Importing data into BMC Remedyforce using data import tools other than Pentaho packages

BMC provides ready-to-use Pentaho packages to import data from the following external data sources:

• BMC Atrium Configuration Management
• BMC Discovery (known before version 11.0 as 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
• Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)

To import data from these external data sources, you can download the appropriate Pentaho packages, corresponding to your Remedyforce CMDB version, from the BMC Communities website (https://communities.bmc.com/). The Pentaho packages provide defined mappings between data from external sources and fields in the Base Element object. For more information, see Overview of how data is imported into BMC Remedyforce.

Importing data into BMC Remedyforce

BMC Software recommends you to use the appropriate Pentaho packages to import data from the external data sources. In BMC Remedyforce CMDB 2.0, you can also import data from the external data sources using data import tools other than the Pentaho packages (for example, Data Loader). However, other import tools do not provide defined mappings between data from external sources and fields in the Base Element object; you must map the data that you want to import. To import data into BMC Remedyforce using other import tools, you must perform the following actions:

1. Consider the data that you want to import from the external data source, and the fields of the Base Element object of the Remedyforce CMDB to which you want to import the data. For more information, see Before you begin.
2. From the external data source, export the required data and store it as CSV data. For more information, see Exporting data from the external data source to a CSV file.
3. Edit the data on the CSV file to the required data type of the corresponding fields of the Base Element object of the Remedyforce CMDB. For more information, see Editing exported data to the required data type.
4. Import the data from the CSV file to the BMC Remedyforce CMDB. For more information, see Importing data from the CSV file to BMC Remedyforce CMDB.

Before you begin

Before importing data into BMC Remedyforce CMDB by using data import tools other than the Pentaho packages, you must consider the following points:

• What information (source fields) from the external data source do you want to import to the Remedyforce CMDB?
• To which fields (target fields) of the Base Element object of the Remedyforce CMDB do you want to import the information from the external data source?

The following example displays a few source fields of Computer System from SCCM and the corresponding target fields of the Base Element object. Based on your requirements, you can change the target fields.

The following fields are mandatory for importing data to the BMC Remedyforce CMDB:

Exporting data from the external data source to a CSV file

Export the data that you want to import into BMC Remedyforce CMDB from the external data source to a CSV file. For more information, see the vendor specific documentation of the external data source.

Editing exported data to the required data type

You must map the data on the CSV file to the required data type of the corresponding fields of the Base Element object of the Remedyforce CMDB.

1. Open the CSV file using any text editor or spreadsheet (for example, Microsoft Excel).
2. Edit the data based on the required Remedyforce CMDB data type.
   For more information about the supported data type of the fields of the Base Element object, see Viewing the data type of the fields of the Base Element object.
3. Save the edited CSV file.

Viewing the data type of the fields of the Base Element object

1. Click Setup.
2. From the App Setup section, click Create > Objects.
3. In the Label column, click Base Element.
4. In the Custom Fields & Relationships section, navigate to the fields to which you want to import the data.
5. In the Data Type column, view the supported data type for the corresponding field of the Base Element object.
   For example,
   • For BMCServiceDesk__ImpactComputationModel__c, the supported data type is Text(255). That is, the supported data type is text and the text field limit is 255 characters.
   • For BMCServiceDesk__Currently__Consumed__Resource__c, the supported data type is Number(15, 2). That is, the supported data type is number and the number field limit is 15, and decimal places is 2.

Importing data from the CSV file to BMC Remedyforce CMDB

You can import the data from the edited CSV file into Remedyforce CMDB. Following is an example of the procedure to import data using Data Loader:

1. Click Start > Programs > salesforce.com > Apex Data Loader 20.0 > Apex Data Loader 20.
2. Click Insert.
3. In Step 1: Salesforce Settings, type your Salesforce.com User Name and Password.
4. Click Log in.
5. When the Login completed successfully message appears, click Next.
6. In Step 2: Select data objects, select the Base Element (bmcsdf__BMC_BaseElement__c) object.
7. In the Choose CSV file field, click Browse, and navigate to your source CSV file.
8. Click Next.
   The following confirmation message appears:
   1. Initialization succeeded.
   2. Your operation will contain _<number of records being inserted and updated>_ records.
9. Click OK.
10. In Step 3: Mapping, click Create or Edit a map.
11. In the Mapping Dialog window, drag the Salesforce fields to the appropriate field from the CSV file to create the required mapping.
12. Click OK.
    The mapping you have created appears in the Current Field Mapping section.
13. Click Next.
14. In Step 4: Finish, click Browse, and navigate to the directory where you want to store the success and error log files.
    The Data Loader generates two unique CSV success and error log files for every operation you perform with Data Loader.
15. Click Finish.
16. In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
17. (Optional) In the Operation Finished dialog box, click View Successes to view the successful inserts and updates in the CSV Viewer.
18. (Optional) To view the failures in the CSV Viewer, click View Errors.
19. Click OK.
    For the imported records, the Source field is set to Others. You can use the Source field to generate reports and also when you enable and configure reconciliation. The Source field is not available on the Instance Editor by default. This field is a Picklist-type field available in the Base Element object. You can add an entry for the source from which you are importing records to the Remedyforce CMDB. Ensure that you have Edit permissions on this field to import data.