Need to know Data Import methodology by source

[DiannaB]

I need to know the data import methodology for the following sources:  Active Directory, SCCM,  Office365, App-V and XenApp.  With each run of the inventory connection, is the existing data dropped and new data inserted?  Or, does it compare the latest run to the existing data and add/update/delete as necessary?

Thanks!

[mfranz]

Hi,

• Active Directory
  For AD data this should result in insert/update/delete. However, there might be circumstances preventing specific elements from being automatically removed.
• SCCM
  This is usually insert/update/delete.
• Office365
  This is kind of resetting the data on a import level (every run). The actual update into the compliance level should be insert/update/delete.
• App-V
  I only know this as part of the SCCM adapter and I think it should behave the same.
• XenApp
  I believe staging data is reset everytime, but Reader (and Writer) should perform insert/update/delete.

Best regards,

Markward

[DiannaB]

@mfranz  thanks for the reply!  Do you know if each of those sources has a "staging" table(s) in the FNMS Inventory DB that is truncated and reloaded with each run of the inventory connection?  Then when reconcile runs, does it compare the data in Inventory to Compliance and do the insert/update/delete in FNMS Compliance?

Thanks!

[ChrisG · Accepted solution]

The exact details depend on the specific data, tables and operation that is being performed. The following principles generally apply (although I'm sure there will be exceptions for particular cases):

• Data imported from external sources is typically loaded into staging tables, and subsequently analyzed and processed to update the actual data that operators see in the system.
• When dealing with large volumes of data, and where the details of the data flow allows it, FlexNet will generally attempt to perform differential updates (insert/update/delete operations rather than truncate/insert) to data held in database tables.
• Specifically for the data flow where the FlexNet batch server connects to an inventory source to import computer inventory data, many inventory adapters (including the SCCM adapter) contain logic that avoids importing data for computers where the inventory data has not changed since the last import.

[mfranz]

Hi,

There are different types of staging.

1. There are "external" staging databases, like for XenApp. "External" means, they're independent from the exsting FNMS DBs. They're usually created once during the configuration/integration of the adapter/source.
2. And there's a whole set of "internal" tables (Compliance DB), most of them named "Imported...", like ImportedComputer, ImportedUser, ImportedInstallerEvidence, etc. You could say these act as staging as well, because inventory data is usually put here first (coming from the actual source), before being processed (insert/update/delete).

So you could argue that every source has some kind of staging, usually at least the 2nd one mentioned here.

Best regards,

Markward