Customizing the linked universe

Because BMC Remedy AR System server application allows customers to customize existing applications and create new applications, the linked universe is also customizable. This section categorizes the type of customizations that customers most frequently perform and provides best practices for managing your customizations so that they are not overwritten during an upgrade.

The following types of changes can be made to the linked universe:

• Customizations to accommodate changes that occur in the BMC Remedy ITSM applications — If new forms or fields are added to the application, changes to the universe are required before you can report on the new form or field. See Adding-new-fields-and-forms-to-the-linked-universe for more information.
• Changes to the linked universe, based on new or changing requirements and without any changes in the underlying application — These are changes that do not necessarily have an impact on the logical structure of the universe.

Consider the following points before you customize the linked universe:

• Create a new class (folder) to host all the classes and objects that you plan to add. Do not modify or delete any existing classes and objects in the universe.
• Do not modify or delete any existing tables or table joins in the logical model. Also, make sure that any tables you add are differentiated by using an appropriate naming convention.
• Do not modify or delete any of the hierarchies in the universe.
• Refer to the Universe Design Tool documentation for more information about adding new classes and objects to a universe. See SAP-BusinessObjects-Business-Intelligence-documentation.