Configuring Asset Management settings

You use the Asset Management Settings form to designate the sandbox and production datasets, the behavior of the CI form after you save the CI. When multiple sources update the BMC Atrium Configuration Management Database (BMC Helix CMDB), there must be some control on how the data is updated so that BMC Helix CMDB does not become loaded with unintended data. For this purpose BMC Helix CMDB and BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management provide a control mechanism: the sandbox dataset.

BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management is installed with the sandbox dataset set to BMC.ASSET.SANDBOX and the production dataset set to BMC ASSET. The sandbox dataset is used to stage updates to a production dataset. You are required to use reconciliation rules to move the data to production.

An Asset admin defines what sources of updates have the most appropriate information to be loaded into the production data. The administrator can disable the sandbox. Users do not make changes directly to production data, unless the sandbox is disabled. When a user modifies data, the data flows through a temporary storage area (the sandbox dataset), and then runs through the Reconciliation Engine. The Reconciliation Engine determines which modified attributes to be included in the production data.

To configure Asset Management settings:

1. In the Application Administration Console, click the Custom Configuration tab.
2. From the Application Settings list, select Asset Management > Advanced Options > Asset Management Settings, and then click Open. 
   The Asset Management Settings form is displayed.
   
3. On the Asset Management Settings form, to show the current settings, click Show Settings.
4. From the Action on CI Submit, select one of the following options:
   • Modify Individual — The CI form closes and then reopens in modify mode.
   • None — The CI form remains open in submit mode after the CI is submitted.
5. From the Dataset Name list, select the production dataset for the application.

6. From the Sandbox Dataset Name list, select the sandbox dataset.

   Important

   • If multiple sources of data provide updates to BMC Helix CMDB, you must select a sandbox dataset.
   • If you use a sandbox dataset, BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management users cannot set their application preferences to display the CI immediately after creating it.
   • If you change the production or sandbox datasets on this form, in the Reconciliation Engine you must update the underlying reconciliation rules to use the new datasets. Without this change, the data cannot be reconciled to the new production or sandbox datasets. For more information, see Configuring reconciliation identification rules.

7. If the sandbox dataset is used in a development-to-production environment, select Yes from the Sandbox Enabled list. The default is Yes.

   Important

   If the Sandbox setting is set to Yes (Asset Management Settings AST:AppSettings) and in the BMC:ASSET.SANDBOX dataset if you want to be able to submit CIs with categorization that is unapproved in the Product Catalog, and be able to merge the changes into the golden dataset, then in the Normalization Dataset Configuration (NE:DatasetOptions) form, change UnapprovedHandling from Reject to Accept for the BMC:ASSET.SANDBOX. If you want only CIs created with approved categorization to be merged to the golden dataset, keep the Reject setting. You can create the CI (with unapproved categorization) in BMC:ASSET.SANDBOX, but the changes will not be moved to the golden dataset. In this case you will need to change the Product Catalog entry to Approved before creating CIs with that categorization so the categorization is supported.

   Best practice
   We recommend that you select Yes from the Sandbox Enabled list.

8. From the Sandbox Job Calls list, select the value to specify when you want the reconciliation job to start. The options are:
   • Inline - (Default) The reconciliation job starts immediately.
   • Scheduled - The reconciliation job starts as per the configured sandbox schedules. You must use this option outside of the heavy use hours to avoid performance issues.
   • Continuous - The reconciliation job runs continuously as per the interval specified for continuous jobs  in the Reconciliation Engine.   
9. From the Sandbox Job Calls for People list, select the sandbox dataset reconciliation method. The options are:
   • Inline — Calls are processed immediately.
   • Scheduled — Calls are processed in accordance with any sandbox schedules.
   • System Default — The client type is used to automatically detect the method for sandbox job calls.

10. From the Server Date Format list, select the date format to use when calculating CI depreciation dates.
    This setting must match the date format on the AR System server. If you change this setting, you must restart your AR System server.

    Important

    If the date format does not match the AR System server date format, then there can be errors when calculating CI depreciation dates.

11. From the Default Company list, select a company name.
    If multi-tenancy mode is enabled, a default company must be configured.
12. To save the settings, perform one of the following steps:
    • If you are saving the settings for the first time, click Add.
    • If you are modifying existing settings, click Modify.