Importing data from Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager

You can import data from Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager into  CMDB 2.0 by using the Pentaho Data Integration tool. The Pentaho package for importing data from System Center Configuration Manager is available on the BMC Communities website. For information about how configuration items (CIs) are imported and relationships are created in CMDB 2.0, see Overview-of-how-data-is-imported-into-Remedyforce.

The following topics provide information about importing data from System Center Configuration Manager into  CMDB:

• • Before you begin
  • Downloading the jtds driver
  • To import data from System Center Configuration Manager 
  • To schedule jobs to import data
  • User scenarios for importing data from System Center Configuration Manager
  • KJB and KTR files for importing data from System Center Configuration Manager
  • Troubleshooting
  • Related topics

Before you begin

Before you can import data from System Center Configuration Manager into Remedyforce CMDB, you must perform the following tasks:

• Install Java Development Kit (JDK).
• Download the Pentaho Data Integration tool.
  If the Require TLS 1.1 or higher for HTTPS connections Salesforce critical update is enabled in your organization, you must use version 6.1 or later of the Pentaho Data Integration tool.
• Register at the BMC Communities website.
• Connect to Windows authenticated MS SQL server.
• (Optional) Configure  to retain the original Instance Name value of CIs imported from an external source.
• If you have enabled the setting to access your Salesforce organization from limited IP addresses, ensure that you have the security token to log on to your Salesforce organization.
  For more information about the security token, see Salesforce Help.

• Download the Pentaho package from the BMC Communities website (https://community.bmc.com/s/news/aA33n000000CglOCAS/how-pentaho-works-and-package-details).
  For information about the KJB (job) and KTR (transformation) files that are included in the Pentaho package, see KJB and KTR files for importing data from System Center Configuration Manager.

  Success

  Best practice
  We recommend that you do not change the folder structure because doing so can interfere with the running of the batch files provided in the CombinedJobs folder.

• Download the jtds driver. For more information about downloading the driver, see Downloading the jdts driver.

Downloading the jtds driver

1. Download the latest driver from https://sourceforge.net/projects/jtds/files/jtds/.
2. Download jtds-1.3.1-dist.zip.
3. Unzip the jtds-1.3.1-dist.zip to obtain the jar file jtds-1.3.1.jar.
4. Copy this jar in the folder pentahoRootFolder\data-integration\lib.

To import data from System Center Configuration Manager 

1. To launch the Pentaho Data Integration tool, perform the following actions:
   1. Navigate to the location where you downloaded and unzipped the Pentaho Data Integration tool.
   2. Navigate to the data-integration folder and double-click the Spoon.bat file.
2. In Pentaho Spoon, select File > Open, navigate to the folder where you downloaded the Pentaho package, and open the appropriate KJB file.
3. To import data into CMDB classes, open the file TransferAdvancedSCCMinfotoCMDB.kjb or TransferComputerSystemAndSoftwareSCCMinfotoCMDB.kjb in the CombinedJobs folder.
4. In the Combined Job Properties window, perform the following actions:
   1. Right-click on the screen.
   2. Select Properties.
   3. Click the Parameters tab.

   4. Enter the values for the required parameters.

      
       

      Warning

      Note

      After you enter the credentials for the combined job (top-most parent), the credentials are inherited by all the subsequent jobs or transformations.

5. (Optional) Enter the information required to access System Center Configuration Manager.

Click here to see the detailed steps.

1. In the KTR file, double-click the SCCM Input step.
2. Next to the Connection list, click Edit.
3. In the Database window, ensure that on the General tab, the Connection Type field is MS SQL Server and the Access field is Native (JDBC).
   Note that the following credentials will be inherited from the combined job.
   • The host and database name. 
     Wherein, the host name is the name of the computer where the System Center Configuration Manager database is installed.
   • The user name and password based on the authentication type used. 
     For more information, see Entering credentials based on authentication type.
4. (Optional) To verify the connection between the System Center Configuration Manager server and the Pentaho Data Integration tool, click Test.
5. Click OK.

Entering credentials based on authentication type

Authentication type	Credentials to be entered
SQL server authentication	The user name and password used to connect to the SQL server will be inherited from the combined job.
Windows authentication	If you are in the same domain as the SQL server with your account created on the SQL server for windows authentication, then do not enter the user and password. For more information about creating the account, see Connect to Windows authenticated MS SQL server. If you are not in the same domain as the SQL server, then with the windows authentication credentials, in the Options tab, enter a new parameter called domain with the value as the windows authentication domain.

1. (Optional) Enter the information required to access your Salesforce organization.

   Click here to see the detailed steps.

   1. Double-click the Upsert into class <CI type name> step.

      SuccessBest practice
      We recommend that you do not change the default API version in the Salesforce Webservice URL.
      

   2. (Optional) To test the connection, click Test connection and then click OK.
   3. Double-click the Salesforce Input[CMDB_Class] step and in the Salesforce Input window, and perform step b.

   Warning

   Important

   If you configured a range of IP addresses on Salesforce you do not need a securtioy token if your Pentaho is in the same ip range. else you will need a security token.

   For example, if the password for your Salesforce organization is mypassword and your security token is XXXXXXXXX, specify mypasswordXXXXXXXXX in the Password fields.

2. (Optional) Update the predefined mapping between System Center Configuration Manager fields and  CMDB.

   Click here to see the detailed steps.

   1. Double-click the Upsert into class <CI type name> step.
   2. In the Salesforce Upsert window, click Edit Mapping.
   3. In the Enter Mapping window, update mappings for fields based on your requirements.
      For information about updating the out-of-the-box mapping, see Field mapping in CMDB 2.0.
   4. To save your settings and close the Enter Mapping window, click OK.
   5. To save your changes and close the Salesforce Upsert window, click OK.
3. To save the KJB and KTR files, click Save.
4. In the KJB file, click Run this job.

5. 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.

   Transformation status is depicted by using the following icons:

   • — Complete
   • — Running
   •  — Unsuccessful
6. (Optional) To view logs, in the Execution results section, click the Logging tab.
   All errors are displayed in red.
   For the imported records, the Source field is set to SCCM. You can use the Source field to generate reports and also when you enable and configure reconciliation.

To schedule jobs to import data

On the BMC Communities website, the Pentaho packages for importing data from external data sources into Scheduling jobs to import data page contain a SchedulingFiles folder. This folder contains a sample batch file that you can use as a base to create your batch files for scheduling data import. For more information about scheduling a job, see http://wiki.Pentaho.com/display/EAI/Kitchen+User+Documentation.

To schedule the Remedyforce LDAP Pentaho package to import users, perform the following steps:

(For all other required packages, perform these steps by using the respective batch files.)

1. Navigate to the Remedyforce Package folder.
2. Rename your extracted package folder to SchedulingFiles.
3. Open the folder where you have installed the Pentaho Data Integration tool and minimize this folder.
4. Open the SchedulingFiles folder. 
   The folder contains two .bat files.
5. To create a copy of the batch file, copy SchedulingTransferLDAPInfo.bat file and paste it in the same folder.
6. Right-click the SchedulingTransferLDAPInfo.bat file and click Edit. 
   The SchedulingTransferLDAPInfo.bat notepad opens.
7. Minimize the notepad and open the Pentaho data-integration folder as mentioned in Step 3.

8. Copy the data-integration folder address and navigate to the notepad as mentioned in Step 6.

   The following figure shows an example of the updated SchedulingTransferLDAPInfo.bat file.

   

9. Before the first line of the notepad, type cd and paste the copied data-integration folder address . (Make sure to add a space betweeen cd and the folder address).
10. Paste the data-integration folder address in the Kettle Home folder address and remove the double quotes ("").
11. Paste the data-integration folder address in the kitchen.bat file address by replacing only the part before \kitchen.bat.
12. Navigate to the Remedyforce Package folder and copy the address for TransferLDAPInfo.kjb.
13. Paste the TransferLDAPInfo.kjb address in between \kitchen.bat /file: and /level:Detailed. Remove the double quotes ("") and any additional spaces between the address.
14. Save the notepad.
     

To prepare for scheduling

1. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Type cd and then paste the SchedulingFiles folder address with a space in between the two. 
3. Copy and paste the .bat file name (SchedulingTransferLDAPInfo.bat).
   The job starts running.

To schedule the job

1. Go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Task Scheduler.
2. In the Actions section, click Create Task.
3. In the General tab, enter the name and description.
4. Select the Run with highest privileges check box, and click OK.
5. On the Triggers tab, click New, select the appropriate option for starting the task, and click OK.
   For example, you can select Daily or When the computer starts as the option for starting the task.
6. On the Actions tab, click New.
7. Click Browse, select SchedulingTransferLDAPInfo.bat, and click OK.

User scenarios for importing data from System Center Configuration Manager

David is a member of the Infrastructure team for Downtown Bank, responsible for managing the laptops for ABC project. He signs up for Remedyforce and expects to use the pre-configured, ITIL-based incident and problem management processes for managing CIs. Also, David wants to use the CMDB to represent the physical, logical, and conceptual items and to track the relationships between the different CIs.

John Doe, a Remedyforce administrator, helps David to import details of the laptops provided to the team members of the ABC project from System Center Configuration Manager to Remedyforce CMDB.

Data to be imported	Steps to follow
Computer System Operating System Processor LAN Endpoint IP Endpoint	Run the \CombinedJobs\TransferAdvancedSCCMinfotoCMDB.kjb file. Go to Remedyforce CMDB and verify whether the entries are correct in the Relationships Editor of the following classes: Computer System Operating System Processor LAN Endpoint IP Endpoint
Operating system details of the laptops	Run the \ComputerSystem\TransferSCCMinfotoCMDB.kjb file. Run the \OS\TransferSCCMOSinfotoCMDB.kjb file. Go to Remedyforce CMDB and open the Operating System class. Verify whether the entries are correct in the Relationships section in the Instance Editor of the Operating System class.
Processor details of the laptops	Run the \ComputerSystem\TransferSCCMinfotoCMDB.kjb file. Run the \Processor\TransferSCCMProcessorinfotoCMDB.kjb file. Go to Remedyforce CMDB and open the Processor class. Verify whether the entries are correct in the Relationships Editor of the Processor class.
Software server details of the laptops	Run the \CombinedJobs\TransferComputerSystemAndSoftwareSCCMinfotoCMDB.kjb file. Go to Remedyforce CMDB and open the Software Server class. Verify whether the entries are correct in the Relationships Editor of the Software Server class.

KJB and KTR files for importing data from System Center Configuration Manager

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 KJB (job) files retrieve data from external sources into Remedyforce CMDB.

For information about the KJB and KTR files in the Pentaho packages for System Center Configuration Manager, see KJB files in the Pentaho package.

KJB files in the Pentaho package

The Pentaho package includes different KJB (job) files for importing different types of CIs, such as computer systems and LAN endpoints, from System Center Configuration Manager. These job files are bundled with related files and provided to you in folders. The folder names correspond to CI types in Remedyforce CMDB.

The following table provides information about the job files that you must run to import specific CI types to Remedyforce CMDB:

Folder name (CI Type)	Job file	Description
Computer System	TransferSCCMinfoto CMDB.kjb	Transfers information about the BMC_ComputerSystem CI type
OS	TransferSCCMOSinfoto CMDB.kjb	Transfers information about the BMC_OperatingSystem CI type
Processor	TransferSCCMProcessorinfoto CMDB.kjb	Transfers information about the BMC_Processor CI type
IPEndPoints	TransferSCCMIPEndPointinfoto CMDB.kjb	Transfers information about the BMC_IPEndPoint CI type
LANEndPoints	TransferSCCMLANEndPointin fotoCMDB.kjb	Transfers information about the BMC_LANEndpoint CI type
Software Server	TransferSCCMSoftwareServern fotoCMDB.kjb	Transfers information about the BMC_SoftwareServer CI type. Note: Depending on the organization size, running the software server job transfers large amounts of data to the Salesforce organization, which might lead to exceeding the organization storage limit.
Combined Jobs	TransferAdvancedSCCMinfotoCMDB.kjb TransferComputerSystemAndSoftware SCCMinfotoCMDB.kjb	TransferAdvancedSCCMinfotoCMDB.kjb This job file transfers information related to the BMC_ComputerSystem, BMC_OperatingSystem, BMC_Processor, BMC_IPEndPoint, and BMC_LANEndpoint CI types. TransferComputerSystemAndSoftware SCCMinfotoCMDB.kjb This job file transfers information related to the BMC_ComputerSystem and BMC_SoftwareServer CI types.

KTR files in the Pentaho package

All job (KJB) files for importing data from specific CI types contain a series of transformations that are run in a sequence. Each transformation maps to a KTR file that is available, along with the KJB file, in the folder for each CI type.

The following table provides information about the KTR files and the corresponding transformations that the KJB file for each CI type contains:

KTR file	Transformation or step in the KJB file	Description
None	Check If Delta Time stamp File Exists	Checks if any time stamp file exists. The Pentaho package utilizes a time stamp file to determine which records were added or modified since the last time the job was run. This step is used for incremental import. If a time stamp file does not exist, the Create the initial timestamp file step is run; otherwise, the Update BE Table With SCCM <CI type name> information step.
CreateInitialTimeStampedFileFor<CIType>.ktr	Create the initial time stamp file	Creates the time stamp file to record the time of import. This step is run only if you are importing for the first time or you have deleted the existing time stamp file.
TransferSCCM<CIType>infotoCMDB.ktr	Update BE Table With SCCM <CI type name > Information	Transfers data from System Center Configuration Manager to the Base Element object of BMC Remedyforce CMDB.
Store<CIType>Timestamp.ktr	Store the current timestamp	If the data is successfully imported, the time stamp file is updated with the current time of import

For example, the LAN Endpoint job file (TransferSCCMLANEndPointinfotoCMDB.kjb) contains the CreateInitialTimeStampedFileForLANEndPoint.ktr, TransferSCCMLANEndPointinfotoCMDB.ktr, and StoreLANEndPointTimestamp.ktr files.

The following table provides information about the steps that are included in the TransferSCCM<CIType>infotoCMDB.ktr file (Update BE Table With SCCM <CI type name> information transformation). The Pentaho package runs these steps to transfer data from System Center Configuration Manager into Remedyforce CMDB. You can view these steps only when you open the KTR file in the Pentaho Data Integration tool.

Step	Description
Delta timestamp	Reads the saved time stamp.
SCCM input	An SQL query that fetches information from SCCM based on the stored time stamp.
Transform SCCM variables	Facilitates JavaScript transformations, such as appending or trimming fields.
Upsert into class <CI type name >	Accepts the destination of the data, the credentials for the Salesforce organization where you want to save the imported data.
Salesforce Input[CMDB_Class]	Accepts the access details of the Salesforce organization to fetch the BMC Remedyforce CMDB classes details.
Success rows	Stores the rows that are imported successfully.
Failure rows	Stores the rows that are not imported, error code, error description, and error fields.

Troubleshooting

The following table describes the troubleshooting tips that you can use to resolve common issues that you might face when importing data.

Related topics

Applying-models-while-importing-CIs-and-assets

Scheduling-jobs-to-import-data

Troubleshooting-common-issues-when-importing-data

Known-and-corrected-issues-for-Pentaho-packages