the escalation rule, uncheck email actions and ensure no “on update” email is fired.

- Ways to consolidate
1) Rename the old category to the new name (Settings > Service Desk > Categories). This updates existing SRs’ displayed category label instantly.
2) One-time escalation rule: Filter SRs by old category and set Category to the new one. Run once, then disable/delete the rule. Keep emails off.
3) CSV export/import: Export SRs, change category values, then import using SR # as key to update only the category field. Disable emails during import.

- Impact on archived/closed tickets
- Renaming a category updates how it appears on those tickets.
- Deleting a category prompts you to transfer SRs to another category; otherwise, historical reporting/search can be affected.
- If you delete without mapping, some reports/filters can lose that category context.

- Additional considerations
- Test on a small set first (and during a maintenance window if possible).
- Back up a CSV export before mass changes.
- Temporarily disable outgoing mail system-wide if you’re unsure of rules.
- Review reports that rely on old categories; plan mappings for continuity.
- Document your old-to-new category mapping for audit and future reference.

If you want, tell me:
- Which old categories map to which new ones
- Whether you prefer rename vs. rule vs. CSV
- Whether notifications are currently enabled for “on update” or escalation actions

I can outline exact, click-by-click steps tailored to your setup.