Asset Managers Guide. LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "Asset Managers Guide. LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager"

Transcription

1 Asset Managers Guide LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager

2 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Copyright 2011 LANDesk Software, Inc. and its affiliates. All rights reserved. LANDesk and its logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of LANDesk Software, Inc. and its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Other brands and names may be claimed as the property of others. LANDesk Software, Inc. and its affiliates ( LANDesk ) do not warrant that this document is error free and retain the right to make changes to this document or related product specifications and descriptions at any time without notice. LANDesk does not assume any obligation to update the information contained herein. This document is provided AS IS and without any guaranty, warranty, or license, express or implied, including but not limited to: fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability, non infringement of intellectual property, or other rights of any third party. Any LANDesk products referenced in this document are not intended for use in medical, life saving, or life sustaining applications. Third parties may have intellectual property rights relevant to this document and the technologies discussed herein. LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager 5.0 Revision 1.0 (04/15/2011) 2

3 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Contents Cover...1 Contents...3 LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager...5 Asset management priorities... 5 What's new in Asset Lifecycle Manager?... 6 What's included in Asset Lifecycle Manager?... 8 Design console... 8 Web console How the documentation is organized Roles How Asset Lifecycle Manager works...20 Structured asset repository State transition mapping Workflow automation Two consoles Asset Content pack Where to go from here Web console vs Design console Web console: Access, use, and manage data Design console: Design and build the system Getting to know the Web console Home tab Asset tab Process tab Synchronization tab Navigation pane Display pane Asset Lifecycle Manager roles Defined roles Lifecycle Management Features Details History State Map Relationships Workflows Attachments Getting started...48 What you can expect Decide on a strategy Understanding ALM data forms Relationships between forms, fields, combo boxes, and supporting resources Use the forms in the content pack Showing or hiding tab pages Setting up a functional system Relationships and Dependencies Examples Relationships viewer Reports Synchronizing asset data...61 Efficient synchronization Importing baseline data Setting up one-to-many data synchronization Updating and maintaining data

4 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Exporting and importing synchronization packages Synchronization wizard Task 1: General panel settings Synchronizing a CSV data source Defining and synchronizing ODBC data sources LDMS queries Defining and synchronizing data sources with Avocent Management Platform (AMP) 71 Synchronizing Active Directory data VMWare hosts and virtual machines Task 2: Mapping panel settings Task 3: Matching panel settings Task 4: Rules panel settings Running, modifying, and deleting synchronization packages Pending synchronization inserts and updates Pending inserts Pending updates Synchronization status Reports...86 Ready-to-use reports Two-part process Report views Bulk data updating Scheduling reports Generating reports Who can do what with reports Report Wizard Generating a basic report Understanding the Report Data Asset Content pack What's included How is the content pack organized? Putting the Asset Content pack to work Automated Request System How does it work? Request menu Additional examples Automating Requests Overview Sample asset request Other automated requests Server rack request Virtual server request Asset Reservation request Other sample processes Software compliance Automated patch process Additional resources LANDesk Professional Services LANDesk Technical Community site Updates to this documentation IAITAM

5 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager, or ALM, is a leading product from LANDesk that helps you understand, organize, track, manage, and continuously improve your asset management system. It gives you access to a structured asset repository with a customizable standards catalog, and a powerful state transition engine tied to an intelligent workflow automation system. The combination of these components gives you the right tools to effectively manage assets, give you greater negotiating power with vendors and contracts, promote regulatory compliance, and easily generate detailed reports that give you dependable access to the information you need to do your job. LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager is designed to meet the business needs of your organization by giving you the tools to manage and track your IT assets from the time they're ordered, throughout their lifecycle to retirement and disposal and beyond. It helps you to enforce standards by automating business processes and required approvals. It enables you to generate auditing histories that track relevant activity and to enforce requirements for asset state changes. It facilitates greater accountability and communication and ensures that your asset repository is continuously and automatically updated. The result is a system that gives you both the control and the information you need to manage your organization's assets more efficiently than ever. Asset management priorities ALM is created with the proactive IT Asset Manager in mind. Its features, database functions, reporting, process automation, and auditing tools are designed to empower you to meet your most important asset-related business objectives. These tools help you to: Insure internal compliance with contractual obligations and entitlements Get more out of your IT expenditures and significantly reduce costs Increase your ability to negotiate with vendors from a position of strength Meet regulatory compliance and auditing priorities and avoid legal or licensing issues Promote effective process control and enable a high level of standards-based automation Gain ready access to the data you need for informed and intelligent procurement and budget planning 5

6 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE What's new in Asset Lifecycle Manager? Release 5.0 of LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager includes the following improvements and enhanced functionality over release Synchronization You can now cancel a synchronization task that is in progress. When a sync task is cancelled, it will stop any additional records from being synchronized. Any records that have already been processed will remain synchronized. Synchronization maintenance Two new maintenance options have been added on the Tools menu in the Design console. The Synchronizationtab allows you to purge old synchronization jobs; this can speed up the performance of many synchronization tasks. The Active directory tab lets you update the contact information in the ALM database with the latest changes from Active Directory. Log out With previous versions, closing the ALM Web console left the current session active so that the next time the user logged in, a second concurrent session was launched. The Web console now includes a log out button on the Home tab. By logging out, you can close the current session and avoid having multiple previous sessions remain active. Attachments You can now edit, replace, or remove links to files, web pages, etc. that you have attached to an asset record. Any such changes are recorded in the Audit history. Export/Import forms In the Design console, you can now export forms you have created or modified in order to share them with other users or domains within your system. Exported forms can then be copied and imported to a new location. When you export a form, any associated data lists are also exported. However, dependent forms are not included in the export process. In this case, when the form is imported, a system message will appear, indicating that any dependent forms will need to be imported before the current form can be imported. Filtering and Sorting data in Instance lists In the Select Instances dialog in the Web console, you can now filter the displayed list based on characters you type in the Search box. This makes it easy to narrow the contents of long lists so it's easier to locate and display only those items that match the filter string you type. You can also click the header in any column in the list to sort the items in the list in alphabetical or numerical order. Bulk updating using checkbox items in reports It is now possible to perform bulk updates for values that use the checkbox control. (A checked item = True, and an unchecked item = False.) In previous versions, items with checkboxes were dimmed in the display; those items were unavailable for bulk updates. 6

7 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Now, in the Report Wizard, on the Settings tab, you can select "Allow bulk updates" for asset items that include checkboxes. Then, while building a report, on the bulk update dropdown list, you can now specify a column with True/False values. Then in the Bulk update dialog, you can change the value from True to False, or vice versa. For more information on bulk updating, see "Settings pane" under "Report Wizard" on page 90. Grouping/sorting items by checkbox value Also added is the ability to group items in reports by their checkbox values. In the Report Wizard, on the Groupings tab, you can now specify to group reports based on their checkbox values. This way all True items would appear together in one report, and all False items would appear together in a second report. If you want the data for both True and False values to be sorted but to appear in the same report, use the Sorting option rather than the Grouping option. Open the Sorting tab and specify the column to sort by. In the report output, the items will then be sorted by their checkbox values. 7

8 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE What's included in Asset Lifecycle Manager? The primary component that sets LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager apart from other asset management tools is a structured asset repository that incorporates state transition control with workflow automation. ALM gives IT Asset Managers control over the financial, legal, and strategic priorities of their organization's assets, to enable comprehensive and informed IT asset lifecycle management. ALM is highly customizable, enabling it to continuously evolve as your organization's priorities and needs change, or as new needs emerge over time. The product includes two separate consoles and user interfaces, each with a distinct purpose. The Design console (Windows application) is where the asset management infrastructure and system are designed and configured; the Web console (Web application) is where asset data is entered, synchronized, reconciled, viewed, and managed. See "Web console vs Design console" on page 25.. Design console Form designer Use the form designer to design custom data forms to gather data for your asset repository; enable identification of relationships between assets and supporting resources; set properties that enable forms to trigger workflows; and manage and track asset lifecycle transitions. 8

9 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER State transition map Use this feature to specify the logical path assets will follow from initial request throughout their lifecycle. Include state transition requirements, required fields, workflows to be triggered based on state changes, etc. 9

10 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Workflow designer The workflow designer lets you model, test, and automate workflow processes and configure them to be triggered automatically by events such as request forms, state changes, or other database activity you specify. 10

11 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Views designer Use this feature to set up and define targeted data views to enable users to create customized reports based on rights, roles, and scopes assigned by the Asset Manager. 11

12 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Audit history The Audit History tab on the Properties dialog box lets you specify which fields you want to track when changes are made to data in the asset repository. 12

13 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Web console Request system All users have access to the features on the Home tab, where depending on the rights assigned to them, they can submit requests, view the status of previous requests, and check to see if there are currently any workflow-related tasks assigned to them. The Asset and Process tabs are visible to users based on rights assigned by the Asset Manager. See "Configuring roles" in the Designer's guide for more information. 13

14 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Assets and Supporting resources Users who have access to the Asset tab may be able to see and/or edit or create asset data, and see and/or edit or create reports, depending on the rights associated with those items. They can also see various categories of supporting resources, and look up and edit information relating to those resources. This is a fundamental activity in maintaining and taking advantage of the extensive data and asset tracking available via the asset repository. 14

15 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Monitoring and managing workflows Users who have access to the Process tab can run process-related reports and check the status, progress, and audit histories of individual workflows. With the necessary rights assigned, these users can also pause, resume, or cancel individual workflow instances. 15

16 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Relationship viewer This feature provides a visual representation of the relationships between assets, users, cost centers or departments, vendors, etc. You can also click on any object to see more detailed information. For more information, see "Relationships" on page

17 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Reports ALM lets you generate a wide range of reports with extensive options for sorting, filtering, organizing, and displaying the data, including bar graphs and pie charts. It also lets you drill down on specific details and make individual or bulk changes, corrections, or updates to the data directly from the reports themselves. As with other features, access to this functionality is based on assigned roles. 17

18 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Keeping your asset repository up to date The quickest and most efficient way to populate your ALM asset repository, both for the first time, as well as on an ongoing basis, is to use the Synchronization wizard. This customizable automation tool makes it easy to create synchronization packages, which you can run manually or on an automated schedule, to import, update, and reconcile asset data to your repository from a wide range of data sources. See "Synchronizing asset data" on page 61.. How the documentation is organized As you use Asset Lifecycle Manager, the documentation you consult depends on your role. If you are the Asset Manager, your primary resource is the Asset Manager's guide. If you are the IT Administrator or individual assigned to design the system, your primary resource is the Designer's guide. The documentation occasionally refers to this role as the ALM designer. In some organizations, the roles referred to in this documentation are filled by a single individual; in others, they are performed by different people or teams. If different individuals assume these roles in your organization, because of the degree to which they have dependencies upon each other, it is critical that they collaborate closely and that they have a good understanding of one another's roles. The product documentation that ships with LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager is updated periodically following the initial release. You can download the latest updates to the documentation (online or PDF format) from LANDesk's website, at 18

19 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER A collection of other related documentation, including white papers and BKM's (Best- Known Methods documents) can be found on the LANDesk community website at With these roles defined and assumed, note that the Asset Manager's Guide covers primarily the specific tasks in the Web console related to accessing and using the asset data. The Designer's Guide covers the tasks in the Design console related to setting up and maintaining the tools and resources in the Web console. These guides are available from the Help menu in the product, or as separate PDF documents. The Online Help and the PDF versions are identical in content. ALM includes a set of integrated components, each of which fulfills a specific function in the system. Roles How LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager works, who can access which parts of the program, and who can run, create, or modify forms, reports, and other functions depends on how roles and responsibilities are assigned. This is a key concept that you need to understand as you begin to plan for and use Asset Lifecycle Manager. Roles and other security settings are defined in the Design console. See "Asset Lifecycle Manager roles" on page 36 for more information. 19

20 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE How Asset Lifecycle Manager works LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager includes many interconnected processes, forms, relationships, and tools that all work together as a robust and comprehensive asset management system. To understand how it all works, think of ALM in terms of its three primary functions: structured asset repository, state transition mapping and control, and workflow automation. All key functionality in the product is designed to support or enable one or more of these three components. Structured asset repository The structured asset repository refers to the database that stores all asset information, plus the structured design that lets you enter, synchronize, track, update, and report on asset details. A structured asset repository creates a framework that enables you to implement a standards catalog, which is one of the keys to an efficient repository. The standards catalog consists of the standard assets you want individuals to be able to choose from, and which your IT department is prepared to support, in your organization. 20

21 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Once you have determined the standard catalog items, you create the catalog by creating asset templates with the pertinent details about catalog items. The Asset Content pack included with ALM includes an extensive collection of forms, workflows, and data lists to make it easier for you to create and implement your own standards catalog. In addition to the asset records, any items associated with an asset are included in the repository. This may include relationships to other assets, such as a monitor or a printer attached to a computer. It can also include a cost center, an employee s manager, a vendor, a service contract, a physical location, and so on. An effective asset repository requires that all of these assets, details, supporting resources, and relationships can be included and identified. 21

22 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE State transition mapping An asset record stored in a database as a static entry is not sufficient for an effective asset management strategy. Assets are dynamic. The status of an asset, such as a computer, may change multiple times during its lifecycle. It changes assignment from one employee to another. It gets moved to different offices or locations. It may require repairs or upgrades or warranty replacement. Unless these state changes are recorded and tracked, this can lead to the asset itself being misplaced or lost and an incomplete picture of the asset's true costs, usage, and lifecycle history. One of the keys to Asset Lifecycle Manager s ability to manage and track assets throughout their lifecycle is state transition management. This uses state transition maps (illustrated above), which display a graphical representation of the various states you have defined for the asset type. State transition mapping enables you to manage how an asset, contract, request, or other resource may transition from state to state, the path it can take, and the requirements for each state as it moves along that path. A key technology that makes this transition mapping unique is ALM s ability to automatically generate an audit trail of the state changes, including as much or little detail as you want, and to enable each state change to trigger an automated workflow that supports your asset management priorities. 22

23 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Workflow automation Good planning and design are important, but quality asset management is dependent on effective deployment. By implementing a request system that operates within the framework of a standards catalog and is tied to a self-auditing workflow automation system, you bring control, compliance, and efficiency to your asset management processes. The following example illustrates how ALM's workflow designer enables the automation of what would otherwise be a collection of manual tasks. In the above example, an employee uses the ALM Request system to request access to a software application. When the employee submits the request, the request triggers a query to find out who the employee's manager is, retrieves the manager's ID, and then s an approval request to that manager. A two-day timer is included, which triggers a reminder to be sent to the manager if there is no action within two days. If the manager approves the request, it is forwarded to the IT department. If the manager denies the request, the request form is updated to a Denied state and the workflow terminates. As with the manager's approval request, if IT hasn't responded within two days, a reminder message is sent. If IT approves the request, the request is updated to an Approved state and the task is marked Completed. If denied, the request state is updated to Denied and the task is marked completed. Secondary, or child, workflows can also be configured to automatically trigger other actions, such as sending a request to Purchasing to order the requested software, opening a service request to check for available licenses, and so on. All of the above activities are triggered by a single request from an employee, and all details, including dates, times, names, responses, and actions, are automatically recorded in the audit history for the workflow. 23

24 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE For more information, including configuration details, examples, and step-by-step instructions for setting up automated requests, see "Automated Request System" on page 107. Two consoles The person who sets up an automated request process similar to the one described above designing request forms, templates, and the workflow process itself will use the Design console (sometimes referred to as the Admin console, or Windows console). The Web console is where initial requests are submitted, approval requests are received and acted upon, and reports are accessed. For more information, see "Web console vs Design console" on page 25. Asset Content pack We recommend that you use the extensive collection of resources included in the Asset Content pack. The content pack contains the tools you need to implement a robust system for managing your assets, including dozens of pre-designed forms, reports, workflows, synchronization packages, and supporting resources (asset forms, forms for contracts, vendors, purchase orders, warranties, etc.). The forms include self-populating system fields, as well as custom fields you can populate by entering data manually or by synchronizing existing data from LANDesk Management Suite, ODBC sources, or CSV files. See "Asset Content pack" on page 104 for more information. Where to go from here How you proceed from this point depends on your goals and priorities. The more familiar you become with the system, you will see that your options are numerous and you will be able to customize the system to fit your priorities and objectives. When you're ready to begin, turn to "Getting started" on page

25 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Web console vs Design console LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager brings together a set of highly customizable, integrated asset management tools. The product includes two separate consoles and user interfaces, each with a distinct purpose. The Design console is where the asset management infrastructure and system are designed and configured, while the Web console is where asset data is entered, synchronized, reconciled, viewed, and managed. Web console: Access, use, and manage data Common tasks performed using the Web console: Import, synchronize, and reconcile asset data Create, edit, and update asset data Identify and view asset relationships (between assets, users, cost centers, vendors, etc.) Populate and maintain the standards catalog Manage individual workflow instances View asset and workflow histories and auditing details Access and manage vendor data and histories View contract and warranty details and link to related documentation 25

26 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Create, sort, filter and display asset data using ready-to-use reports The Web console can be used by anyone you assign rights to, to submit request forms, check the status of requests they've submitted, and to fulfill workflow-related assignments. Users with the necessary rights can approve or deny requests, view live asset and workflow data, and generate and print reports. Asset managers use it for all of the above, as well as to enter, synchronize, and reconcile asset data, and to customize, view, and print detailed reports. The Web console can be opened directly from the Tools menu in the Design console. However, since generally only a few individuals will have access to the Design console, most users would access the Web console via a web browser at In most cases, the Asset Manager may be the most frequent user of the Web console, although any user or group can be granted comprehensive or specific rights based on assigned roles. Design console: Design and build the system Common tasks performed using the Design console: Configure system settings Set up user access, security, roles, and scopes Create forms for asset records and user requests Design, configure, and manage workflow processes Define lifecycle state maps and transition requirements 26

27 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Create and organize views to enable reports in the Web console Select/specify data elements for audit histories and tracking Configure workflows to launch based on asset events or schedules you define The Design console is used to build your asset management infrastructure. It includes tools to create and manage forms, and to design, configure, and enable workflow processes. It is also used to define the requirements for assets to transition from one state to another, to assign user rights and security access, to create views to enable the data that will be accessible in reports, and other configuration tasks. Because of the nature of the tasks involved, the Design console is generally intended for users with a technical or IT-related background. A basic understanding of SQL database administration is helpful but not required. 27

28 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Getting to know the Web console Depending on rights assigned, users who log in to the Web console will see the contents of the Home tab, which includes the Requests panel, the Request status panel, and the Tasks panel. Clicking any of the panels displays its available options in the display pane to the right. The Web console can be opened directly from the Tools menu in the Design console. However, since generally only a few individuals will have access to the Design console, most users would access the Web console via a web browser at What a user sees when they log in to the Web console is dependent on what roles they have been assigned. This is a key concept you need to understand, as it has significant impact on how the product works, what it looks like, what is available and accessible to different users, etc. For more information on this topic, see "Asset Lifecycle Manager roles" on page 36 or see "Configuring Roles" in the Designer's Guide. For example, if a user has been assigned the Requester role, up to five different request forms are displayed in the Request menu panel. If not, the request forms will be hidden. In this way, the Asset Manager can determine exactly who sees what, and which individual users or groups have access to which forms, reports, etc. A user may be assigned roles that also allow them to see the Asset tab, the Process tab, and/or the Synchronization tab. Depending on the role assigned, they may be able to see forms, edit the data in them, run reports, create or make changes to reports, and access the Synchronization features. 28

29 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Home tab Users with access to the Home tab can submit Requests, open the Request status panel to check the status of requests they have made, or open the Tasks panel to see if they have any pending workflow-related assignments (approval requests, forms to fill in, or manual tasks). When viewing the Home tab, the display pane on the right reflects which button has been selected in the left pane. 29

30 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Asset tab The Asset tab includes a navigation pane with a tree view on the left and a display pane on the right. The contents of the display pane depend on which item is selected in the navigation pane. In this example, Asset types has been selected and the display pane shows the Instance list for Computers. The Instance list shows several available templates, followed by a listing of all computer assets currently in the asset repository. 30

31 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Process tab Like the Asset tab, the Process tab includes a navigation pane with a tree view on the left and a display pane on the right. In this example, the Forms panel has been opened and a new instance of a catalog item is being created. Select the record View the selected record Clear the selected record 31

32 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Synchronization tab The Synchronization tab is used to create, edit, delete, run, import, or export synchronization tasks. You can also use it to check the status of existing synchronization tasks, or to review pending imports and approve or ignore individual records flagged during a sync job. Completed synchronization tasks also include log files which you can use to troubleshoot synchronizations that may not have returned the results you were expecting. 32

33 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Navigation pane When either the Asset tab or the Process tab is selected, the navigation pane displays a tree view and a set of buttons that open various panels. The tree view and the panels shown in these illustrations and elsewhere in this guide are populated with the forms, resources, and reports that are included in the Asset Content pack that is included with Asset Lifecycle Manager. See "Asset Content pack" on page 104 for details. With Asset types selected, the tree view displays a list of available asset categories and types Reports wizard Click an item to display the available options in the tree view above 33

34 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Display pane The display pane includes a number of options, depending on the type of item you select in the navigation pane. For example, when you select an asset type in the navigation pane at left, this displays a list of instances of that asset. You can then create new instances, edit existing instances, or delete, export, or search for instances. In the example below, several instances of desktop computers are listed. Click an asset type to open the Instance list. You can also Edit, Delete, or Export an existing instance. To search, type a keyword, select the column to search in, and click Search. Create a new instance. Print one or more pages of asset instances. The Instance list displays a summary of all instances for the asset or resource you selected. 34

35 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Click a button to display filtered lists for specific resources. Page navigation options enable you to move quickly between pages. 35

36 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Asset Lifecycle Manager roles How you use LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager in your organization depends on the tasks that need to be done, who those tasks are assigned to, and which users are given which rights. Rights are assigned in the Design console, using the Roles dialog box. Asset Lifecycle Manager includes a set of pre-defined roles, each with a functional or descriptive name, based on the common tasks performed by those roles. These roles are configured and ready to use, and are included in the product to make it easier for you to assign common tasks, to understand and manage their function, and to relate each role to the ITAM priorities in your organization. The roles include: ALM administrators Asset manager Data center manager IT management IT technician Manager Network manager Ordering agent Process manager Requester Security administrator Software asset manager Virtual machine administrator It is important to understand these roles because all ALM tasks and functions are fulfilled by individuals or groups assigned to them. Role definitions and assignments can be changed by the ALM administrator, and you can create additional roles based on your needs. However, because many of the capabilities enabled in the Asset Content pack are dependent on the assigned roles, it is strongly suggested that you work with LANDesk Professional Services if you want to make changes to these roles or their functionality. The Roles tab in the Design console (Tools > Settings > Roles) is used to specify the level of access that is allowed for users who are assigned to these roles. You can use these settings to allow or deny access to specific views and features, including which consoles (Design console or Web console) users can see. 36

37 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Allows users to access the Asset tab in the Web console to add and modify assets. Allows users to access the settings menu in the Design console, for advanced settings. Allows users to access the Process tab in the Web console to modify requests entered into the system. Allows users to access the Synchronization tab in the Web console to create, edit, run, or manage synchronization jobs. Access console (scroll > to display) 37

38 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Defined roles ALM Administrator The ALM Administrator role has access to every area in the system. It is the only role with built-in access to the Design console, and is responsible for managing the configuration of the product. The ALM Administrator is generally responsible for technical aspects of the product such as assigning rights, defining forms and resources, setting up catalog items and state transition maps, creating report views, designing and configuring workflows, and for defining templates, audit history settings, and so on. Asset Manager As the person in charge of assets, the Asset Manager uses the Web console to access information about assets, contracts, and vendors. This information can be accessed through reports or directly in the Web console window. The Asset Manager role has access to both the Asset and Process tabs in the Web console, as well as to all reports available in the Asset Content pack. IT Management The IT Management role is used for monitoring asset creation and lifecycle states. This individual has access only to the Web console s Asset tab. The IT Management role should be assigned to individuals who need to be able to view asset-related data and activity taking place within the system, such as asset requests, changes in the assignment of assets, state changes, purchase or order information, and a variety of asset and inventory reports. This is a management role for viewing data points and getting information from the system. IT Technician The IT Technician role only has access to the Asset tab in the Web console. This role is responsible for receiving assets and updating lifecycle states. When an asset requires repair or is returned to the vendor for warranty service, it is the IT Technician who updates the asset's lifecycle state. Manager The Manager role represents the user who is expected to initiate and/or approve asset requests such as a phone, computer, software, etc. for a specific cost center. This user has access to the Home tab, where asset requests can be initiated, their current status can be reviewed, and requests can be approved. Network Manager The Network Manager manages adding and removing machines on the network, including virtual machines. This role is used in the Server rack request and the Virtual server request processes, which are included in the Asset Content pack. Ordering Agent The Ordering Agent role is responsible for procuring assets and fulfilling requests that require a purchase. This individual needs to be able to gather from the system, the information necessary to generate purchase orders for approved asset requests. Access is limited to the Web console s Asset tab and to Purchasing, Supporting Resources, and Vendor Supporting Resources reports. 38

39 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Process Manager The Process Manager role is used to track the progress of existing requests that have been made for new assets. This information is provided on the Process tab in the Web console, which is the only access granted to this role by default. From this location, the Process Manager can see the status of requests in workflows currently in progress. Requester Depending on who you assign to this role, it may include everyone in the organization or be limited only to certain users. The Requester role gives users rights only to the Home tab in the Web console to submit asset requests or to request that a new asset type be added to the Item Catalog. This role cannot create an asset record in the system. Security Administrator This role uses the Web console to manage patch deployment and user authentication/credentials for machines on the network. The Security Administrator role is used in the Server rack request and Virtual server request processes, which are included in the Asset Content pack. Software Asset Manager The Software Asset Manager role only has access to the Asset tab in the Web console, and allows the individual to manage software licenses and view usage data for assets. Virtual Machine Administrator The Virtual Machine Administrator role has access to the Asset tab and the Synchronization tab in the Web console, to manage virtual machines and their required data centers and hosts. This role is used in the Virtual server request process, which is included in the Asset Content pack. Viewing and editing these roles and their associated rights Viewing and editing roles in Asset Lifecycle Manager requires ALM Administrator rights. By default, the ALM Administrator can add, remove, and modify roles within the system. To view or edit roles and permissions, open the Design console and click Tools > Settings. Click the Roles tab to see a list of the above roles and the access assigned. To edit a role, click to highlight it and select Edit. For more information about the different rights, and how to make changes, see "Configuring roles" in the Designer's Guide. 39

40 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Lifecycle Management Features LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager includes a number of innovative features that are made possible by the structured asset repository. Once you understand these features and begin to put them to work, you'll find that they help you to plan and proactively manage your organization's assets in ways that have been either impractical or impossible using other software tools or methods. In other sections of this guide, you are introduced to the Asset Content pack and how the structure of the asset repository lets you identify and keep track of assets, the relationships assets have with other assets, as well as with supporting resources, people, and the organization itself. But all of this data and information would be of little value if it wasn't easily accessible throughout the asset's lifecycle. The following pages introduce you to some of the core features of LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager that open up new ways of understanding and using the extensive asset data available via your asset repository. These tools are accessed from the Features tabs in the Web console, which appear in the display pane when you are viewing an asset record. The Features tabs are available on all Asset forms, and are used to access features that give you additional tools for managing your IT assets. 40

41 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER The next few pages provide an overview of each of the tools on these Features tabs. Details The asset record's Details tab is the active tab in the illustration below. This tab displays the details for the asset record, and is the default view for all assets and supporting resources. The Details tab is the default view for asset forms, and includes fields for all details you want to track in the asset repository. Form tabs are used to help group and categorize data fields on ALM forms. There are a number of different types of fields and controls available on asset forms. Only a few of these are represented here. See Understanding ALM data forms in this guide. 41

42 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE History The History tab lists any changes made to the data for the selected asset, based on the current audit history settings configured in the Design console. The History tab displays the audit history of changes made to an asset record, including the date and time when the changes were made, the user who made the changes, the name of the field, the previous and current values, and any comments from the person who made the changes. To change audit history settings, you need to be logged in to the Design console with the asset form open in the form designer. Then click Properties > Audit History and select the controls you want to audit.. In this example, five fields are set to be audited: Asset tag, Assigned to, Lifecycle state, Location, and Owner. 42

43 State Map LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER State transition mapping is not unique to LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager, but the innovative ways in which it is implemented are. With ALM's state transition management feature, you can require that certain data be provided or that the necessary approvals be given for any given state change and then, once those requirements are satisfied, the program automatically triggers actions and processes based on those changes. By doing so, the state transition engine blends process discipline with efficient and timely updates to the repository, which ensures both that accepted practices are followed and that asset and transition data are kept up to date. The State Map tab opens the viewer for the selected asset s state transition map. This viewer shows the various states, along with the lifecycle transition path, that have been defined for the asset. The highlighted icon indicates that this asset is currently in the Assigned state. The arrows indicate the direction in which the asset can travel throughout its lifecycle between initial order and final disposal. In this example, the asset can move from Ordered to Received, and then to IT Provisioning. From there it could move to Available, Assigned, RMA, etc., but could not move from Assigned to Repair, Retired, or Available without passing through IT Provisioning. 43

44 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE State Transition Maps are defined in the Design console, where you can also specify required fields and assign workflows to be automatically triggered by state changes. Relationships There are many relationships that can be identified between assets and supporting resources in a typical organization. Assets can have ties to other assets, to people, to cost centers, vendors, contracts, functional groups, geographic locations, and so on. To fully understand an asset and its value to the organization, and to be able to plan and manage IT resources effectively, it is helpful to be able to quickly see and understand what these relationships are. Asset Lifecycle Manager's Relationship viewer gives you a quick "at-a-glance" view of assets and their relationships to other assets and resources. It also lets you drill down and get more information on any object or entity in the relationship. The Relationships tab opens the Relationships viewer. This feature finds all identified relationships for a given asset or resource and displays a graphical representation of how they are related. Thickness of arrows indicates High, Medium, or Low filter. 44

45 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Zoom/Magnify View the selected objects's attributes. Edit asset details. Drag any object to reposition the map. Hover over any object to display details in a popup window. Workflows Using the Design console, you can configure a workflow to be triggered when a new asset instance is created, or when an existing asset instance is modified. In addition, in the state transition map for the asset, you can assign a particular workflow to be triggered if an asset reaches a certain state, such as when a laptop computer needs to be sent for repair. In this way, a complete workflow history can be kept throughout the lifecycle of an asset. The Workflows tab includes options for showing the audit history of workflows currently in progress, as well as for showing the audit history of individual actions included in those workflows. The Workflows tab lets you view the status of any workflows connected to the selected instance, along with summary information. Click Workflow history to see the progress of workflows connected to the instance you are looking at. Click Workflow audit history to see the progress of individual actions within any workflows connected to the instance you are looking at. Actions status 45

46 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE The Workflow ID is a unique number assigned by the system when the workflow was executed. You can drill down for more details by double-clicking this workflow ID. Attachments You likely have collections of electronic documents related to your assets, such as contracts, warranties, purchase orders, and so on. Often these documents are stored in multiple locations with different groups, departments, or cost centers, and may be difficult or impossible to find when you need them. The Attachments feature makes it easy for you to create a hyperlink to such documents so they can be accessed while viewing or editing the asset record. If you have added new data or made changes, click Save before adding an attachment. The Attachments tab lets you attach relevant documents to an asset instance; for example, a contract, purchase order, lease agreement, warranty, or even a web page. Add a new attachment. Use a UNC path or URL to link to the file or web page. (Description is optional.) View the selected attached file or web page. Edit the link to the attached file or web page. 46

47 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Remove the attachment from the asset record. 47

48 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Getting started What you can expect Before starting, understand that building a structured asset repository with a comprehensive asset management system is an ambitious project. It will require buy-in from a number of stakeholders in your organization and some significant time and effort to establish a baseline that will support your objectives. Once it's set up, you'll be able to: Import, synchronize, and reconcile asset data between multiple sources. Have instant access to the lifecycle history of your hardware and software assets from initial request through disposal. Generate dozens of informative reports that give you up-to-date, comprehensive information about your IT assets. Take advantage of workflow automation to facilitate efficient processes and enable standardization and continuous improvement. Plan and implement automated processes to promote accountability, reporting, and compliance. We recommend that you start small and build a focused system to manage a few key asset types. Take advantage of the ready-to-use forms, workflows, and other resources in the Asset Content pack. Over time, you can gradually include more asset types, track a broader range of attributes, and add automation and other functionality. As you become more familiar with the product, you will discover new ways you can use it to proactively and effectively manage your assets. Your plans and strategies are likely to continue to evolve, both during the baseline buildout phase, as well as following initial deployment. LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager has been designed with this in mind. In fact, the ability of the system to support a state of evolving processes and continuous improvement is one of its most important benefits you're never locked in to procedures or data structures that no longer meet your needs; instead you can continue to refine and develop the tools as your priorities change and as new needs emerge. Decide on a strategy Before you start to create your asset management system and begin to put the power of LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager to work, ask yourself a few questions: Where is my asset data currently located and how can I access it? What systems or data sources will I need to integrate with either to extract pertinent data from, or to publish to? What are the two or three high priority assets I want to start tracking initially? What are the most critical details I need to be able to track for those assets in my reports? Who needs to be able to create, modify, or manipulate asset data and what kinds of tasks do these people need to be able to do? Who needs access to reports, and what kind of data should they be able to see or be restricted from? Once you have thoughtfully considered these questions and feel you have some direction and a general idea of what you want to focus on as you build your system, you're ready to get started. 48

49 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER A good starting point would be to use the Synchronization tool to import and populate some initial baseline asset data into your asset repository. See "Synchronizing asset data" on page

50 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Understanding ALM data forms The fundamental component in Asset Lifecycle Manager, and the one upon which just about everything else depends, is the data form. The Asset Content pack includes dozens of data forms of many different types, and with a range of uses. However, all these forms fall into two groups: asset forms and supporting resources. Asset forms are used to store, describe, and identify all relevant data related to a particular asset. For example, fields such as asset name, model, serial number, color, weight, asset tag, and many others are used to describe and identify a given asset. A "completed" asset form may have only a few of these fields filled out, or you may decide to fill them all out. At the time the form is created (using the form designer in the Design console), you can designate certain fields with attributes such as required, unique, visible, read-only, etc. You can also designate characteristics such as text fields, integers, decimals, dates, contacts, and so on, so their content can be validated and enable the system to give feedback to the user at the time they are filled out. Supporting resource forms can include the same properties as asset forms, but these forms serve a different purpose. Supporting resource forms store, describe, and identify all relevant data for any object or element that exists or is being tracked based on its relationship to one or more assets. This includes purchase orders, approved vendor lists, manufacturers, service contracts, shipping carriers, and organizational details such as cost centers, departments, locations, management or accountability relationships, etc. Forms are defined using the form designer in the Design console, and are displayed, populated, submitted, and the data updated using the Web console. This section gives you an introduction to examples of both asset forms and supporting resources forms, and describes their relationship and dependencies. 50

51 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER The Network device asset form, as it appears in the Form designer, in the Design console. The Network device asset form, as it appears in the Web console. Relationships between forms, fields, combo boxes, and supporting resources Before beginning to populate your asset repository, it is important to understand how forms work. On the surface, forms may appear to be simple containers for fields and corresponding data. In fact, these forms are the key connecting point for most of the data that flows between the various elements that make up Asset Lifecycle Manager. They also provide the links that enable you to create relationships between assets and many types of supporting resources. It is the structure of these data forms that enables your asset database to function as a structured asset repository. 51

52 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Let's take a closer look at some of the different types of objects you can include in a form. Multiple tab pages for forms with many fields. Combo boxes can be linked to static or dynamic data lists. Static data lists are used for items where the data is not expected to change regularly. Dynamic data lists are used to select current data directly from the asset repository. Date control for selecting dates. The Contact control is used to select users, roles, or groups synchronized from the Active Directory database. The Single record control lets you select items from a table that includes data collected from multiple forms. In addition to the objects described above, forms can also include checkboxes, links to Web pages, text areas, and numerous properties and settings that can be used to control the behavior, define the expected content, and extend the capabilities of forms. As the primary stakeholder for the asset management system, you will need to work closely with the ALM designer. In most cases, new data forms would be conceived by the Asset Manager, generally as a list of desired fields and requirements, or as a paper sketch or whiteboard drawing. This would be handed off to the ALM designer to create and configure the form using the Design console. Detailed information for how to configure forms can be found in the ALM Designer's Guide, in "Editing forms" and "Asset form controls". 52

53 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Use the forms in the content pack The Asset Content pack includes dozens of complete and ready-to-use data forms. These forms include asset forms, request forms, forms for identifying and linking contracts, vendors, purchase orders, cost centers, user profiles, and so forth. We recommend that you start with these forms instead of building new ones on your own. The forms and other items in the content pack have been designed to meet the needs of most organizations, with little or no further design work required. Showing or hiding tab pages Tab access Using the Form Properties dialog (in the Design console) an administrator can specify on a form-by-form basis, which tab pages should be visible in the Web console to different users or roles. This allows the administrator to decide which users will have access to certain information on specific asset forms. See "Tab access" in the Designer's guide. In the Design console, with the form open, on the form s toolbar, click Properties > Tab Access. The Asset, Specifications, Warranty/Support, and Notes tabs are assigned to the Support role. When a user with Support access logs in to the Web console and opens the Computer form, they only see the tabs assigned to the Support role. 53

54 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Tab visibility Web console users can also be given the ability to decide which tab pages they want to show (or hide) on a given form. In the example below, only the tabs related to "Virtual machine" are displayed when the user selects "Virtual machine" as the computer type. To enable this filtering capability, the ALM administrator needs to have set up the available tab page views in the Design console. See "Tab Visibility" in the Designer's guide. In the Design console, with the form open, on the form s toolbar, click Properties > Tab Visibility. The Asset, Specifications, Software, Notes, System, and Virtual machine tabs are assigned to the Virtual machine computer type. In the Web console, when the user selects Virtual machine as the Computer type, only the six selected tabs are displayed. 54

55 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Setting up a functional system Your asset management needs are probably similar in many ways to the needs of other organizations, but in other important ways, your priorities and objectives are unique to your own organization. Since no tool can predict a specific format or structure that will work for everyone, a quality asset management tool should be able to assist you in creating a baseline for getting started, but should also be adaptable and flexible so it can be customized for your needs. This section shows you to how to use the Asset Content pack to build a functional asset management system based on the ALM structured repository. You can use this as a model for setting up or adapting your own baseline based on these forms and resources. The Asset Content pack includes the forms described below, along with many more forms, related workflows, state transition maps and other resources. Relationships and Dependencies Diagram 1: Form Relationships As illustrated here, the Computer form (10) requires data from the User Profile form (3), the Catalog Item form (7), the Purchase Order form (8), and the Vendor form (9). Similarly, the User Profile form (3) gets data from the Cost center form (1) and the Location form (2). And the Catalog Item form (7) receives data from the Catalog Series form (4), the Asset template form (5), and the Manufacturer form (6). 55

56 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE In practice, you might start by filling out the details in the Cost Center form (1), then the Location form (2). With those forms completed, their data would then be selectable in the combo boxes in the User Profile form (3), and the necessary fields would be available in the Computer form (10). But before you populate the Computer form, you would move to Catalog Series (4), Asset Template (5), and Manufacturer (6) and fill them out so that the dependent fields in Catalog Item (7) are available to be selected in the Computer form. Finally, you would fill out the required information in Purchase Order (8) and Vendor (9), which would then be able to populate their dependent fields in Computer. NOTE: In most situations, you should be able to populate your repository using ALM's Synchronization utility instead of using data entry to fill out the baseline data in these forms. See "Synchronizing asset data" on page 61 for more information. The fundamental and most basic object in the structured asset repository is the asset record. All other objects in the repository are referred to as supporting resources, meaning that their purpose is to make it possible to support the ability to manage, track, and follow every asset and all related data throughout its lifecycle. Purchase orders, service tickets, cost centers, warranties, contracts, leases, manufacturers, vendors, and other supporting resources are registered in the repository in order to make it possible to understand and keep track of individual assets and all relevant information related to them. For more information about forms that link assets to other assets and to their supporting resources, see "Understanding ALM data forms" on page

57 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Examples The following examples correspond to the model in the illustration above, and provide more specific information about each form and its fields, relationships, and dependencies. Cost center + Location > User Profile Diagram 2: User Profile Dependencies Diagram 1 above indicates that the Computer form (10) has dependencies from several fields in the User Profile form (3). Diagram 2 below illustrates that the User Profile form also has several dependencies; it requires data from the Cost Center form (1) and from the Location form (2). The Active Directory user field and the Cost center field are populated from supporting fields on the Cost center form. The Location field is populated by the Location name field on the Location form. 57

58 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Catalog Series + Asset Template + Manufacturer > Catalog Item Diagram 3: Catalog item dependencies Diagram 1 above indicates that the Computer form (10) has dependencies from several fields in the Catalog Item form. Diagram 3 below illustrates that the Catalog Itemform also has dependencies; it requires data from the Catalog Series form (4), the Asset Template form (5), and the Manufacturer form (6). The Asset template field is populated from the selected Asset form. The Catalog series field is populated by the Catalog series name field on the Catalog series form. The Manufacturer field is populated from the Manufacturer name field on the Manufacturer form. 58

59 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Purchase Order + Vendor + Catalog Item + Cost Center + Location > Desktop Diagram 4: Computer dependencies Diagram 4 below shows the Computer form's (10) dependencies; it receives data from several supporting resource forms: the Catalog Item form (7), the Cost Center form (1), and the Location form (2). It also receives data from the Purchase Order form (8), and the Vendor form (9). The Catalog item field comes from the Catalog item name field on the Catalog item form. The Cost center field comes from the Cost center name field on the Cost center form. The Location field is populated from the Location name field on the Location form. The Purchase Order number and Vendor name fields are located on the Procurement tab. Once you understand the relationships between asset forms and their supporting resources, you can begin to put the Asset Content pack to work for you. You can also see how assets and their relationships are identified and tracked throughout the system. Although it will take some time and considerable effort to build a complete system that includes comprehensive asset data, you can start with a few key assets and data points and gradually add to and extend your system to include more and more detail. 59

60 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Relationships viewer As you have seen, there are many kinds of relationships that can be identified in a structured asset repository. One of the tools that makes LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager unique is its ability to instantly display for any asset in the repository, a "map" that graphically shows the relationships assets and supporting resources have with each other. To learn more, see Relationships in "Lifecycle Management Features" on page 40. Reports One of the most important reasons for taking the time to add comprehensive asset data and to identify these relationships is that by doing so, you increase the system's ability to give you access to that data via Asset Lifecycle Manager's extensive collection of useful reports and report templates. Because the system can access, extract, filter, sort, and display your asset from just about any perspective you choose, you can quickly generate reports that give you precisely the kind of information you need. For details, see "Generating reports" on page

61 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Synchronizing asset data Your current asset data may reside in a variety of resources that are external to Asset Lifecycle Manager. These may include databases, Excel spreadsheets, CSV files, Advanced Shipping Notification (ASN) files provided by equipment manufacturers, or other sources. To create a baseline of useful data for your ALM asset repository, and to dynamically update the repository, you can import and update asset data from a variety of sources. The ALM synchronization wizard lets you leverage your important asset data regardless of where it originates by enabling you to import and reconcile it against your ALM database. The ALM Synchronization wizard makes it easy to import and update data from the following sources: CSV files ODBC-compliant databases and spreadsheets Avocent Management Platform Active Directory LDMS queries VMWare vsphere hosts There are three basic steps to synchronizing data: 1. Create packages that define how data will be imported. See "Synchronization wizard" on page 66 for detailed instructions. 61

62 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE 2. Run the packages to perform the import or update. See "Running, modifying, and deleting synchronization packages" on page 80 for detailed instructions. 3. Review any pending inserts or pending updates created by the synchronization packages. See "Pending synchronization inserts and updates" on page 82 for detailed instructions. You can view the status of any synchronization package that has been run, along with detailed log information. See "Synchronization status" on page 85 for details. 62

63 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Efficient synchronization A few tips about synchronization will help you get the most out of this time-saving tool. Importing baseline data When you begin to use Asset Lifecycle Manager, you may choose to import as much existing data as possible into the system to build a baseline of existing assets. The order in which you import data is important if you are creating relationships between assets. For example, if you are creating a relationship between the Computer asset and its supporting resources (e.g., purchase orders, manufacturers, vendors, etc.) you must first populate the supporting resource tables before synchronizing with the Computer asset. After you have imported records that contain linked, unique data, it's generally easiest to start building your baseline data by importing one or two asset types. You can then add more assets and related data to form a more comprehensive set of asset records. As you work to import baseline data, be aware that: Creating a comprehensive record of assets usually requires the creation and use of multiple synchronization packages to pull data from multiple sources. You can create multiple synchronization packages for a single data source in order to populate data from that source into multiple destination assets or resources. Setting up one-to-many data synchronization In some situations, you may want to establish a one-to-many data relationship. For example, you may choose to use LDMS inventory data to keep track of software usage on desktop computers, requiring a relationship between each desktop and the many software titles that may be installed on it. Setting up this type of one-to-many relationship (many pieces of software corresponding to each computer) requires three things: A data source for software information, such as a CSV file containing Product name column and a column containing a unique Usage ID for each piece of software, such as: Product: Usage ID: MS Office Windows Server Internet Explorer MS Windows 7 15 Mozilla Firefox

64 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE A data source for desktop computer information, such as a CSV file containing a Desktop name column, an Owner column, and a column containing a unique Usage ID for each piece of installed software, such as: Desktop name: Owner Usage ID: SLC-LABN04-09 Smith, Jenny 12 SLC-LABN04-09 Smith, Jenny 13 SLC-LABN04-09 Smith, Jenny 14 SLC-LABN04-09 Smith, Jenny 15 SLC-LABN04-09 Smith, Jenny 16 The use of a unique field in the data form into which the software data will be imported. To set up this example, you would first make sure that the software "usage" form contains a unique "usage ID" field. Setting up one-to-many data synchronization for this example would be a two-step process: 1. Create and run a software usage synchronization package that imports the software source data into the software "usage" form. Because this supporting resource will be used for data checking when you run the next package, it is critical that you import this data first. 2. Create and run a desktop synchronization package that imports the desktop source data into the "desktop" form. When creating mapping for this package, specify "usage ID" in the foreign column to verify the data that will be imported into the "usage" column in the destination. When the synchronization package is run, each item in the "usage" column of the CSV file is compared against existing values in the "usage ID" column of the supporting software usage resource. For an explanation of how the program determines whether to import matching records, see Task 2: Mapping Panel settings, in "Synchronization wizard" on page 66. Updating and maintaining data After you have created a set of baseline data, you can keep that data current with changes to external data sources by rerunning relevant synchronization packages. This will import any new records that have been added to an external data source, and will capture changes to any values that are contained in existing records. You can use the "Run a synchronization package" action in the workflow designer to set a recurring pattern for ongoing synchronization jobs. See "Run a synchronization package" under "LANDesk Service Management actions" in the ALM Designer's guide. 64

65 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Exporting and importing synchronization packages The Export/Import feature in the Synchronization wizard is designed to make it easy for LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager customers to share synchronization packages with each other. Using this tool, you can export synchronization packages you have created, or import synchronization packages others have created. (See "Additional resources" on page 144 for information on the LANDesk Technical Community.) To export a package from the Synchronization packages page 1. Select the package you want to export. 2. Click Export. 3. At the File Download prompt, click Save. 4. In the Save As dialog box, click Save. The package is saved as an XML file, in the path you specified. 5. Click Close to close the Download complete message. To import a package from the Synchronization packages page 1. Click Import. 2. On the Confirm Import dialog box, click Browse. 3. Select the XML file for the package you want to import, and click Open. 4. Click the green checkmark button. This imports the package and opens it in the Synchronization wizard so you can examine its settings and make any necessary changes. If it finds another package with the same name, it will append a number (0, 1, 2, etc.) to the end of the package name. You can click the (more packages...) link in the top right corner of the Synchronization wizard to go directly to the LANDesk Technical Community website, where you can download additional shareable synchronization packages. 65

66 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Synchronization wizard Use the Synchronization wizard to create packages that you can use to import and update data from external data sources. A synchronization package specifies the data source, defines how data from that source will be mapped to specific columns in ALM asset records, and specifies whether new data will be automatically added to the destination asset or sent to a pending queue where the changes can be manually reviewed before being accepted. After you have created packages, you can run them at any time to import or update the data from the specified data sources.you can also set up a workflow to automatically run a synchronization package according to a schedule you define. See "Run a synchronization package" under "LANDesk Service Management actions" in the Designer's guide. IMPORTANT: To run a synchronization package, the user must have both the Create Instance permission and the Edit Instance permission. In the Design console, on the toolbar for the corresponding form, click Properties > Security and set these permissions for the user or role who will be running the sync package. If either permission is missing, the sync package will fail and the log file will indicate that permissions were lacking. Note also that for any workflows that include a Run Synchronization Package action, while configuring the workflow, the "Run as" user must have these permissions granted. For an overview of the data synchronization process, see "Synchronizing asset data" on page 61. To create a package using the synchronization wizard 1. Click the Synchronization tab at the top of the Web console. Only roles that have been given access will see the Synchronization tab; otherwise, it will be hidden. For more information, see "Asset Lifecycle Manager roles" on page Click Synchronization packages. 3. Click New. 4. Follow the steps for each of the four tasks below. 66

67 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Task 1: General panel settings Use the options on the General panel to name the package, specify the destination asset for the imported data, and specify the source from which the data will be imported. 1. Click General to open the General panel. 2. Type the name you want to give the package in the Package name field. 3. Browse to and select the asset or resource to which you want to add or update data. 4. Choose the Data source from which you will be importing or updating data. 5. Follow the instructions below pertaining to the data source you specified. Synchronizing a CSV data source To create a package to synchronize with a CSV file 1. In the File path field, type the exact path (UNC or local) to the CSV data source. 2. Click Test to verify that you are able to successfully connect to the specified CSV file. Notes: If you are using the ALM Web console on a machine other than the Web server, you can import a file that is physically located on the Web server, or you can make sure the file is located on a network share that the user logged into ALM has rights to access. If you are running the Asset Lifecycle Manager Web console directly on the ALM Web server, a mapped drive or regular network share will work as expected. 67

68 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Defining and synchronizing ODBC data sources When you select the radio button for ODBC, the settings on the General page change to allow you to specify the data source, login credentials for the ODBC source, and include a query to specify the data to be retrieved (see "Syntax for ODBC data sources" below). To synchronize with ODBC data sources, you need to define the data sources using the Windows ODBC Data Source Administrator utility on the server where ALM is installed. You can synchronize with any type of ODBC-compliant data source; three typical examples are a SQL Server, an Oracle database, and a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. For example, if you want to synchronize from an LDMS core server set up with a SQL database, you need to define that database as a data source (or, if you are using an Oracle database, you define that database as a data source). If you have asset data stored in an Excel spreadsheet, you can define that spreadsheet as a data source and refer to named regions in the spreadsheet that contain the data you want to synchronize. NOTE: If you are upgrading to ALM 5.0 from ALM 3.5 or 4.0 and you previously created ODBC sync packages that you want to use with ALM 5, you will need to create a new DSN using the 64-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator, and use exactly the same DSN name. Otherwise, you would need to recreate each sync package one-by-one. Two examples of defining a data source are given below: setting up a SQL database, and setting up a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. To set up an Oracle database, follow the steps for a SQL database but select the Microsoft ODBC for Oracle driver in step 3; some other settings may differ as you complete the wizard. To define a SQL database as a data source 1. From the ALM server, click Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC). 2. Click the System DSN tab, then click Add. 3. Select the SQL Server driver and then click Finish. A wizard opens to help you define the data source. 68

69 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER 4. Type a name to identify the SQL data source (this name will appear in the ALM synchronization UI). Optionally, you can type a description for the data source. 5. Select the SQL server for the SQL database, and then click Next. 6. To verify authenticity on the SQL server, select With SQL Server authentication using a login ID and password entered by the user. Type the login ID and password for the SQL server, and then click Next. The wizard tests the connection to the SQL server, and if successful, continues to let you select the database. 7. Select Change the default database to, and then select the name of the database. For LDMS SQL databases, select ldservice. Click Next. 8. Accept all other default settings, and then click Finish. 9. A summary of the data source is displayed. If you want to verify that the data source settings are correct, click Test Data Source. After the success message, click OK. To define a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet as a data source 1. In the spreadsheet, name the regions of data that you want to refer to (in Excel, click Insert > Name > Define). Each named region is treated like a table in a database, and columns within the named regions are treated like columns within a database table. 2. On the server where the spreadsheet is stored, click Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC). 3. Click the System DSN tab, then click Add. 4. Select the Microsoft Excel (.xls) driver and then click Finish. A wizard opens to help you define the data source. 5. Type a name to identify the spreadsheet as a data source (this name will appear in the ALM synchronization UI). Optionally, you can type a description for the data source. 6. If needed, select the version of Microsoft Excel that the spreadsheet was created in. 7. Click Select Workbook and browse to the location of the Excel file. Select the file and click OK. 8. Click OK to complete the setup. NOTE: If the ALM synchronization tool can't open a spreadsheet file, make sure that the spreadsheet is not currently open in Microsoft Excel. Open spreadsheets are locked and can't be accessed as data sources. Syntax for ODBC data sources When you define a package for an ODBC data source, the Table, View, or Query text box lets you specify a table name or view in that data source, or create a query that selects data from one or more parts of the data source. The query syntax you use here should follow the ODBC standards for the type of data source being referenced. In this syntax text box, you can simply type a table or view name to synchronize data from a table or view. When you do this, all data columns in the table or view are available for synchronization. To select data more specifically, type a query in the Table, View, or Query text box. For example, if you reference a SQL database and want to select all data from one table, you can enter a query in this form: Select * from tablename This query selects all data from the specified table. As another example, you can give a column name an alias to make it easier to remember the contents of that column when synchronizing data. The syntax for this example is in this form: Select columnname as aliasname from tablename 69

70 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE This query select the data from the specified column but labels it with the alias you specify. LDMS queries If you have LANDesk Management Suite (LDMS) 9.0 SP2 or later, and you have defined queries in LDMS to extract inventory data for reports, etc., you can create synchronization packages to use those queries to capture data directly and synchronize it to your ALM database. Note: To synchronize data from existing LDMS queries: You need to have set up a connection to the LDMS core you want to query (Tools > Settings > Integration servers). The LDMS core needs to be LDMS 9.0 SP2 or later; if you attempt to query from an older core (LDMS 9.0 SP1 or earlier), a warning message will appear and the sync job will fail. To access LDMS data from a core running LDMS 8.8 SP2 through 9.0 SP1, you would need to use the AMP synchronization source as described below. To create a synchronization package for LDMS queries 1. Create a new synchronization package, specifying the package name and the asset or resource into which you want to synchronize. 2. For the data source, select LDMS Query. 3. Specify the integration server (LDMS core) you wish to query. 4. In the LDMS query field, select the query you want to use. If the core does not meet the specified requirements, an error message will appear, indicating the problem. 5. Click Mapping and proceed to map the fields. The Source columns in the Mapping panel should match the columns defined in the query you specified. 6. Complete the settings on the Matching, and Rules pages. 7. Save the sync package. 70

71 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Defining and synchronizing data sources with Avocent Management Platform (AMP) If you have LANDesk Management Suite 8.8 through 9.0 SP1, and you installed Avocent Management Platform (AMP) on a server on your network, you can synchronize data from your Management Suite database by using AMP queries. These are referred to in the interface as "configuration items". Avocent Management Platform enables you to capture data from LDMS 8.8 or 9.0 SP1. It includes several predefined configuration items, such as "Devices," "Servers," and "Network Switches." In addition, you can define configuration items to query for any type of asset in the database. When you have defined custom configuration items in Avocent Management Platform, they will be displayed in the list of configuration items in the ALM interface. Note: In order to synchronize with LANDesk Management Suite using the Avocent Management Platform: Your LANDesk Management Suite installation must be version 8.8 (SP2 or later) or 9.0, and must use either Oracle or SQL 2005 or later. Although LDMS 8.7 supports SQL 2000, an installation using SQL 2000 will not integrate with ALM. Avocent Management Platform must be installed on a server on your network. AMP can be installed on the Management Suite core, or on another machine, as long as AMP is set to point to the Management Suite core. During installation, select the Use the LANDesk Management Suite database option on the Integrate with LANDesk Management Suite page, and point to the current LDMS database. If this option is not specified during installation, you will not be able to access the configuration items when defining data sources for synchronization. When "Use the LANDesk Management Suite database" is selected during the installation of Avocent Management Platform, the Installation program will prompt for the LDMS database credentials. This needs to be the same database username and password that was used when installing the LDMS database. To create a synchronization package for Avocent Management Platform 1. Create a new synchronization package. 2. Select AMP as the data source. 3. Type the name of your Avocent Management Platform server in the Core name text box. 4. Enter the user name and password for Avocent Management Platform (these credentials were defined during AMP installation). 5. Click Test to make sure the connection to AMP can be successfully opened. 6. Click Browse. A list of currently available configuration items from your installation of Avocent Management Platform is displayed (including both default and custom items). Select the configuration item you want to use for this synchronization package. When you select the item, the dialog closes automatically and the configuration item is displayed in the text box. 71

72 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE 7. When the four text boxes are complete, you can begin mapping data from this data source. Note: In step 6, if the list of configuration items does not display, there is an error in the credentials or core server name. Check this information and correct it, then click Browse again. Synchronizing Active Directory data You can synchronize user, asset, organization, vendor, and other data from Active Directory into your Asset Lifecycle Manager database. You can synchronize from an entire domain or from a specific OU, and you can use wildcards to filter the data to be added. Synchronizing from Active Directory speeds up the process of populating your ALM data repository and delivers an added benefit of helping you discover and correct inconsistencies that may exist between various data sources in your organization. As with other synchronization sources, the order in which you synchronize different AD objects will affect how useful the synchronized data is. For example, by synchronizing Company, Department, and Location attributes first, these objects can then be included when you synchronize your User Profile data. By putting some thought into the order in which you synchronize data, you can more efficiently create relationships between assets and resources. To create an Active Directory synchronization package 1. Create a new synchronization package and assign a package name. 2. Select Active Directory as the data source. 3. Specify the Active Directory connection, as configured in Tools > Settings > Users/groups in the Design console (see "Configuring users/groups" in the Designer's guide). 4. (Optional) Specify the Organizational unit (OU). 5. (Optional) Specify the filter to use (wildcards are permitted). 72

73 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER 6. Specify the Object class and the Primary and Secondary attribute to search on, or keep the default settings. The default object class is set to "user". You can also synchronize with the "computer" object class. To synchronize with an object class other than "user" or "computer", contact LANDesk Technical Support for assistance. 7. When the text boxes are filled in, click Mapping and proceed to map the fields. VMWare hosts and virtual machines If you use VMWare hosts and virtual machines in your environment, you may want to synchronize the data from these sources into your asset repository. The Virtual machine synchronization type enables you to synchronize virtual machine and host machine information from your VMware ESX server into your ALM database so you can manage these virtual and host machines as you would other assets. Before you can define synchronization packages for this data type, you need to have set up an integration server for VMWare in the ALM Design console (see "Using third-party connectors with Asset Lifecycle Manager" in the Designer's guide). You will need to specify the integration server in step 3 below. To create a synchronization package for VM hosts or virtual machines 1. Create a new synchronization package and assign a package name. 2. Select Virtual machine as the Data source. When you specify Virtual machine as the data source, the Computer object is automatically selected in the Asset or resource field, and will overwrite any other selection. 3. In the VM Integration server field, specify the name of the VMWare integration server. 73

74 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE 4. Specify whether you want to import Host or Virtual machine information. 5. Select the destination Computer type you want your virtual or host assets to be imported as. For example, if you import Virtual machine information, you may want to set Computer type as "Virtual machine". If you import host machine information, you should set the computer type as "Server" so that these assets will be assigned to the correct computer type. 6. Click Mapping to map the source and destination fields. Task 2: Mapping panel settings Use the options on the Mapping dialog panel to specify how columns in the data source will map to columns in the destination asset or resource. Mapping can be as straightforward as mapping a single source data column to a column in the destination asset or resource, or as complex as mapping numerous source and destination columns while creating relationships with linked columns in other assets or resources. The Mapping panel contains three columns: Destination column: This list contains the names of all columns in the specified destination asset or resource. Foreign column: This list is used to map relationships between the current asset and another form or supporting resource, and contains a drop-down box on any row that corresponds to a linked column in the destination. The drop-down box contains the names of unique fields in the linked asset or supporting resource. This column acts as a "qualifier" that compares the unique field selected in the mapped supporting resource with the column in the external data source. A relationship is then created for the data source name that matches the supporting resource with the same name. Source column: This list contains a drop-down box on each row. The drop-down box contains the names of all columns in the specified data source. 74

75 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER If no Foreign column is present When mapping a data item that does not include a foreign column, you simply select the correct field from the Source column drop-down box to map to the corresponding column in the Destination column list. For example, if you were synchronizing data from a CSV file containing a field called "Manufacturer", and you wanted the values from that field to appear in the "Manufacturer name" column in the destination asset records, you would find the "Manufacturer name" row in the Destination column list, and then open the drop-down box located on that row in the Source column list and select "Manufacturer". Where a Foreign column is present The Foreign column acts as a qualifier to map relationships between assets and supporting resources. When mapping a data item that includes a drop-down box in the Foreign column list, you need to specify the column from the supporting resource that will be used to qualify the data. This ensures that data from the source will only be imported into the destination if it matches values that are present in the supporting resource. For example, you may have a destination asset which contains a "Cost center" column that is linked to the "Cost center name" column in a supporting resource that contains information on all approved vendors. If you were synchronizing data from a "CostCtr" column in a CSV file to the "Cost center name" column in the destination asset, you would find the "Cost center name" row in the Destination column list, select "Cost center name" from the Foreign column drop-down box on that row, and then select "CostCtr" from the Source column drop-down box on that row. 75

76 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE If a dropdown list is present in the foreign column for any source values you are mapping, you will need to specify a qualifier for those values. The qualifier is used to determine whether data from the source should be imported into the destination. During synchronization, the values in the CostCtr, Dept, and Location columns in the CSV Source file are compared against existing values in the corresponding supporting resource. Record 4 will not be imported because Cost Center 1002 does not exist in the Cost Center supporting resource. Note that the Cost Center supporting resource needs to have been populated before running the synchronization package. When the synchronization package is run, each item in the "CostCtr" column of the CSV file (Source column) will be compared against existing values in the "Cost center name" column (Foreign column) from the supporting resource. If a match is found (and the strings must match exactly), the record containing the data will be imported into the "Cost center" Destination column. If the strings do not match exactly, the record containing the data will not be imported. Important: If the Destination table does not include any columns marked "unique", the Foreign Column drop-down will indicate "No unique values". If you specify mapping for that destination column, the synchronization package will not import or update any data. To correct the problem, you must modify the supporting resource form so that it contains a unique field that can be linked to from the destination asset. If the Destination table includes duplicate rows, those rows will be processed normally. You may need to go in and manually remove any unwanted duplicates. When synchronizing data to a destination field that includes a drop-down box for a foreign column, the table that corresponds to the foreign column must be populated first. If the mapping for the foreign column is not found, the data from the external data source will not be imported. Because supporting resources and linked assets must exist before you can import records that link to them, they should be imported before you import other asset data. To map source data columns to destination columns 1. Click Mapping to open the Mapping panel. 2. For each Destination column for which this package will import or update data, click the corresponding Source column drop-down and select the source data field that should be stored in that column in the destination asset. 3. If a drop-down appears for a mapped item in the Foreign column field, open it and select the data key that you want to compare the source data against. Only values which exactly match data in the linked asset or supporting resource will be imported into the destination record. For example, if a delivery location for an Active directory user doesn't match a location listed in the Location supporting resource, that user record will not be synchronized into the ALM database. To prevent this, make sure to synchronize the delivery locations from Active directory with the Location supporting resource before importing users from Active directory. 76

77 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Destination Column: Field into which data will be imported. Foreign Column: Qualifier for comparing data to be imported. Source Column: Data to be imported. NOTE: When you run a synchronization package, any failures due to non-matches with the foreign column will be recorded in the synchronization log. See "Synchronization status" on page 85 for information on viewing the log. Task 3: Matching panel settings The Matching panel lets you define how to find the matching record in the destination asset or resource. You do this by selecting one or more fields which you want to contain unique values in the destination record. For example, you might check Asset name because you want to make sure that each record in the destination is for a unique asset. When you run the package, each value in the source data column that is mapped to the Asset name column in the destination asset is checked against the existing values in that column. If the asset name in a source data record does not match an existing asset name in the destination, a new destination record is created. Depending on the settings you specify in the Rules panel, the new record will be either automatically added to the destination asset or sent to the Pending inserts queue where you can manually review it before choosing to insert it. 77

78 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE If the asset name in a source data record does match an existing asset name in the destination, that record is considered to already exist. Depending on the settings you specify in the Rules panel, other data values in that record which do not match values in the mapped column in the destination record will either overwrite the existing values in the destination record, or will be sent to the Pending updates queue for manual review before acceptance. If you check multiple Destination column names, the source record data must match the values in all checked columns in an existing destination record to be considered a match. If one or more values do not match, the record is treated as a new record. To compare source records with destination records 1. Click Matching to open the Matching panel. 2. Check the desired destination columns. Task 4: Rules panel settings Options on the Rules panel let you specify how newly discovered records and updates to existing records will be handled: Discovered items: If this is checked, the synchronization package will automatically import data. If it is not checked, the synchronization package will put inserts and updates in a pending state where they can be individually approved. Existing inventory: Any column that is checked will be protected from being updated via a synchronization package. Other columns can be updated, but updates to the protected columns will be placed in a pending state. For example, you may choose to protect the Cost center column in the destination asset. If a current asset record has the cost center "495" and running the synchronization package returns data that the cost center is now "497", the current value in the record will not be updated to "497" but will remain in a "pending" state until you review it and accept the change. 78

79 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER IMPORTANT: When upgrading to ALM 5.0 When upgrading to Asset Lifecycle Manager 5.0, be aware that you can no longer "protect" fields you selected in the Matching tab. Once you select a field in the Matching tab (above), that field will appear grayed (unavailable for selection) in the Rulessettings. If you have existing (pre-alm 5.0) synchronization packages where certain fields were designated both as fields to match on (in the Matching tab), and also to be protected (in the Rules tab), open the Synchronization task and specify a different field to match on in the Matching tab. Or, if you don't want to change the Matching field(s), be aware that those fields can no longer be protected in the Rules tab. To specify rules 1. Click Rules to open the Rules panel. 2. Check the Automatically add new items from the source to the asset system checkbox if you want to have new records automatically added to the destination asset. If the checkbox is left unchecked, new records will be sent to the Pending inserts queue, where they will remain until you choose to insert them or ignore them. 3. In the Destination columns to protect list, check any columns in the destination asset that you want to protect from being overwritten without first being manually reviewed. Only changes made to checked columns will be sent to the Pending updates queue; changes to unchecked columns will be added directly to the destination asset, updating the existing values. 4. Click the green checkmark button to save the synchronization package. 79

80 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Running, modifying, and deleting synchronization packages After you have created a synchronization package, you must run it in order to import or update the data you want to synchronize. If the data source specified in a synchronization package is updated frequently, you'll want to run that package regularly to keep the information in the destination asset up to date. You can schedule a synchronization package to run according to a given schedule that you define. See "Run a synchronization package" under "LANDesk Service Management actions" in the Designer's guide. IMPORTANT: To run a synchronization package, the user must have both the Create Instance permission and the Edit Instance permission. In the Design console, on the toolbar for the corresponding form, click Properties > Security and set these permissions for the user or role who will be running the sync package. If either permission is missing, the sync package will fail and the log file will indicate that permissions were lacking. Note also that for any workflows that include a Run Synchronization Package action, while configuring the workflow, the "Run as" user must have these permissions granted. For an overview of the synchronization process, see "Synchronizing asset data" on page 61. To run an existing package 1. Click Synchronization packages from the Synchronization pane. 2. Select the package you want to run. 3. Click Run. The package begins to run and you are taken to the Synchronization status page. The status information for the package will refresh when it has finished running. You can manually refresh the status pane at any time by clicking Synchronization status again. 80

81 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER To edit an existing package 1. Click Synchronization packages from the Synchronization pane. 2. Select the package you want to edit. 3. Click Edit. 4. Modify the package. See "Synchronization wizard" on page 66 for details on defining a package. 5. When finished, click OK to save the changes. Each time you update a package, the revision number in the General panel of the Synchronization wizard will increment. To delete an existing package 1. Click Synchronization packages from the Synchronization pane. 2. Select the package you want to delete. 3. Click Delete. 81

82 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Pending synchronization inserts and updates When you run a synchronization package, the rules specified in that package determine what happens to new records and updates to fields in existing records. This lets you protect existing data and control which records are added to the destination asset. New records can either be inserted directly into the destination asset, or can be sent to the Pending inserts queue for manual review before insertion. Updates to existing data in specified columns can either be added directly to the destination asset, overwriting the existing value, or can be sent to the Pending updates queue for manual review before acceptance into the destination asset. NOTE: In most cases, Pending inserts and Pending updates should only be enabled in the context of smaller synchronization jobs where you may not want certain records to be changed from an external data source. Its purpose is to facilitate careful examination of asset records that you anticipate in advance may require a line-by-line verification to decide whether the record should be inserted, ignored, or deleted. See Task 4: Rules panel settings in "Synchronization wizard" on page 66 for information on how to use rules when creating a synchronization package. Pending inserts If you don't check the Automatically add new items from the source to the asset system checkbox in a synchronization package, all new records created by running that package are sent to the Pending inserts queue instead of being added directly to the destination asset or resource. Records in the queue are only added to the destination if you choose to insert them. Pending inserts remain in the queue until you choose to insert, ignore, or delete them. To insert or ignore pending inserts 1. Click Pending inserts from the Synchronization pane 2. Select the synchronization package for the pending insertions you want to review. 3. Click View. As in this example, a list of the pending inserts appears. 82

83 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER 4. Use the checkboxes to mark the records you want to insert or ignore. 5. Click Insert to insert the new records into the destination, or Ignore to reject them. To delete pending inserts 1. Click Pending inserts from the Synchronization pane. 2. Select the synchronization package containing the pending insertions you want to delete. 3. Click Delete. Pending updates If you check one or more items in the Protected destination columns list in a synchronization package, current data in that column of the destination asset is protected against being overwritten when you run the package. Instead, any updates to values in the protected columns are sent to the Pending updates queue where you can review them. Pending updates will remain in the queue until you choose to either accept or ignore them. To accept or ignore pending updates 1. Click Pending updates from the Synchronization pane. 2. Select the synchronization package for the pending updates you want to review. 3. Click View. 83

84 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE As in this example, you'll see a list of the records for which there are pending updates. 4. Select the record you want to view. 5. Click View. As in this example, you'll see the column name for each item of unresolved data, the original value, and the new value that was returned when the synchronization package was run. 6. Use the checkboxes to mark the updates you want to accept or ignore. 7. Click Accept to insert the new values into the destination, or Ignore to reject them. 84

85 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Synchronization status Synchronization status shows a list of synchronization packages which have been run, with information on when they were run and the status of the data import or update. Status includes the number of data rows processed from the import source, the number that succeeded, the number that failed, and the number of rows that were sent to a pending queue for manual approval or rejection. To view the status of synchronization packages Click Synchronization status from the Synchronization pane. Status information for a currently running package will refresh when it has finished. You can manually refresh the status pane at any time by clicking Synchronization status again. To view log information for a status entry Double-click the synchronization status entry. To delete a status entry from the list 1. Select the synchronization status entry you want to delete. 2. Click Delete. To cancel a synchronization task that is currently in progress 1. Select the synchronization task. 2. Click Cancel. NOTE: When you cancel a running sync task, it will stop additional records from being synchronized. Any records that have already been processed will remain synchronized. 85

86 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Reports Building a comprehensive structured asset repository takes commitment, patience, and determination. If you have looked at some of the data forms for assets and supporting resources in the Asset Content pack, you probably noticed how many pieces of information how many data fields are included in each of these forms. As you populate the various forms, you may decide to fill out the data for most fields, or only for those you consider to be the most important. Keep in mind, however, that the more fields you fill out, the more comprehensive data you can include in the various reports you generate with Asset Lifecycle Manager. Ready-to-use reports The Asset Content pack includes several dozen reports that are ready to use and easy to generate. As soon as you have relevant data in your repository, you can generate reports that give you all kinds of information about your assets; from high-level, summary reports to tightly focused, drill-down reports. To get an idea of some of the reports you can generate, open the Web console, click the Asset tab, and click Reports to open the Reports Explorer. 86

87 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Click Reports to open the Reports explorer. The Reports explorer lists the various categories of available reports. Click [+] to expand any category and see what kinds of reports are available. Two-part process Generating reports involves two separate activities; one in the Design console and one in the Web console. Before you can generate reports, report views need to be created in the Design console. Once a report view has been created, it is available to users who are given access to it. You can decide whether to give the Read right meaning the right to generate the report, or the Modify right the right to make certain changes to the report from its default configuration. See also "Report view properties" in the Designer's Guide. Report views A report view is a collection of selected filters and field names, together with queries that define which data can be accessed from the asset repository. You can associate each view with a user or group and give that user or group read-only or read-write access to the view. Doing this allows you to limit the assets users can see to those they are responsible for or are authorized to view. You can create views that are based on geography, cost center, asset type, lifecycle state, or any other criteria you choose. Information about how to create report views can be found in "Creating report view filter queries" in the Designer's Guide. Report views are relatively simple to create, but they afford an Asset Manager almost endless options for displaying, analyzing, and understanding the information in the asset repository. However, you may never need to create report views because so many have already been created for you and are included in the Asset Content pack. The numerous reports you see in the Reports Explorer are ready to generate as soon as you have data in your repository. Bulk data updating An additional feature of reports is the ability to perform bulk updates of specific data fields. This is useful to instantly change the value in a given field, for multiple assets. For example, an order of laptops and hard drives has just arrived at your shipping dock. When the order was placed, a stub record was created for each item in the asset repository, and the lifecycle state was set to "Ordered". Now that the order has been received, the shipping clerk can quickly generate a report for the order, and then change the lifecycle state for all received items from "Ordered" to "Received". This eliminates the need to go into each individual item's asset record and change its state one by one. You will probably find many time-saving and handy uses for this feature once you begin generating reports. Scheduling reports You may find that there are reports you would like to run automatically on a periodic basis; for example, an inventory report that runs every week to determine whether inventory is running low on a particular item you need to keep in stock. Or you might run a report monthly to inform you of any equipment warranties or leases that will expire in the next 90 days. 87

88 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE You can create a workflow that runs a given report, and then set a schedule to execute that workflow. In this way, you can schedule reports to be generated automatically on a designated date or recurring time interval. You can designate a "Run as" identity for the report so that it is generated as if it were run by a specific user that you specify. When the report is generated, you can set it to itself to a list of users you designate as recipients. You can set the "Send report" action to always e- mail the report, or only to the report when it returns results. For example, you can create a report that returns results for all computers with warranties that expire in the next 60 days. If no warranties expire in the next 60 days, you can set the action to not the report. For more on scheduling reports, see "Schedules" in the Designer's guide. 88

89 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Generating reports The Asset Content pack includes several dozen ready-to-use reports, all of which can be generated simply by selecting the desired report from the Reports Explorer. Access to these reports is provided via roles. Since roles are assigned to each report, the ALM Administrator role can grant access by simply assigning users to a role that has the desired rights instead of needing to assign specific rights to every report. See "Asset Lifecycle Manager roles" on page 36 for more information. Who can do what with reports Users who have Read rights to at least one report and rights to either the Asset or Process tab can also create new reports by copying an existing report and then making the desired changes to the copy. Security settings are also copied to the new report. Users with rights to either the Asset tab or the Process tab, and who also have Read rights to at least one report view, can create new reports. New reports created in this manner are only available to the users who created the report, unless the person who created the report uses the Security pane to grant access to other users. Users with Modify rights to existing reports have access to the Reports wizard, which is accessible by clicking the Settings button. For users who only have Read rights, the Settings button is hidden. The Reports wizard (see below) provides options to choose the fields you want to include in the report, and to specify filters, sort order, grouping, summation, bulk update, and security settings. These steps enable you to customize the report to include the kinds of data you want and the format that best serves your purposes. 89

90 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Report Wizard Using the Report wizard, there are many customization options you can choose from before executing the report. The Report wizard walks you step-by-step through each of these settings and makes it easy to generate the exact kind of report you want. Because you may want to run the same report on a regular basis, the Report wizard lets you assign a name to the report and then save the settings so you can re-use it any time. Generating a basic report The following example demonstrates how to modify reports using the Report wizard. It is based on an asset repository that includes standard asset data for a company's desktop computers, including manufacturer, model, serial number, processor, location, cost, purchase date, etc. We will use this example first to generate a basic report, and then walk through the different steps and introduce some of the options for further customizing reports. Finally, we will show how to use reports to quickly perform both single-record updates and bulk updates to the repository. NOTE: Since several of the illustrations below are based on testing data and not on actual data from your repository, the scenario described in these examples is only hypothetical. You would need to have the same or similar data in your asset repository in order to generate the exact reports described below. In addition, most of the steps below are not necessary for many types of reports. The purpose of the examples below is to give you a basic understanding of how the Reports wizard works and describe a few of the customization capabilities you can use. Before doing any special filtering or other customization, we'll generate a full report for the company's desktop computers. 1. Select the Asset tab or the Process tab. 2. Click Reports to open the Reports Explorer in the navigation pane. 3. Click to expand the Asset folder in the Reports Explorer. 4. Expand Assets by type, then expand Computers. 5. Select the report template for All computers. 90

91 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER The Report wizard generates a report based on the current settings for that report, which is for all desktop computers at any of the company's offices, regardless of their current lifecycle state. The report also shows the Asset ID, name, tag, manufacturer, owner, and cost. 6. Click Settings to open the Report wizard and make some changes to the settings. The Report wizard opens. When using the Report wizard, if you are editing or viewing the settings for an existing report, the wizard goes directly to the Columns pane. When you are creating a new report, the wizard begins at the General pane. 91

92 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE General pane 1. Click General to open the General report settings pane. The General report settings pane is used to assign a name to the report and to select a report view. The Available report views window is also displayed, but is dimmed because a view has already been selected. 2. Type the name you want to assign to the report. 92

93 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Columns pane 1. Click Columns to open the Columns pane. The Columns pane lets you choose which columns (fields in the asset records) you want to include in the report. The Available Columns list includes columns you can add to the report. The right column lists the columns that are currently included in the report display. We don't need to include the Asset Type and Asset tag fields, so we can remove them. 2. Select Asset Type and Asset tag in the Display columns list. 3. Click [ < ] to remove them from the Display columns list. 93

94 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Filters pane 1. Click Filters to open the Filters pane. The Filters pane lets you focus the information you gather by only including the data that is relevant to what you want to show in the report. For this exercise we want to include only computers that are currently on order for the South Jordan office. 2. In the Report filters area, on row 1, select Location for the Report column, [=] for the Operator, and South Jordan for the Value. 3. Click the [+] button to add the formula to the filter. You can include additional or alternate filters by inserting them as you create the formula. The example below would list all laptops that are currently on order for the Los Angeles office, and those that are either on order or available in Denver. 94

95 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER You can click the Verify formula button to check whether your formula is valid. 4. On row 2 in the Report filters area, select Lifecycle state for the Report column, [=] for the Operator, and Ordered for the Value. 5. Click the [+] button to add the formula to the filter. NOTE: If users who are unfamiliar with database syntax are given rights to create, modify, or run reports, they may need to be reminded to expect or use "1" for True and "0" for False when interpreting report values generated from the database or when responding to user prompts that appear during report generation. For example, a checkbox that has been selected equals 1 (or "True") in the database; an empty checkbox represents 0 (or "False") in the database record. 95

96 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Sorting pane 1. Click Sorting to open the Sorting pane. We want to arrange the report so that the items are sorted by cost and listed in descending order. 2. Select Cost in the Columns box. 3. Select Descending in the Sort order box. 96

97 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Groupings Pane 1. Click Groupings to open the Groupings pane. We want the data to be grouped by Manufacturer. Since the data includes several different manufacturers, this will result in separate reports for each manufacturer. Because the report data is grouped, ALM will also include a bar chart and a pie chart when the report is generated. To create a single report that does not group by manufacturers, skip this section and move directly to the Summation pane. 2. Specify Manufacturer name in the Grouping text box. 97

98 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Summation pane 1. Click Summation to open the Summation pane. The Summation pane lets you choose options for the summary page of the report. We will set the report to include a summation total for the Cost column. 2. For the Cost column, click the checkbox for Sum. 98

99 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Settings pane 1. Click Settings to open the Settings pane. The Settings pane gives you several options that make it easy to view and update the data in the repository directly from a report you have generated. Allow links adds a hypertext link on the main report page for any columns you want to include. In the generated report, you will be able to click on any underlined field for which you checked the Allow links checkbox, and jump directly to that asset record to view the data, or with rights, to edit it. Allow bulk update makes it easy to make changes to a given data field for multiple asset records. For example, you can change all records you specify from "Ordered" to "Received". In the "Allow bulk update" section, checkboxes that are shaded gray (as "Asset Instance ID" above) represent fields for which the bulk update feature is not available; these fields cannot be bulk updated because of their subordinate relationship to a parent field. Only controls at the main (or "parent") level are available for bulk updating. To include a button to quickly make a state change to data on a generated report, you can click the arrow next to Show change state buttons for column, specify the column in which you want to make the change, and then specify the new state. You can also define your own button label to more clearly identify the change that will be made. 2. In the Allow links area, select Asset Instance ID, Location name, and Manufacturer name. 3. In the Allow bulk update area, select Asset name, Lifecycle state, and Location name. 99

100 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Security pane 1. Click Security to open the Security pane. The Security pane lets you assign rights to read or modify the report based on user IDs, group names, or roles you have previously assigned. See "Asset Lifecycle Manager roles" on page 36 for more information. Click Add contact to choose additional users, groups, or roles. Select the type of rights you want to allow to different types of users, groups, or roles. Click [-] to remove a role completely. 2. Make any necessary changes to set the desired permissions for the report. When all options are set the way you want them, the report is ready to be executed. 3. Click the green checkmark button to generate the report. 100

101 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Understanding the Report Data In the example described above, we generated reports that included the following criteria: The report data was defined based on the All computers template. We removed two columns, Asset type and Asset tag, from the existing report settings. We indicated that we only wanted to show computers that are currently on order for the Los Angeles office. We sorted the report data by Cost and in Descending order (most expensive at the top). We grouped the data by Manufacturer. This resulted in separate reports for each manufacturer. The different reports are listed on the summation page. We specified that the summation page would list the total cost of the computers in each report. We specified three fields to include hyperlinks to go directly to the asset record and three other fields that will let us do an instant "bulk update" directly from the reports to the asset repository. We assigned role-based (read and modify) rights for access to the reports. Summation page - one report for each manufacturer Click Settings to return to the wizard if you want to make any changes to the report. 101

102 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Grouping by Manufacturer name resulted in a separate report for each manufacturer. Click on the name for the report you want to view. Because the report data is grouped, you can click the graph icons to display a bar graph or a pie chart that summarizes the data in the report. You can also print reports, graphs, and pie charts. Settings on the Summation pane requested that the total cost be calculated for each group s report. 102

103 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Generated report Each individual manufacturer report includes the requested data, which has been arranged, sorted, and displayed based on the specified settings. To create a single report that does not group by manufacturers, skip the settings on the Groupings pane. Summary report for all computers for the South Jordan office, that are currently on order, sorted in descending order by price. We specified that the report allow the bulk update option. By selecting the items that have been received, their records can all be updated at once in the repository. Underlined data fields are hyperlinks that jump directly to the asset record. 103

104 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Asset Content pack LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager has been designed to be flexible and customizable, and to be able to support the needs of many types and sizes of organizations. Included with ALM is an extensive collection of content that has been developed to help you structure your own system. Because every organization has its own unique needs, challenges, and priorities, it would be impossible to predict and build a structure for an asset management system that closely matches the objectives of all organizations. Still, it is safe to assume that many organizations share common IT management objectives that are applicable in most situations. To develop Asset Lifecycle Manager, LANDesk's product design team established a close partnership with leading experts in IT asset management theory and practice, and engaged in substantial consulting and research, numerous onsite interviews, and in-depth customer visits in many types of organizations. From the data gathered in these activities, we developed an extensive collection of resources that enable asset managers to benefit from ALM soon after installation. These resources are referred to collectively as the Asset Content pack. What's included The Asset Content pack includes tools for requesting, reporting, tracking, and recording details about assets. It includes state transition maps that define the "path" different types of assets will take throughout their lifecycle from order through disposal. It includes pre-designed workflows that can be automatically triggered when a given event occurs, such as creating a catalog item when a request is submitted, or sending reminders to workflow participants when a response has not been received within a certain number of days. The content pack also includes many types of forms that make it easy to create, manage, audit, and track relationships between assets, people, cost centers, vendors, warranties, and so on. It also includes data views that make it easy for authorized users to generate many kinds of real-time asset reports with a wide range of filtering, extracting, and sorting capabilities. Finally, it includes sample synchronization packages, request forms, and other resources designed to help you gather, manage, and take advantage of up-to-date, customizable asset information based on the unique needs and priorities of your organization. How is the content pack organized? To see what's included in the content pack, open the Asset and Process tabs in the Web console. On the Asset tab, click Asset types to display a list of the asset groups as they are defined in the content pack. You can then expand or collapse any group to see the asset types that make up that group. Similarly, the Process tab includes forms and other content that correspond to Asset Lifecycle Manager's workflow automation tools. 104

105 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER The Content pack includes common asset types, organized into logical groups. It also includes dozens of supporting resources, request forms, and ready-to-use reports and synchronization tools. Contracts, Catalog items, Organization, Purchasing, and Vendors are referred to as supporting resources. Supporting resources are not physical assets, but are items or entities which are either related to, or support assets. The buttons act as filters to show all supporting resources, or only specific groups or types. 105

106 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Putting the Asset Content pack to work LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager is designed around three primary functions: a structured asset repository, state transition management, and workflow automation. (See "How Asset Lifecycle Manager works" on page 20.) These three functions work together and support each other to give you a full range of asset management capabilities. The content pack is a collection of the resources you need to be able to quickly put ALM to work for you. To get the most out of LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager, and to get expert assistance in customizing it for your organization's needs and priorities, we strongly recommend that you work closely with LANDesk Professional Services. Getting started with the content pack To begin using the resources in the content pack, use the Synchronization tool in the Web console to import your current asset data into your ALM asset repository. (See "Synchronizing asset data" on page 61.) This will populate the repository with meaningful data and will help you to start to build a baseline from which you can continue to expand as you build out your system. Before synchronizing, you should also be familiar with the information in "Understanding ALM data forms" on page 50 and understand how the different ALM forms and supporting resources interact. 106

107 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Automated Request System LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager gives you the tools to set up an automated request system that is easy to use, maintain, and update, while enabling a high degree of discipline and compliance that supports standards, best practices, and the business needs of your organization. Requests automated by the ALM system can be very simple, or they can involve extensive automation, control, and auditing. You can make all or specific features of the request system available to only designated employees, managers, departments or cost centers, or to everyone in the organization. (See "Asset Lifecycle Manager roles" on page 36.) How does it work? At its simplest implementation, a request may be comprised of a standard request form that you make available to employees or individuals for submitting asset requests. Or the process can be fully automated. For example, a request form can be linked to a workflow that queries a standards catalog that specifies what can be ordered, and to a set of triggers for obtaining approvals, sending notifications and reminders. It can include a link to a report that identifies what is available in inventory, or what is currently on order or awaiting delivery. The process can create a new record in the asset repository, automatically update an asset's status, and facilitate procurement, provisioning, and deployment. It can also record all actions, approvals, and notifications in an asset history log. In this way, ALM gives you the flexibility and the tools to design a request system that works for you now, and which you can easily adapt as your needs and priorities change. Request menu LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager includes several pre-designed request packets, which are included as part of the Asset Content pack. These request packets contain all the necessary forms, workflows, templates, roles, reports, etc. that enable you to quickly and easily automate a variety of common types of IT requests on your system. 107

108 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE The five request packets; Asset request, Catalog item request, Asset Reservation request, Server rack request, and Virtual server request, can be accessed from the Home page in the Web console by users who have been granted the necessary rights. You can specify who has access to individual request packets using the Security tab on the Properties dialog box for the form definition in the Design console. A brief summary of these packets is provided below. Adding new requests to the Request menu If you create a new request, you can add it to the Request menu to make it easier to find and run. By setting the request to be launched by a workflow, it can be automatically added to the Request menu. In the Design console, on the Forms tab, 1. Open the form for the request. 2. Click Properties 3. Click the Events tab 4. Select the checkbox for Start a workflow when created. 5. Click Browse and select the workflow that will launch the request. 6. Click Insert. 7. Click OK. The next time you open or refresh the Home tab in the Web console, the new request will appear in the Request menu. Asset request The Asset request is used to allow users to submit requests for assets, together with a brief description of the item and justification for the request. When the request is submitted, it triggers the necessary approval requests before routing it to the Asset manager, an IT technician, or a Purchasing agent for procuring from inventory, provisioning, or issuing a purchase order. For detailed instructions on how to set up this type of request, see "Sample asset request" on page 113. Additional examples Catalog item request Before an asset can be available for request, it first needs to have been added to your asset catalog. The asset catalog contains the details that describe the assets (desktop computers, laptops, servers, monitors, printers, etc.) you are tracking in your system, and the items you want users to be able to order. The Catalog item request is used to allow users to formally request that a certain item be added to the catalog. Reservation request When users need to reserve one or more assets (typically from a pool of reservable assets) such as projectors, laptops, desktop computers, for a temporary purpose with a beginning and ending date, they can use the Reservation request. In addition to the form for submitting the request, it also includes a calendar that helps the requester determine whether certain assets are available during the specified timeframe. Once the request is approved, the assets are no longer listed as Available until the end of the reserved time period. 108

109 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Server rack request When a server needs to be deployed, moved, or reconfigured by an IT technician, gathering the necessary information such as server name, IP address, NIC connections, rack slots, and many other details from a variety of sources can be tedious and time-consuming. The server rack request assists the IT technician in gathering in advance, all necessary information from the various individuals and sources so that everything is in place when it comes time to install the server. Virtual server request This request assists an IT technician in gathering all necessary information for successfully deploying a virtual server. The request is integrated with the VMWare clone action, which is available in the workflow designer in the Design console. The workflow action will create a new VMWare image from an existing image. The VMWare clone action requires an ESX server; otherwise the workflow will need to be configured as a manual task. For instructions on configuring and deploying these additional requests, see "Other automated requests" on page

110 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Automating Requests This section suggests how a request for a new asset might be automated. The scenario described below represents a model for how you could set up your request system, but you can configure yours differently to meet your own organization's needs. All request forms, reports, workflows, templates, and roles required to enable the functionality described below are included in Asset Lifecycle Manager's Asset Content pack. To use a process similar to the one described in this section, you would need to have the necessary roles assigned and your system would need to include the assets, cost centers, user profiles, and other supporting resources that you will be specifying. (See "Setting up a functional system" on page 55 and "Synchronizing asset data" on page 61 for more information.) Overview The request process begins when a request is submitted. If the request is denied, a notification is returned to the requester and the process terminates. If approved, a series of actions are initiated, which enable intelligent automation, generate assignments and notification messages, facilitate compliance with standards and best practices, help to push the process through to completion, and record all activity in a detailed audit history. 110

111 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER The following diagram illustrates the basic flow of a typical asset request. Request is submitted by a user with Requester rights. Request is sent to the appropriate manager for authorization before workflow proceeds. Repository is queried; the workflow s next action and the path it follows depends on the response provided. notifications, manual tasks, and assignments are auto-generated based on responses to workflow actions. 111

112 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Request initiation and approvals A user logs into the Web console and submits a request for a laptop computer The request triggers a workflow, which sends s to obtain approvals If the necessary approvals are granted, an assignment is made to determine whether the item is in inventory or needs to be ordered If the item is available in inventory An assignment is made to an IT Technician to provision and deploy it When the assignment is completed, notifications are sent and the asset database is updated If the item is not available in inventory An assignment is made to order the item When the item is ordered, a new record is initiated in the asset repository and linked to the purchase order and to the requester When the asset is received, it is matched to the assigned purchase order and the requester An assignment is made to an IT Technician to provision and deploy it When the assignment is completed, notifications are sent and the asset database is updated Throughout the process Links to specific reports are included in notifications and approval requests, to make it easier to check availability, assist in making assignments, update asset status, etc. Notifications are sent to designated recipients All actions, approvals, notifications, task completions, assignments, etc. are recorded If approvals or assignments are not acted upon within a specified time delay, reminders are automatically sent to help keep the process moving For an example of an automated request, see "Sample asset request" on page

113 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Sample asset request The following example describes and illustrates the kinds of interactions and tasks that are generated as an Asset request is processed through its various stages. Other types of automated requests would generally include similar elements including workflow actions, approval requests, notifications, and use of the ALM Reporting tools as the process moves toward completion. Note that a variety of different ALM roles (Requester, Cost Center Manager, Asset Manager, and so forth) are involved at various stages between the time the request is submitted and fulfilled. Requester 1. Log in to the Web console. 2. Click Requests. 3. Click Asset request. 4. Indicate the cost center and the reason for the request. 113

114 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE 5. Click New. This opens the Request details: new panel. 6. Provide the details for the asset being requested. 7. Click OK to close the Request details: new panel. 8. Click Submit. This saves the request and sends an to the employee's Cost Center Manager for approval. 114

115 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Cost Center Manager 1. Open the approval request Click Approve. This sends a notification to the Asset Manager with a link to the Inventory/Order report. Asset Manager 1. Open the notification Click on the link to open the Inventory/Order report. 115

116 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE 3. Click Inventory. This opens the Asset request details form that was submitted. 4. Click Save. This sends an to a designated IT Technician. 116

117 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER IT Technician 1. Open the Click the link to open the Asset Request Fulfillment report. Check the warehouse and note that the requested item is in current inventory. 3. Click Fulfill. This opens the Asset request details form. 117

118 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE 4. Click the Fulfillment tab. 5. Click the Select record button on the Asset field. This opens the Asset: select item panel. 6. Select the asset from the list. 7. Click OK. 8. Click Save. This generates another to the IT Technician. 9. Open the

119 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER 10. Click the link to open the Asset Provisioning report. 11. Find the item and click the Provision button. This opens the asset record for that asset. 119

120 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE 12. Check to make sure the information in the record is correct. 13. Click Save. The laptop computer can now be picked up by or delivered to the Requester. The above steps were based on the assumption that at Step 3 above, the requested item was found to be currently available in inventory. If the item was not found in current inventory, the IT Technician would need to report that to the Asset Manager so it could be ordered. 1. With the Asset request fulfillment report open, click No inventory. This triggers an to the Asset Manager to indicate the item will need to be ordered. 120

121 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Asset Manager 1. Open the Click the link to open the Inventory/Order report. 3. Click Order. This opens the Asset request details form. 121

122 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE 4. Check to make sure all information is correct. 5. Click Save. This generates an to the Ordering Agent. Ordering Agent 1. Open the Click the link to open the Assets to order report. 122

123 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER 3. Note the asset in the list. Before moving to step 4, click the Export button to export a report to deliver or to Purchasing, with the details about the asset that needs to be ordered. Then proceed with step Click the arrow next to Bulk update and select Lifecycle state. 5. In the Column Bulk Update dialog box, click the arrow. 6. In the combo box, select Sent to purchasing. 7. Click the green checkmark button. The ordering agent now waits to receive the purchase order. After receiving the purchase order, 8. Run the report: Role-based Ordering agent Assets sent to purchasing for order. 123

124 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE You can use the Bulk Update feature to update the purchase order. 9. Click the arrow next to Bulk Update and select Purchase order number. 10. In the Column Bulk Update dialog box, click the arrow. 11. In the combo box, select the purchase order number (in this example, ). 12. Click the green checkmark button. Now you will use the Bulk Update feature to update the lifecycle state. 13. Click the arrow next to Bulk update and select Lifecycle State. 14. In the Column Bulk Update dialog box, click the arrow. 15. In the combo box, select Ordered. 16. Click the green checkmark button. 124

125 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER At this point, the system waits for the order to be received. The final section shows how the asset is received into the system and the asset request is completed. IT Technician When the IT Technician is notified that the order has arrived, he can complete the request process. 1. Open the Receiving report. 2. Click the purchase order in the report. This opens the Receiving report for P.O Click the Receive button. This opens the asset record that was created when the laptop was ordered. 125

126 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE 4. Type the serial number and the asset tag number (red indicates required fields). 5. Add any other information you want to include in the asset record, then click Save. This generates an to notify the IT Technician that an asset that has been received and is ready to be provisioned. 6. Open the Click on the link to open the Assets to Provision report. 8. Find the asset in the list and click the Provision button. This opens the asset record. 126

127 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER 9. Confirm that the information in the record is accurate, or make any necessary changes. 10. Click Save. This marks the asset as having been provisioned and assigned to a user. To confirm that the asset's lifecycle state has been correctly updated, look at the state map. 11. Click State map. 127

128 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE 12. Note that the state transition map for the asset indicates that the laptop has been assigned. Requester During the period while the request is being processed, the Requester can check the status of the request at any time by logging in to the Web console. 1. Click the Request status button. 2. Find the request in the list and click on its ID number. This opens the Asset request form. 3. The current status is shown in the Lifecycle state column. The Requester can also check the state transition map for the asset request. 4. Click State map. 128

129 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER 5. The highlighted icon shows the current status of the request. 129

130 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Other automated requests The Asset Content pack includes several request processes you may find helpful for automating routine tasks for your system. These processes include request forms linked to workflows that trigger either system or manual tasks. These resources are ready to use after you configure specific details for your environment. The information below provides summary information about three requests: Server rack request, Virtual server request, and Asset Reservation request. It also explains the basic steps and prerequisites that must be completed to enable these processes on your system. Server rack request This process uses a set of pre-configured workflows (included in the Asset Content pack) to gather details an IT technician needs when a server arrives and needs to be installed. These details include what name the machine should be given, what IP address should be assigned, what rack it should be installed in, who will be the administrator, and so on. The process gathers the necessary information from the appropriate individuals and then populates a single form, which can easily be accessed by the IT technician or other authorized users. By default, any user can submit this request, but it can be restricted by the ALM administrator by changing the security properties of the Server rack request form in the Design console. The manager of the requested application must approve the request before it is submitted to the network manager, security administrator, or datacenter manager. Once the necessary information has been collected, the request is sent to the IT technician to fulfill. The actual fulfillment is a manual task to be completed by the IT technician. Setup for the request Assign a manager for applications associated with the request: In the Web console, select Asset tab > Supporting resources > Datacenter installation > Application Add catalog items or use the default server models already included in the catalog item list: In the Web console, select Asset tab > Supporting resources > Catalog items > Catalog item Add locations: In the Web console, select Asset tab > Supporting resources > Organization > Location Add racks: In the Web console, select Asset tab > Supporting resources > Datacenter installation > Rack In the Design console, the Datacenter form includes a hyperlink control called Avocent MergePoint Infrastructure Explorer. This link can be configured to point to the Avocent MergePoint Infrastructure Explorer server at your site. If you do not have an Avocent MergePoint Infrastructure Explorer server, this link can be removed from the Datacenter form. 130

131 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Configure or remove the link: In the Design console, select Form tab > Server rack installation > State changes > Data center To submit the Server rack request: 1. From the Home tab in the Web console, select Requests, then select Server rack request. 2. Select an application. This is the main application that is being requested. It may require sub-components that are requested in the details. 3. Below the Request details table, click + to add a new request detail. Multiple request details can be added to each request. Note that each request detail line item has its own state transition map and several required fields that must be completed. Some of the fields are already populated. 4. Enter the date the request is needed by. 5. Select a Server catalog item for the type of server being requested. 6. Server application type is the sub-application that is needed to fulfill the main application request. For example, an SAP system will require a database, application server, and a web server, so for SAP, these three detail items would need to be added to the details table. 7. Select a Server OS type. 8. Select the Environment. 9. Select a Backup schedule. 10. Click OK to save the request details. 11. Click Submit to submit the request. For the request to complete successfully: The request must be approved by the manager of the application that was selected for the request. If the request is approved, the role of Network manager will be sent an e- mail request to fill out a form called Network information. This task will also appear in the Network manager s Tasks list. If the request is denied, an is sent to the requester indicating that the request was denied. The Network manager must fill out the network information for the request and submit the form. The Security administrator gets a request to fill out a form called Request credential information. This is sent via and should show up in the security administrator s task list. The Security administrator fills out the Credentials information and submits the form. The Data center manager receives an with a request to fill out a form for Datacenter information. The Data center manager fills out the Datacenter information and submits the form. A manual task is sent to the IT technician to fulfill the request. Comments and time are required before the manual task can be marked as completed. Once the task is completed, the request is sent to the fulfilled state. The requester receives an about the details of the fulfilled request. Below is an example of the state transition map for the Server rack request details. Each request detail line item must go through this cycle before the process is complete. 131

132 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Virtual server request The purpose of this process is to gather information for the installation of a virtual server, as requested by a user. The associated workflows automate the gathering of the appropriate information for the type of machine needed. This process is integrated with Asset Lifecycle Manager's VMware integration features. The workflow uses the VMware Clone action to create a new VMware image from an existing VMware image. This action will only work for customers who have an ESX server; otherwise the workflow would need to be modified to include a manual task for that part of the process. By default, any user can submit this request, but it can be restricted by the ALM administrator by changing the security properties of the Virtual server request form in the Design console. The user requests an application that the virtual servers will be used for. Multiple virtual machines can be requested. For example, if the user is selecting virtual servers for an SAP application, they would need to request multiple servers; one for the database, another for the Web server, and one for an application server. These line items would go into the request details. The manager of the requested application must approve the request before it is submitted to the networking and VMware administrators. The Network administrator and the VMware administrator must both take action before the request can be fulfilled. Once the request has been fulfilled, the requested VMware machines will have been created, and the requester receives notification that they are available. Setup for the request Assign a manager for the applications associated with the request: In the Web console, select Asset tab > Supporting resources > Datacenter installation > Application. Update the Virtual server installation workflow for your environment: In the Design console, select Process tab > Workflows > Virtual server installation > State Changes > Fulfilled You can use this workflow to automate cloning a VMware image, or you can modify the workflow to create a manual task for the VMware administrator to manually create a VMware image. 132

133 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Configure Virtual data storage items for your vsphere environment: In the Design console, select Form tab > Data lists > Datacenter installation > Virtual datacenter storage To submit the Virtual server request: 1. From the Home tab in the Web console, select Requests, then select Virtual server request. 2. Select an application for this request. The request should have a manager assigned to it. 3. Below the Request details table, click + to add a new request detail. 4. Fill in the required fields for the request detail. 5. Click OK to save the request details. 6. Click Submit to submit the request. For the request to complete successfully: The request must be approved by the manager of the application that was selected for the request. If the request is approved, the Network administrator receives an request to fill out a form called Virtual network information. If the request is denied, the requester receives an indicating the request was denied. The Network administrator fills out the network information to create a new virtual machine to fulfill the request. The Security administrator receives a request to fill out a form called Virtual credentials information. This form is sent via and should appear in the Security administrator s task list. The Security administrator fills out the credentials information and submits the form. The VMware manager receives the Virtual machine information form. The virtual machine information form includes an option to clone an existing image. If this option is selected and the form is submitted, the Fulfilled workflow kicks off and automatically clones an existing VMware image. If the Clone existing VMware image option is not selected, a manual task is sent to the specified IT Technician. Below is an example of the state transition map for the Virtual server request details. Each request detail line item must go through this cycle before the process is complete. 133

134 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Asset Reservation request This request allows a user to submit a request to reserve one or more assets for a specified period of time. For example, a technician in a test lab could reserve a server or a set of computers for development or testing purposes. Or someone could use it to reserve items such as a video projector or a laptop for an upcoming conference. By default, any user can submit this request, but it can be restricted by the ALM administrator by changing the security properties of the Asset Reservation Request form in the Design console. Setup for the request In order for an asset to be "reservable", it must first have been marked as Available on the System tab of the Asset instance's Details tab page. The asset must also have an assignment in the Catalog item field on the Asset tab. To submit the Asset reservation request: 1. From the Home tab in the Web console, select Requests, then select Asset reservation request. 2. On the Reservation request form, fill in the details for the catalog series, how many, the start and end date, etc. 3. Specify whether Number of machines or Dates is a higher priority. 4. Click the View availability link at the bottom of the request form. 134

135 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER The Asset availability calendar lets you check whether the items you need may be available for the specified dates. The calendar only indicates how many of these items are available on the specified dates; it does not guarantee that the same item is available on all requested days. 5. Click Submit to submit the request. For the request to complete successfully: When the request is submitted, an is sent to the Asset manager for approval, with a link to the Request form. The approving manager must open the form, click the Fulfilling assets tab, and then click the Select fulfilling assets link. This lets the Asset manager view a list of assets that are available throughout the entire requested time frame. The Asset manager selects the assets to be reserved and clicks Add, then clicks Save. This marks the items as reserved, which removes them from the Availability calendar and from the report showing available assets. It also adds them to the table in the Reservation request form. The Asset manager (or fulfilling agent) needs to change the Lifecycle state to Fulfilled, and then click Save. This sends an to the Requester to inform them that the request has been approved and the assets are reserved. If the fulfilling agent modifies the request before saving it, the Lifecycle state needs to be changed to Modified. If the request needs to be denied for any reason, the Lifecycle state needs to be changed to Denied. 135

136 ASSET MANAGER'S GUIDE Below is an example of the state transition map for the Asset Reservation request. As indicated for the Modified state, if the request needs to be changed or updated during processing of the request, it can be resubmitted until it is eventually approved or denied. 136

137 LANDESK ASSET LIFECYCLE MANAGER Other sample processes Software compliance One of the most important priorities of an IT department and the organization itself, is to ensure compliance with software licensing and contractual entitlements. To make this possible and practical, the organization needs to be able to accurately track and verify software entitlement, usage, and compliance on an ongoing basis in order to prepare for, or to provide documentation in the event of, a software audit. Asset Lifecycle Manager includes tools specifically designed to enable accurate, up-to-date, and verifiable license and usage monitoring for software assets. These tools include intelligent workflows, data synchronization packages, and a set of compliance-focused reports that can be used as-is, or which you can easily customize to meet your needs and priorities. LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager includes tools to help you import and synchronize usage data from a discovery tool such as LANDesk Management Suite. These tools enable you to define managed products based on the data supplied by your discovery tool and link it to license and computer data in the asset repository. This enables you to aggregate and structure data from multiple sources and tie it together to enable a license entitlement program. ALM provides workflows to resolve those entitlements and calculate usage, distribution, and availability using real, validated data from your environment. Synchronization packages for LANDesk Management Suite (LDMS) Software Synchronization workflows To use and take advantage of Asset Lifecycle Manager's structured asset repository, it is important to import your asset data in the correct sequence. This enables you to properly connect manufacturer, title, usage, license, and computer data. To support this task, ALM includes a series of synchronization packages configured for LANDesk Management Suite 9 that collect and map that data. You can customize those sync packages to point at other data sources and pull necessary data. 137

EMC Smarts Network Configuration Manager

EMC Smarts Network Configuration Manager EMC Smarts Network Configuration Manager Version 9.4.1 Advisors User Guide P/N 302-002-279 REV 01 Copyright 2013-2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Published in the USA. Published October, 2015

More information

Novell ZENworks Asset Management 7.5

Novell ZENworks Asset Management 7.5 Novell ZENworks Asset Management 7.5 w w w. n o v e l l. c o m October 2006 USING THE WEB CONSOLE Table Of Contents Getting Started with ZENworks Asset Management Web Console... 1 How to Get Started...

More information

Mobility Manager 9.5. Users Guide

Mobility Manager 9.5. Users Guide Mobility Manager 9.5 Users Guide LANDESK MOBILITY MANAGER Copyright 2002-2013, LANDesk Software, Inc. and its affiliates. All rights reserved. LANDesk and its logos are registered trademarks or trademarks

More information

User Manual for Web. Help Desk Authority 9.0

User Manual for Web. Help Desk Authority 9.0 User Manual for Web Help Desk Authority 9.0 2011ScriptLogic Corporation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ScriptLogic, the ScriptLogic logo and Point,Click,Done! are trademarks and registered trademarks of ScriptLogic

More information

2/24/2010 ClassApps.com

2/24/2010 ClassApps.com SelectSurvey.NET Training Manual This document is intended to be a simple visual guide for non technical users to help with basic survey creation, management and deployment. 2/24/2010 ClassApps.com Getting

More information

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION... 2 HOME PAGE... 3. Announcements... 7 Personalize & Change Password... 8 Reminders... 9 SERVICE CATALOG...

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION... 2 HOME PAGE... 3. Announcements... 7 Personalize & Change Password... 8 Reminders... 9 SERVICE CATALOG... Table of Contents INTRODUCTION... 2 HOME PAGE... 3 Announcements... 7 Personalize & Change Password... 8 Reminders... 9 SERVICE CATALOG... 11 Raising a Service Request... 12 Edit the Service Request...

More information

Business Insight Report Authoring Getting Started Guide

Business Insight Report Authoring Getting Started Guide Business Insight Report Authoring Getting Started Guide Version: 6.6 Written by: Product Documentation, R&D Date: February 2011 ImageNow and CaptureNow are registered trademarks of Perceptive Software,

More information

Event Manager. LANDesk Service Desk

Event Manager. LANDesk Service Desk Event Manager LANDesk Service Desk LANDESK SERVICE DESK EVENT MANAGER GUIDE This document contains information that is the proprietary and confidential property of LANDesk Software, Inc. and/or its affiliated

More information

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION... 2 HOME PAGE... 3. Announcements... 7. Personalize & Change Password... 8. Reminders... 10 SERVICE CATALOG...

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION... 2 HOME PAGE... 3. Announcements... 7. Personalize & Change Password... 8. Reminders... 10 SERVICE CATALOG... Table of Contents INTRODUCTION... 2 HOME PAGE... 3 Announcements... 7 Personalize & Change Password... 8 Reminders... 10 SERVICE CATALOG... 12 Raising a Service Request... 12 Edit the Service Request...

More information

LANDESK Service Desk. Desktop Manager

LANDESK Service Desk. Desktop Manager LANDESK Service Desk Desktop Manager LANDESK SERVICE DESK DESKTOP MANAGER GUIDE This document contains information, which is the confidential information and/or proprietary property of LANDESK Software,

More information

Web Dashboard. User Manual. Build 2.0 2015-09-17

Web Dashboard. User Manual. Build 2.0 2015-09-17 Web Dashboard User Manual Build 2.0 2015-09-17 This is the official user manual on using SAMLite web dashboard to perform reporting and administrative tasks. This manual describes each section of reporting

More information

InfoView User s Guide. BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2

InfoView User s Guide. BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 InfoView User s Guide BusinessObjects Enterprise XI Release 2 Patents Trademarks Copyright Third-party contributors Business Objects owns the following U.S. patents,

More information

DCA. Document Control & Archiving USER S GUIDE

DCA. Document Control & Archiving USER S GUIDE DCA Document Control & Archiving USER S GUIDE Decision Management International, Inc. 1111 Third Street West Suite 250 Bradenton, FL 34205 Phone 800-530-0803 FAX 941-744-0314 www.dmius.com Copyright 2002,

More information

Permissions Management for Site Admins

Permissions Management for Site Admins ControlPoint Publication Date: April 29, 2015 All Rights Reserved. This software is protected by copyright law and international treaties. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this software, or

More information

Installing and Configuring vcloud Connector

Installing and Configuring vcloud Connector Installing and Configuring vcloud Connector vcloud Connector 2.0.0 This document supports the version of each product listed and supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced by a new

More information

History Explorer. View and Export Logged Print Job Information WHITE PAPER

History Explorer. View and Export Logged Print Job Information WHITE PAPER History Explorer View and Export Logged Print Job Information WHITE PAPER Contents Overview 3 Logging Information to the System Database 4 Logging Print Job Information from BarTender Designer 4 Logging

More information

GP REPORTS VIEWER USER GUIDE

GP REPORTS VIEWER USER GUIDE GP Reports Viewer Dynamics GP Reporting Made Easy GP REPORTS VIEWER USER GUIDE For Dynamics GP Version 2015 (Build 5) Dynamics GP Version 2013 (Build 14) Dynamics GP Version 2010 (Build 65) Last updated

More information

SonicWALL GMS Custom Reports

SonicWALL GMS Custom Reports SonicWALL GMS Custom Reports Document Scope This document describes how to configure and use the SonicWALL GMS 6.0 Custom Reports feature. This document contains the following sections: Feature Overview

More information

DocAve 6 Service Pack 1 Job Monitor

DocAve 6 Service Pack 1 Job Monitor DocAve 6 Service Pack 1 Job Monitor Reference Guide Revision C Issued September 2012 1 Table of Contents About Job Monitor... 4 Submitting Documentation Feedback to AvePoint... 4 Before You Begin... 5

More information

USER GUIDE: MaaS360 Services

USER GUIDE: MaaS360 Services USER GUIDE: MaaS360 Services 05.2010 Copyright 2010 Fiberlink Corporation. All rights reserved. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. The software described in this document

More information

BMC Remedyforce Asset Management. Frequently Asked Questions

BMC Remedyforce Asset Management. Frequently Asked Questions BMC Remedyforce Frequently Asked Questions Table of Contents BMC Remedyforce 2 Overview 2 Frequently Asked Questions 2 Definitions 2 1. What is Configuration Management? 2 2. What is IT? 2 3. What is a

More information

User Guide. Version R91. English

User Guide. Version R91. English AuthAnvil User Guide Version R91 English August 25, 2015 Agreement The purchase and use of all Software and Services is subject to the Agreement as defined in Kaseya s Click-Accept EULATOS as updated from

More information

NetIQ Operations Center 5: The Best IT Management Tool in the World Lab

NetIQ Operations Center 5: The Best IT Management Tool in the World Lab NetIQ Operations Center 5: The Best IT Management Tool in the World Lab NIQ08 Novell Training Services ATT LIVE 2012 LAS VEGAS www.novell.com Legal Notices Novell, Inc., makes no representations or warranties

More information

ProactiveWatch 2.0 Patch Management and Reporting

ProactiveWatch 2.0 Patch Management and Reporting ProactiveWatch 2.0 Patch Management and Reporting V090908 2009 ProactiveWatch, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Purpose of this Guide... 1 II. Patching View... 1 Main Patching Screen... 2 Filtering by Patch Attribute...

More information

Security Explorer 9.5. User Guide

Security Explorer 9.5. User Guide 2014 Dell Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This guide contains proprietary information protected by copyright. The software described in this guide is furnished under a software license or nondisclosure agreement.

More information

Contents Overview... 5 Configuring Project Management Bridge after Installation... 9 The Project Management Bridge Menu... 14

Contents Overview... 5 Configuring Project Management Bridge after Installation... 9 The Project Management Bridge Menu... 14 Portfolio Management Bridge for Microsoft Office Project Server User's Guide June 2015 Contents Overview... 5 Basic Principles and Concepts... 5 Managing Workflow... 7 Top-Down Management... 7 Project-Based

More information

Strategic Asset Tracking System User Guide

Strategic Asset Tracking System User Guide Strategic Asset Tracking System User Guide Contents 1 Overview 2 Web Application 2.1 Logging In 2.2 Navigation 2.3 Assets 2.3.1 Favorites 2.3.3 Purchasing 2.3.4 User Fields 2.3.5 History 2.3.6 Import Data

More information

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION...2 HOME PAGE...3. Announcements... 6 Personalize... 7 Reminders... 9 Recent Items... 11 SERVICE CATALOG...

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION...2 HOME PAGE...3. Announcements... 6 Personalize... 7 Reminders... 9 Recent Items... 11 SERVICE CATALOG... Table of Contents INTRODUCTION...2 HOME PAGE...3 Announcements... 6 Personalize... 7 Reminders... 9 Recent Items... 11 SERVICE CATALOG...12 REQUEST...14 Request List View... 15 Creating a New Incident...

More information

Learn About Analysis, Interactive Reports, and Dashboards

Learn About Analysis, Interactive Reports, and Dashboards Learn About Analysis, Interactive Reports, and Dashboards This document supports Pentaho Business Analytics Suite 5.0 GA and Pentaho Data Integration 5.0 GA, documentation revision February 3, 2014, copyright

More information

Integrating LANGuardian with Active Directory

Integrating LANGuardian with Active Directory Integrating LANGuardian with Active Directory 01 February 2012 This document describes how to integrate LANGuardian with Microsoft Windows Server and Active Directory. Overview With the optional Identity

More information

EMC Documentum Webtop

EMC Documentum Webtop EMC Documentum Webtop Version 6.5 User Guide P/N 300 007 239 A01 EMC Corporation Corporate Headquarters: Hopkinton, MA 01748 9103 1 508 435 1000 www.emc.com Copyright 1994 2008 EMC Corporation. All rights

More information

Fixes for CrossTec ResQDesk

Fixes for CrossTec ResQDesk Fixes for CrossTec ResQDesk Fixes in CrossTec ResQDesk 5.00.0006 December 2, 2014 Resolved issue where the list of Operators on Category was not saving correctly when adding multiple Operators. Fixed issue

More information

FOR WINDOWS FILE SERVERS

FOR WINDOWS FILE SERVERS Quest ChangeAuditor FOR WINDOWS FILE SERVERS 5.1 User Guide Copyright Quest Software, Inc. 2010. All rights reserved. This guide contains proprietary information protected by copyright. The software described

More information

WebFOCUS BI Portal: S.I.M.P.L.E. as can be

WebFOCUS BI Portal: S.I.M.P.L.E. as can be WebFOCUS BI Portal: S.I.M.P.L.E. as can be Author: Matthew Lerner Company: Information Builders Presentation Abstract: This hands-on session will introduce attendees to the new WebFOCUS BI Portal. We will

More information

Installing and Configuring vcloud Connector

Installing and Configuring vcloud Connector Installing and Configuring vcloud Connector vcloud Connector 2.7.0 This document supports the version of each product listed and supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced by a new

More information

Version 10.3. End User Help Files. GroupLink Corporation 2014 GroupLink Corporation. All rights reserved

Version 10.3. End User Help Files. GroupLink Corporation 2014 GroupLink Corporation. All rights reserved Version 10.3 End User Help Files GroupLink Corporation 2014 GroupLink Corporation. All rights reserved GroupLink and everything HelpDesk are registered trademarks of GroupLink Corporation. The information

More information

Version 11.0.1. End User Help Files. GroupLink Corporation 2015 GroupLink Corporation. All rights reserved

Version 11.0.1. End User Help Files. GroupLink Corporation 2015 GroupLink Corporation. All rights reserved Version 11.0.1 End User Help Files GroupLink Corporation 2015 GroupLink Corporation. All rights reserved GroupLink and everything HelpDesk are registered trademarks of GroupLink Corporation. The information

More information

Managing Identities and Admin Access

Managing Identities and Admin Access CHAPTER 4 This chapter describes how Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) manages its network identities and access to its resources using role-based access control policies, permissions, and settings.

More information

Review Easy Guide for Administrators. Version 1.0

Review Easy Guide for Administrators. Version 1.0 Review Easy Guide for Administrators Version 1.0 Notice to Users Verve software as a service is a software application that has been developed, copyrighted, and licensed by Kroll Ontrack Inc. Use of the

More information

NETWRIX EVENT LOG MANAGER

NETWRIX EVENT LOG MANAGER NETWRIX EVENT LOG MANAGER ADMINISTRATOR S GUIDE Product Version: 4.0 July/2012. Legal Notice The information in this publication is furnished for information use only, and does not constitute a commitment

More information

ALTIRIS CMDB Solution 6.5 Product Guide

ALTIRIS CMDB Solution 6.5 Product Guide ALTIRIS CMDB Solution 6.5 Product Guide Notice Altiris CMDB Solution 6.5 2001-2007 Altiris, Inc. All rights reserved. Document Date: July 19, 2007 Information in this document: (i) is provided for informational

More information

WSDOT ProjectWise V8i Training 101

WSDOT ProjectWise V8i Training 101 WSDOT PROJECTWISE V8I TRAINING 101 ABOUT THIS TRAINING This training is intended to give a user the ability to open ProjectWise and access working files. Once you become comfortable working within the

More information

BLUECIELO MERIDIAN ASSET MANAGEMENT MODULE 2014

BLUECIELO MERIDIAN ASSET MANAGEMENT MODULE 2014 BLUECIELO MERIDIAN ASSET MANAGEMENT MODULE 2014 User's Guide Manual BlueCielo ECM Solutions bluecieloecm.com December 09 2014 LEGAL NOTICE 2014 BlueCielo ECM Solutions B. V. Polarisavenue 1 2132 JH Hoofddorp

More information

Microsoft Project Server 2010 Project Manager s Guide for Project Web App

Microsoft Project Server 2010 Project Manager s Guide for Project Web App Microsoft Project Server 2010 Project Manager s Guide for Project Web App Copyright This document is provided as-is. Information and views expressed in this document, including URL and other Internet Web

More information

VMware vcenter Operations Manager Administration Guide

VMware vcenter Operations Manager Administration Guide VMware vcenter Operations Manager Administration Guide Custom User Interface vcenter Operations Manager 5.6 This document supports the version of each product listed and supports all subsequent versions

More information

Asset Inventory Reference

Asset Inventory Reference www.novell.com/documentation Asset Inventory Reference ZENworks 11 Support Pack 3 July 2014 Legal Notices Novell, Inc., makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents or use of this

More information

Colligo Email Manager 6.0. Offline Mode - User Guide

Colligo Email Manager 6.0. Offline Mode - User Guide 6.0 Offline Mode - User Guide Contents Colligo Email Manager 1 Key Features 1 Benefits 1 Installing and Activating Colligo Email Manager 2 Checking for Updates 3 Updating Your License Key 3 Managing SharePoint

More information

CA IT Client Manager. Asset Intelligence

CA IT Client Manager. Asset Intelligence DATA SHEET: ASSET INTELLIGENCE CA IT Client Manager Asset Intelligence CA IT CLIENT MANAGER AUTOMATICALLY CONVERTS RAW ASSET DATA INTO ACTIONABLE INTELLIGENCE SO YOU CAN QUICKLY IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES

More information

DataPA OpenAnalytics End User Training

DataPA OpenAnalytics End User Training DataPA OpenAnalytics End User Training DataPA End User Training Lesson 1 Course Overview DataPA Chapter 1 Course Overview Introduction This course covers the skills required to use DataPA OpenAnalytics

More information

WhatsUp Gold v16.2 Installation and Configuration Guide

WhatsUp Gold v16.2 Installation and Configuration Guide WhatsUp Gold v16.2 Installation and Configuration Guide Contents Installing and Configuring Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold v16.2 using WhatsUp Setup Installing WhatsUp Gold using WhatsUp Setup... 1 Security guidelines

More information

SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (BI) platform Document Version: 4.1, Support Package 3-2014-04-03. Report Conversion Tool Guide

SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (BI) platform Document Version: 4.1, Support Package 3-2014-04-03. Report Conversion Tool Guide SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (BI) platform Document Version: 4.1, Support Package 3-2014-04-03 Table of Contents 1 Report Conversion Tool Overview.... 4 1.1 What is the Report Conversion Tool?...4

More information

Audit Management Reference

Audit Management Reference www.novell.com/documentation Audit Management Reference ZENworks 11 Support Pack 3 February 2014 Legal Notices Novell, Inc., makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents or use of

More information

Config Guide. Gimmal Smart Tiles (SharePoint-Hosted) Software Release 4.4.0

Config Guide. Gimmal Smart Tiles (SharePoint-Hosted) Software Release 4.4.0 Config Guide Gimmal Smart Tiles (SharePoint-Hosted) Software Release 4.4.0 November 2014 Title: Gimmal Smart Tiles (SharePoint-Hosted) Configuration Guide Copyright 2014 Gimmal, All Rights Reserved. Gimmal

More information

Scheduling Software User s Guide

Scheduling Software User s Guide Scheduling Software User s Guide Revision 1.12 Copyright notice VisualTime is a trademark of Visualtime Corporation. Microsoft Outlook, Active Directory, SQL Server and Exchange are trademarks of Microsoft

More information

Getting Started Guide - Desktop

Getting Started Guide - Desktop Getting Started Guide - Desktop 1. Sign Up PERSONAL OPENTEXT CORE ACCOUNT To get started sharing and collaborating on your files from a Mac or Windows browser, you ll need to sign up for your OpenText

More information

Novell ZENworks Asset Management

Novell ZENworks Asset Management Novell ZENworks Asset Management Administrative Best Practices and Troubleshooting www.novell.com APRIL 19, 2005 2 GETTING THE MOST OUT OF NOVELL ZENWORKS ASSET MANAGEMENT The award-winning asset tracking

More information

Citrix Systems, Inc.

Citrix Systems, Inc. Citrix Password Manager Quick Deployment Guide Install and Use Password Manager on Presentation Server in Under Two Hours Citrix Systems, Inc. Notice The information in this publication is subject to change

More information

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 User s Guide

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 User s Guide Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 User s Guide i Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 User s Guide Copyright Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to change without

More information

Adobe Acrobat 9 Deployment on Microsoft Windows Group Policy and the Active Directory service

Adobe Acrobat 9 Deployment on Microsoft Windows Group Policy and the Active Directory service Adobe Acrobat 9 Deployment on Microsoft Windows Group Policy and the Active Directory service white paper TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Document overview......... 1 2. References............. 1 3. Product overview..........

More information

Custom Reporting System User Guide

Custom Reporting System User Guide Citibank Custom Reporting System User Guide April 2012 Version 8.1.1 Transaction Services Citibank Custom Reporting System User Guide Table of Contents Table of Contents User Guide Overview...2 Subscribe

More information

Finance Reporting. Millennium FAST. User Guide Version 4.0. Memorial University of Newfoundland. September 2013

Finance Reporting. Millennium FAST. User Guide Version 4.0. Memorial University of Newfoundland. September 2013 Millennium FAST Finance Reporting Memorial University of Newfoundland September 2013 User Guide Version 4.0 FAST Finance User Guide Page i Contents Introducing FAST Finance Reporting 4.0... 2 What is FAST

More information

NETWRIX FILE SERVER CHANGE REPORTER

NETWRIX FILE SERVER CHANGE REPORTER NETWRIX FILE SERVER CHANGE REPORTER ADMINISTRATOR S GUIDE Product Version: 3.3 April/2012. Legal Notice The information in this publication is furnished for information use only, and does not constitute

More information

Hamline University Administrative Computing Page 1

Hamline University Administrative Computing Page 1 User Guide Banner Handout: BUSINESS OBJECTS ENTERPRISE (InfoView) Document: boxi31sp3-infoview.docx Created: 5/11/2011 1:24 PM by Chris Berry; Last Modified: 8/31/2011 1:53 PM Purpose:... 2 Introduction:...

More information

HP ALM. Software Version: 12.50. Tutorial

HP ALM. Software Version: 12.50. Tutorial HP ALM Software Version: 12.50 Tutorial Document Release Date: December 2015 Software Release Date: December 2015 Legal Notices Warranty The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in

More information

Configuring ehealth Application Response to Monitor Web Applications

Configuring ehealth Application Response to Monitor Web Applications Focus on Setup Configuring ehealth Application Response to Monitor Web Applications ehealth Application Response (AR) helps you manage the performance of your Web applications by monitoring response times

More information

Using Webmail. Technical Manual: User Guide. Document Updated: 1/07. The Webmail Window. Displaying and Hiding the Full Header.

Using Webmail. Technical Manual: User Guide. Document Updated: 1/07. The Webmail Window. Displaying and Hiding the Full Header. Using Webmail Technical Manual: User Guide The Webmail Window To save an attachment: 1. Click once on the attachment name. Or, if there are multiple attachments, click the Save icon to save all attachments

More information

Asset Track Getting Started Guide. An Introduction to Asset Track

Asset Track Getting Started Guide. An Introduction to Asset Track Asset Track Getting Started Guide An Introduction to Asset Track Contents Introducing Asset Track... 3 Overview... 3 A Quick Start... 6 Quick Start Option 1... 6 Getting to Configuration... 7 Changing

More information

Intelligence Reporting Frequently Asked Questions

Intelligence Reporting Frequently Asked Questions 1. What is Sage 100 ERP Intelligence Reporting? Sage 100 ERP (formerly Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200) Intelligence Reporting empowers managers to quickly and easily obtain operations and strategic planning information

More information

User Guide. Version 3.2. Copyright 2002-2009 Snow Software AB. All rights reserved.

User Guide. Version 3.2. Copyright 2002-2009 Snow Software AB. All rights reserved. Version 3.2 User Guide Copyright 2002-2009 Snow Software AB. All rights reserved. This manual and computer program is protected by copyright law and international treaties. Unauthorized reproduction or

More information

Infoview XIR3. User Guide. 1 of 20

Infoview XIR3. User Guide. 1 of 20 Infoview XIR3 User Guide 1 of 20 1. WHAT IS INFOVIEW?...3 2. LOGGING IN TO INFOVIEW...4 3. NAVIGATING THE INFOVIEW ENVIRONMENT...5 3.1. Home Page... 5 3.2. The Header Panel... 5 3.3. Workspace Panel...

More information

SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform Document Version: 4.1 Support Package 5-2014-11-06. Business Intelligence Launch Pad User Guide

SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform Document Version: 4.1 Support Package 5-2014-11-06. Business Intelligence Launch Pad User Guide SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform Document Version: 4.1 Support Package 5-2014-11-06 Business Intelligence Launch Pad User Guide Table of Contents 1 Document history....7 2 Getting started

More information

Altiris Asset Management Suite 7.1 from Symantec User Guide

Altiris Asset Management Suite 7.1 from Symantec User Guide Altiris Asset Management Suite 7.1 from Symantec User Guide Altiris Asset Management Suite 7.1 from Symantec User Guide The software described in this book is furnished under a license agreement and may

More information

Altiris Patch Management Solution for Windows 7.1 from Symantec Release Notes

Altiris Patch Management Solution for Windows 7.1 from Symantec Release Notes Altiris Patch Management Solution for Windows 7.1 from Symantec Release Notes Altiris Patch Management Solution for Windows 7.1 from Symantec Release Notes The software described in this book is furnished

More information

SAS BI Dashboard 4.3. User's Guide. SAS Documentation

SAS BI Dashboard 4.3. User's Guide. SAS Documentation SAS BI Dashboard 4.3 User's Guide SAS Documentation The correct bibliographic citation for this manual is as follows: SAS Institute Inc. 2010. SAS BI Dashboard 4.3: User s Guide. Cary, NC: SAS Institute

More information

Utilities. 2003... ComCash

Utilities. 2003... ComCash Utilities ComCash Utilities All rights reserved. No parts of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or

More information

Using SQL Reporting Services with Amicus

Using SQL Reporting Services with Amicus Using SQL Reporting Services with Amicus Applies to: Amicus Attorney Premium Edition 2011 SP1 Amicus Premium Billing 2011 Contents About SQL Server Reporting Services...2 What you need 2 Setting up SQL

More information

Spambrella SaaS Email Encryption Enablement for Customers, Domains and Users Quick Start Guide

Spambrella SaaS Email Encryption Enablement for Customers, Domains and Users Quick Start Guide August 22, 2013 Spambrella SaaS Email Encryption Enablement for Customers, Domains and Users Quick Start Guide Spambrella and/or other noted Spambrella related products contained herein are registered

More information

New Features in Sage BusinessVision 2013 (version 7.6)

New Features in Sage BusinessVision 2013 (version 7.6) New Features in Sage BusinessVision 2013 (version 7.6) 2012 Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage Software, Sage Software logos, and the Sage Software product and service names mentioned herein

More information

User Guide to the Content Analysis Tool

User Guide to the Content Analysis Tool User Guide to the Content Analysis Tool User Guide To The Content Analysis Tool 1 Contents Introduction... 3 Setting Up a New Job... 3 The Dashboard... 7 Job Queue... 8 Completed Jobs List... 8 Job Details

More information

HDA Integration Guide. Help Desk Authority 9.0

HDA Integration Guide. Help Desk Authority 9.0 HDA Integration Guide Help Desk Authority 9.0 2011ScriptLogic Corporation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ScriptLogic, the ScriptLogic logo and Point,Click,Done! are trademarks and registered trademarks of ScriptLogic

More information

HP Service Manager. Software Version: 9.40 For the supported Windows and Linux operating systems. Application Setup help topics for printing

HP Service Manager. Software Version: 9.40 For the supported Windows and Linux operating systems. Application Setup help topics for printing HP Service Manager Software Version: 9.40 For the supported Windows and Linux operating systems Application Setup help topics for printing Document Release Date: December 2014 Software Release Date: December

More information

Email Data Protection. Administrator Guide

Email Data Protection. Administrator Guide Email Data Protection Administrator Guide Email Data Protection Administrator Guide Documentation version: 1.0 Legal Notice Legal Notice Copyright 2015 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved. Symantec,

More information

for Sage 100 ERP Business Insights Overview Document

for Sage 100 ERP Business Insights Overview Document for Sage 100 ERP Business Insights Document 2012 Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage Software, Sage Software logos, and the Sage Software product and service names mentioned herein are registered

More information

Track-It! 8.5. The World s Most Widely Installed Help Desk and Asset Management Solution

Track-It! 8.5. The World s Most Widely Installed Help Desk and Asset Management Solution The World s Most Widely Installed Help Desk and Asset Management Solution Key Benefits Easy to use! Gain full control of your IT assets, hardware and software Simplify software license management Save

More information

Software License Monitoring

Software License Monitoring LANDESK Quick Start Guide Software License Monitoring VERSION 2 Introduction This guide was designed to help those users new to Software License Monitoring (SLM) introduced in LANDESK Management Suite

More information

formerly Help Desk Authority 9.1.2 Quick Start Guide

formerly Help Desk Authority 9.1.2 Quick Start Guide formerly Help Desk Authority 9.1.2 Quick Start Guide 2 Contacting Quest Software Email: Mail: Web site: info@quest.com Quest Software, Inc. World Headquarters 5 Polaris Way Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 USA www.quest.com

More information

SAS Task Manager 2.2. User s Guide. SAS Documentation

SAS Task Manager 2.2. User s Guide. SAS Documentation SAS Task Manager 2.2 User s Guide SAS Documentation The correct bibliographic citation for this manual is as follows: SAS Institute Inc. 2015. SAS Task Manager 2.2: User's Guide. Cary, NC: SAS Institute

More information

Lenovo Partner Pack for System Center Operations Manager

Lenovo Partner Pack for System Center Operations Manager Lenovo Partner Pack for System Center Operations Manager Lenovo Enterprise Product Group Version 1.0 December 2013 2013 Lenovo. All rights reserved. Legal Disclaimers: First paragraph is required. Trademark

More information

Monitoring Replication

Monitoring Replication Monitoring Replication Article 1130112-02 Contents Summary... 3 Monitor Replicator Page... 3 Summary... 3 Status... 3 System Health... 4 Replicator Configuration... 5 Replicator Health... 6 Local Package

More information

Richmond SupportDesk Web Reports Module For Richmond SupportDesk v6.72. User Guide

Richmond SupportDesk Web Reports Module For Richmond SupportDesk v6.72. User Guide Richmond SupportDesk Web Reports Module For Richmond SupportDesk v6.72 User Guide Contents 1 Introduction... 4 2 Requirements... 5 3 Important Note for Customers Upgrading... 5 4 Installing the Web Reports

More information

User Management Tool 1.6

User Management Tool 1.6 User Management Tool 1.6 2014-12-08 23:32:48 UTC 2014 Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Use Trademarks Privacy Statement Contents User Management Tool 1.6... 3 ShareFile User Management

More information

Dell Enterprise Reporter 2.5. Configuration Manager User Guide

Dell Enterprise Reporter 2.5. Configuration Manager User Guide Dell Enterprise Reporter 2.5 2014 Dell Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This guide contains proprietary information protected by copyright. The software described in this guide is furnished under a software license

More information

GFI LANguard 9.0 ReportPack. Manual. By GFI Software Ltd.

GFI LANguard 9.0 ReportPack. Manual. By GFI Software Ltd. GFI LANguard 9.0 ReportPack Manual By GFI Software Ltd. http://www.gfi.com E-mail: info@gfi.com Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Companies, names, and data used in examples

More information

INTRODUCING ORACLE APPLICATION EXPRESS. Keywords: database, Oracle, web application, forms, reports

INTRODUCING ORACLE APPLICATION EXPRESS. Keywords: database, Oracle, web application, forms, reports INTRODUCING ORACLE APPLICATION EXPRESS Cristina-Loredana Alexe 1 Abstract Everyone knows that having a database is not enough. You need a way of interacting with it, a way for doing the most common of

More information

Spambrella SaaS Email Encryption Enablement for Customers, Domains and Users Quick Start Guide

Spambrella SaaS Email Encryption Enablement for Customers, Domains and Users Quick Start Guide January 24, 2015 Spambrella SaaS Email Encryption Enablement for Customers, Domains and Users Quick Start Guide Spambrella and/or other noted Spambrella related products contained herein are registered

More information

Volume Licensing Service Center User Guide

Volume Licensing Service Center User Guide Volume Licensing Service Center User Guide MICROSOFT VOLUME LICENSING FEBRUARY 2015 What s New License Summary has been improved with expanded search capabilities Contents What s New... 1 Overview of the

More information

Enterprise Reporting Advanced Web Intelligence Training. Enterprise Reporting Services

Enterprise Reporting Advanced Web Intelligence Training. Enterprise Reporting Services Enterprise Reporting Advanced Web Intelligence Training Enterprise Reporting Services Table of Contents Chapter Page 1 Overview 4 2 Web Intelligence Access 8 3 BI Launch Pad Navigation 12 4 Nested Query

More information

Dell KACE K1000 Management Appliance. Asset Management Guide. Release 5.3. Revision Date: May 13, 2011

Dell KACE K1000 Management Appliance. Asset Management Guide. Release 5.3. Revision Date: May 13, 2011 Dell KACE K1000 Management Appliance Asset Management Guide Release 5.3 Revision Date: May 13, 2011 2004-2011 Dell, Inc. All rights reserved. Information concerning third-party copyrights and agreements,

More information

Vector HelpDesk - Administrator s Guide

Vector HelpDesk - Administrator s Guide Vector HelpDesk - Administrator s Guide Vector HelpDesk - Administrator s Guide Configuring and Maintaining Vector HelpDesk version 5.6 Vector HelpDesk - Administrator s Guide Copyright Vector Networks

More information

isupport 15 Release Notes

isupport 15 Release Notes isupport 15 Release Notes This document includes new features, changes, and fixes in isupport v15. The Readme.txt file included with the download includes a list of known issues. New Features in isupport

More information