CA Service Management

Hello,

Logging this query on behalf of a customer.

They would like to know "How to use GRLoader to create and maintain two MDRs against the same Configuration Item?"

Does anyone have some pointers?

This is what works for a single MDR and Configuration Item:

<mdr_class>
<mdr_name>
<federated_asset_id>

The challenge now is to add a second MDR against the same Configuration Item using GRLoader.

Any suggestions?

The documentation appears to indicate it is possible. Here is the current documentation.

----------------------

MDR Classes and MDR Names

https://docops.ca.com/ca-service-management/14-1/en/using/configuration-management/about-mdr

An IT enterprise can include many MDRs. Each MDR has an identifier that is known as an MDR name (mdr_name). It is common for an MDR to use the host server name as the mdr_name. The server name is used to allow multiple MDRs to reside on the same host server. Therefore, an MDR class (mdr_class) is appended to the mdr_name to identify each MDR uniquely.

CA Configuration Automation is an enterprise discovery tool that integrates tightly with CMDB Each CA Configuration Automation MDR defined to the CMDB must have an mdr_class of Cohesion. For more information about CA Configuration Automation, see the CA Configuration Automation online help. For CA Configuration Automation-CMDB integration, see the CA Configuration Automation Implementation documentation.

---------------

MDR Mapping

https://docops.ca.com/ca-service-management/14-1/en/using/configuration-management/about-mdr/using-the-mdr-launcher

Every MDR has a unique way of identifying the CIs that it manages. Those identifiers are seldom synchronized across MDRs. For example, when referencing a specific Contact CI, different MDRs can use different identifiers. A national identity number, telephone number, license number, or Employee ID can identify the same person. The process of associating these disparate identifiers with the same unique identifier (UUID) maintained in the MDB is named mapping. Mapping occurs automatically when data is imported using GRLoader when the CI contains the <mdr_name> <mdr_class> and <federated_asset_id> tags. Mapping can also be accomplished manually through the Administration functions in the user interface. A CI that has no mappings that are associated with it is named unfederated. Every CI is automatically mapped to global MDRs using the UUID as the federated_asset_id.

----------------------

I interpreted this to mean that just two sequential data loads could be done.

I don't have the test load file yet, but the reported result was:

Running GRLoader with two entries for the same CI, one with the first MDR and one with the second MDR results in only the second MDR being set up, the first one is added and then replaced.

Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks, Kyle_R.

Kyle,

I haven't heard of this particular scenario before, but I assume that GRLoader doesn't have the ability to append, it's just doing a straight replace (even though technically MDRs are stored in a separate table).

Hey Kyle,

Have you tried the following with the excel spreadsheet:

Thanks Jobby,

I think the client did and it overwrote the Configuration Item MDR information.

---------

We have not been able to make this work. Not only does it not create a second MDR but it doesn't even seem to replace the existing MDR

Could you please send a screenshot of a CI with two MDR?

I have found that under versioning it lists the new MDR but the link doesn't work as the mapping doesn't exist and it also doesn't display on the Attributes tab, only the first one does

--------

I tried this out myself using the above data load - but what is the assumed data already present? 

C:\PROGRA~2\CA\SERVIC~1\temp>grloader -u <<User>> -p <<Password>> -s http://<<hostname>>:8080 -i MDR_test.xlsx -n
18:01:28.268 CI and Relationship Loader for CA Service Desk Manager R12.9.000
Not found: MDR name(ny) MDR class(baseball)
/Not found: MDR name(NJ) MDR class(hockry)
-Not found: MDR name(NHP) MDR class(football)
\

Results:
Read Skipped Inserts Updates Errors Warnings
CI 3 0 0 0 3 0
Relation 0 0 0 0 0 0

GRLoader completed with errors.
18:02:06.559 GRLoader ended

Did you get a working multiple entry update?

Thanks, Kyle_R.

Hi Kyle_R

You can find examples of CIs with multiple MDR's in our internal ITASM (http://itasm) demo environment:

The MDR's have to be created in advance of loading CIs, CI attributes and relationships...

Thanks,

John Sorensen

Thanks John,

I'm having trouble to get the import to work.

Here is my Excel file contents:

I had to add in a "class" to get the data to load, so I just made up new Classes and pointed them to any old Families. I just made the class name the same as the mdr_class for convenience.

The GRLoader works fine to take in the first row, and DOES correctly update the MDF value of "ny" against the newly created CI of LFT5116061860493. However, the final two updates don't work, and there is no XML error log written! This is even though the error logs was written when there was no class. And even though it advises that there were two errors.

Oddly, even if I change that file to only have the second or third row of data, it also doesn't import.

C:\PROGRA~2\CA\SERVIC~1\temp>grloader -u <username> -p <password> -s http://<server hostname>:8080 -i MDR_test3.xlsx -a -n -E
15:20:50.509 CI and Relationship Loader for CA Service Desk Manager R12.9.000
\

Results:
Read Skipped Inserts Updates Errors Warnings
CI 3 0 0 1 2 0
Relation 0 0 0 0 0 0

GRLoader completed with errors.
15:21:14.533 GRLoader ended

I didn't create any Relationships because not needed at this point - just trying to get the CI in.

The three MDRs exist as per above.

Hello thojo22  or sorjo01 , can you please test a GRLoader load and see if it is possible update multiple MDRs to a Configuration Item?

Thanks, Kyle_R.

Thanks Everyone,

CA Support are going to take this offline and investigate. 

We'll come back with findings when available.

Kyle_R.

Hi Kyle_R - We're you ever able to resolve this one? Thanks! Chris

Thanks for checking, Chris.

Our method was right, but there is a suspected product defect which is being investigated in DE29547.

If anyone else needs the same functionality, please log a CA Support issue quoting this CA Community post and the above number.

Closing this question out for now as answered.

Kyle_R.

Thanks Everyone,

John had the right answer.

Not sure where we went wrong originally, but for the record, this is the way it works.

INSTRUCTIONS TO IMPORT MULTIPLE MDR LINES AGAINST A SINGLE CI

1. The MDRs and the Classes must exist prior to load.

If not, then create them either manually or by load.

EXAMPLE.
- - -
New MDRs:

Button Name: NY
MDR Name: NY
MDR Class: baseball

Button Name: NJ
MDR Name: NJ
MDR Class: hockry

Button Name: NHP
MDR Name: NHP
MDR Class: football

New Classes:

Class: baseball1
Family: Computer

Class: hockry1
Family: Computer

Class: football1
Family: Computer
- - -

2. Save the data in the MS Excel spreadsheet.

Here is a sample CSV file that may be opened in MS Excel and saved as in Excel format.

Example: MDR_Test.xlsx

- - - 
objecttype,name,mdr_name,mdr_class,federated_asset_id,class
ci,LFT5116061860491,NY,baseball,AB30,baseball1
ci,LFT5116061860491,NJ,hockry,AB31,hockry1
ci,LFT5116061860491,NHP,football,AB32,football1

- - - 

3. Load with this command:

grloader -u Administrator -p <PASSWORD> -s http://localhost:8080 -i MDR_Test.xlsx -a -n -E

The results are:
- - -
14:43:10.985 CI and Relationship Loader for CA Service Desk Manager R12.9.000
\

Results:
Read Skipped Inserts Updates Errors Warnings
CI 3 0 1 2 0 0
Relation 0 0 0 0 0 0

GRLoader completed.
14:43:49.336 GRLoader ended
- - -

4. Check the CI.

If you use "Edit" you will find the added MDRs against the new CI.
If you check Versioning, Show Log, you'll find the details added.

- - -
Date Log Attribute New Value Old Value Changed By MDR
07/07/2017 02:43 pm Field Updated Class football1 hockry1 Administrator NHP
07/07/2017 02:43 pm Field Updated Class hockry1 baseball1 Administrator NJ
07/07/2017 02:43 pm Field Updated Exclude Ambiguity NO Administrator NY
07/07/2017 02:43 pm Field Updated CI? YES Administrator NY
07/07/2017 02:43 pm Field Updated Asset? NO Administrator NY
07/07/2017 02:43 pm Field Updated Name LFT5116061860491 Administrator NY
07/07/2017 02:43 pm Field Updated Class baseball1 Administrator NY
07/07/2017 02:43 pm Field Updated Family Computer Administrator NY
07/07/2017 02:43 pm Field Updated Creation date 07/07/2017 02:43 pm Administrator NY
- - -

You should run through a simplified example as above on a test system before going to a more complex example.

Thanks, Kyle_R.