Creating CIs for Customer Groups and Group Members

Follow these steps to create CIs automatically for both customer groups and the customers in those groups:

1. In the Feature Basics screen, open the CMDB type associated with CIs you’ll designate as a templates (one for customers and one for customer groups) and select Yes in the Use Associated Items field. Then select Customer and Customer Group in the Documents to Use as Associated Items field. Example

   

2. On the Relationships tab in the CMDB Type screen, ensure that the relationship to assign to the CIs to be created is included. You’ll be selecting the relationship of the group to the members, and you’ll be able to use the relationships in both the Name and Corresponding Name columns. (In the example below, you’ll be able to select from the Uses-Used By, Used By-Uses, Member Of-Includes, and Includes-Member Of relationships.) In this example, the Includes-Member Of relationship will be used. Example

   

3. On the CIs you’ll use as templates, make entries that you wish to be included on the newly-created CIs. Note that only the names of the newly-created CIs will be taken from the associated customer and customer groups; any entries in custom fields and common fields such as Owner, Location, Maintenance, Warranty, Comments, and Groups will be taken from the CI used as a template. Example

   

    

   

    

4. On the Agents | Configuration Management screen:

1. Click the Configuration Item to Use as a Template link in the Create Configuration Items for Customers section and select the CI you are using as a template for populating fields in newly-created customer CIs.

2. Click the Configuration Item to Use as a Template link in the Create Configuration Items for Customer Groups section and select the CI you are using as a template for populating fields in newly-created customer group CIs.

3. Select the relationship of the group to the members. Example

   

5. To run the agent immediately on a one-time basis, click the Run Now button next to the Configuration Item to Use as a Template link.

6. Review the newly-created CIs on the Desktop. In newly-created customer group CIs, the source will be Auto Create and the Relationships tab will display the assigned relationships of the group to the group members. Example

   

In newly-created customer CIs, the Associated Item field will contain a link to the existing Customer Profile record from which the CI was created. Example

The Relationships tab on the newly-created customer CI will display the relationship of the member to the group.

7. To run the agent on an interval basis, select Yes in the Enable field in the Create Items for Customer Groups section, Create Configuration Items for Customers, and at the top of the Configuration Item Auto Create Agent section. Then set the agent interval and save. Example