Importing data from BMC Client Management 12.0 by using the REST Web API

This topic provides information about importing data from BMC Client Management (known before version 12.0 as BMC FootPrints Asset Core) by using the Representational State Transfer (REST) web API. For information about importing data by accessing the BMC Client Management database, see Importing data from BMC Client Management.

The Pentaho package for importing data from BMC Client Management by using the REST Web API is available only for BMC Remedyforce CMDB 2.0.

Prerequisites for importing data into BMC Remedyforce

From the BMC Communities website, you must download the Pentaho package for importing BMC Client Management data by using the REST Web API. To download the package, click https://communities.bmc.com/docs/DOC-32929.

Before importing data from BMC Client Management to CMDB 2.0, you must also perform the following configurations:

Importing data from BMC Client Management by using the Pentaho package

BMC Remedyforce provides a Pentaho package to import data from BMC Client Management by using the REST web API. The Pentaho package includes multiple job (KJB) files for importing different types of CIs, such as computer systems and LAN endpoints. For more information, see KJB files in the Pentaho package.

For information about the REST web API, see the BMC Client Management Help.

To import data from BMC Client Management by using the Pentaho package

1. Ensure that you have completed all prerequisite steps for importing data into BMC Remedyforce.
   For more information, see Prerequisites for importing data into BMC Remedyforce.
2. Navigate to the location where you downloaded and unzipped the Pentaho Data Integration tool.
3. To launch the Pentaho Data Integration tool, navigate to the data-integration folder.
4. Double-click the Spoon.bat file and open the job (KJB) file for the CI type that you want to import.
   For example, to import computer system CIs, open the TransferAssetCoreCSinfotoCMDB.kjb file.
5. From the Edit menu, select Settings.

6. In the Job properties window, click the Parameters tab.

7. Modify the Default value column for the parameters listed in the following table.

   Parameter	Action to be performed
   AC_DOWNLOADURL	Specify the BMC Client Management server name on which the .zip file that contains the data to be imported is stored. Specify the BMC Client Management server port that is configured for downloading the .zip file that contains the data to be imported. You must enter the URL in the following format: https://BCMServerName:Port In this URL, you must replace BCMServerName with the actual BMC Client Management server name and Port with the actual port from which the .zip file must be downloaded.
   AC_ENDPOINT	Specify the BMC Client Management server name from which you are importing data. Specify the BMC Client Management server port that is configured for the BMC Remedyforce external integration. to be imported. You must enter the URL in the following format: https://BCMServerName:Port/api/1 In this URL, you must replace BCMServerName with the actual BMC Client Management server name to which the Pentaho job sends the REST request and port with the actual port that is configured for sending the REST request. Note: If you provide a secure URL, ensure that the SSL certificate that is installed on the port is certified by a Certificate Authority (CA).
   AC_USERNAME	Specify the user name of the BMC Client Management administrator that you have configured for the BMC Remedyforce external integration. For more information, see Configuring the BMC Remedyforce external integration on the BMC Client Management server.
   AC_PASSWORD	Specify the password of the BMC Client Management administrator that you have configured for the BMC Remedyforce external integration. For more information, see Configuring the BMC Remedyforce external integration on the BMC Client Management server.
   AC_LANGUAGE	(Optional) Specify the language into which the internal BMC Client Management keywords must be translated for the import. The default value for this parameter is English. You can change the value to American, Francais, Deutsch, Japanese, Espanol or Brasileiro.
   AC_NUMBEROFTRY	(Optional) Specify the number of times the job must check for the availability of the file that contains data to be imported from BMC Client Management. The default value for this parameter is 3.
   AC_WAIT	(Optional) Specify the time interval (in seconds) after which the job must check for the availability of the file that contains data to be imported. The default value for this parameter is 10.
   SFDC_URL	Confirm that the URL to access Salesforce is specified in this parameter. The https://www.salesforce.com/services/Soap/u/27.0 URL is specified by default in this parameter.
   SFDC_USER	Specify the login ID of the Salesforce account that you will use to upload the imported data.
   SFDC_PASSWORD	Specify the password of the Salesforce account that you will use to upload the imported data.

    

   The various transformations and steps in the job use the values that you specify on the Parameters tab. If you do not specify values for the SFDC_USER and SFDC_PASSWORD parameters, you must provide the user name and password of your Salesforce organization in the following steps:

   • Salesforce Input[CMDB_Class]

   • Upsert Into Class <CI type name> 
     To access these steps, in the job (KJB) file, right-click the Import Records in Remedyforce CMDB step, and select Open Referenced Object> Transformation.

     If you are running a combined job, you can specify the parameter values only in the combined job (for example, TransferAssetCoreComputerSystemAndProductinfotoCMDB.kjb). Each job that is included in the combined job uses the parameter values that you specify in the combined job. However, if you specify parameter values in the combined and individual jobs, values specified in the individual jobs take precedence.

8. (Optional) To update the mapping between the data from BMC Client Management and BMC Remedyforce CMDB (fields in the Base Elementobject), perform the following steps:
   1. Double-click the Upsert Into Class <CI type name> step.
   2. In the Salesforce Upsert window, enter the user name and password of your Salesforce organization.
   3. In the Fields area, click Edit Mapping.
      The Certain referenced fields were not found! error message is displayed because of a known issue with the Pentaho Data Integration tool.
   4. To open the Enter Mapping window, click OK.
      The tool removes all referenced fields from the existing mappings. The Pentaho package provided by BMC Remedyforce includes only one referenced field, BMCServiceDesk__CMDB_Class__c. The CMDB_Class field is no longer available in the Mappings column.
   5. In the Source fields column, select CMDB_Class and click Add.
      When you move CMDB_Class from the Source field column to the Mappings column, the c in the field name is replaced with r. For example, BMCServiceDesk__CMDB_Class__c is replaced with BMCServiceDesk__CMDB_Class__r.
   6. Update mappings for other fields based on your requirements.
      For information about updating the out-of-the-box mapping, see Field mapping in CMDB 2.0.
   7. To save your settings and close the Enter Mapping window, click OK.
   8. In the Salesforce Input window, in the Module field column in the Fields area, click BMCServiceDesk__CMDB_Class__r, and replace r with c.
   9. (Optional) Based on your requirements, replace the Salesforce user name and password with the SFDC_USER and SFDC_PASSWORD parameters.
   10. To save your changes and close the Salesforce Upsert window, click OK.
9. (Optional) If you have enabled the setting to access your Salesforce organization from limited IP addresses, to enable communication between Salesforce and the Pentaho Data Integration tool, perform the following actions:

   1. In your Salesforce organization, navigate to Setup > Reset My Security Token.

      If you have enabled the improved Setup user interface in your Salesforce organization, navigate to My Settings > Personal > Reset My Security Token. For more information about the improved Setup user interface, see http://help.salesforce.com/apex/HTViewHelpDoc?id=admin_setup_improved.htm&language=en_US.

   2. Click Reset Security Token.
      An email message is sent to your email address stored in Salesforce.
   3. In the Password field of the Upsert Into Class <CI type name> step, append the security token to the password.
      For example, if your password is mypassword and your security token is XXXXXXXXX, then you must enter mypasswordXXXXXXXXX in the Password field.
10. To save the KTR and KJB files, click .
11. In the KJB file tab, click .

12. Perform one of the following actions based on the Pentaho version that you are using:

    Pentaho version	Action
    6.1	In the Run Options window, click Run.
    5.4	In the Execute a job window, click Launch.

    Data is imported into the appropriate CMDB class. The first time you run the job, all CIs are imported into the appropriate CMDB class. When you rerun the job, only the new and modified CIs are imported into the CMDB class.
    
    Transformation status is depicted by using the following icons:

    •  — Complete
    •  — Running
    •  — Unsuccessful
13. (Optional) To view logs, in the Execution results section, click the Logging tab.
    All the errors are displayed in red.

Upgrade considerations

In BMC Remedyforce versions earlier than Summer 15 Patch 1, when you import LAN endpoint data from BMC Client Management by using the REST Web API, duplicate LAN endpoint entries may be created on the Remedyforce CMDB. This was because, in BMC Client Management, a LAN endpoint may periodically obtain multiple IP addresses using DHCP, and BMC Remedyforce uses the Network Interface IP address as the unique source identifier for the imported LAN endpoints. In BMC Remedyforce Summer 15 Patch 1 and later versions, the MAC address is used as the unique source identifier for the LAN endpoints imported from BMC Client Management by using the REST Web API, and duplicate LAN endpoint entries are not created.

• In a new installation of BMC Remedyforce Summer 15 Patch 1 or later, if you are using the latest Pentaho package for importing data from BMC Client Management by using the REST Web API, duplicate LAN endpoint entries are not created.
• If you have upgraded to BMC Remedyforce Summer 15 Patch 1 or later, you must additionally perform the following actions:
  1. Stop using the previously installed Pentaho package for importing data from BMC Client Management by using the REST Web API.

  2. Install the latest Pentaho package for importing data from BMC Client Management by using the REST Web API.
     The latest Pentaho package has been released along with the BMC Remedyforce Summer 15 Patch 1 and is available at https://communities.bmc.com/docs/DOC-32929.

     Note

     Any customizations that you may have created in the previously installed Pentaho package for importing data from BMC Client Management by using the REST Web API will not be available in the latest Pentaho package that you must install. You must create those customizations again in the latest Pentaho package.

  3. Manually delete any existing duplicate LAN endpoint entry on the Remedyforce CMDB.

For more information, see Deleting configuration items and Deleting assets.

Related topics

Troubleshooting issues with importing data from BMC Client Management

Overview of how data is imported into BMC Remedyforce

Importing data to custom attributes

Scheduling jobs to import data