Assets Data Manager allows you to bring in data from multiple data sources, ensure your data is complete, current, and correct, and then use this information to create a single source of truth.

Because Data Manager works with a wide variety of tools and many different types of data, it’s helpful to know what information you are bringing in (and from which tools) so you can get a better idea of what the final results should be. Much of this information may reside with the SME (Subject Matter Expert) or network engineer who currently works with these tools.

Data Manager connects to tools using Adapters, which are frameworks that provide important details and specifications to make bringing in data easier.

There are two types of Adapters:

• Product Adapters are preconfigured Adapters that are designed to work with a specific tool. They connect via an API, SQL, or PowerShell, passing authentication information and calls to the tool and receiving specific data in return. Learn more about the different Product Adapters available in Data Manager.

• General Adapters are general-purpose Adapters that are designed to work with any data as long as it matches a specific format. The following data formats can be used:

  • Data Source Aggregate Adapters are used to merge data from a group of other jobs.

  • Flat File Adapters are used to bring in data from a Flat File, such as a CSV or TXT.

  • Schema Adapters are used to bring in data from an Assets Schema.

  • SQL and ODBC Adapters are used to bring in data from a SQL or ODBC database source.

Follow the workflow below to prepare to use Data Manager:

Choose the Tools

The first step in using Data Manager is selecting the tool or tools that you want to connect. When first learning how to use Data Manager, we suggest limiting your initial selection to five tools in total - you can add more later.

Choose an Adapter

For each Tool, decide how to best connect it to Data Manager using an Adapter.

Some tools can be used only through an Product Adapter with pre-configured Authentication and Authorization, and some tools can either be connected using a Product Adapter, or by using a General Adapter that pulls information from a CSV, TXT, or SQL source.

Some Adapters can also be connected using different protocols, such as API or PowerShell.

Learn more about the different connections possible with each Adapter.

Prepare an Product Adapter

The following instructions apply to Product Adapters that connect to specific tools.

Review Scope and Filters

If you are using an OOTB Adapter, you must define the data coverage of the tools you plan to integrate into Data Manager before you bring the data over.

Here are some examples of details you might want to consider:

• If you're using Active Directory (AD), you need to know how many AD domains your organization has and ensure they align with your ITSM tool, which might cover all domains. You may need to use multiple AD Product Adapters to cater for different domains that require different credentials.

• For IT Asset Management (ITAM) solutions, determine what types of endpoints are relevant (for example, laptops, servers) and ensure they match across systems. If your ITAM solution tracks non-computer assets like chairs or desks, you'll need to set up Cleansing Rules in Data Manager to exclude these items, keeping the scope consistent with other systems.

• It’s important to understand the criteria each system uses to classify data as active or stale. “Active” Data Sources are Data Sources that were last updated more recently than the last Refresh Gap, whereas “Stale” Data Sources have gone past their Refresh Gap without being updated. For example, Active Directory might consider data stale if it's over 90 days old, while another tool might have different criteria. Know these rules for each system to ensure accurate data integration.

Review data and credentials

Product Adapters are pre-configured to work with Data Manager. The Adapters documentation provides detailed information on each Adapter, including connection requirements and the data attributes returned to Data Manager.

Prepare General Adapters

The following instructions apply to General Adapters such as those that connect to a TXT or CSV file.

Review the file format and data

Flat Files contain non-specific TXT or CSV information and may require extra steps to format them for Data Manager. The most critical factor here is that the data is in the same format consistently - if the format changes unexpectedly the import is likely to fail.

What data should be in the Flat File?

For example, let’s say we're focusing anything with a computer/virtual machine comparison type where you’re checking the coverage between tools:

• The Flat File should contain one row for each end-point (computer, server, mobile, etc.).

• The columns would contain the standard information that you might look at when buying a laptop (e.g., serial number, operating system, RAM, disk space, etc.).

Should any filters be applied to the data before it is sent to Data Manager?

It is best to get an unfiltered extract from the tool. Then, you can perform the filter in Data Manager. Once done, you can check for things like if a status is set incorrectly, which would normally filter out a record from an Asset Management system.

If this data is included, Data Manager can show that the record exists with the wrong status.

What data format is required?

• The Flat File must be a comma separated value (CSV) or text (TXT) file. It cannot be an Excel or a Google Sheet.

• The flat file must use one of the following file formats:

  • UTF-8 (default)

  • UTF-16

  • ISO-8859-1

  • ISO-8859-15

  • Windows-1250

  • Windows 1252.

• A header row is useful, and can be used when setting up to simplify creating attributes.

• Any date needs to have a consistent format across the entire column (e.g. dd-mmm-yy). For example: you can’t have a few rows where time is also present.

• If data has commas within certain values, such as Microsoft Windows, XP, SP2 there needs to be a qualifier, typically the double quote character “. Any qualifier can be used but you need to know what it is.

• Each single row should not be split into multiple rows, meaning there should not be any Entercharacters within the data of a single record.

• No blank rows are allowed before the end of the file.

Learn more about configuring Flat File jobs.

Review fields

Because the fields included in Flat Files can vary, they may produce duplicate or inconsistent information when merged with similar data from other tools.

Here are some suggested fields for Flat Files that are typical for ITAM and ITSM practices.

You can share this list with your SME as examples of what columns might be needed. The field names and availability may vary based on the tools in your organization.

Asset Management

CMDB (Jira Service Management Assets, ServiceNow, etc.)

System Management or Patching tool (eg SCCM, BigFix, etc.)

Cyber / Security (eg Qualys, Crowdstrike, Rapid-7, MS Defender)

Active Directory > Computer

Active Directory > Subnets

SolarWinds (Network object class)

User

Set up Assets Data Manager

Now that you have prepared your tools and data sources, you can begin to set up Assets Data Manager and prepare to run your first job and bring in your data.

Please proceed to the documentation on Setting up Assets Data Manager.