Managing CI classes

To be able to add, update, and delete Configuration Item (CI) classes, CI management must be enabled. For more information, see Enabling CI management. Depending on the CI data that you want to store, you can use the available out-of-the-box CI classes, customize the attributes of the out-of-the-box CI classes, and add custom CI classes. For more information about the available out-of-the-box classes, see BMC Remedyforce CMDB Common Data Model.

This topic contains the following information:

Adding custom CI classes

To add a custom CI class, you must perform the following actions:

1. Add the class details
2. Add the class attributes

To add the class details

1. On the CMDB Classes list view page, click .

2. On the CMDB Class form, select the superclass from the Superclass lookup.
   By default, BMC_BaseElement is displayed as the superclass. When you select a superclass, the hierarchy of the selected superclass, starting from the BMC_BaseElement class, is displayed.

3. In the CMDB Class Type list, select one of the following options:

   The CMDB Class Type list is displayed only if the system administrator has enabled both CI and IT asset management; if only CI management is enabled, the CMDB Class Type list is not displayed and you can create only a CI class.

   • To create a CI class, select CI.

   • To create a class which is both CI and asset, select CI and Asset.

4. In the Class Name field, enter a unique class name.
   The system validates that the class name is unique. The class name can contain only uppercase and lowercase letters from A through Z, numbers 0 through 9, and the underscore (_) character. It must begin with a letter, not end with an underscore, and not contain two consecutive underscores.

5. (Optional) In the Display Label field, enter a unique display label of the class.
   By default, the entered class name is displayed as the display label, which you can update. For more information, see To update an out-of-the-box or custom CI class.

6. To display the class in the Remedyforce CMDB tab, ensure that the Display in CMDB check box is selected.

   Note

   By default, the Display in CMDB check box is selected. If you clear the check box, that class is hidden in the List, Tile, and Tree views the Remedyforce CMDB tab. However, if a hidden class contains CIs, those CIs are displayed when you search for instances in the Remedyforce CMDB tab.

7. (Optional) To create an abstract class, select the Abstract check box. 
   

   Note

   Abstract classes organize subclasses and enable you to add a layer of organization. They contain only attributes, and do not contain any instances.

8. (Optional) To display the default class and class impacted icons in the Remedyforce CMDB tab, Relationships tab of the Instance Editor, and in the CMDB Explorer, ensure that the Use Default radio button is selected.
   By default, the Use Default radio button is selected. If you want to replace the default class and the class impacted icons with custom images, perform the following steps:
   

   Note

   The custom image file recommendations are: Format (.JPG, .JPEG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG), Image size (32x32 pixels), and Maximum image file size (5 MB).

   1. Click the Select Custom radio button.
   2. Next to Class Icon, click Browse.
   3. From the Add Image window, select the class icon image file.
   4. Next to Class Impacted Icon, click Browse.
   5. From the Add Image window, select the class impacted icon image file.

9. Click .

Adding the class attributes

When you save the class details, the Manage Attributes section of the UI is displayed on the CMDB Class form, which enables you to do the following:

• View the Field Set Label and Field Set Name fields that you must enter for the class.

• Access the links to the Base Element object to add the field set and attributes of the class.
  Click on Field Set to create the field set of the class; click Custom Fields to create the unique attributes of the class.

  Note

  The Manage Attributes section of the UI displays Field Set and Custom Fields links only if a remote site setting is configured to enable object access. For more information, see Before you begin. If a remote site setting is not configured, these links are not displayed. Rather, the instructions to manually access the  the Base Element object are displayed. You must manually perform these instructions once to create the field set and custom attributes of the class. Subsequently, the Manage Attributes section displays the Field Set and Custom Fields links.

To add a field set for a custom class

1. In the Manage Attributes section, click on the Field Set link.

2. In the Field Sets section of the Base Element object page, click New.
3. In the Field Set Label text box, enter the field set label that is displayed on the Manage Attributes section.
4. In the Field Set Name text box, the field set name is automatically populated.
   Ensure that the field set name is the same as the one displayed in the Manage Attributes section.
5. In the Where is this used? text box, enter a brief description of where and how the field set is used.
6. Click Save.

To add fields for the custom class attributes

1. In the Manage Attributes section, click on the Custom Fields link.

2. In the Custom Fields & Relationships section of the Base Element object that opens on a new tab, click New.
3. From the New Custom Field page, add custom fields for the class attributes.
   For more information, see Adding or removing fields on the Instance Editor in CMDB 2.0.

To add the fields to the field set for a custom class

1. In the Manage Attributes section, click on the Field Set link.
2. In the Field Set section of the Base Element object page that opens on a new tab, navigate to the corresponding field label.
3. Click Edit.
4. From the object palette, drag the fields to the In the Field Set list.
5. Click Save.

Updating CI classes

You can update the out-of-the-box and custom CI classes as follows:

• Update the class details
• Update the class attributes

To update the class details

1. On the CMDB Classes list view page, in the Class column, click the class that you want to update.

2. On the CMDB Class form, from the CMDB Class Type list, select the required class type.

   The CMDB Class Type list is displayed only if the system administrator has enabled both CI and IT asset management. You can convert the class type from CI, Asset, and CI and Asset to any class type other than Rule Based Asset. However, you cannot convert the class type of CI classes on which Rule Based Asset classes are defined; to convert the class type, you must first delete the related Rule Based Asset classes. For Rule Based Asset classes, the CMDB Class Type list is disabled and you cannot convert the class type.

3. From the Superclass lookup, and select the superclass.
   The hierarchy of the selected superclass, starting from the BMC_BaseElement class, is displayed.

   You can update the superclass of only custom classes, and not of any out-of-the-box classes. However, you cannot update the super class of a custom class that contains CIs, subclasses, or Rule Based Asset classes; to update the superclass, you must first delete the related CIs, subclasses, or Rule Based Asset classes.

4. The Class Name field cannot be updated.

5. In the Display Label field, enter a unique display label.
   The updated label is displayed in the Class column of the CMDB Classes list view page and on the Tile, List, and Tree views of the Remedyforce CMDB tab.
   

   Warning

   If an existing configuration (for example, a lookup filter, QuickView, validation rule, trigger, or service request definition) does a comparison between the hard coded value of the class name and the Class Name field of the base element object, and you update the display label of that class, that configuration will stop functioning. To make it functional, you must update the configuration in one of the following ways:

   • Instead of the Class Name field, use the Class field of the base element object for comparison.
   • Update the hard-coded value of the class name to the display label of the class.

   For example, if an existing lookup filter compares between the hard coded BMC_ComputerSystem class name and the Class Name field of the base element object, and you update the display label of the class to My_Computer_System, the look up filter will stop functioning. To make it functional, you must perform one of the following actions in the look up filter configuration:

   • Instead of the Class Name field, use the Class field of the base element object for comparison.
   • Update the hard coded value of the BMC_ComputerSystem class name to the My_Computer_System display label.
6. Select the Display in CMDB check box to display the class in the Remedyforce CMDB tab.
   If you clear the Display in CMDB check box, the class is not displayed in the Remedyforce CMDB tab. For more information, see To add the custom CI class details.

7.  Select the Abstract check box to assign the class as an abstract class.
   To remove the assignment of a class as an abstract class, clear the Abstract check box.

   Note

   The Abstract check box is enabled only for custom classes and is disabled for the out-of-the-box CMDB classes. You can assign a custom class as an abstract class only if that class does not contain any record of CIs or assets. If the class contains any record of CIs or assets, you must first delete the related records and then assign the class as an abstract class.

8. (Optional) To replace both the default class and class impacted icons with custom images, click the Select Custom radio button.
   For more information, see To add the custom CI class details.

9. Click .

To update the class attributes

You can update the attributes of a CI or a CI and Asset class from the Manage Attributes section of the CMDB Class form.

1. To update custom fields for the class attributes, click the Custom Fields link.

   For more information, see Adding the class attributes.

2. To update the field set of the class, perform the following actions:

   1. Click the Field Set link.

   2. In the Field Set section of the Base Element object page, click Edit for the corresponding field label, and then perform one or both of the following actions:
      • To add new fields, drag the fields from the object palette to the In the Field Set list.
      • To delete existing fields from the In the Field Set list, click  next to the fields.
   3. Click Save.

3. Click .

Deleting CI classes

You can delete only custom classes, and cannot delete any out-of-the-box classes. For the out-of-the-box classes, the  button is disabled. However, if a custom class contains CMDB instances (such as CIs, CIs and assets, and assets), subclasses, or Rule Based Asset classes defined on it, you cannot delete that class. To be able to delete that class, you must first delete the related CMDB instances, subclasses, or Rule Based Asset classes.

To delete a custom class

1. On the CMDB Classes list view page, select the custom CI class that you want to delete.
2. Click .

You can also delete a class by clicking  on the CMDB Class form of that class.

Managing related Rule Based Asset classes

If the system administrator has enabled both CI and IT asset management, the CMDB Class form of a CI class displays the Rule Based Asset Classes section. It enables you to manage Rule Based Asset classes which are based on that CI class. The Rule Based Asset Classes section displays any existing Rule Based Asset classes defined on the CI class, along with the rules applied. From the Rule Based Asset Classes section, you can add, update, and delete Rule Based Asset classes.

To add or update a Rule Based Asset class based on the CI class

1. In the Rule Based Asset Classes section, perform one of the following actions:
   • To add a new Rule Based Asset class, click .

   • To update an existing Rule Based Asset class, select that class and click .

2. The CMDB Class Type field displays Rule Based Asset and is not editable.
3. If you are creating a new Rule Based Asset class, select the CI class based on which you want the new class from the Superclass lookup.
   For existing Rule Based Asset classes, the Superclass field is not editable.
4. If you are creating a new Rule Based Asset class, enter a unique class name in the Class Name field.
   The system validates that the class name is unique. The class name can contain only uppercase and lowercase letters from A through Z, numbers 0 through 9, and the underscore (_) character. It must begin with a letter, not end with an underscore, and not contain two consecutive underscores.
   For existing Rule Based Asset classes, the Class Name field is not editable. 
5. (Optional) In the Display Label field, enter a unique display label of the class.
   By default, the entered class name is displayed as the display label, which you can update.
6. In the Criteria section, the Rule Based upon CI Class field displays the CI class name based on which the Rule Based Asset class is defined and is not editable.

7. To define the rules of the class, perform the following actions:

   Note

   For existing Rule Based Asset classes which are active, you cannot update the rules applied on the CI class based on which the Rule Based Asset class is defined. The options to update the rules (such as the <Field> list, <Operator> list, and so on) are disabled. To be able to update the rules, you must deactivate the Rule Based Asset class by clicking Deactivate. When the Rule Based Asset class is deactivated, the options to update the rules are enabled. 

   1. From the <Field> list, select the required operand value.
      The operand values that you can select from the <Field> list is based on the available out-of-the-box fields of the selected CI class.

   2. In the <Operator> list, the only available operator is " = ", which is automatically populated.

   3. Enter an operand field value in the corresponding text box.
      The options to enter the operand field value depends on the operand value that you have select from the <Field> list. For example, if you select CI Status from the <Field> list, you are presented with a list to select the operand field value. However, if you select Asset# from the <Field> list, you are presented with a text box to enter the asset number.

   4. To add multiple rules, click on and add the rules.
      Multiple rules are combined by using the logical operator "AND".

8. The Abstract check box is disabled for Rule Based Asset classes.
9. (Optional) To replace both the default class and class impacted icons with custom images, click the Select Custom radio button.
   For more information, see To add the custom CI class details.
10. Click .
11. To activate the Rule Based Asset class, click Activate.
    On activation, new CMDB instances are automatically synchronized based upon the rules set on the CI Class.
12. When prompted to synchronize existing CIs, perform one of the following actions:
    • To synchronize the existing CIs, select Yes.
    • To synchronize the existing CIs later, select No.
      To synchronize the existing CIs at a later stage, you must perform the following actions:
      1. On the CMDB Class form of the Rule Based Asset class, click Deactivate.
      2. Click Activate.
      3. When prompted to synchronize existing CIs, select Yes.

To delete a related Rule Based Asset class, from the Rule Based Asset Classes section, select that class from the list and click .