IH-ETL Guided Setup Step 4 - Field Mapping

Siyou Li · ‎11-15-2021

Previous Step

IH-ETL Guided Setup Step 3 – CMDB Class Mapping

In this step, you can choose target classes and attributes in the CMDB to map source data columns to. Below is an example configuration:

1. Click “Set Up Map” in class card

On this screen you can drag various data values from the box labeled Data on the right into the target fields on the left. Alternately, you can click the icon next to the blank box and then select the value for your field:

2. Drag or select fields to map

3. If a field is not in the field list, click “Add Attribute” and then select the field you want to add

Sometimes a field might be a reference to another class. In such scenario, we need reference columns. Below is an example of mapping “Configuration Item” reference field:

There are three types of reference columns:

1. Transformed column

Usually this is the sys_id field that can identify the referenced records. For example, if “installed_on” field is referencing computer class, then this field should map to computer CIs sys_id values

2. Basic class

This will associate current class records to the selected reference source class records. For example, if map software instance class’ “installed_on” field to “Linux Server 1” entity whose target CMDB class is linux server, then each software instance record will be associated with corresponding linux server record in “installed_on” field.

3. Conditional class

Like basic class, but will only associate current class records to the selected conditional class when conditions are met. For example, when mapping file system class, if current map has a condition based on 3 parent classes (I.e. linux server, computer and windows server), we can multi-select all 3 conditional class, and file system records will only be associated with one of those 3 parent classes if the condition matches.

Much like reference columns, IH-ETL provides look-up class mapping to associate two related classes.

Look-up class mapping shows up when child and parent classes have look-up rules defined. For example, network adapter class looks up computer class

After look-up class is mapped in its parent class (e.x. network adapter lookup is mapped in computer class), then network adapter CIs will be associated with its corresponding computer CIs

Parent class must provide unique source native key mapping

If look-up class and parent class has required dependent relationship, then that required relationship must be added in relationship mapping as well

Deactivate a lookup rule, such as serial number, within a class mapping, does not trigger any automatic deactivations

Nested data format mapping

There are additional functions and restrictions when using nested format.

IH-ETL nested payload demo 13:30 – 16:05

Tips and caveats

Sample field value

We provide a random sample for each raw field as a hint for the field’s value.

Source Native Key

Uniquely identifies a CI if this CI has a source native key provided. When source native key and discovery source are provided and matched, other IRE identifiers will not be checked.

Improves performance of insert and update operations

Required for building reference class, look-up class and relationship

For example, if you have a computer with the source native key “1234”, you cannot also have a network adapter with the source native key “1234”. This causes collisions and the IRE attempts to update the wrong entity. Instead, you need to have your computer use “1234” and your network adapter use something such as “eth1:1234” so it does not collide with the computer source native key.

Source Recency Timestamp

IRE uses source recency timestamp to identify records that are older than the current record and therefore can be ignored, to help resolve conflicting attribute values

If a source recency timestamp value is provided, a CI can only be updated if provided source recency timestamp is later than the value that is currently stored in the CMDB