About the IT Data Mart :: SAS(R) IT Resource Management 3.3: Administrator's Guide

What Is an IT Data Mart?

An IT data mart is a key component of SAS IT Resource Management. It is the logical collection of the jobs, data, information maps, tables, and other elements that support the processing and analysis of IT data. IT data marts are set up, managed, and administered by the data administrator using the wizards and user interfaces that are available in SAS IT Resource Management. Multiple IT data marts can be created in order to help organize a site's data. For example, a site's data administrator might set up a separate data mart for each of the operating system types or business areas that exist within the corporate enterprise.

Note: Foundation is the only type of repository supported for IT data marts. The use of a Custom repository for separating metadata, or a Project repository for change management of IT data marts is not supported at this time. For more information about SAS Metadata Repositories see the SAS Intelligence Platform: System Administration Guide. However, IT Data Marts that are migrated from SAS IT Resource Management 3.11 that are contained in an ITMS repository are supported.

How Is an IT Data Mart Created?

An IT data mart is created by invoking the New IT Data Mart wizard. This wizard can be invoked in two ways:

from the SAS IT Resource Management menu bar.

From the SAS IT Resource Management menu bar, select NewIT Resource ManagementIT Data Mart to open the New IT Data Mart wizard.
from the Adapter Setup wizard.

From the SAS IT Resource Management menu bar, select NewIT Resource ManagementAdapter Setup to open the Adapter Setup wizard. On the first page of that wizard, you can click New IT data mart to open the New IT Data Mart wizard. (You can also select an existing IT data mart from this page.)

About the IT Data Mart Wizard

The New IT Data Mart wizard guides you through the steps to create an IT data mart. You are prompted to specify the name and description of the IT data mart, the default application server, and the default root path. You can also change the default location where the IT data mart is to be stored.

On completion, the New IT Data Mart wizard generates the main root folder for the IT data mart, the IT data mart itself, an Administrative subfolder, a Contents subfolder, and the administrative library, ADMIN.

Note: The name of the Admin library is programmatically generated by the concatenation of Admin and a random number, nnnn.

Where Can the IT Data Mart Be Stored?

When you create an IT data mart, you can specify a location where it will be stored.

The Location field on the first page of the New Object wizard enables you to specify where your IT data mart is to be stored. By default, your IT data mart is stored in the

SAS IT
                     Resource Management/IT Data Marts

subfolder of the

Shared
                     Data

subfolder. However, you can change this location to any location to which you have Write privileges.

CAUTION:

IT data marts should be stored only in Foundation repositories.

Storing an IT data mart in a repository other than Foundation causes processing errors.

How Can the IT Data Mart Be Accessed?

You can access an IT data mart from the subfolders that are listed on the IT Data Marts tree, the Folders tree, or the Inventory tree of SAS IT Resource Management. To work most effectively with your IT data mart, access it from the IT Data Marts tree.

How Is the IT Data Mart Populated?

IT data marts can be populated in two ways.

The standard way to populate the IT data mart is through the Adapter Setup wizard. For information about the Adapter Setup wizard, see Adapter Setup Wizard.
You can also populate an IT data mart with jobs, tables, libraries, and other objects by explicitly adding individual objects, by using the menu actions and menu bar actions.

What Are the Contents of an IT Data Mart?

IT data marts can contain the following objects:

Admin library

The Admin library is stored in the Administrative folder of the IT data mart. You can store any content, including SAS formats, in this library. The Admin library also stores adapter resource lookup tables for the staging transformations of several adapters, such as the SNMP or IBM SMF adapters.

Note: If the IT data mart is created outside of the Adapter Setup wizard (that is, by invoking the IT Data Mart wizard directly from the New menu of SAS IT Resource Management), the Administrative folder with its ADMIN library, is the only subfolder that is created.

CAUTION:

Do not delete this library.

Deleting this library can cause processing errors.
The Contents folder is a general-purpose folder that can be used for manually entered content. For example, you can use this folder to store jobs, tables, and so on.

Tip
Use this folder when you want to generate your own jobs and specify transformations in those jobs manually (that is, without invoking the Adapter Setup wizard).
IT data mart object ()

The IT data mart object enables you to perform certain tasks, which are available when you right-click the object.

Actions Available by Right-clicking an IT Data Mart

In the IT Data Marts tree, the IT data mart object and its root folder object are the same; in the Folders tree, the IT data mart object, and its root folder object appear as two separate objects. Use the IT Data Marts tree for most IT Resource Management tasks that involve IT data marts.

CAUTION:

For best results, use the IT Data Marts tree for most IT Resource Management tasks that involve IT data marts.

Working in the IT Data Marts tree ensures that the metadata is updated properly.
adapter-based subfolders

A separate subfolder is generated each time you successfully execute the Adapter Setup wizard. The name of the subfolder is based on the adapter that you selected during the Adapter Setup wizard. Each adapter-based subfolder contains a Domain Categories subfolder and a Staging subfolder.
- Separate subfolders in the Domain Categories subfolders contain the objects such as jobs and tables for each domain category that you specified. The name that is assigned to this subfolder is the name of the domain category that you selected. The objects that are added for a domain category can include the output aggregation tables, libraries, information maps, and the aggregation, information map, and reporting jobs that are associated with that domain category.
  
  Note: The physical tables are generated when their corresponding jobs are run. These tables do not have to be stored in a fixed location with respect to the root location of the IT data mart. You can store these tables in any location to which you have Write privileges.
  
  Note: The metadata for information maps is not generated until the information map job is run. The metadata for the information maps does not have to be stored in a fixed location with respect to the root location of the IT data mart. You can store this metadata in any location to which you have Write privileges.
- A Staging subfolder is generated for each instance of the adapter that you selected. This subfolder contains the staging job, library, and staged tables for that adapter. (For some adapters, a spin library is also generated.)
  
  The name that is assigned to the adapter-based subfolder is generated based on the name of the selected adapter.

The following figure displays the IT Data Mart tree view of IT Data Mart 49400.

Example of an IT Data Mart

1	Admin library that was generated for IT Data Mart 49400
2	Folder that is generated for the first instance of running the Adapter Setup wizard for the DT Perf Sentry adapter
3	Folder that contains objects related to the Server Disk domain category for DT Perf Sentry
4	Tables and information maps for the aggregations that are connected with the Server Disk domain
5	Library that contains all aggregation tables that are connected with the Server Disk domain
6	Job that generates the aggregation tables that are connected with the Server Disk domain
7	Job that generates reports that are connected with the Server Disk domain
8	Job that generates information maps that are connected with the Server Disk domain
9	Folder that contains the staging library, tables, and job that are connected with DT Perf Sentry
10	Staging job for DT Perf Sentry
11	Library that contains all staged tables that are populated by the DT Perf Sentry Staging job
12	Staged table that is populated by the DT Perf Sentry Staging job

In the preceding figure, the IT data mart called IT Data Mart 49400 also contains metadata for two instances if the DT Perf Sentry adapter:

DT Perf Sentry 1, the first instance of using the Adapter Setup wizard for DT Perf Sentry
DT Perf Sentry 2, the second instance of using the Adapter Setup wizard for DT Perf Sentry

Folders, libraries, jobs, and staging information are generated for these, and any other adapters, according to the Example of an IT Data Mart. However, the IT data mart is populated with the information maps when the information map job runs.

Note: Some adapters require a SPIN library that manages transactions or events that are not yet complete. If required, SAS IT Resource Management creates and registers the library.