This documentation supports the 21.02 version of BMC Helix Innovation Studio.To view an earlier version, select the version from the Product version menu.

Synchronizing BMC Helix ITSM:Knowledge Management with BMC Helix Knowledge Management

As an administrator, after you have purchased a BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround subscription, you can synchronize the knowledge base in BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management with BMC Helix Knowledge Management. After synchronizing, end users can find the following articles in their search results: 

  • Articles from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management
  • An extensive Article-Pack from BMC Helix Knowledge Management that includes knowledge about software from Microsoft, Google, Adobe, and Zoom.

Important

If you do not want to include articles from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management, you are not required to perform this task. 

Unsupported scenarios for synchronizing the knowledge base

You can't synchronize the knowledge base in the following scenarios:

  • You cannot synchronize articles from BMC Helix Knowledge Management to BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management.
  • You cannot run multiple synchronization jobs simultaneously.
  • If a migrated article is updated in BMC Helix Knowledge Management, it might be overwritten during subsequent synchronization. You cannot reconcile the changes. You must create and edit BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management articles in BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management. 
  • The Decision Tree type of articles are not synchronized. 


How knowledge base synchronization works

A periodic sync job creates a list of new or updated articles along with the previously failed articles to synchronize. 

The periodic sync job runs in the following order:

  1. Consolidated list of articles
  2. Knowledge article votes or views.

By default, the following articles and their attributes are synchronized:

  • Articles developed by using templates—How To, Reference, KCS, Problem Solution, and Known Error.
  • Article types—New or updated, external, and are published or retired.
  • The up and down votes of an article and the view count of the article.
  • Articles that contain a Title.


Workflow for synchronizing knowledge base from  BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management to BMC Helix Knowledge Management

The following image shows the steps you perform in BMC Helix Innovation Studio: 

Process for synchronizing RKM with ComAround.png


Before you begin

Make sure that the following conditions are fulfilled before you synchronize knowledge base from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management to BMC Helix Knowledge Management:

Product

Action

BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management

  • BMC Helix Innovation Studio and BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management are installed on the same server instance.
  • You have administrator access to BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management.
  • BMC Helix Innovation Studio can connect to BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management data.

BMC Helix Knowledge Management

You have the following BMC Helix Knowledge Management credentials:

  • ComAround knowledge API URL
  • ComAround Subscription ID
  • User name and password


Task 1: To add BMC Helix Knowledge Management credentials

Specify the BMC Helix Knowledge Management instance credentials where you want to synchronize the knowledge base.

  1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio and click Administration. 
  2. Select Knowledge management > Knowledge configuration. 
  3. On the Knowledge Configuration page, in ComAround Knowledge API endpoint URL, type the ComAround knowledge API URL. 
    For example, https://api.comaround.com
  4. In Subscription ID, type the ComAround knowledge subscription ID. 
  5. In User name, type the user name of the ComAround account. 
  6. In Password, type the ComAround user password. 
  7. To check whether BMC Helix Chatbot can connect to ComAround, click Test Connection. 
  8. Click Save. 

The knowledge base from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management will be synchronized to this BMC Helix Knowledge Management instance. 


The following image shows the sample Knowledge Sync page:

ComAround config.png


Task 2: To create a data source connection and data source mapping

  1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio and click Administration. 
  2. Select Integrations > Data sources > Data source connections.
  3. Create a data source connection. 
    1. On the Data source connections page, click New.
      The Add new data source configuration dialog is displayed.
    2. On the General tab, complete the following fields:
      1. Name—Enter ITSM Data Source. 
        To avoid errors in synchronization, do not provide any other name to the data source connection. 
      2. Type—Select AR System
        The data is retrieved from the data source defined in this field.

    3. On the Connection properties tab, complete the fields as described in the following table:

      Data source type

      Connection Properties fields

      Action

      AR System

      Host name

      Enter the host name of the external AR System server. For version 21.02—localhost

      Port

      Enter the RPC Port number.

      Authentication

      Select one of the following supported types:

      • RAS (Remedy Application Service)
        If you select RAS, enter the password of the Remedy Application Service User of the external AR System.

      Use currently logged in user permissions

      Do not select this check box.

  4. Click Save.
  5. Map the data source connection.
    1. On the Administration tab, select Integrations > Data sources > Data source mapping. 
    2. From the Application list, select comaroundMigation. 
      In Connection target, ITSM Data source is populated automatically.
    3. From the Connection configuration list, select the data source connection that you created earlier.
      For example, ITSM data source.
  6. Click Save. 

The following image shows the data source connection and data source mapping for BMC Helix Knowledge Management:


ComAround data source.png


Task 3: Perform the optional tasks

To map the custom fields in a knowledge template with ComAround

The out-of-the-box knowledge templated and fields in BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management are automatically mapped with BMC Helix Knowledge Management. If you have custom templates or custom fields, you must map them manually.

Learn how to map the custom templates and fields.

To modify the query to synchronize knowledge articles and previously failed articles

You can modify the default synchronization query to specify the articles that you want to synchronize for the first time.

  1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio.
  2. On the Workspace tab, select Knowledge Sync > Processes > Get RKM Articles. 
  3. Modify the type of knowledge articles and previously failed articles that are synchronized by default. 
    1. On the canvas, click one of the following Get Records By Query elements that you want to modify:
      • Get Failed Records By Query
      • Get Problem Solution Records By Query
      • Get How To Records By Query
      • Get KCS records By Query
      • Get Known Error records By Query

      • Get Reference Records By Query

        For example, if you want to modify the query to get the How To type of articles, click the Get How To Records By Query element.

    2. On the Settings icon.PNGGENERAL tab, in the INPUT MAP section, edit the Query Expression field. 

    3. On the Edit Expression dialog box, modify the conditions to synchronize the knowledge articles. 

      View the Get RKM Articles process

      Get RKM articles process.png

  4. Click OK and click Save.
  5. Repeat the procedure to update the required Get Records By Query elements in the process.

To modify the schedule to periodically run the sync job

  1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio.
  2. On the Workspace tab, select Knowledge Sync > Rules.
  3. Click Run Job Migration Process. 
  4. On the canvas, click Trigger. 
  5. On the Settings icon.PNGGENERAL tab, edit the Schedule Definition field as shown in the following image: 
    Schedule knowledge sync.png
  6. In the Edit Schedule Definition dialog box, specify the frequency of the knowledge synchronization job. 
  7. Click Save. 

You have now defined the schedule to synchronize the incremental updates to the knowledge articles. 


Task 4: To synchronize knowledge base for the first time

  1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio and click Administration. 
  2. Select Knowledge Management > Knowledge Sync. 
  3. On the Knowledge Sync page, from the Source knowledgebase, select Remedy Knowledge Management.
  4. Click Run job now.

You have synchronized knowledge base from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management with BMC Helix Knowledge Management for the first time. An entry is created for the job with the status Running. Wait till the job run is complete to view the updated status. 

The following image shows the Knowledge Sync page:

Knowledge sync console.png



Task 5: To verify the synchronization

You can verify the synchronization in BMC Helix Innovation Studio. 

  1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio and click Administration. 
  2. Select Knowledge Management > Knowledge Sync. 
  3. Click Migrate to ComAround. 
    On the Migration job page, the Job Status column specifies one of the following status of the sync job:

    • Completed successfully—All articles were synchronized
    • Completed with errors—Only some articles were synchronized
    • Failed—Articles were not synchronized

The following image shows an example of the sync job status: 

knowledge sync status.png


To enable or disable periodic synchronization

  1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio and click Administration. 
  2. Select Knowledge Management > Knowledge Sync. 
  3. On the Knowledge Sync page, click Enable scheduled migration or Disable scheduled migration.

The scheduled migration job is now enabled or disabled. 


Troubleshooting

You can view the logs for each synchronization job. 

  1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio and click Administration. 
  2. Select Knowledge Management > Knowledge Sync. 
  3. From the logs column, click the job for which you want to view the logs. 
  4. To view the log details such as ID, created date, and log level, click image2021-2-19_17-23-31.png and select the check box for the detail that you want to view. 
    The following image shows sample logs:
    knowledge sync logs.png

Typical reasons for synchronization job failure

  • Connectivity failed between BMC Helix Innovation Studio and BMC Helix Knowledge Management
  • Incorrect authentication in BMC Helix Knowledge Management. 
  • Incorrect mapping of fields from custom knowledge template with BMC Helix Knowledge Management fields might not synchronize the custom knowledge articles correctly. 


Where to go from here

Configuring BMC Helix Knowledge Management in BMC Helix Virtual Agent

 

Tip: For faster searching, add an asterisk to the end of your partial query. Example: cert*