Synchronizing change requests with ALM Octane entities via BMC Helix iPaaS, powered by Jitterbit

As an administrator, you can integrate BMC Helix ITSM with ALM Octane to synchronize ALM Octane entities with BMC Helix ITSM change requests.

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 ALM Octane. You configure the integration in BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker and deploy the integration template to your BMC Helix iPaaS, powered by Jitterbit environment.

The following image gives an overview of the capabilities that this integration supports:

This integration provides the following capabilities:

The following image is an example of the ALM Octane entity details displayed in the corresponding BMC Helix ITSM change request.

ALM Octane to BMC Helix ITSM data flow

The following image gives an overview of the data flow for creating or updating a BMC Helix ITSM change request from a ALM Octane entity:

BMC Helix ITSM and ALM Octane data flows

The following image gives an overview of the data flow for creating or updating a ALM Octane entity from a BMC Helix ITSM change request:

The following image gives an overview of the data flow for synchronizing comments or status change from a BMC Helix ITSM change request to a ALM Octane entity:

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

   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 DevOps Integration, select Between ITSM Change and ALM Octane.

   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 ALM Octane as the vendor organization, if you have not already done so.

   3. To add the vendor metadata, click Manage Vendor Metadata 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 ALM Octane.
         (Optional) Instance Name	If you are using multiple instances of ALM Octane, 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 Display Field Mapping section.
         Instance URL	Update the instanceUrl value in the default URL. The default value of this variable is https://{alm octane server name}/ui/?&p={space_id}/{workspace_id}#/release-quality/hierarchy/{type} For example, update the default value to https://ALM Octane.bmc.com/ui/&p=133020/1002#/release-quality/hierarchy/defects
         Process Name	This variable is set to com.bmc.dsm.ticket-brokering-lib:Connector Process ALM Octane. Do not modify this value.
         Display Field Mapping	By default, the basic ALM Octane fields are mapped in this section. If you want to map additional fields to be displayed in the BMC Helix ITSM UI, add the relevant mappings by clicking .
         Integration Platform	Select Jitterbit.

      3. Click Save.

   4. To fetch change requests from BMC Helix ITSM, click Define filter criteria to fetch records from ITSM to Helix Multi-Cloud Broker for change, 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 you enter a valid query with available fields and values.

         
         

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

   5. In the Configure ALM Octane 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 template project file

1. Download the Sync BMC Helix ITSM change request and ALM Octane entity 2022-10-01 file. 
   This file contains the BMC Helix iPaaS Cloud Studio project Sync_BMC_Helix_ITSM_change_request_and_ALM_Octane_entity.

   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 Sync BMC Helix ITSM change request and ALM Octane entity.json file you downloaded.
   The Project Name and Organization fields are automatically populated. The default project name is displayed, but you can change it, as needed.

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 the name for an API that is created in BMC Helix iPaaS to receive BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker webhook requests.
     BHIP_API_User_Roles	Enter the organization roles that must have access to the BMC Helix iPaaS API. Use comma separated values for multiple values. If this value is blank, all the organization roles are provided access to the BMC Helix iPaaS API.
     BHIP_MCB_API_Profile_Username	Enter the user name to be used while creating the BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker API profile. The integration template creates the API in BMC Helix iPaaS to handle requests from BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker.
     BHIP_MCB_API_Profile_Password	Enter the password to be used while creating the BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker API profile. The integration template creates the API in BMC Helix iPaaS to handle requests from BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker.
     BHIP_Host	Enter the BMC Helix iPaaS instance URL where you want to run this project. Important: Make sure you do not enter any leading and trailing spaces.
     BHIP_Username	Enter the user name for the BMC Helix iPaaS instance.
     BHIP_Password	Enter the password for the BMC Helix iPaaS instance.
     BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_Username	Enter the user name for the security profile that you want to use with the vendor API.
     BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_Password	Enter the password for the security profile that you want to use with the vendor API.
     Enable_BMC_Helix_To_Vendor_Integration	Perform any of the following actions: To enable the creation of ALM Octane entities from BMC Helix ITSM change requests, and synchronization of updates and comments, enter true. To disable the creation of ALM Octane entities from BMC Helix ITSM change requests, and synchronization of updates and comments, enter false.
     Enable_Vendor_To_BMC_Helix_Integration	Perform any of the following actions: To enable the creation of BMC Helix ITSM incidents from ALM Octane entities, and synchronization of updates, enter true. To disable the creation of BMC Helix ITSM incidents from ALM Octane entities, and synchronization of updates, enter false.

   • ALM Octane variables:

     Project variable	Action
     ALM_Octane_Host	Enter the ALM Octane instance URL where you want to run this project.
     ALM_Octane_Space_Id	Enter the ID of the space associated to the workspace where the entities must be created.
     ALM_Octane_Workspace_Id	Enter the ID of the workspace where the entities must be created.
     ALM_Octane_Client_Id	Enter the Client ID generated for your ALM Octane instance.  For more information about setting up API access to get the client ID and client secret, see Set up API Access  in the ALM Octane documentation.
     ALM_Octane_Client_Secret	Enter the Client Secret ID generated for the Client ID. For more information about setting up API access to get the client ID and client secret, see Set up API Access  in the ALM Octane documentation.

   • BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker project variables:

     Project variable	Action
     MCB_HOST	Enter the BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker host URL to which ALM Octane entities must be synchronized.
     MCB_Username	Enter the BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker administrator user name that enables users to interact with BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker.
     MCB_Password	Enter the password for the provided user name.
     MCB_Vendor_Name	This variable is autopopulated. Do not change the default value.
     MCB_Assigned_Company	Enter the name of the company for which you want to create the BMC Helix ITSM change request.
     MCB_Assigned_Group	Enter the name of the support group to which you want to assign the BMC Helix ITSM change request.
     MCB_Assigned_Support_Organization	Enter the name of the support organization to which you want to assign the BMC Helix ITSM change request.

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

     Project variable	Action
     ITSM_Company_Name	Enter the company name for which the integration template must be run; for example, Calbro Services.
     ITSM_Customer_First_Name	Enter the first name of the BMC Helix ITSM customer. This must be a valid user in BMC Helix ITSM, for whom a ticket can be created.
     ITSM_Customer_Last_Name	Enter the last name of the BMC Helix ITSM customer.

Task 4: To deploy and enable the project

After you enable the integration, when an entity is created in ALM Octane, a corresponding change request is created in BMC Helix ITSM, and the converse is true. Updates made to the ALM Octane entity are synced with the BMC Helix ITSM change request, and the converse is true. When a worklog is added to the BMC Helix ITSM change request, a comment is added to the corresponding ALM Octane entity.

Task 5: To configure a webhook for an ALM Octane entity

1. Log in to ALM Octane.
2. Click Settings and select Spaces. 
3. On the Spaces page, select your ALM Octane workspace, and then select Entities > Rules.  
4. From the list of entities, select an ALM Octane entity for which you want to create a webhook connection, and then click the Add Business Rule icon. 
5. In the Add Rule window, go to the Action tab.
6. Under the Action tab, complete the following fields:
   1. Action—select Trigger webhook.
   2. Submission mode—select the New, Update, Delete check boxes. 
   3. Communication method—select Webhook.
   4. URL—Enter the URL to the BHIP_API_NAME_Vendor_to_MCSM API.
      BHIP_API_NAME represents the API name you entered for the BHIP_API_NAME variable. You can find this BMC Helix iPaaS API in BMC Helix iPaaS, powered by Jitterbit, under API Manager > My APIs. 
   5. Click Test Connection.
   6. Click Save. 

(Optional) Task 6: 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 any of the following APIs: 

   • BHIP_API_NAME_MCSM_to_Vendor—This API is used to create and update ALM Octane entities from BMC Helix ITSM change requests. 

   • BHIP_API_NAME_Vendor_to_MCSM—This API is used to create and update BMC Helix ITSM change requests from ALM Octane entities.
     

     Important

     BHIP_API_NAME represents the API name you entered for the BHIP_API_NAME variable.

     
     

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 with BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker

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