Automating the creation of virtual machines and storage accounts

Before you begin

Make sure that an administrator has configured the Microsoft Azure connector.

Create VM element properties

A Create VM element creates a virtual machine in Microsoft Azure.

The following video (2:49) explains how to automate the task of creating a virtual machine in Microsoft Azure:

 https://youtu.be/NgByYLkA8_I

The following table describes the Create VM input properties:

The following table describes the Create VM output properties:

Create Storage Account Service element properties

A Create Storage Account Service element creates a storage account in Microsoft Azure.

The following table describes the Create Storage Account Service input properties:

The following table describes the Create Storage Account Service input properties:

To create a process to create a virtual machine or storage account

1. Log in to BMC Helix Innovation Studio.
2. Navigate to the Workspace tab, and select the application in which you want to create a process.
3. In the application, select Processes, and click New.
   The system opens Process designer.
4. In the Process designer, drag the element to the canvas based on the action that you want to perform in Microsoft Azure:
   • To create a virtual machine, drag the Create VM element to the canvas.
   • To create a storage account, drag the Create Storage Account Service element to the canvas.

1. In the element Properties pane, enter the property values.
2. If required, add the other process elements and specify the flow of execution that you want to create for your business logic.
3. Save the process.

Data lookups and Azure Resource Graph queries

You can use data lookups and Azure Resource Graph queries with the Create VM element to select a value from the list of available values to specify the input properties. You can use Azure Resource Graph queries as queryable datasets for all the resources that are available in the Azure Resource Graph Explorer. The following image shows an example of a Resource Graph Explorer:

Consider the following points while using Azure Resource Graph:

• Azure Resource Graph lookups are recognizable by their names that contain slashes (/). For example, "microsoft.compute/disks". 
• All the data lookups on the Azure Resource Graph require the following qualification criteria:
  "Subcription ID" is <subcription ID>

• The subscription ID that you define in the Azure connector configuration is not used as the  default subscription ID. Use the subscription ID available in the Azure dashboard with a question that lists the subscriptions. For example, use the Subscriptions map-to-form data lookup. If you do not specify a subscription ID, other qualification filters are ignored, and the lookup data is blank. For more information about data lookups, see Creating selection menus for question responses.

• You can use the Azure Resource Graph lookups for the ID, Name, Type, Tenant ID, Location, Subcription ID, and Managed by parameters. Do not use the Azure Resource Graph lookups for Resource Group, SKU, Plan, Properties, Tags, Identity, Zones, and Extended Location parameters. 
• You can use the Azure Resource Graph resource lookups by applying filters based on the attributes specific to Azure resources.

• The Azure Resource Graph lookups return API values that are not formatted values. For example, for Subscription ID, the value returned is the subscription GUID.

Learn about Azure Resource Graph at Azure Resource Graph.

Example: Automating virtual machine creation in Azure

Ajay is an application business analyst in Calbro Services. He wants to automate the task of creating a virtual machine in Microsoft Azure so that he can reduce the manual efforts of agents who are assigned to user requests of virtual machine creation. To automate the task, Ajay creates a process. He uses the Create VM element to create a virtual machine in Azure and uses the Send Virtual Machine Creation Email element to notify the virtual machine details to the user.

Ajay performs the following actions to create the process to automate the creation of a virtual machine:

1. Create the process as shown in the following image:
   
2. Add the process properties as shown in the following image:
   
3. Add the Create VM element properties as shown in the following image:
   
4. Add Send Virtual Machine Creation Email element properties as shown in the following image:
   
5. Save the process.

Example: Automating storage account creation in Azure

Ajay is an application business analyst in Calbro Services. He wants to automate the task of creating a storage account in Microsoft Azure. To automate the task, Ajay creates a process. He uses the Create Storage Account Service element to create a storage account in Azure and the Send Azure Storage Creation Email element to notify the storage account details to the user.

Ajay performs the following actions to create the process to automate the creation of a storage account:

1. Create the process as shown in the following image:
   
2. Add the process properties as shown in the following image:
   
3. Add the Create Storage Account Service element properties as shown in the following image:
   
4. Add the Send Azure Storage Creation Email element properties as shown in the following image:
   
   
   
5. Save the process.

Example: Using lookups to specify Create VM element input properties

Ajay is an application business analyst at Calbro Services. Calbro Services uses BMC Helix Digital Workplace Advanced application to manage user service requests. Ajay automates the task of creating a virtual machine in Azure. He creates a process to automate the task and uses the process as a workflow in a service in BMC Helix Digital Workplace Advanced. While adding a questionnaire for the service, Ajay wants to use lookups to populate answers in the questionnaire. When a user uses the service to submit a virtual machine creation request, the user can specify the answers by selecting a value from the list of available values.

Ajay performs the following actions to use lookups in the questionnaire:

1. In the Question Designer of the service, add the user-generated questions of Lookup type in the following sequence:

   Lookup	Details
   subscriptionID
   region
   imagePublisher
   imageOffer
   imageSKU
   imageVersion
   vmSize
   resourceGroupName	Map the Azure Resource Graph query to the Question Values field.
   virtualNetwork
   subnet

2. Save the questionnaire.

Learn about how to create questionnaires at Creating service questionnaires.