> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.giize.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.giize.com/ticket-dashboard-en/user-guide.md).

# User Guide

This guide is for people who use Ticket Dashboard day to day. It focuses on "what this screen is for, which button to press, what the numbers mean" — it does not go into the technical details underneath.

If you need to install the app or understand its architecture, see [Getting Started](/ticket-dashboard-en/getting-started.md).

## What is Ticket Dashboard

A single place to handle work that is otherwise scattered across three systems:

| System             | What the dashboard does                                             |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| SDP (Service Desk) | see open tickets, ones about to go overdue, and update them in bulk |
| IT Portal          | track the orders you have created, approve orders, create new ones  |
| TS Jira + ACL      | grant OpenVPN access to users without opening three tabs            |

The dashboard does **not** replace those systems. It reads their data, gathers it in one place, and performs the repetitive steps for you.

![Overview page](/files/zWLyTlxkRrC0GmF45YFD)

## Read in this order if you are new

1. [Logging in to the systems](/ticket-dashboard-en/user-guide/dang-nhap.md) — do it once, use it for many days
2. [Overview](/ticket-dashboard-en/user-guide/overview.md) — read the numbers and the worklog
3. Then read the page that matches what you do:
   * handling tickets → [My SDP Tickets](/ticket-dashboard-en/user-guide/my-sdp-tickets.md), [Ticket Tools](/ticket-dashboard-en/user-guide/ticket-tools.md)
   * granting VPN access → [OpenVPN](/ticket-dashboard-en/user-guide/openvpn.md)
   * orders → [My Portal and Portal Tools](/ticket-dashboard-en/user-guide/my-portal.md)
4. [How data is refreshed](/ticket-dashboard-en/user-guide/refresh.md) — understanding this saves the most confusion
5. [Settings](/ticket-dashboard-en/user-guide/settings.md) when you need to make changes
6. [What to do when something goes wrong](/ticket-dashboard-en/user-guide/faq.md) when you hit a problem

## Two things to know up front

**The data is not always the latest.** The dashboard reads data on a cycle (5 minutes by default). The numbers you see are from the most recent read, not real time. The top-left corner always shows "Last refresh: … ago".

**There are two different kinds of refresh button.** This is the most common source of confusion — see [How data is refreshed](/ticket-dashboard-en/user-guide/refresh.md).

## Glossary

| Term       | Meaning                                                                         |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| SDP        | Service Desk Plus — the main ticket system                                      |
| Ticket     | a request in SDP                                                                |
| Technician | the person who handles a ticket (you)                                           |
| Requester  | the person who submitted the request                                            |
| Overdue    | a ticket past the threshold set in Settings                                     |
| IT Portal  | the equipment order system                                                      |
| Order      | a request to grant/reclaim/replace equipment on IT Portal                       |
| TS         | a Jira ticket used to request OpenVPN access                                    |
| ACL        | the system that manages which IPs are allowed into the VPN                      |
| Session    | a saved login session; when it expires you must log in again                    |
| Scrape     | the action where the dashboard reads data from an external system automatically |