Exporting and importing application mapping definitions

You can export a single group or set of groups containing Functional Component Definitions. This function is primarily intended as a back-up of the functional definitions and notes in the application that can be restored to the same appliance. The back-up can serve as a:

• working back-up during mapping
• snapshot of the state of your application mapping work for troubleshooting during the mapping stage
• application mapping back-up in case of required appliance maintenance (for example, a model reinitialization)

You can also export application mapping definitions and move them to another system.

The same application mapping definitions can be deployed in different environments, such as production, development, and test. If you want to edit a definition that exists in more than one environment, you must do one of the following:

• Edit the application mapping definition in each environment where it is present. This is the recommended procedure to edit definitions.
• Edit the application mapping definition in one environment and export or import the edited definition to other environments. This is not the recommended procedure because, before attempting to export or import the edited definition, you must destroy the existing definition on the destination environment. If CMDB synchronization is in the continuous mode on the destination environment, destroying the existing definition causes the BMC_Application CI to be marked as deleted in the CMDB. However, after a successful export or import, the BMC_Application CI is inserted into the CMDB again.

Before you begin

The exported mapping definition contains a subset of what is in the group page, it does not contain subgroups (even when importing to the same appliance). A global note is preserved with the names of all groups, as well as notes contained in the global group and any subgroups. Subgroups themselves and subgroup PDF-level settings are not included in the exported information. The nodes contained in the global group or subgroup are not exported.

You can export mapping definitions using the Groups containing Functional Component Definitions link in the Application Mapping channel, or from the group landing page.

To export application mapping definitions

To export mapping definitions, you must have a minimum of one functional component defined.

1. From the Group page and with the Application Mapping tab selected, choose Actions => Export Application Mapping Definitions.
   
   
2. Save the file to be exported and click OK.

   Importing existing mapping definitions

   Importing an existing mapping definition set does not overwrite the original; a new set is created. You do not need to delete the mapping definition set after exporting it.

To import an exported mapping definitions file

You can restore to the original state using the import function. The group that you import is renamed, enabling you to clone your application mapping group.

1. On the Administration tab, click Application Mapping Import in the Model section.
   
   
2. On the Application Mapping Import page, click Browse and select a file to import.
3. Click Apply to import the file.
   A confirmation message and icon display at the top of the page, with a link that enables you to quickly import another file.
   Additionally, the Results area displays the results of the import, listing the groups that were imported and the associated functional components that were created.
   
   If the file you selected was previously imported, the application name is appended with the next available number to represent a copy of the same application saved as a different name.
4. To import another file, click the New Import link under the confirmation message.

To export multiple mapping definitions

1. From the Application Mapping channel on the Applications tab, click the Groups containing Functional Component Definitions link in the Other Actions section.
2. Select one or more groups that contain functional component definitions to export with mapping definitions.
3. Choose Export Application Mapping Definitions from the Actions menu.
   
   
4. Save the file to be exported and click OK.
5. To import the file, click Application Mapping Import in the Model section of the Administration tab.