Creating targets

A target is a set of CIs that you want to compare with a baseline. The target CIs can be accessed directly from BMC Helix CMDB or they can be in an auxiliary dataset you created when running a snapshot job.

Overview of target steps

  1. Use the Target Wizard, provide a name, a description, and access permissions for the target.
  2. Select a source dataset name containing your target CIs.
  3. Specify a qualification set to narrow the CIs of interest in the target by using the drift management Qualification Builder, which is included in the Target Wizard workflow.

Related topics

Managing-drift-management-permissions

End-to-end-drift-management-example

Creating-baselines

The steps for creating a target are similar to the steps used to create a baseline. For targets, you are primarily interested in the current state of your CIs. When defining your target, select items that are consistent with the baseline. For example, do not try to compare a Windows computer in a target with UNIX® computers in a baseline.

To create a target

  1. In the drift management console, select Authoring > Targets.
  2. Click Create.
    The Target Wizard is displayed.
  3. Provide the following information, and then click Next.
    • Name and Description: A unique name and description for the target.
    • Accessible To: Controls who can view, execute, modify, and delete the target.

  4. Select a dataset, and then click Next.
    This dataset can be BMC Asset or any auxiliary datasets, or it can be a dataset you created when running a snapshot job. Which dataset you use depends on your particular scenario for detecting drift. Only datasets you have permission to view are displayed.

    Warning

    If you create a dataset by using Reconciliation to use as the source dataset for a snapshot, baseline, or target, you must add Drift Master permissions to the CMDBRowLevelSecurity attribute of the dataset for the dataset to be visible from the Snapshot Job, Baseline, or Target Wizards.

  5. From the Specify a Qualification Set pane, specify a qualification set to apply to the target. Do one of the following actions:
    • To create a new qualification set, click Create.
      The Qualification Builder appears. Use the Qualification Builder help or follow the instructions in Creating-qualification-sets-and-include-and-exclude-sets to create a new qualification set to apply to the target.
      Saving the qualification returns you to the Specify a Qualification Set pane and the details of the qualification set are displayed.
    • To select an existing qualification set, click Select.
      The List of Items displays the available qualification sets.
      Select the qualification set you want to use and click Select Item.
      The Specify a Qualification Set screen appears and the details of the Qualification set are displayed.
  6. Click Done.
    You return to the Targets List of Items and the target you created is listed.

To modify a target

  1. In the drift management console, select Authoring > Targets, and then select the target you want to modify.
  2. Click Edit.
  3. Use the Target Wizard to make your changes.
    All screens are updated to display the modification details.

To delete a target

  1. In the drift management console, select Authoring > Targets, and then select the target that you want to delete.
  2. Click Delete.
    A confirmation dialog box appears.

Important

A target can be deleted easily if it is not used in a Comparison job. To delete a target that is part of a job, you must either delete all jobs that are using the target, or modify the jobs to define a different target. You can view the job in which the target is used from the Job Membership pane in the Targets List of Items.

 

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