Overview of how data is imported into BMC Remedyforce

BMC Remedyforce provides Pentaho packages for importing data from various external sources,such as BMC Atrium Configuration Management Database (BMC Atrium CMDB), BMC Atrium Discovery and Dependency Mapping, BMC BladeLogic Client Automation, BMC Client Management (known before version 12.0 as BMC FootPrints Asset Core), Dell KACE, and Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager. You can also use Pentaho packages to import users from the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) servers into BMC Remedyforce.

The following topics are provided:

Overview of Pentaho packages

You can download the Pentaho packages from the BMC Communities website (https://communities.bmc.com). To import data into BMC Remedyforce by using Pentaho packages, you must also download the Pentaho Data Integration tool, which is an open source solution.

The Pentaho packages contain job (KJB) and transformation (KTR) files that are created in the Pentaho Data Integration tool. The KJB files (jobs) and KTR files (transformations) store metadata in XML format. A KJB file contains a series of transformations that are run in a sequence. A KTR file contains a single transformation. The job files retrieve data from external sources by using an SQL query (for example, to import data from Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager and BMC BladeLogic Client Automation), an HTTP request (for example, to import data from BMC Atrium Discovery and Dependency Mapping), or a web API request (for example, to import data from BMC Client Management).

Based on the version of Remedyforce CMDB that you are using, the packages provided to you on the BMC Communities are different. For more information about Remedyforce CMDB 2.0 and 1.0, see BMC-Remedyforce-CMDB-architecture.

Note

If you have upgraded to CMDB 2.0 and were using CMDB 1.0 packages, you can continue using the CMDB 1.0 packages. However, BMC recommends that you use packages for CMDB 2.0 for faster imports. If you had created custom fields in the CMDB Staging table object but did not create corresponding fields in the Base Element object, delete those fields to avoid errors while importing data.

Overview of how CIs are imported in CMDB 2.0

CIs from various external sources are imported directly into BMC Remedyforce CMDB 2.0. In BMC Remedyforce CMDB 2.0, all data is stored in the Base Element object. For more information, see CMDB 2.0 architecture.

Field mapping in CMDB 2.0

The job files in Pentaho packages provide out-of-the-box mappings between data from external sources and BMC Remedyforce CMDB (fields in the Base Element object). Before importing data, you can change the out-of-the-box mapping in the job files. However, you must map the external fields to only one CI type and its hierarchy at a time.

You can also map the data from external sources to custom attributes of a CI in BMC Remedyforce CMDB. For more information, see Importing-data-to-custom-attributes.

If you change the mapping, you must ensure that the updated mapping includes the mandatory fields listed in the following table.

Creation of relationships in BMC Remedyforce CMDB

The BMCServiceDesk__AssemblyId__c field is required to create a relationship between the computer system and various CIs. A relationship helps you to identify the source and destination of data. The source is the computer system, and the destination can be an operating system, processor, IP endpoint, LAN endpoint, software server, product, or person. For example, if the value of the BMCServiceDesk__AssemblyId__c field is 1 for a computer system record and a processor record has an Assembly ID value of 1, a relationship is automatically created between the computer system (source) and processor (destination).

The relationship between the computer system as a source and the product or software server as a destination is not shown in the Configuration Items Explorer, which can show only a limited number of relationships (due to limitations of the Salesforce platform). Displaying relationships between a computer system and product or software server might hide other important relationships between the computer system and other CIs.

Note

Do not map the BMCServiceDesk_AssemblyId__c field for BMC Atrium CMDB because you must import relationships from BMC Atrium CMDB by using the Pentaho packages available on the BMC Communities website.

Overview of how CIs are imported in CMDB 1.0

You can import configuration items (CIs) from external sources to your CMDB objects. CIs are first imported into a staging table. A staging table is a flat table that is required to map external data before saving it to the CMDB objects. In the staging table, all of the fields of the CMDB are used as columns. From the staging table, data is saved in the CMDB objects.

Data is fetched by using an SQL query (such as to import data from SCCM and BMC BladeLogic Client Automation) or an HTTP request (such as to import data from BMC Atrium Discovery). While importing data, each time a row is saved in the CMDB staging object, a trigger is activated that transfers data to the CMDB objects.

Field mapping in CMDB 1.0

Mapping between SCCM, BMC Atrium Discovery, BMC BladeLogic Client Automation, BMC Client Management, and Dell KACE database fields and the Remedyforce CMDB fields is predefined in the corresponding job files. If required, you can change the mapping while importing data. You can also map the SCCM, BMC Atrium Discovery, BMC BladeLogic Client Automation, BMC Client Management, Dell KACE database fields to custom attributes of a CI. For more information, see Importing-data-to-custom-attributes.

If you are changing mapping, the following fields are mandatory:

BMCServiceDesk__ClassName__c: Stores the class of the CI to which data is imported.
For example, if you import data into the BMC_computersystem class of the CMDB hierarchy, then the value of the BMCServiceDesk__ClassName__c field must be BMC_COMPUTERSYSTEM. You can find class names in the CI list in BMC Remedyforce.
BMCServiceDesk__UniqueCISourceID__c: Stores the unique ID of the CI that you import from data source. BMC recommends that you do not change the value of this field.

The BMCServiceDesk__AssemblyId__c field is required to create a relationship between the computer system and various CIs. A relationship helps you to identify the source and destination of data. The source is the computer system and the destination can be operating system, processor, IP end points, LAN end points, software server, product, or persons.

You must map the fields of the SCCM, BMC Atrium Discovery, BMC BladeLogic Client Automation, BMC Client Management, and Dell KACE database fields to only one CI type and its hierarchy at a time.

Overview of how users are imported from LDAP servers

You can import users from the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) servers into BMC Remedyforce. The imported users are stored in the Client User Import table, which is a temporary table. Using the data in this table, users and contacts are created in the Salesforce organization. Mapping for the LDAP servers and the Salesforce organization is provided using the Pentaho Data Integration tool. You can change the mapping that is provided in the sample files. All the fields in the Client User Import table can be mapped to a corresponding field in the LDAP server attributes.

If you change mapping in the sample files, the following fields are mandatory:

BMCServiceDesk__Last_Name__c
BMCServiceDesk__Client_User_Name__c
BMCServiceDesk__EmailID__c