Defining a Resource Mapping

You can add a data mapping between external resources and vFire Core CMDB item fields. Resources can be users imported from a directory server, or network discovery resources.

Before you start

You must have Integration Setup selected in your General Access Security Role.

1. Display the Mapping Details window, if it is not already on screen.

   Select and then Admin. From the submenu, select Integration. The Integration Platform Settings window is displayed. Select the Resources option from the explorer pane.

2. In the Groups table, select the group for which you want to define a mapping.
3. Complete the details.

Source	This field is prefilled with the application or directory server for whose resources you want to configure the mapping.
Resource Type	This field is prefilled with the category of the resource you are mapping.
Name	Type a name for the mapping. This name appears in the Mappings table. This is a mandatory field, and must be completed otherwise you will get a warning message on saving the mapping details.

4. Select the Criteria tab to specify the criteria for selecting the external resource to import.

Default Mapping

Select to specify that this is the default mapping for the resource type mapping you are working with. Clear to set the conditions for applying this mapping to an external resource using the rules builder panel. These conditions are set through defining a rule. You can only select external resource fields or attributes as the criteria in your rule, since this is the criteria vFire Core must use to select external resources for importing. You may wish to only import a resource, Computer, for a specific Manufacturer. In this case, you would select the criteria, “Manufacturer”, the operator, equal to (=), and the value as the name of the manufacturer. It is useful to specify a default mapping so that resources that do not meet the criteria in any of the defined mappings for the resource type may still be discovered and updated.

5. Select the Action tab and select a CMDB template and set the rules for applying the template, when the defined mapping criteria is met.

Import	Select to enable the fields on this tab. If you clear this option, external resources will not be imported or updated for this mapping when a scheduled scan runs on the source
Import As	Select the entity type that will be created when the external resources are imported. An external resource can be imported as a Person, CMDB Item (Service, Config Item, Service Action, etc), Location, Organization, Contract, Knowledge Article, Subscriber Group, or Cost Center. Depending on the type of connector, not all the options may be displayed in this list.
Using template	Use the button to select the item record to use as a template to apply to the CMDB items or People created after the source is scanned for resources. Only the templates/records for the entity type selected at Import As appear in this list. For Person or CMDB Item, the relevant templates are displayed. For other entity types, such as Knowledge or Organization, it is not possible to mark an item as a template, therefore all items that meet the search parameters are displayed in the search results.
Apply template to CMDB Item or Person	Select when the template must be applied to the imported resource. On creation only applies the template to the imported resource only when the vFire Core record is created, that is, only if the resource does not match an existing item On creation or update applies the template to the imported resource when the vFire Core record is created, or when an existing (matching) vFire Core record is updated When template is different to last applied Applies the template to the imported resource only when the last template used on the matching vFire Core record is different to the current template set for this mapping (that is, if it is a different template altogether, or if it is the same template that has changed). For a directory server integration connector, users may need to be imported under another Person template if their status changes on the directory server. When mapping is different to last applied applies the template to the imported resource when the last mapping used is different to this mapping
When a resource is discovered	Select the action to be taken on the CMDB if a new resource or person is discovered on the source. Create linked CMDB Item or Person automatically instructs the polling service to discover any new resources on the source and, when a new resource is found, automatically create a new record in vFire Core and link this record to the record in the Federated CMDB Add to the Pending Imports list instructs the polling service to take no immediate action. Instead, it records the detected definitive resource record, which you can review and then decide if you wish to create. You can review the items in the Pending Import View on the Federated CMDB Administration window
When a resource is deleted	Select the action to be taken on the CMDB if a resource or person is deleted on the source. Delete linked CMDB Item or Person automatically instructs the polling service to discover any deleted resources on the source and automatically delete the linked records Add to the De-activated Resources list instructs the polling service to take no immediate action. Instead, it records the detected differences for each definitive resource record, which you can review and then decide if you wish to delete. You can review the deleted items in the De-activated Resources List on the Federated CMDB Administration window. Take no action instructs the polling service to make no change to the data in vFire Core.
When a deleted resource is restored	Select the action to be taken on the CMDB if a resource or person item is restored on the source. Restore linked CMDB Item or Person automatically instructs the polling service to discover any restored resources on the source and apply that information directly to the linked CMDB items or people. The CMDB items or people are restored immediately Add to the Activated Resources list instructs the polling service to take no immediate action on the CMDB. Instead, it records the detected differences for each definitive resource record, which you can review and then decide if you wish to restore. You can review the restored items in the Activated Resources List on the Federated CMDB Administration window. Take no action instructs the polling service to make no change to the CMDB
Map to a Subscriber Group	Select this checkbox to allow a Subscriber Group to be mapped to a particular resource group. When a scan is run, it will check against this resource mapping and either add a new record to the AR_SUBSCRIBER_GROUP_MEMBER table, or update a record already in there (for when a user is deleted or restored). If you map, say, AD groups to Subscriber Groups, people are mapped to a subscriber group when an AD scan is run, rather than manually mapping them
Subscriber Group	Use the Search button to identify the Subscriber Group you want to use.

 

6. Select the Fields tab to map the fields to be updated through the import.
7. To add a field, select Add.

You can only map fields once you have selected an item in the Using template field in the Actions tab.

8. In the Add Fields window, select the vFire Core field you wish to map, and click OK.
9. To set the value for this field, on the fields browse table, click the cell in the Resource Field column
10. Click the field selector button. The options available for selection appear in a multi-tier popup and are specific to the vFire Core field type. The field selector icon will change depending on the option you select

You must select a resource field/value otherwise you will receive a warning message when you save the mapping details.

11. To set the condition for updating the field, make a selection in the Update column.

Always	populates the field automatically whenever this field mapping is picked up during a scheduled scan. This option is useful if the external source is the definitive place where this information resides.
On Initial Population Only	populates the field only when a new record is created in vFire Core during a scheduled scan. This option is useful if this item may be updated from integrations with various external sources.
Only When Blank	populates the field only when it is blank. This is useful if the field on the external source is not the definitive place where this information resides, and should not have the ability to overwrite the field value.
Create Discrepancy Report	does not populate the field automatically when the field mapping is picked up during a scheduled scan. Rather, an entry is added to the Discrepancy Report view in the Federated CMDB Administration window, allowing you to decide whether the field may be updated or not. This is useful to detect unauthorized changes on the source.

12. To delete a mapped field, select the field, click Remove and confirm the deletion in the warning dialog box.
13. To restore the default mapping that may be provided for some connectors, and overwrite any new mappings you may have added, select Restore Default.

Learn more about fields available for mapping a directory server user to a person record in the CMDB in Directory Server Fields.

14. Set the criteria vFire Core will use to match a discovered external resource to an existing CMDB item. This step allows you to configure “rules” for importing and updating resources. This includes defining how users are imported through a directory integration source connector or other resources are imported through a network discovery connector. For example, by defining a rule using fields from the person details, you can match a new user discovered on a directory server to an existing person record in vFire Core.
    • Select the Matching tab.
    • Select On discovery match resource to enable the rules builder panel.
    • Specify the criteria that will be used to match a discovered resource or user to an existing CMDB item. This is done through adding a rule.
    • In the final part of the statement, select > 1 matching records are identified to add the discovered resource to the Pending Imports list in the Federated CMDB Administration window, if more than one record in the CMDB is matched to the resource based on the criteria. This allows you to manually match the resource to the CMDB item. Select No matching records are identified to add the discovered resource to the Pending Imports list in the Federated CMDB Administration window, if no record in the CMDB is matched to the resource based on the criteria.
15. Click Save. You are returned to the Resource Types Mapping window where you can add more mappings for this resource type if needed.

Mappings are applied only when a resource is imported or updated. Changing the resource mappings will not update existing CMDB items. Updates are made only when vFire Core detects changes to a resource.

Disabling scans for a connector or a specific resource type after a scan has been run will not delete CMDB items linked to the external resources for that connector. However, viewing any of these external resources (that may be linked to CMDB items) will display them as inactive.

Resources are imported automatically during a Federated CMDB scan, and these resources are checked for any links that correspond to the mapped resource link types. This relationship information is automatically discovered by the scan; it cannot be regulated. However, you can choose not to import the relationship information as links into the CMDB when you import resources with links to other resources.

Directory Server Fields

The person fields available for mapping a directory server user to a Person entity in vFire Core include the following:

Login ID	allows you to link an analyst or User from a directory server to a person in vFire Core using the Login ID details. When person record is deleted from vFire Core based on a disabled Active Directory record, their Login ID and Password fields are deleted within vFire Core will be available for reuse.
Email	allows you to link a user from a directory server to a person record in vFire Core using the email details.
First Name and Surname	allows you to link a user from a directory server to a person record in vFire Core using the First Name and Surname.

Selecting Fields for Mapping

The table below provides a summary of the field types and values you can select when mapping Internal Fields and External Fields to fulfill the requirements for a particular type of integration.

When you click the field selector button various options are presented to allow you to configure the mapping between the external and internal field.

Field Type	Examples	Field selector available value types
String, text, float, decimal, integer, date-time, and Boolean number	Acquisition Price	(Value) allows you to specify a particular value for the field. For a Boolean field the options are True and False. The value mode icon stays if a value is specified. The way the selected value is displayed in the field indicates the area in which you are working, for example, {Event: Is Problem} if mapping an event field, or {Resource: Office} if mapping a Federated CMDB resource. (Transform) allows you to define a property transform. The value mode icon changes to if a field transformation is selected. The multi-tier list of fields allows you to select any data field on the source using the multi-tier list of fields. The value icon changes to if a field is selected.
Profile	Manufacturer, Model Type	(Value) allows you to select a pre-defined profile value for the field. The value mode icon stays if a value is specified. (Profile Map) allows you to map a value in a profile field to the value in a list-based field on the source. The value mode icon changes to if a profile map is selected.
Entity Reference	User	(Value) allows you to select an existing vFire Core entity. In this case the field selector behaves like a standard Q/D button. The value mode icon stays if a value is specified. (Search) allows you to search for an existing vFire Core entity. (Resolution Rule) allows you to set up a resolution rule for importing or updating additional information about the entity. The value mode icon changes to if a resolution rule is selected. (External Resource) allows you to select a field defined for the external resource. The internal field will be set to the value of the external field. This option is only available when configuring a resource mapping to integrate with the Federated CMDB.

The fields that can be mapped include standard, custom, and extension fields.