AppDynamics connector powered by Jitterbit

AppDynamics, a part of Cisco, provides an end-to-end application performance monitoring solution. Events are created for a change in the state of a monitored application and can represent an error or exception generated by the application, crossing a performance threshold, or an operational change in the application. 

Use the BMC Helix iPaaS AppDynamics connector to easily integrate BMC Helix ITSM and AppDynamics to sync events. A specific AppDynamics connection and its activities together are referred to as an AppDynamics endpoint. Use the connector to perform the following actions:

• Configure the connection to create an authenticated AppDynamics connection by entering credentials.
• Configure associated AppDynamics activities that interact with the connection to be used either as a source to provide data within an operation, or as a target to consume data within an operation.
• Use the connector activities to create and retrieve event data.

Supported API versions and prerequisites

The AppDynamics connector uses the  AppDynamics API version 21 . Refer to the API documentation for information on the schema fields.

The AppDynamics connector requires the use of an agent version  10.1  or later. These agent versions automatically download the latest version of the connector when required.

To configure the AppDynamics connection

1. From the design canvas, open the Connectivity tab  of the design component palette.
2. Perform one of the following actions: 
   • To configure a new connection, use the Show dropdown to filter on Connectors, and then click the AppDynamics connector block:
     
   • To update the configuration for an existing connection, use the Show dropdown to filter on Endpoints, and then double-click the AppDynamics connector block:
     

3. On the configuration screen, enter the following configuration values: 

   Tip

   Fields with a variable icon  support using  global variables ,  project variables , and Jitterbit variables . Begin either by typing an open square bracket [ into the field or by clicking the variable icon to display a list of the existing variables to choose from.

   Field name	Action
   Endpoint Name	Enter a name to identify the AppDynamics connection. The name must be unique for each AppDynamics connection and must not contain forward slashes (/) or colons (:). This name is also used to identify the AppDynamics endpoint, which refers to both a specific connection and its activities.
   AppDynamics Host URL	Enter the hostname for the AppDynamics instance.
   Username	Enter the user name to log on to AppDynamics.
   Accountname	Enter the name of the account that the user belongs to.
   Password	Enter the password for the provided user name.

   

   Important

   If you click Delete while creating a new connection, an error is displayed. For more information, see  Component Dependencies, Deletion, and Removal .

   
   

4. Click Save Changes.
   After configuring the connection, configure one or more activities associated with that connection. For more information about creating an activity, see Creating an AppDynamics activity.

To create an AppDynamics activity 

1. From the design canvas, open the Connectivity tab  of the design component palette.

2. Use the Show dropdown to filter on Endpoints, and then click the AppDynamics connection block to display activities that are available to be used with an AppDynamics connection:
   
   The following activities are available. For more information about configuring these activities, see the specific activity sections.

   Activity name	Description
   Create Events	Inserts a new event record  into an AppDynamics endpoint and is intended to be used as a target in an operation.
   Get Events	Retrieves existing event data from the AppDynamics endpoint and is intended to be used as the source in an operation.

3. To create an activity that can be configured, drag the activity block  from the palette to the operation.

For more information about the parts of an operation and adding activities to operations, see  Operation Creation and Configuration . 

To configure an AppDynamics Create Events activity 

An AppDynamics Create Events activity inserts a new event record into an AppDynamics endpoint and is intended to be used as a target to consume data in an operation. After configuring an AppDynamics connection, you can configure as many activities as you like for each connection. 

To configure an AppDynamics Create Events activity, complete the following steps:

1. After you add the activity to an operation, double-click the activity block.

2. On the configuration screen, enter a name and specify the activity settings:

   Field name	Action
   Name	Enter a name to identify the AppDynamics Create Events activity. The name must be unique for each AppDynamics activity and must not contain forward slashes (/) or colons (:).
   Application ID	Enter the application name or ID of the AppDynamics instance.
   Summary	Enter a short description for the event to create.
   Event Type	Enter a type for the event to create. For more information about valid event types, see Events Reference .
   Severity	Enter a severity for the event to create. Valid values include: INFO (Default) WARN ERROR In the UI, these values are displayed as "Info", "Warning", and "Critical".
   Optional Settings	Click to expand additional optional settings: optional parameters JSON input: This event definition overrides the prior selections. Enter the Key-Value pair for the alert fields. Use the {"Key": "Value"} or [{"Key": "Value"}] format. For example: { "applicationId":"13546", "EventType":"CUSTOM", "Severity":"WARN", "Summary":"Event summary" }

   
   

3. Click Next.

4. Review the request and response data schemas displayed for your AppDynamics instance. 
   The data schemas list the fields available for the AppDynamics Create Alert activity. If the operation uses a transformation, the data schemas are displayed again later during the transformation mapping process. In the transformation mapping process, map target fields by using source objects, scripts, variables, custom values, and more. 

   The AppDynamics connector uses the AppDynamics API version 21 . For more information about the schema fields, see the API documentation.

5. Click Finished.
   After the activity is created, menu actions for that activity are accessible from the project pane in either the Workflows or the Components tab, and from the design canvas. 
   For more information, see Activity Actions Menu .

To complete the configuration of the operation, add and configure other activities, transformations, or scripts as steps in an operation. You can also configure an operation's settings, which include the ability to chain operations together that are in the same or different workflows.

AppDynamics Create Event operation patterns

The Create Events activities can be used as a target with these operation patterns:

• Transformation Pattern

• Two-Transformation Pattern  (as the first or second source)

Other patterns are not valid to use with the AppDynamics Create Events activities. For more information on the validation patterns, see the  Operation Validity  page.

A typical use case is to use an AppDynamics Create Events activity in the Two-Transformation Pattern. In this example, the first transformation (AppDynamics Create Events Request) creates a request structure that is passed to the AppDynamics Create Events activity. The second transformation (AppDynamics  Create Events Response) receives the response structure, which is then written to a variable by a Variable Write activity (Write AppDynamics Create Events Response) and a message is then logged by the Write to Operation Log script:

When ready, deploy and run the operation and validate behavior by checking the operation logs . 

To configure an AppDynamics Get Events activity 

An AppDynamics Get Events activity retrieves existing event data from an AppDynamics endpoint and is intended to be used as a target to consume data in an operation. After configuring an AppDynamics connection, you can configure as many activities as you like for each connection. 

To configure an AppDynamics Get Events activity, complete the following steps:

1. After you add the activity to an operation, double-click the activity brick.

2. On the configuration screen, enter a name and specify the activity settings:

   Field name	Action
   Name	Enter a name to identify the AppDynamics Get Events activity. The name must be unique for each AppDynamics activity and must not contain forward slashes (/) or colons (:).
   Application ID	Enter the application name or ID of the AppDynamics instance.
   Event Types	Specify the comma-separated list of event types for which you want to retrieve event information. For more information about valid event types, see Events Reference .
   Severity	Enter a comma-separated list of severities for which you want to retrieve event information. Valid values include: INFO (Default) WARN ERROR In the UI, these values are displayed as "Info", "Warning", and "Critical"
   Time Range Type	Enter a time range during which the event was created. Valid values include: BEFORE_NOW: Define a time period before the current time to retrieve the data for a specific duration. To use this option, add the duration-in-mins parameter in Additional fields to get events. BEFORE_TIME: Define a time before the current time to retrieve the data for events created for a specific duration before the defined end time. To use this option, add the duration-in-mins and end-time parameters in Additional fields to get events. AFTER_TIME: Define a time after which to retrieve the data for events created for a specific duration after the defined start time. To use this option, add the duration-in-mins and start-time parameters in Additional fields to get events. The start-time para BETWEEN_TIMES: Define a time period during which the event was created. To use this option, add the start-time and end-time parameters in Additional fields to get events. The "BETWEEN_TIMES" range includes the start-time and excludes the end-time.
   Additional field for get events (start-time/end-time format: YYYY/MM/DD HH:mm:ss)	Click Add to define additional fields for the Time Range Type entered. Enter the parameter name and define a value for it. For example, if you selected AFTER_TIME time range, add the following parameters: duration-in-mins: Enter a numeric value for the time duration. end-time: Enter the end time in the YYYY/MM/DD HH:mm:ss format.

   
   

3. Click Next.
   Review the request and response data schemas for your AppDynamics instance.
   The data schemas list the fields available for the AppDynamics Get Events activity. If the operation uses a transformation, the data schemas are displayed again later during the transformation mapping process. In the transformation mapping process, map target fields by using source objects, scripts, variables, custom values, and more.
   The AppDynamics connector uses the AppDynamics API version 21 . For more information about the schema fields, see the API documentation.

4. Click Finished.
   After the activity is created, menu actions for that activity are accessible from the project pane in either the Workflows or the Components tab, and from the design canvas. For more information, see Activity Actions Menu .

To complete the configuration of the operation, add and configure other activities, transformations, or scripts as operation steps. You can also configure an operation's settings, which include the ability to chain operations together that are in the same or different workflows.

AppDynamics Get Events operation patterns

The Get Events activities can be used as a target with these operation patterns:

• Transformation Pattern

• Two-Transformation Pattern  (as the first or second source)

Other patterns are not valid to use with the AppDynamics Get Events activities. For more information on the validation patterns, see the  Operation Validity  page.

A typical use case is to use an AppDynamics Get Events activity in the Two-Transformation Pattern. In this example, the first transformation (AppDynamics Get Events Request) creates a request structure that is passed to the AppDynamics Get Events activity. The second transformation (AppDynamics Get Events Response) receives the response structure, which is then written to a variable by a Variable Write activity (Write AppDynamics Get Events Response) and a message is then logged by the Write to Operation Log script:

To use the activity with scripting functions, write the data to a temporary location and then use that temporary location in the scripting function.

When ready, deploy and run the operation and validate behavior by checking the  operation logs .