Automating the creation of virtual machines and storage accounts

As an application business analyst, you can automate the actions that you perform in Microsoft Azure, such as creating a storage account and creating a virtual machine. To automate these actions, in your application, you can create processes by using the Create VM and Create Storage Account Service elements in the Process designer of BMC Helix Innovation Studio.

Before you begin

Make sure that an administrator has configured the Microsoft Azure connector.

Create VM element properties

A Create VM element creates a virtual machine in Microsoft Azure.

The following video (2:49) explains how to automate the task of creating a virtual machine in Microsoft Azure:

 https://youtu.be/NgByYLkA8_I

The following table describes the Create VM input properties:

The following table describes the Create VM output properties:

Create Storage Account Service element properties

A Create Storage Account Service element creates a storage account in Microsoft Azure.

The following table describes the Create Storage Account Service input properties:

The following table describes the Create Storage Account Service input properties:

To create a process to create a virtual machine or storage account

1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio.
2. Navigate to the Workspace tab, and select the application in which you want to create a process.
3. In the application, select Processes, and click New.
   The system opens Process designer.
4. In the Process designer, drag the element to the canvas based on the action that you want to perform in Microsoft Azure:
   • To create a virtual machine, drag the Create VM element to the canvas.
   • To create a storage account, drag the Create Storage Account Service element to the canvas.
     
5. In the element Properties pane, enter the property values.
6. If required, add the other process elements and specify the flow of execution that you want to create for your business logic.
7. Save the process.

Example: Automating virtual machine creation in Azure

Ajay is an application business analyst in Calbro Services. He wants to automate the task of creating a virtual machine in Microsoft Azure so that he can reduce the manual efforts of agents who are assigned to user requests of virtual machine creation. To automate the task, Ajay creates a process. He uses the Create VM element to create a virtual machine in Azure and uses the Send Virtual Machine Creation Email element to notify the virtual machine details to the user.

Ajay performs the following actions to create the process to automate the creation of a virtual machine:

1. Create the process as shown in the following image:
   
2. Add the process properties as shown in the following image:
   
3. Add the Create VM element properties as shown in the following image:
   
4. Add Send Virtual Machine Creation Email element properties as shown in the following image:
   

   

5. Save the process.

Example: Automating storage account creation in Azure

Ajay is an application business analyst in Calbro Services. He wants to automate the task of creating a storage account in Microsoft Azure. To automate the task, Ajay creates a process. He uses the Create Storage Account Service element to create a storage account in Azure and the Send Azure Storage Creation Email element to notify the storage account details to the user.

Ajay performs the following actions to create the process to automate the creation of a storage account:

1. Create the process as shown in the following image:
   
2. Add the process properties as shown in the following image:
   
3. Add the Create Storage Account Service element properties as shown in the following image:
   
4. Add the Send Azure Storage Creation Email element properties as shown in the following image:
   
   
   
5. Save the process.

Related topics

Defining a template to create resources in Microsoft Azure

Process variables and data types

Managing processes by using the Manage Processes dashboard