Making external data available to CMDB by using cross-launch links in the Federation Manager

The following procedure includes examples to create a new data store in multiple scenarios. The administrator must first name the new datastore and then add a federation definition to it.

You can launch a federated datastore with a launch interface using any of these access methods:

• AR — You define a query to a BMC Remedy AR System form. You specify the server, form, view, and query string, and select whether to launch the query in a web client.
• URL — You define a URL for accessing websites.
• Manual — You define instructions for finding data manually.

Before you begin

You must have RE Definition Author permissions group to perform the steps as described in Providing users with permissions to access the new CMDB UI using groups and roles.

To add a new federated datastore and its definition in the Federation Manager

1. Open the Federation Manager. 
   Configurations > Federation Manager
2. Click Add Data Store.
3. In the Name field, add a name for the new data store.
4. In the Create a Federated Definition section, in the Name and Description fields, add a name and description, and click Next.
   For example, the Calbro Services administrator would click Add Data Store, provide a name of Federated weight data for banking servers, describe the data store as Microsoft SQL Server database for Banking Servers, and then click Next.

5. Do one of the following based on the access method that you want to use:

   •  To federate data by using a cross-launch link from the AR Server, perform the following steps:

     
     

     Field	Action
     AR Server Name	Enter the name of the AR System Server containing the form from which you want to access data.
     Form Name	Enter the query for an AR System form.
     View Name	Type the view name of the form to be displayed.
     Query	Enter a query string to fetch specific CIs. Enclose field names in single quotation marks ('). You can use any combination of the following keywords: $<attributeName>$ — Value of any specified attribute of the instance from which this interface is launched in context. Use this keyword for attribute substitution. $#KEY#$ — Value of the foreign key on the relationship between the federated product being launched in context and the instance from which it is being launched. Use this keyword for foreign key substitution. $#WEBPATH#$ — Default web path for this AR System server. $#CLASSNAME#$ — Class name of the instance from which this interface is launched in context. $#CLASSNAMESPACE#$ — Namespace of the class of the instance from which this interface is launched in context.

   •  To federate data by using a cross launch link from any URL, perform the following step:

     In the Access String field, type the URL that you want to use.

     For example: 

     To fetch data from any computer:
     http://<computerName>/SDE/default.asp?ModSeq=<modSeqNumber>&Sequence=<seqNumber>&FormSeq=<formSeqNumber>
     

     The URL must have the following information:

     • The server name in the place of <computerName>.
       For example, the Discovery server name.
     • The related module as the ModSeq value.
     • The records sequence as the Sequence value.
     • The sequence number as the FormSeq value.
       Including these values in the URL launches the correct record within the specified server and opens it in a browser.

     You can substitute any value in the URL with an attribute from the CI in BMC Atrium CMDB. You can also use any of the keywords listed for the Query field of the AR access method. 
     Note: You can enter a maximum of 254 characters in the Access String field. 

   •  To add a federated data store manually, perform the following step:

     In the Access String field, type the informative text.

     For example: 
     To find the master password for all accounts, open the company safe deposit box.

6. Click Save.
   The Add Link button is displayed under the saved settings.

7. Click Add Link.
8. Enter a description for the link in the Description field.
9. In the Link From list, select either CLASS or INSTANCE.
   • If you select CLASS, then you must search and select a class in the Class Name field and optionally, a qualification that identifies classes or instances with specific criteria. This is the class for which the option to open the CI in BMC Service Desk appears in CMDB Explorer. 
   • If you select INSTANCE, you must enter the class name, the dataset ID, and the instance ID.
10. Click Save.

Related topics

Making external data available in CMDB by using Federation Manager

Federating data stored externally by creating BMC CMDB classes.

Creating federated data plugins

Run process action