Scenario:

An administrator has requested support in creating a new software access request template with dependent fields such as Category, Subcategory, and Item. A key requirement is that these fields must support multi-select, enabling users to request access to multiple software groups within a single request.

Challenges Identified:

1. The default Category and Subcategory fields do not support multi-select and cannot be renamed.

2. The volume of values required for each field is too large to be efficiently handled using the standard dependency configuration.

Solution:  

Since the organization is on the Enterprise edition of ServiceDesk Plus Cloud, this requirement can be met using Custom Modules.

Steps to Configure Multi-Select Dependent Fields Using Custom Modules  

Step 1: Create Custom Modules for Dependent Fields  

You will need to create three separate custom modules to represent:

• Product Group

• Product Type

• Product Name

To do this, navigate to: Setup → Developer Space → Custom Modules

Then, proceed with the following:

1. Click on “New Custom Module”.

2. For the Display Name, enter Product Group.

3. Set the Display Type as Custom Configurations.

4. Ensure the following options are enabled:

• Include in Reports – to enable analytics and reporting on this module.

• Include in Data Import – to allow bulk import of values, especially helpful when managing a large number of options.

Repeat this process to create the other two modules: Product Type and Product Name.

The Display Type must be selected as "Custom Configuration".

Step 2. Now, create another custom module with the Display Name as "Product Type" and the Display Type as "Custom Configuration". Also, ensure to select Include in Reports and Include in Data Import, which can help import values if the field has many options and enable reporting as well.

Now, navigate to the Fields tab within the Product Type custom module, and add a Multi-Lookup field.

Create a lookup for Product Group by selecting the Reference Entity as "Product Group - Ref".

This will help map the dependent Product Group values when adding entries to Product Type.

Step 3. Now, create another custom module with the Display Name as "Product Name" and the Display Type as "Custom Configuration".
Also, make sure to enable Include in Reports and Include in Data Import to facilitate bulk value import and enable reporting for this field.

Now, navigate to the Fields tab within the Product Name custom module, and add a Multi-Lookup field.
Create a lookup for Product Type by selecting the Reference Entity as "Product Type - Ref".

Step 4: Populate the Custom Modules with Required Values  

Add records to each custom module (Product Group, Product Type, and Product Name) using either the manual method or bulk import, based on your convenience.

• To bulk import values:
  Navigate to Setup → Data Administration → Import Data

• To add values manually:
  Navigate to Setup → Customization → Custom Configuration

While populating values:

• Ensure each Product Type entry is correctly linked to its corresponding Product Group using the reference field.

• Similarly, ensure each Product Name is properly linked to the appropriate Product Type via its reference field.

Step 5: Create Custom Multi-Lookup Fields in the Request Module  

1. Navigate to Setup → Customization → Additional Fields, and create a custom Multi-Lookup field under the Request module, as shown in the screenshot below.

Set the Reference Entity for this field to "Product Group".

2. Next, create another Multi-Lookup field for Product Type, and set the Reference Entity as "Product Type". Additionally, configure the criteria for the reference field "Product Group - Ref" to “Select from Dynamic Value”, as shown in the screenshot below.

This ensures that only the relevant product types associated with the selected product group are displayed.

3. Now, create the third Multi-Lookup custom field named "Product Name", and set the Reference Entity to "Product Name".

Additionally, set the criteria for "Product Type - Ref" to “Select from Dynamic Value”, as shown in the screenshot below.
 

This configuration ensures that only product names relevant to the selected product types are displayed dynamically.

Step 6: Add the Multi-Lookup Fields to the Request Template  

In the Access Request template, add the following three Multi-Lookup fields using the drag & drop interface:

• Product Group

• Product Type

• Product Name

These fields will dynamically fetch values from their respective custom modules, based on the configured dependencies.

Outcome:  

This configuration enables users to select multiple software categories, subcategories, and items within a single request—a capability not supported by the default Category field behaviour.

Additionally, this approach is scalable and efficient, making it well-suited for environments with large and complex datasets.

The default multi-lookup field is limited to 10 entries. Please use it judiciously, as the method outlined above requires adding three multi-lookup fields.