Searching for CIs

You can also use the advanced CI search to perform a search of the BMC Helix CMDB, based on CI type. You can refine the search by providing more specific search criteria from a set of selection fields.

When you search a Computer System CI class, the advanced search feature displays a further set of search criteria that you can use to conduct searches at the component level. For example, you can search for all computer systems running a specific patch or for all computer systems running Microsoft Windows 2000.

After you finish performing your search, the results appear in an on-screen table. You can than generate and print a high-level report of one or more of the CIs found during the search.

You can create a search query from BMC CMDB to build complex searches. You can specify multiple classes and attributes, and group search conditions. For example, you can search for all computer systems in Houston or London that are running Microsoft Windows XP.

To perform an advanced CI search

1. In the navigation pane of the Asset Management console, select Functions > Manage CIs.
2. In the Select a CI Type dialog box, click Advanced Search.
3. In the Select CI type area, select the appropriate sub-class, and then select the required CI type from the list.
   For example, if you want to search for a LAN Endpoint, expand the Access Point menu item, and select LAN Endpoint.

4. Click Search to find all the items that match the selected CI type, or you can narrow the search by providing more specific search criteria. Continue with step 4 if you are providing more specific search criteria; otherwise, go to step 5.

   Best practice
   Broad searches can take a long time to complete. They can also create performance issues for your system. We recommend that you provide a more specific search criteria.

5. (Optional) In the Search Criteria for ciType area, provide the search criteria and click Search.
6. In the CI Search Results area, select the required CI and perform the following steps:
   • Click View to view the details of the CI.
   • Click Explore CI to view the details of the CI in CMDB Explorer. For more information, see Searching and viewing CIs and relationships in CMDB Explorer.
   • Click CI Report to view a high-level report of the CI.

To create a graph query to search for a CI

To create a graph query to search for a CI, you must first go to Asset Management console and select Functions > Advanced CI Search and then perform the following steps in the CMDB Dashboard:

1. In the CMDB Dashboard UI, select New Query from the list of search queries. 
   
   The New Query window is displayed.
2. Drag and drop classes into the right pane.
   
3. Add relationships between those classes in accordance with the query qualifications. 
   To add a relationship, click the triangular icon below the source class. 
   Move your mouse and extend the arrow from the source class to the destination class, and click the destination class.
   
   The Select relationship between classes dialog box is displayed.
   
4. Select the relation type between the source and destination classes. 
   Only valid relationship types are available for selection in the list.
5. Specify the cardinality information:
   By default, the Required check box is selected. 
   In this example, the query returns results only if a computer system has an application running on it.
   1. (Optional) Select the Minimum value. 
      By default, the minimum value is 1. 
      You can change it to any other value.
   2. (Optional) Select the Maximum value.
      The default value is '*' (unrestricted). 
      Select the Specify Value check box and specify a maximum value. 
      For example, if you specify the minimum value as 2 and maximum value as 4, the query returns computer systems that have at least two applications and up to four applications running on them.
      For more information on Cardinality, see Cardinality.
   3. (Optional) To set the impact direction for the relationship, turn on the Set Impact toggle key and select an impact direction.
   4. Save the details.
6. (Optional) You can include additional qualifications for a class by clicking Edit Class Qualification . 
   In this example, for a computer system class, you must include a qualification that assigns a Payroll value to the Department attribute. 
   
   
   The Qualification Builder opens.
   
   
   Use the qualification builder to add a qualification. 
   For more information, see Qualification-Builder-overview. 
7. Repeat steps 2 to 10 to add the remaining classes and create relationships. In this example, you must add the Patch class.
   The complete query is shown in the following figure.
   
8. When you finish creating the query, test your query by clicking Validate and search.
   Validate and search is enabled only after you create a relationship between at least two classes. 
   If the search results do not provide any results, you can change the dataset on which you are searching.
   
9. Specify a category under which you want to save the query, a name and a description for the query.
10. (Optional)To save the query as a personal query, turn on the Is Personal  toggle key.
    By default, the query is saved as a shared query.
    
11. To save the changes, click Save query.

To modify your application preferences

1. From the navigation pane of the Asset Management console, choose Functions > Application Preferences.

2. Update the form as appropriate. 
   The following table describes the settings available on the form. 
   
   Application preference settings
3. Click Save.