Creating incidents from AppDynamics alerts via BMC Helix iPaaS, powered by Jitterbit

As an administrator, you can integrate BMC Helix ITSM with AppDynamics to create incidents in BMC Helix ITSM when an alert is created in an AppDynamics policy for a monitored application. 

You can create one incident for one policy that can contain multiple health rules, events, and alerts. The following image gives an overview of the mapping between an incident and an alert:

BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker, along with BMC Helix iPaaS, powered by Jitterbit provides an out-of-the-box integration template  to integrate BMC Helix ITSM and AppDynamics. You configure the integration in BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker and deploy the integration template to your  BMC Helix iPaaS, powered by Jitterbit environment.

This integration provides the following capabilities:

The following image is an example of the AppDynamics alert details displayed in the corresponding BMC Helix ITSM incident:

AppDynamics to BMC Helix ITSM data flow

The following image gives an overview of the data flow for creating and updating a BMC Helix ITSM incident from an AppDynamics alert:

Before you begin

You require the following items to successfully set up and use this integration: 

Task 1: To configure the integration

1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio.
2. On Workspace, click Multi-Cloud Broker.

3. To launch BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker, click Visit Deployed Application.
   

   Tip

   You can access BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker directly by entering the URL https://hostName:portNumber/helix/index.html#/com.bmc.dsm.mcsm/login and logging in as a tenant administrator.

4. Click Settings .

5. Select Start Here > Quick Configuration Guide.

   The Quick Configuration Guide page is displayed.

6. On the Step 1: Choose configuration tab, under Notification, select Appdynamics Alert to ITSM Incident.

   Important

   In Choose Configuration, Helix iPaaS (powered by Jitterbit) is selected by default. Do not change this value.

   

7. On the Step 2: Perform configurations tab, perform the following steps:

   1. Add an operating organization, if you have not already done so.

   2. Add AppDynamics as the vendor organization, if you have not already done so.

   3. To add the vendor metadata, click Map vendors and perform the following steps:

      1. On the Map Vendors page, click Map Vendor.

      2. Complete the fields as described in the following table:

         Field	Action
         Description	Enter a description for the vendor metadata configuration.
         Ticketing Technology Provider	From the list, select AppDynamics.
         (Optional) Instance Name	If you are using multiple instances of AppDynamics, enter the name of the instance that you are using for this integration.
         Add Mapping	After you select the ticketing technology provider, click Add Mapping. BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker displays the default values in the Instance URL field, and the Vendor Field Mapping and Display Field Mapping sections.
         Instance URL	This field is autopopulated. Do not update the default value.
         Vendor Field Mapping	By default, the basic AppDynamics fields are mapped in this section. Do not update the default mappings.
         Display Field Mapping	By default, the basic AppDynamics fields are mapped in this section. If you want to map additional fields to display in the BMC Helix ITSM UI, add the relevant mappings by clicking.
         Enable Local ITSM Communication	By default, this toggle key is enabled.  If you want to use BMC Helix Integration Service as the underlying integration platform, disable this toggle key.
         Integration platform	Select Jitterbit.

      3. Click Save.

         Important

         For this integration, you need not define a filter condition by using the Define filter criteria to fetch ITSM incidents to Multi-Cloud Broker link.

   4. To fetch incidents from BMC Helix ITSM, click Define filter criteria to fetch records from ITSM to Helix Multi-Cloud Broker for incident, and perform the following steps:
      1. To select the filter criteria, click Advanced filter.
         

      2. Select the filters from the available fields, and click Next.
         The query filter expression is displayed. By default, the AND qualifier is applied when you select multiple filter criteria.

      3. To change the qualifier for your filters, update the query, and then click Save. 
         

         Important

         Make sure that you enter a valid query with available fields and values.

         
         

      4. Click Close. 
         When an incident matches the operation and filter that you have selected, the system fetches that incident to BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker.

   5. In the Configure Appdynamics Alerts integration section, refer to the configuration steps listed and select the check boxes as you complete each step.

   6. Click Save.

Task 2: To download and import the integration project file

1. Download the Create BMC Helix ITSM incident from Appdynamics alerts Update 2022-10-01  file.

   This file contains the BMC Helix iPaaS Cloud Studio project Create BMC Helix ITSM incident from Appdynamics alerts.

   Important

   Your ability to access product pages on the EPD website is determined by the license your company purchased.

2. Log in to BMC Helix iPaaS and navigate to Cloud Studio.
3. Select your organization.
4. On the projects page, click Import.

5. Click Browse and then select the Create BMC Helix ITSM incident from Appdynamics alerts.json file that you downloaded.
   The Project Name and Organization fields are automatically populated. The default project name is displayed. You can change the project name.

6. From the Environment list, select the environment to which you want to import this integration template, and click Import.
   The project opens after the integration template is imported.
7. To open the project file at a later time, select the environment where the integration templates are available, select the project name, and click View/Edit.

Task 3: To update the project variables for the integration template

1. Next to the Environment name, click the ellipsis ... and select Project Variables.
   

2. Update the project variables as described in the following tables:

   • BMC Helix iPaaS project variables:

     Project variable	Action
     BHIP_API_Name	Enter a name for the Webhook API that is created in the BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker API Manager to receive BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker or  AppDynamics requests.
     BHIP_API_User_Roles	Enter comma-separated values of the user roles assigned for the BMC Helix iPaaS API. Important: If you do not specify any value, all the organization roles get access to the new API.
     BHIP_MCB_API_Profile_User_Name	Enter a user name to be used to create the security profile for the BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker API for BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker. The integration template creates an API in BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker to handle requests from BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker.
     BHIP_MCB_API_Profile_User_Password	Enter a password for the security profile used with the BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker API for BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker. The integration template creates an API in BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker to handle requests from BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker.
     BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_Type	Enter the name of the security profile type. You can set one of the following values for this variable: BASIC ANONYMOUS APIKEY
     BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_User_Name	Enter the user name for the security profile that you want to use with the vendor API.  Important: Provide a value for this variable, only if you enter BASIC in BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_Type.
     BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_User_Password	Enter the password for the security profile that you want to use with the vendor API.  Important: Provide a value for this variable, only if you enter BASIC in BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_Type.
     BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_ApiKey_Name	For security profile type APIKEY, enter a name for the API key name for the security profile that you want to use with the vendor API.  The default value is apiKey. Important: Provide a value for this variable, only if you enter APIKEY in BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_Type.
     BHIP_Host	Enter the BMC Helix iPaaS instance URL where you want to run this project. Important: Make sure that you do not enter any leading or trailing spaces in the URL.
     BHIP_User_Name	Enter the user name for the BMC Helix iPaaS instance. Important: BMC Helix iPaaS login credentials are required to create the API in BMC Helix iPaaS by using RestAPI. This is due to a limitation that BMC Helix iPaaS does not enable access to information about being logged in to BMC Helix iPaaS.
     BHIP_User_Password	Enter the password for the BMC Helix iPaaS instance.
     Enable_BMC_Helix_To_Vendor_Integration	Enable the creation of AppDynamics alerts from BMC Helix ITSM incidents and, synchronization of updates. By default, this variable is set to true. If you want to disable the creation of AppDynamics alerts, and synchronization of updates, set the default value to false.
     Enable_Vendor_To_BMC_Helix_Integration	Enable the creation and updates of BMC Helix ITSM incidents from AppDynamics alerts. By default, this variable is set to true. If you want to disable the creation of BMC Helix ITSM incidents, set the default value to false.

   • AppDynamics project variables:

     Project variable	Action
     AppDynamics_HostUrl	Enter the AppDynamics host URL. Important: Make sure that you do not enter any leading or trailing spaces in the URL.
     AppDynamics_AccountName	Enter the AppDynamics account name.
     AppDynamics_Application_ID	Enter the application ID of the application in AppDynamics in where you want to add an action when the integration is run.
     AppDynamics_Username	Enter the user name to access the AppDynamics account.
     AppDynamics_Password	Enter the password for user name to access the AppDynamics account.
     Add_Action_To_Policy	Enter one of the following values to define if the template should automatically create an HTTP request template and an action, to add to the policy: true—The template automatically creates an HTTP request template and an action, and add it to the policy that you specify in Policy_Name. Then, from the policy, you can remove the actions and HTTP request templates that you added manually. false—After you run the template, no HTTP request template or action is automatically created in the policy. The template only creates the BMC Helix iPaaS security profiles and APIs. From the API Manager, get the API URL and credentials, and append them to the relevant places in the policy action or template.
     Policy_Name	Enter comma separated values to add the names of the AppDynamics policies for which you want to implement the integration; for example, Policy 1, Policy 2, Policy 3.

   • BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker project variables:

     Project variable	Action
     MCB_Host	Enter the BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker host URL to which the AppDynamics alerts should be synchronized. Important: Make sure that you do not enter any leading or trailing spaces in the URL.
     MCB_User_Name	Enter the user name to access BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker.
     MCB_User_Password	Enter the password for the user name to access BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker.
     MCB_Vendor_Name	This variable is autopopulated. Do not change the default value.
     MCB_Assigned_Group	Enter the name of the support group to which you want to assign the incident.
     MCB_Assigned_Support_Organization	Enter the name of the support organization to which you want to assign the incident.
     MCB_Assigned_Support_Company	Enter the name of the support company to which you want to assign the incident.
     MCB_Assigned_Company	Enter the name of the company for which you want to create the incident.
     MCB_Assigned_Company_Id	Enter the ID of the company for which you want to create the incident.
     MCB_Assigned_Business_Unit	Enter the name of the business unit to which you want to assign the incident.

     The following variables are inputs from BMC Helix ITSM. Either enter values for these variables or map appropriate AppDynamics fields if the data is available:

     Project variable	Action
     ITSM_Company_Name	Enter the company name for which the integration template needs to be run; for example, Apex Global.
     ITSM_Customer_First_Name	Enter the first name of the BMC Helix ITSM customer.
     ITSM_Customer_Last_Name	Enter the last name of the BMC Helix ITSM customer.
     ITSM_Incident_Type	Enter any of the following incident types for which a corresponding AppDynamics alert should be created: User Service Restoration User Service Request Infrastructure Restoration Infrastructure Event Security Incident The default value is User Service Restoration.

Task 4: To deploy and enable the project

After you enable the integration, when an alert is generated in AppDynamics, a corresponding incident is created in BMC Helix ITSM. 

(Optional) Task 5: To set the time for API debug mode

By default, the debug mode is set to 2 hours after you run the integration. Debug logs are updated for the time set for the debug mode. To increase the debug mode for a longer period of time, perform the following steps:

1. In BMC Helix iPaaS, powered by Jitterbit, select API Manager > My APIs.

2. Open the BMC_Helix_ITSM_Incident_And_AppDynamics_Event_Vendor_To_MCB API.
   This API creates a BMC Helix ITSM incident from an AppDynamics alert.

3. Select Enable Debug Mode Until: and set it for the required date and time.

4. Save and publish the API.

Related topics

Getting started

Leveraging integration technologies to integrate BMC Helix ITSM and third-party applications