Link Rules application

You use the Link Rules application in the Reconciliation module to create, view, modify, duplicate, and delete link rules.

A link rule is a required component of a reconciliation task. When a reconciliation task is processed, a link rule establishes the basis for reconciliation by identifying an attribute of a partition or top-level object in one data set to match with a specific attribute of a partition or top-level asset in another data set. A top-level object is an object that has no higher level parent object. In IT asset management, a top-level object is generally an instance of a computer, network printer, or network device.

You can use Reconciliation Module applications to reconcile data about assets or data about configuration items. Link rules use unique identifiers to establish a link between objects. The attribute most commonly used to link assets and deployed assets is a serial number or asset tag. The attribute most commonly used to link configuration items (CIs) with actual CIs is ACTCINUM, the actual CI number.

After you create a link rule, you use the Reconciliation Tasks application to associate the rule with a specific reconciliation task, and the link rule is included each time the reconciliation task is processed. When the reconciliation task is run, each link rule is evaluated, and the reconciliation engine attempts to match the object and attribute in the first data set with the object and attribute in the second data set.

When a reconciliation task is processed, link rules sometimes successfully identify a link between objects, and sometimes they do not. The results of a successful link between an object in Data Set 1 and an object in Data Set 2 are displayed in the Asset Link Results application.

A link failure occurs when the system processes a link rule and does not find a successful one-to-one link between the object in Data Set 1 and the object in Data Set 2. Link failures occur when the reconciliation process finds no links or finds multiple links. Link failures are displayed in the Asset Reconciliation Results application.

You use the Link Rules application to perform the following actions:


Feedback