HaloPSA for Beginners
A Deep-Dive Getting-Started Series (5 Parts)

Written for first-time users of HaloPSA, including those migrating from ConnectWise PSA.

This article is part of a structured educational series designed to explain how HaloPSA is structured, how its core components relate to one another, and how work flows through the system at a foundational level.

No setup steps are assumed.
No best practices are presented as facts.
No prior Halo experience is required.

How tickets are created

Tickets are the primary unit of reactive work. Tickets can be created through multiple intake paths, including email, portal submission, manual entry, and API or integrations.

Regardless of how a ticket is created, it is associated with a customer. Additional associations, such as site and user, may also be included when the ticket is created or updated.

This structure matters because it determines where the ticket appears when viewing a customer, and it determines what context is available from within the ticket.

Tickets can be created through:

• Email
• Portal
• Manual entry
• API or integrations

At creation, tickets are associated with:

• A customer
• Optionally a site
• Optionally a user

What a ticket record contains

A ticket is a record that contains fields such as status, priority, and ownership (for example: assigned agent or team).

Tickets also contain history. Updates, communication, and (when enabled) time entries are recorded against the ticket and become part of the ticket’s timeline.

These recorded fields and timestamps feed downstream outputs such as reporting, SLA measurement, and billing processes (where applicable).

Every ticket has:

• A status
• A priority
• Ownership (agent or team)
• A history of updates and time entries

These fields are system-enforced and visible on every ticket.

Ticket lifecycle and state changes

Tickets move through a lifecycle from creation to active work and then to resolution and closure. The exact labels depend on configuration, but the concept of a state change is consistent.

A ticket moves through:

• Creation
• Active work
• Resolution
• Closure

Statuses control where the ticket is in that lifecycle.
Reporting is based on these status changes and timestamps.

Reporting and SLA measurement rely on recorded timestamps and status transitions. Notes alone do not change state; the ticket’s recorded fields and timestamps determine what the system can measure and report.

For beginners, focusing on status, ownership, and priority provides the cleanest way to understand why a ticket appears where it does in lists and dashboards.

ConnectWise PSA vocabulary alignment (orientation only)

If you are coming from ConnectWise PSA, Ticket (Halo) aligns to Service Ticket (CW). Status and Priority are concepts present in both systems.

Ownership concepts exist in both systems, but the UI and configuration used to manage ownership differ. Use this mapping for vocabulary only.

HaloPSA vs ConnectWise PSA

This table reflects common functional equivalents, not marketing language.

Important note:
While terminology aligns functionally, behavior and enforcement differ between platforms. This table is for orientation, not configuration mapping.