Database dictionary

ITSMA Service Management maintains a logical view of your RDBMS tables and columns in the database dictionary. The database dictionary describes each table and column in your system and how they are mapped to logical entities within Service Management. The Service Management applications use the logical definitions in the database dictionary to query and manage the actual records in your RDBMS. You must create a database dictionary record for each table and column in your system.

Every time you add tables and columns for Service Management to your RDBMS system, you must also create database dictionary records describing these new items before Service Management can make use of them. The best practice HPE recommends is to create the database dictionary records first, and then have Service Management create the back-end tables and columns for you automatically. Some environments, however, do not permit Service Management to add or update records in the back-end RDBMS.

In restricted-access RDBMS environments, Service Management can create database definition language (DDL) describing the changes proposed by your database dictionary records. The RDBMS administrator can then create the necessary tables and columns for Service Management . After the RDBMS has the necessary tables and columns, the Service Management administrator can then update the database dictionary records to map to the actual RDBMS objects. To simplify the mapping process, Service Management administrators can also import columns from an RDBMS into a database dictionary record.

You can access database dictionary records either from the System Definition utility or from the database dictionary form. Both utilities require having the SysAdmin capability word or its equivalent. HPE recommends using the System Definition utility to create database dictionary records if Service Management has table create-alter-drop-rights to the RDBMS. If your environment restricts access to the RDBMS, HPE recommends using the database dictionary form to create the initial null mappings and then update the database dictionary by importing the RDBMS tables and columns.

To provide Service Management with table create-alter-drop-rights to your RDBMS, you must configure the RDBMS connection parameters. The RDBMS user name you provide Service Management must at least have add and drop access rights. HPE recommends you grant the RDBMS user owner rights over the database so that Service Management can manage the data as needed.

To have the server create DDL for database dictionary changes, you must add the sqlddllogging and sqlddldirectory parameters to the server configuration file (sm.ini). The server creates one DDL file for each logical table in the database dictionary. For example, the file prosummary.ddl contains DDL for changes made to the probsummary database dictionary record, which in turn, maps to the physical tables such as PROSUMMARYA1, PROSUMMARYM1, and PROSUMMARYM2 in your RDBMS. You can enable exporting to DDL independently of providing Service Management with table create-alter-drop-rights to the RDBMS. You may want to export all RDBMS changes to DDL to keep a log of changes to your RDBMS.