Creating a service

Important

The features and enhancements in this topic are under controlled availability to select customers.

The process of creating a service in a service model involves the following steps: 

  • Add service details such as service name and an optional criticality
  • Add dynamic content or static content or both

Related topics

Creating-service-models-by-using-blueprints

Creating-a-service-blueprint
Building a service model by using blueprints in BMC Helix AIOps

Scenario

Chris is a configuration manager at Apex Global and is responsible for creating a service model for the order processing service required for her organization.

This service consists of the following business applications: Packaging, Storage, Order Request, Shipping, and Billing and payment. The Billing and payment service can be further divided into the following services: database, Network, Mainframe, and retail-AWS.

Because B illing and payment is an important service for the business, any impact must be analyzed and resolved immediately. Therefore, Chris decides to add qualification criteria in the Define Service pane so that the slightest impact is given the utmost importance. 

Before you begin

  • Identify the source of configuration item (CI) data and topology for the services in the service model. 
  • Determine whether the out-of-the-box service blueprints meet your business requirements.
    If not, create your own blueprints. 
  • Make sure the services you plan to include in the service model accurately reflect the application and supporting infrastructure such that the services are monitorable.
  • Understand how to configure the parameters to set qualification criteria in Define Service.
    For more information, see Configuring-the-parameters-for-a-service.

Important

Either dynamic or static content is essential for defining a service, although you can define both for the same service.

To create a service

  1. On the BMC Helix Service Modeling page, click Services > Create Service.
  2. By default, New Business Service is displayed.
  3. Click the existing service or click New Business Service and specify the following details in the Define Service pane:
    1. Specify the service name.

    2. Select the kind of service that you want to create.
      By default, a business service is created.
      For more information about service kinds, see Business services, technical services, and business applications.

    3. Add one or both of the following options to the service:
      Adding dynamic or static content defines how the service model gets automatically updated when there is a change in the IT infrastructure.
      1. Click Add Dynamic content to add dynamic components such as blueprints to a service.
        For more information, see To add dynamic content .
      2. Click Add Static content to add static components such as configuration items (CIs) to the service.
        For more information, see To add static content to a service .
    2. Click Save and Close.
  2. (Optional ) Click + Add Service to add more services as part of the service model and repeat step 2 to step 6.
  3. To establish the parent and child relationship between services, do one of the following:
    1. Use drag and drop when you have a small number of services:
      1. Click and hold the service node that you want to indicate as a parent service.
         An arrow appears.
      2. Drag and drop the arrow on the service node that you want to indicate as a child service.
    2. Use pop-up menu options when you have multiple levels of service hierarchy:
      1. Right-click a service and select Connect to parent Service to add the service as a child to an existing service.
      2. From the list of existing services, select the service that you want to assign as a parent service
      3. Right-click a service and select Connect to child Service to add the service as a parent to an existing service.
      4. From the list of existing services, select the service that you want to assign as a child service.
    3. Click  Save .
      The service is added to the hierarchy.
  4. Hide or unhide a service from the service hierarchy view.
    • To hide a service, right-click it and select Hide from view.
      The hidden service name appears in Advanced filter and its child services appear as a separate hierarchy. 
    • To unhide a service, perform the following steps:
      1. In Advanced filter, expand Hidden from view.
      2. Clear the check box for the service.
      3. Click Apply filters.
        You can also unhide the services later while editing the service.

Based on the scenario, the following image shows a sample service model at Apex Global that Chris, the configuration manager, has created to represent different business services in his organization:

ServiceModel_example.png


To add a child or parent service to a service

  1. On the Services page, select a service that you want to edit. 
  2. Click Action and select Edit Service.
    The Edit Service page displays the service model.
  3. Hover over the service, right-click, and select Add Child Service or Add Parent Service .
     A dotted arrow line with the Add icon indicates the relationship between the parent and child service.
  4. Click Save.
    The service is added to the hierarchy.


To view child or parent services of a service

  1. On the Services page, search and select a service for which you want to view the child or parent services.
    The service details are displayed.
  2. Click Action and select Edit Service.
  3. Click the service. 
    The Dependencies section in the Define Service pane shows all the parent services and child services of the selected service.
    view_parent_child_service.png
  4. Click one of the dependencies to view the service name and CI kinds for the parent and child services.


To edit a service

  1. On the Services page, search and select a service that you want to edit.

  2. Click Action and select Edit Service.
    On the Edit Service page, all other services except the service being edited are grouped under the Additional Services node. Use Disable grouping by Service Hierarchy DisableGroupingbyServiceHieararchy.pngto ungroup the services and view the entire hierarchy.
    grouping by service hierarchy.jpg

    If there are multiple services in the service hierarchy, use the search box to locate a particular one. When a service is located, it is highlighted, and all other services are grouped under the Additional Services node at different levels of the hierarchy.

  3. To change the relationship between services, perform the following steps: 
    1. Right-click the arrow that represents the relationship between two services.
    2. Click Flip Direction.
      Flip direction.jpg
  4. To Hide or unhide a service from the service hierarchy view, perform the following steps:
    1. To hide a service, right-click it and select Hide from view.
      The hidden service name appears in Advanced filter and its child services appear as a separate hierarchy.  
    2. To unhide a service, perform the follow steps:
      1. In Advanced filter, expand Hidden from view.
      2. Clear the check box for the service.

      3. Click Apply filters.

        Tip

        To clear all the check boxes at a time, click Remove all in the Advanced filter dialog box.

  5. Edit the other service details such as its kind, dynamic content, or static content as required.
  6. Click Save and close.


To remove a service and its child services from a service hierarchy

  1. From the Services page, select a service you want to remove from the service hierarchy.
    The service details are displayed.
  2. Click Action and select Edit Service.
  3. Perform one of the following actions:
    • Right-click the service that you want to remove along with its child services and select Remove element from hierarchy.

    • Right-click the arrow above the service that you want to remove along with its child services and select Remove child element and structure from hierarchy.
      The relationship between the parent and child service is indicated by a dotted arrow line.

      Right-click the dotted arrow and select Undo Deletion to undo the delete action.

  4. Click Save.
    The service is removed from the hierarchy. 


To delete a service from your list of services

  1. On the Services page, search and select a service you want to delete.
  2. Click Action and select Delete Service.
  3. Click Proceed to delete.


Where to go from here

Managing-CMDB-synchronization

 

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