Copying services from another system

You can export services from BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog as a zip archive, and import the zip archive to create new services in your catalog. For example, you can export services from the development server and import the services to the staging and production servers. You can also export services from up to two versions that immediately precede the current version and import it to the current version, and vice versa. The zip archive can contain catalog profiles, workflows, questions, and other metadata for all versions of the services. Use this method to create backups of services, or to copy services to other environments.

You can import services and bundles in the destination environment whether they already exist or not.

Data migration considerations

When exporting and importing services, take into account the following considerations:

• Each service in BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog has a unique service GUID, service version GUID, and service revision GUID. Upon import from one BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog server to another, the import job checks whether the target environment has a service with the same GUID and service versions with the same GUIDs. The services are imported as follows:
  • Services updated during import:

    • Services with the same GUIDs and the service versions with the same GUIDs are updated. Service revisions are added to the list of existing revisions.

    • Services with the same names and templates are updated. Service versions and revisions are added to the existing service. No service duplicates are created.
  • Services added—Services are added in the target environment only if services with the same GUIDs and with the same names do not exist on the target environment.
• You can transfer services between different versions of BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog.
• You cannot transfer service entitlements. 
• Export and import services in smaller chunks to ensure successful migration of data.

Importing chargeable services

Upon importing chargeable services via zip file when the credit management system is enabled:

• The price value is not saved, and the service is imported as a free service if you import a service that was exported before the credit management system was enabled.
• The price value is saved if you import a service that was exported after the credit management system was enabled.

To export services from your service catalog to a local file 

1. In BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog, select Services > Services.
2. On the My Services tab, select one or more services.
3. Click Actions > Export.

To export the most recent revision of your service to a local file

1. In BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog, select Services > Services.
2. From the My Services tab, select a service and select Actions > Open.
   Alternatively, double-click a service from the list. 
3. From the Service Options pane, select and select Export revision.
   

To import services from a local file to your service catalog 

1. In BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog, select Services > Services. 
2. On the My Services tab, click Import From File.

3. Select the zip file to import from your computer.

4. In the Import handling section, configure the following import options: 

   1. In the Services & Bundles section, configure how to handle the status of a duplicate service after import. Select one of the following options:

      • Imported status is preserved after import

      • Destination status is preserved after import

   2. In the Workflows section, configure how to handle duplicate workflows after import. Select one of the following options:

      • Overwrite

      • Do not overwrite

5. Click Confirm.

The status of services after import

• To retain the imported status of a service, select Imported status is preserved after import. 
  Published and Pending services will retain their statuses after import. Conflicting items in the destination catalog are returned to Approved or Draft status respectively. 

  If you select Imported status is preserved after import, the following settings of the source service are also preserved:

  • Unrequestable—For example, if the Unrequestable setting is disabled for the source service, and this setting is enabled for the duplicate target service, the Unrequestable setting is disabled after the service is imported.
  • Quick request—For example, if Quick Request is enabled for the source service and disabled for the duplicate target service, the Quick Request setting is enabled after the service is imported.
  • Subcatalog mapping—For example, if Subcatalog 1 and Subcatalog 2 are available on the source and target servers, and a service is available in Subcatalog 1 on the source server and in Subcatalog 2 on the target server, the service is imported to Subcatalog 1 on the target server.

• To preserve the destination status of an imported service, select Destination status is preserved after import. 
  Published and Pending services in the destination catalog remain in the Published and Pending statuses after import. Imported services with the Published and Pending statuses are changed to Approved and Draft respectively. 
  Selecting Destination status is preserved after import implies that the settings of the target space remain the same as for the Imported status is preserved after import option of the source service.

To make imported services available to end users

After importing a service, perform the following steps:

1. Review the workflow of an imported service, and verify whether the correct Connection ID is specified in all activities of the workflow. Update the workflow, if required.
   For information about service workflows, see Workflows for service fulfillment.
2. Entitle published service revisions to end users through virtual marketplaces.
   For information about virtual marketplaces, see Entitling end users to services, bundles, and banners.

Required licensing

SaaS subscribers who use BMC Helix ITSM or BMC Helix Virtual Agent Basic service are entitled to this feature.