Discovering server references

BMC Helix ITSM has multiple locations in data where environment-specific references can be embedded. BMC Helix Data Manager allows you to discover these reference prior to a migration and then update them after the migration to ensure the data configuration works correctly in the new environment.

We recommend discovering the server references in your source and target system prior to migration to discover the actual values in use. After a migration, you should discover the server references in the target system and then configure and run a transformation job in the target system to correct any references.

You can also check server references when cloning databases between BMC Helix ITSM systems, for example, when refreshing your development system with a copy of production.

To discover server references

1. From the navigation bar, select Discovery & Analysis > System Analysis & Administration.
2. On the System Administration page, select the system you want to discover server references for.
3. Click the Server References tab.
4. Click Discover Server References on the Discovery sub-tab.
5. In the dialog box, select the Server References template that defines the forms and fields to check for references, and click Create New Discovery Job.
   
   The list of Forms and Fields, or Tables and Columns checked for Server References is fully configurable.
   When the discovery job is complete, you can view the discovered references on the Discovery tab, as shown below.
   

To update server references

1. From the navigation bar, select Discovery & Analysis > System Analysis & Administration.
2. On the System Administration page, select the system you want to transform references for.
3. Select the Server References tab, and click the Transform sub-tab.
4. Click Create New Transform Job.
5. In the dialog box, select the Server References Discovery on which you want like to base the transform, and click Create New Transform Job.
   The Transform sub-tab lists the value that will be searched for (Replace Value), and the value to which is should be transformed (Transform To).
   The Transform Value column shows a preview of the data after transformation.
   
6. Set the new value in the Transform To field, and click Apply.
   To update the value for all of the discovered references with the same Replace Value, click Apply to All. This allows you to apply the same update to multiple fields at the same time. You can also disable a specific field update.
7. After you have configured the transformations, click Run Transform Job to run the updates against your BMC Helix ITSM system.
   The results, including the number of records updated, are displayed after the job is complete.