Making external data available through CMDB by defining cross-launch links in the Federation Manager

The following procedure includes examples to create a new data store in multiple scenarios. The administrator must first name the new datastore and then add a federation definition to it.

You can launch a federated datastore with a launch interface using one of these access methods:

• AR — You define a query to a BMC Remedy AR System form. You specify the server, form, view, and query string, and select whether to launch the query in a web client.
• URL — You define a URL for accessing websites.
• Manual — You define instructions for finding data manually.

The launch method involves these high-level steps to define cross-launch links in Federation Manager:

Before you begin

You must have RE Definition Author permissions group to perform these steps as described in Providing-users-with-permissions-to-access-the-CMDB-Portal-by-using-groups-and-roles.

To make external data available through CMDB by defining cross-launch links in the Federation Manager

1. Open the Federation Manager. 
   Configurations > Federation Manager
2. Click Add Data Store.
3. In the Name field, add a name for the new data store.
4. In the Create a Federated Definition section, in the Name and Description fields, add a name and description.
   For example, the Calbro Services administrator would click Add Data Store, provide a name of Federated Weight Data for Banking Servers, describe the data store as Microsoft SQL Server database for Banking Servers, and then click Next.
5. Select one of the following access methods.
   • To create a cross-launch link to open AR Server forms, perform the following steps:

     
     
   • To cross-launch using any URL, perform the following steps:

     In the Access String field, type the URL that you want to use.

     For example: 

     To fetch data from any computer:
     http://<computerName>/SDE/default.asp?ModSeq=<modSeqNumber>&Sequence=<seqNumber>&FormSeq=<formSeqNumber>
     

     The URL must have the following information:

     • Enter the server name in the place of <computerName>.
       For example, the Discovery server name.
     • Enter the related module as the ModSeq value.
     • Enter the records sequence as the Sequence value.
     • Enter the sequence number as the FormSeq value.
       Including these values in the URL launches the correct record within the specified server and opens it in a browser.

     You can substitute any value in the URL with an attribute from the CI in BMC CMDB. You can also use any of the keywords listed for the Query field of the AR access method.
     Note: You can enter a maximum of 254 characters in the Access String field. 

   • To cross-launch manually, perform the following steps:

     In the Access String field, type informative text.

     For example: 
     To find the master password for all accounts, open the company safe deposit box.

6. Click Save.
   The Add Link button appears under the saved settings.
7. Click Add Link.
8. Enter a description in the Description field.
9. In the Link From list, select either CLASS or INSTANCE.
   • If you select CLASS, then you must search and select a class in the Class Name field and optionally, a qualification that identifies classes or instances with specific criteria. This is the class for which the option to open the CI in BMC Service Desk appears in CMDB Explorer. 
   • If you select INSTANCE, you must enter the class name, the dataset ID, and the instance ID.
10. Click Save.

Related topics

Accessing-external-data-through-CMDB-by-using-Federation

Retrieving-federated-data-stored-externally-by-creating-federated-classes.

Creating-AR-and-JDBC-federated-data-plug-ins-to-access-data-external-to-the-CMDB

Accessing-external-data-through-CMDB-by-using-Federation

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