Creating Azure DevOps work items from problem records via BMC Helix iPaaS, powered by Jitterbit

The following image gives an overview of the capabilities that this integration supports:

This integration provides the following capabilities: 

BMC Helix ITSM to Azure DevOps data flows

The following image gives an overview of the data flow for creating an Azure DevOps work item from a BMC Helix ITSM problem record:

The following image gives an overview of the data flow for synchronizing updates and comments from a problem record activity note to a work item:

Azure DevOps to BMC Helix ITSM data flows

The following image gives an overview of the data flow for creating a problem record from a work item:

The following image gives an overview of the data flow for synchronizing updates and comments from an Azure DevOps work item to a BMC Helix ITSM problem record:

Before you begin

You require the following items to successfully set up and use this integration: 

Task 1: To configure the integration

1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio.
2. On Workspace, click Multi-Cloud Broker.

3. To launch BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker, click Visit Deployed Application.

   Tip

   You can access BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker directly by entering the URL https://hostName:portNumber/helix/index.html#/com.bmc.dsm.mcsm/login and logging in as a tenant administrator.

4. Click Settings .
5. Select Start Here > Quick Configuration Guide.
   The Quick Configuration Guide page is displayed.

6. On the Step 1: Choose configuration tab, perform the following steps:

   Important

   In Choose Configuration, Helix iPaaS (powered by Jitterbit) is selected by default. Do not change this value.

   1. Under DevOps Toolchain, select ITSM Problem and Azure DevOps.
      
       
   2. Click Next.
7. On the Step 2: Perform configurations tab, perform the following steps:
   1. Add an operating organization, if you have not already done so.
   2. Add Azure DevOps as the vendor organization, if you have not already done so.
   3. To add vendor metadata configuration, click Map vendors and perform the following steps:
      1. On the Map Vendors page, click Map Vendor.

      2. Complete the fields as described in the following table:

         Field	Action
         Description	Enter a description for the vendor metadata configuration.
         Ticketing Technology Provider	From the list, select Azure DevOps.
         Instance Name	If you are using multiple instances of Azure DevOps, enter the name of the Azure DevOps instance that you are using for this integration.
         Add Mapping	After you select the ticketing technology provider, click Add Mapping. BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Brokerdisplays the default values in the Instance URL field, and the Vendor Field Mapping and Display Field Mapping sections.
         (Optional) Instance URL	Update the Azure DevOps server name and port in the default URL. The default value of this variable is https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_workitems/edit/{System.Id}. For example, update the default value to https://dev.azure.com/bmcmcsm/MCSM/_workitems/edit/{System.Id}.
         Vendor Field Mapping	To perform a direct data synchronization between BMC Helix ITSM and Azure DevOps, only update the mappings in the Remedy to Vendor Sync Fields and Vendor to Remedy Sync Fields sections. You must not update any other sections.
         Display Field Mapping	By default, the basic Azure DevOps fields are mapped in this section. If you want to map additional fields to display in the BMC Helix ITSM UI, add the relevant mappings by clicking .
         Resolves Problem Ticket When Vendor Closes It	Select this option if you want to close the problem record when a Azure DevOps work item is closed.
         Integration Platform	Select Jitterbit.

      3. Click Save.
   4. To fetch the problem records, click Define filter criteria to fetch records from ITSM to Helix Multi-Cloud Broker for problem, and perform the following steps:
      1. To select the filter criteria, click Advanced filter.
         
      2. Select the filters from the available fields, and click Next.
         The query filter expression is displayed. By default, the AND qualifier is applied when you select multiple filter criteria.

1. 
   
   1. 
      

      1. To change the qualifier for your filters, update the query, and then click Save. 

         Important

         Make sure that you enter a valid query with available fields and values.

         

      2. Click Close. 
         When a problem record matches the operation and filter that you have selected, the system fetches that problem record to BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker.
2. In the Configure Azure DevOps integration section, refer to the configuration steps listed and select the check boxes as you complete each step.
3. Click Save.

Task 2: To download and import the integration template project file

1. Download the Sync BMC Helix ITSM Problem and Azure DevOps Work Item update 2025-1-01 file.
   This file contains the BMC Helix iPaaS Integration Studio project Sync BMC Helix ITSM Problem and Azure DevOps Work Item update 2025-1-01.

   Important

   Your ability to access product pages on the EPD website is determined by the license your company purchased.

2. Log in to BMC Helix iPaaS and navigate to Integration Studio.
3. Select your organization.
4. On the projects page, click Import.
5. Click Browse and then select the Sync BMC Helix ITSM Problem and Azure DevOps Work Item update 2025-1-01.json file you downloaded.
   The Project Name and Organization fields are automatically populated. The default project name is displayed. You can change the project name.
6. From the Environment list, select the environment to which you want to import this integration template, and click Import.
   The project opens after the integration template is imported. 
7. To open the project file at a later time, select the environment where the integration templates are available, select the project name, and click View/Edit.

Task 3: To update the project variables for the integration template

1. Next to the Environment name, click the ellipsis ... next to the project name and select Project Variables.
   
2. Update the project variables as described in the following tables:

   • BMC Helix iPaaS variables:

     Project variable	Action
     BHIP_API_NAME	The integration template creates an API  in the BMC Helix iPaaS API Manager to handle requests from BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker and Azure DevOps. Enter a prefix for the webhook APIs created in the BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker API Manager.
     BHIP_API_User_Roles	Specify the organization roles that should have access to the new API. You can add multiple comma-separated values. Important: If you do not specify any value, all the organization roles get access to the new API.
     BHIP_MCB_API_Profile_User_Name	Enter the user name for the security profile used with the BMC Helix iPaaS API for BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker. The integration template creates an API in BMC Helix iPaaS to handle requests from BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker.
     BHIP_MCB_API_Profile_User_Password	Enter the password for the security profile used with the BMC Helix iPaaS API for BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker. The integration template creates an API in BMC Helix iPaaS to handle requests from BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker.
     BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_Type	The security profile type defines the authentication type used by the Azure DevOps webhook API to access the BMC Helix iPaaS API, and is added in the BMC Helix iPaaS API Manager.  Enter one of the following values: BASIC APIKEY The default value is BASIC.
     BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_User_Name	The integration template creates an API in the BMC Helix iPaaS API Manager to handle requests from Azure DevOps. The API is created and accessed by using security profile credentials which the integration template includes in the webhook created in Azure DevOps. Azure DevOps uses the credentials to communicate with the API.  Enter the user name for the Azure DevOps API security profile.  Important: You need to provide a value for this variable, only if you select the BASIC option in BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_Type.
     BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_User_Password	Enter a password for the Jira API security profile. Important: You need to provide a value for this variable, only if you select the BASIC option in BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_Type.
     BHIP_Vendor_API_Profile_ApiKey_Name	For security profile type APIKEY, enter a name for the API key. The default value is apiKey.
     BHIP_Host	Enter the BMC Helix iPaaS instance URL where you want to run this project. Important: Make sure that you do not enter any leading and trailing spaces.
     BHIP_User_Name	Enter the user name for the BMC Helix iPaaS instance.
     BHIP_User_Password	Enter the password for the BMC Helix iPaaS instance.
     Investigation_Driver	Enter a value to indicate the impact of the problem record that gets created from an Azure DevOps work item; for example, High impact problem investigation. This value is displayed in the problem record in BMC Helix ITSM.

   • Azure DevOps project variables:

     Project variable	Action
     AzureDevOps_Host	Enter https:\dev.azure.com . Important: Make sure that you do not enter any leading and trailing spaces.
     AzureDevOps_Organization	Enter the name of your Azure DevOps organization.
     AzureDevOps_Project	Enter the project name that you want to use in Azure DevOps.
     AzureDevOps_User_Name	Enter the user name of the Azure DevOps instance.
     AzureDevOps_User_Personal_Access_Token	Enter the Azure DevOps personal access token that you created earlier.
     AzureDevOps_Webhook_Area_Path	Enter the area path name based on which the Azure DevOps webhook can filter the work items.
     AzureDevOps_Webhook_Tag	Enter the tag name based on which the Azure DevOps webhook can filter the work items.
     AzureDevOps_Webhook_Work_Item_Type	Enter the type of work item based on which the Azure DevOps webhook events should be filtered. The integration template supports the following types of work items: Bug Epic Feature User Story

   • BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker project variables:

     Project variable	Action
     MCB_Host	Enter the BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker host URL to which Azure DevOps work items should be synchronized. Important: Make sure that you do not enter any leading and trailing spaces.
     MCB_User_Name	Enter the user name that enables users to interact with BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker.
     MCB_User_Password	Enter the password for the provided username.
     MCB_Vendor_Name	Enter the value in the following format for multiple instances of Azure DevOps: Azure DevOps.<Instance name> The instance name in the preceding format is the name you entered in the Instance Name field while configuring vendor metadata.

Task 4: To deploy and enable the project

Deployment is a one-time activity that initializes the integration configurations. The UI displays a message for the deployment status.

To deploy the project and then enable the integration:

1. To deploy the project, next to the project name, click the ellipsis ..., and select Deploy Project.
2. To enable the integration, next to the Enable Integrations operation, under 2.0 Integrations workflow, click the ellipsis ..., and select Run.

The following image shows the steps to deploy the project and enable it by deploying the workflow:

After you enable the integration, when a problem record is created in BMC Helix ITSM, a corresponding work item is created in Azure DevOps. When the vendor data in the Azure DevOps work item is updated, the corresponding BMC Helix ITSM problem record is updated. Comments added to the Azure DevOps work item are synced with the BMC Helix ITSM problem record, and the converse is true.

(Optional) Task 5: To set the time for API debug mode

By default, the debug mode is set to 2 hours after you run the integration. Debug logs are updated for the time set for the debug mode. To increase the debug mode for a longer period of time, perform the following steps:

1. In BMC Helix iPaaS, select API Manager > My APIs.
2. Open any of the following APIs:
   • BHIP_API_Name_MCB_To_Vendor—This API creates an Azure DevOps work item from a BMC Helix ITSM problem record.
   • BHIP_API_Name_Work_Item_Vendor_To_MCB—This API updates the vendor data and field changes from an Azure DevOps work item to BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker.
3. Select Enable Debug Mode Until: and set it for the required date and time.
4. Save and publish the API.

(Optional) Task 6: To map a custom field between BMC Helix ITSM and Azure DevOps

You can map custom fields between 

BMC Helix ITSM

 and Azure DevOps. To learn about the steps to customize the integration, see Synchronizing-custom-field-values-for-integrations.