Ways to populate the Product Catalog
Import data using
Atrium Integrator
jobs
Based on your input source type (for example CSV, XML, or DB ), you must design and run an Atrium Integrator job to import the data. For more information, see Transferring-data-from-external-data-stores-to-BMC-Helix-CMDB.
- Import data using UDM (Unified Data Management )
Use the Data Management tool which includes predefined templates to import data into the Product Catalog. See Data Management in BMC Helix ITSM online documentation.
- Use Normalization Engine to create product entries
If you import data from Atrium Integrator or any other external sources, then use Normalization Engine to populate the Product Catalog. For guidelines and procedures, see Configuring-the-Product-Catalog-for-normalization.
When using Normalization Engine to create product entries, verify that the CIs in the BMC Helix CMDB dataset contain the appropriate values for the ManufacturerName, Model, Category, Type, and Item attributes. Make sure that all CIs for a specific product have the same values for these attributes; otherwise, Normalization Engine is likely to create duplicate entries for a product in the Product Catalog. If you have duplicates in the Product Catalog, you must remove them manually.
If you implement software license management, evaluate the VersionNumber and MarketVersion values of software CIs. Before normalizing the CIs and creating new Product Catalog entries, create Version Rollup rules to map related VersionNumber values to a single MarketVersion value. For more information, see Managing-software-licenses-in-your-organization-using-normalization.