Blank User Role name and description in the SCSM console

If you have a SCSM 2010 environment where you are using localised consoles and not only the English one, you will most likely come across this little problem:

US Console

Danish Console

If you run a SQL Query against the Userrole and LocalizedText tables you get the following output:

So why are the User roles not displayed in overview. Well, this is “by design”.  The display names and descriptions are stored in the LocalizedText table in the database.  When you create the item in  e.g. a Danish (or any other non US) console the display name and description will be captured in the LocalizedText table.  When you open an English console since there are no English display name or description strings they are shown as blank.  

English is the default language, so if you create roles and descriptions in an English Console,  then even in the Danish console you will see the English display names, but it doesn’t work the other way around.   To solve blank names and description you have to edit the properties from an English Console, add an English user role display name and description and save it.  That will add the English strings to the LocalizedText table in addition to the e.g. Danish strings. But be carefull as the group now can have different names, depending on which console that displays them. So make sure to name them the same across all consoles, regardsless of languages.

So bottomline, this is by design.  English is the fallback language and if you want to ensure that there is always a display name shown in the console, you have to create things in an English console. If you then want, you can add display names and descriptions in other languages from the relevant consoles.