Overview of how data is imported into Remedyforce
provides Pentaho packages for importing data from various external sources,such as BMC Atrium Configuration Management Database (BMC Atrium CMDB), BMC Discovery (known before version 11.0 as BMC Atrium Discovery and Dependency Mapping), Dell KACE, and Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager.
The following topics provide an overview of how data is imported into CMDB 2.0:
Overview of Pentaho packages
You can download the Pentaho packages for CMDB 2.0 from the BMC Communities website (https://communities.bmc.com). To import data into 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 Discovery), or a web API request (for example, to import data from BMC Client Management).
For more information about Remedyforce CMDB 2.0, see Remedyforce-CMDB-2-0-architecture.
Overview of how CIs are imported in CMDB 2.0
CIs from various external sources are imported directly into CMDB 2.0. In CMDB 2.0, all data is stored in the Base Element object. For more information, see Remedyforce-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 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.
If you change the mapping, you must ensure that the updated mapping includes the mandatory fields listed in the following table.
Field | Description |
|---|---|
BMCServiceDesk__CMDB_Class__c | Stores the Salesforce record ID of the class for which you are importing data. |
BMCServiceDesk__UniqueCISourceID__c | Stores the unique ID of the CI that you import from data source. |
BMCServiceDesk__BE_Name__c | If no value is specified for the BMCServiceDesk__BE_Name__c field, the instance ID is used as instance name. If a value is specified for BMCServiceDesk__BE_Name__c, the instance name is set in the _<name>-<InstanceID> format. |
Creation of relationships in 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.
Pentaho packages for importing data into
To import data from the following products into , you can download Pentaho packages for CMDB 2.0 that are available on the BMC Communities website:
- BMC Atrium CMDB
- 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
For more information, see Pentaho packages to import data into CMDB 2.0.
Related topics
Use cases of importing data from automated discovery tools
Applying-models-while-importing-CIs-and-assets
Pentaho-packages-for-importing-data-and-users-into-Remedyforce