Managing data dictionaries

This topic discusses how you can link systems and how you can remove , rename, and compare data dictionaries.

To link systems

When BMC Helix Data Manager performs a discovery for a source or target system, it automatically associates the discovered data dictionary with that system. You can associate a data dictionary with more than one system. This is useful if you have multiple systems running identical applications (for example, multiple BMC Helix ITSM systems in the same environment typically have identical data models).

1. Click the Linked Systems tab.
   
2. To associate a source or target system, select the name of the system from the Available System list, and click Add.
3. To remove an association to a system, select the system from the table, and click Remove.
4. To set the current data dictionary as the current data dictionary for the selected system, click Set As Current.

To view a summary

To view a statistical summary of the discovered data dictionary and make notes, click the Summary tab.

To remove a data dictionary

1. Select the data dictionary, and select Action > Delete Data Dictionary.
2. Click Confirm on the confirmation dialog box.
   The data dictionary is permanently deleted.
   BMC Helix Data Manager does not allow you to remove a data dictionary that is referenced by a migration pack or parameter. You must delete these components before attempting the removal of a data dictionary.

To rename a data dictionary

BMC Helix Data Manager automatically assigns a name to a discovered data dictionary with the following format:

<Server Name>-<Application Version>[-<Timestamp>]

1. Select the data dictionary you want to rename.
2. Select Action > Rename Data Dictionary .
3. Enter a new name for the data dictionary, and click Change Name.

To compare a data dictionary

If you apply workflow changes to a source or target system or are not sure whether your development and production systems have any data model differences, you can compare the discovered metadata. BMC Helix Data Manager allows you to compare the forms, fields and indexes in two data dictionaries, and it produces a report of these differences.

1. Select one of the data dictionaries you want to compare, and select Action > Compare Data Dictionary.
2. Select the other discovered data dictionary you want to compare, and click Compare.
   The Comparison page appears.
3. Review the details, and click Start Comparison.
   The progress of the comparison appears in the panel on the right.
   When the report is completed, the summary appears. The summary lists the number of modules, forms, fields, enum values, and indexes that are different or that exist only on the source or target application.
   
4. To drill down to view the details of the differences, click View next to each collection of compared objects.