tools to download tickets from client

Yes there are some tools for that. We use Hpopenview. Depends on client what they use. You are right. There are so many tools available and as you said some clients will develop their own tools using JAVA, ASP and other software. Some clients use just Lotus Notes. Generally 'Vantive' is used for tracking user requests and tickets.

It has a vantive ticket ID, field for description of problem, severity for the business, priority for the user, group assigned etc.

Different technical groups will have different group ID's.

User talks to Level 1 helpdesk and they raise ticket.

If they can solve issue for the issue, fine...else helpdesk assigns ticket to the Level 2 technical group.

Ticket status keeps changing from open, working, resolved, on hold, back from hold, closed etc. The way we handle the tickets vary depending on the client. Some companies use SAP CS to handle the tickets; we have been using Vantive to handle the tickets. The ticket is handled with a change request, when you get the ticket you will have the priority level with which it is to be handled. It comes with a ticket id and all. It's totally a client specific tool. The common features here can be
- A ticket Id,
- Priority,
- Consultant ID/Name,
- User ID/Name,
- Date of Post,
- Resolving Time etc.

There ideally is also a knowledge repository to search for a similar problem and solutions given if it had occurred earlier. You can also have training manuals (with screen shots) for simple transactions like viewing a query, saving a workbook etc so that such queried can be addressed by using them.

When the problem is logged on to you as a consultant, you need to analyze the problem, check if you have a similar problem occurred earlier and use ready solutions, find out the exact server on which this has occurred etc.

You have to solve the problem (assuming you will have access to the dev system) and post the solution and ask the user to test after the preliminary testing from your side. Get it transported to production once tested and posts it as closed i.e. the ticket has to be closed.

What is User Authorizations in SAP BW?

Authorizations are very important, for example you don't want the important financial report to all the users. so, you can have authorization in Object level if you want to keep the authorization for specific in object for this you have to check the Object as an authorization relevent in RSD1 and RSSM tcodes. Similarly you set up the authorization for certain users by giving that users certain auth. in PFCG tcode. Similarly you create a role and include the tcodes, BEx reports etc into the role and assign this role to the userid.