IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide:
Data Source Maintenance without IIM
for IBM Atlas Suite v6.0
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance without IIM
This edition applies to version 6.0 of IBM Atlas Suite (product numbers 5725-D75, 5725-D76, 5725-D77) and to all
subsequent releases and modifications until otherwise indicated in new editions.
© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2004, 2011.
US Government Users Restricted Rights - Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with
IBM Corp.
Contents
1
Introduction .................................................................................................................... 4
1.1
2
Workflow Overview ................................................................................................................. 4
Data Source Creation ....................................................................................................... 5
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
Requesting a New Data Source ................................................................................................ 5
Saving a New Data Source Request ......................................................................................... 7
Change Request Approval ........................................................................................................ 8
Adding a Note ........................................................................................................................ 10
3
Modifying a Data Source ................................................................................................ 12
4
Deactivating a Data Source ............................................................................................ 14
5
Catalog Management .................................................................................................... 15
5.1
The Change Request List ........................................................................................................ 16
1
Introduction
A Data Source is an object that represents a repository of data, such as an email archive, fileshare, filing cabinet, and so
on. This book describes how to create, modify, and deactivate Data Sources, and explains the Change Request approval
workflow. It’s intended for IT users who have access to Map > Data Sources.
This chapter gives a brief overview of the Data Source workflow. Subsequent chapters provide detailed information
about the steps in the workflow and take a closer look at the Data Source UI and functionality.
For a general orientation to the Map > Data Sources module and descriptions of the attributes that make up a Data
Source, see the Data Source Definition Users Guide.
IMPORTANT
1.1
The details of the Data Source workflow and UI depend on whether or not your system is
configured to use Information Inventory Management (IIM). This Users Guide explains the
workflow and UI when IIM isn’t enabled. If you’re using IIM, see the Data Source Maintenance
with IIM Users Guide, instead.
Workflow Overview
The Data Source maintenance workflow follows this general path:

Creation. A user who has access to the Map > Data Sources module requests the creation of a new Data Source.
The Data Source isn’t immediately created, however; instead a Change Request that describes the new Data Source
is generated and added to the Catalog Management tab.

Approval. A user who has Data Source Approval permission goes to the Catalog Management tab, modifies the
Change Request (if desired or necessary), and then approves or rejects the Request. If the Request is approved, a
new Data Source is marked as active and added to the Catalog tab, and the Change Request is removed from
Catalog Management. If the Request is rejected, the Change Request is simply removed.

Modification. At some point, a user may want to modify an active Data Source. The user goes to the Catalog,
selects the Data Source, clicks Edit, and makes the desired changes. Again, this creates a Change Request that’s
added to Catalog Management where it waits for approval. In the meantime, the original Data Source remains
active in the Catalog. If the Change Request is approved, the original Data Source is replaced with the modified
version (and the Change Request is approved). A single Data Source in the Catalog can have only one Change
Request associated with it at a time—in other words, you can’t create two different unapproved new versions of
the same Data Source.

Deactivation. Eventually, you may want to deactivate a Data Source so it can no longer be used by IBM Atlas Suite.
When Information Inventory Management is disabled, Data Source deactivation can only be performed by a Data
Source Approver—a non-Approver can’t request deactivation.
2
Data Source Creation
In this chapter, we’ll look at the steps that an IT staff member takes to request the creation of a new Data Source.
2.1
Requesting a New Data Source
There are three ways to request a new Data Source:

You can go to the Data Source Catalog and request a new Data Source by clicking the New Data Source button:

You can go to Catalog Management > Templates, select a Template, and click Create Data Source:
Data Source Creation

IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance without IIM
You can clone an existing Data Source (or an existing Change Request) by going to the Data Source’s Details page
and clicking Clone:
When you use a Template or clone an existing Data Source (or Change Request) a panel is opened in which you can give
the copy a new name and ID, and supply Change Request information:
As we’ll see in the next section, you don’t have to supply a Name and ID; if you leave the fields blank, the system will
create a unique name and ID for you.
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IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance without IIM
2.2
Data Source Creation
Saving a New Data Source Request
After you’ve requested a new Data Source—regardless of which of the three methods you’ve used—you’re taken to the
Create Data Source Change Request page where you can fill in more information about the Data Source that you want
to create. The content of the page—the attributes that are displayed and those that are required—depends on how
your system is configured. You don’t have to fill out the Name and ID, which are always marked as required, but you do
have to supply information for all of the other required fields. Of particular importance is the Requestor Comments
field; you use this field to explain why the Data Source is being created, to give instructions to other IT staff who may
need to complete the definition of the Data Source, and so on.
When you’re finished, click Save:
NOTE
The set of attributes that you’ll see on the Change Request page is configured by a System Administrator
through the Admin > Data Source Maintenance module.
If you didn’t provide a Name and ID, the system creates them automatically. In this case, the form will reappear with
the new Name/ID values, and you must click Save again:
NOTE
The form of the auto-generated name can be configured by a System Administrator through the
DS_CONFIGURATION Component.
7
Data Source Creation
2.3
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance without IIM
Change Request Approval
When a new Data Source Change Request is saved, a Data Source Request Ownership Alert is sent to all users who
have been designated as Data Source Approvers. When, as a Data Source Approver, you receive this Alert, click the
Data Source Request link:
NOTE
The set of users who are designated as Data Source Approvers is configured by the System Administrator
through the DS_APPROVER Component.
This will take you to the Details view of the Change Request. The first thing you should do is click the Event log tab:
This will display the comments that the requester supplied:
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IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance without IIM
Data Source Creation
You then return to the Details page. You can attempt to approve the request by clicking Approve:
The attributes that are required for approval may be (and typically are) broader than those that were required when
the Change Request was submitted. The fields that are required for approval are drawn in a red font (Online From in
the illustration, above). The system will tell you if some of the required attributes haven’t been supplied:
When you finally approve the completed Request, you’re given a chance to provide approval comment (not shown
here), and an approval Alert is sent to the user who requested the Data Source:
The Change Request entry is removed from the Catalog Management tab and the new Data Source is added to the main
Catalog.
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Data Source Creation
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance without IIM
Alternatively, you can reject the request by clicking Reject & Delete. Again, you’re given a chance to provide comments.
This will delete the Change Request and send a rejection Alert to the requestor:
NOTE
There’s no time limit for approval/rejection.
2.4
Adding a Note
If you need to gather information from other users in order to fully define a Data Source—or if you just want to
annotate your actions as you modify the Change Request—you can add a note to the Request You can send the note as
an Alert to more than one person, or none at all. Anyone who has write-access to the Change Request can add a note—
the feature isn’t just for Approvers.
To add a note, click the Add Note button. This will bring up a window where you can select the recipients and type the
text of the note:
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IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance without IIM
Data Source Creation
You can’t type the names of the recipients directly in the text field. Instead, you click the To… button and select the
recipients from among the Data Source’s Stewards, the user who submitted the Change Request (creator), and the Data
Source Approvers (Catalog Management):
You can also choose any other user who has access to the Change Request by going to the Employees tab.
When you’ve finished adding recipients, click Save & Close in the Resource Chooser, and then click Add in the Add Note
window. The note is sent to the recipient(s) through a Data Source Request Notes Created Alert:
The note is also added to the Event Log (not shown).
Keep in mind that when the Change Request is ultimately approved or rejected, it (the Request) is removed from the
system—and its notes go with it. You shouldn’t use the note feature to record permanent information.
11
3
Modifying a Data Source
In this chapter, we look at the tools you use when modifying an existing Data Source. The workflow is, generally, much
like creating a new Data Source: You submit a Change Request which must be approved by a Data Source Approver,
after which the Change Request is removed from Catalog Management, and a new version of the Data Source is added
to the main Catalog (replacing the old version). The Alerts that are sent to the Approvers and the requester are the
same as those described in the last chapter. However, the UI and tools that you use when modifying a Data Source are
slightly different from those that you use when creating a new Data Source.
To modify an active Data Source, select the Data Source in the Catalog tab, and click the Edit button on the Data
Source’s Details page:
A new Change Request is created and you’re taken to its Change Request Details page. After you’ve edited and saved
the Change Request, you can compare your changes to the current, active version of the Data Source by clicking the
Compare button near the top of the page:
NOTE
The Approve and Reject & Delete buttons at the top of the page are only displayed if you’re a Data Source
Approver.
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance without IIM
Modifying a Data Source
This takes you two a side-by-side comparison of the Change Request (on the left) and the active Data Source (on the
right). Attributes that have been modified are marked with the sign:
You can return to the Details page of the active version of the Data Source by clicking the Data Source button, or return
to the Change Request Details by clicking Change Request:
If you return to the main Data Source catalog, you’ll see that the modified (but not yet approved) Data Source is
marked with the
icon:
13
4
Deactivating a Data Source
As mentioned in the introduction, when Information Inventory Management is disabled, only Data Source Approvers
can deactive Data Sources. Non-Approvers can neither deactivate nor request deactivation of a Data Source.
If you are an Approver, you’re presented with the Deactivate button on the Data Source’s Details page. When you click
the button:

If the Data Source is in use—if it’s in the Scope of a Request, part of a Collection, or mapped to a Local Schedule—
the attempt is denied; a dialog tells you that “This Data Source is in use”

If a Change Request is pending for the Data Source, you’re asked to confirm the deactivation. If you confirm, the
Change Request is removed:
IMPORTANT
Deactivating a Data Source makes it permanently inactive—you can’t re-activate an inactive Data
Source, nor can you clone it.
5
Catalog Management
This chapter takes a closer look at the Catalog Management > Change Requests page.
The Change Requests page lists the current Data Source Change Requests to which you have access:
The parameters in the top part of the search panel are:
Element
Meaning
Reason for Request
The reason the Request was submitted, as selected by the requester. The contents of
the dropdown menu depends on how your system is configured.
Status
The state of the Change Request. In a non-IIM system, Change Requests are always In
Progress.
Created By Me
Assigned To Me
Updated By Me
Looks for Change Requests that you created.
Ignore the Assigned to Me checkbox—it doesn’t apply to non-IIM systems.
Looks for Change Requests that were most recently modified by you.
The parameters in the Data Source Details section are the same as those for the main Data Source Catalog. They can be
configured by clicking the More… button, as described in the Data Source Definition Users Guide.
IMPORTANT
When you change the set of Data Source Details parameters, the change affects both the Change
Requests page and the Data Source Catalog.
Catalog Management
5.1
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance without IIM
The Change Request List
After you’ve filled in the search criteria and clicked Search, the page displays the Change Requests that were found:
The icons to the left of a Request’s name indicate the type of change:

means a new Data Source has been requested.

is for Data Source modification.

is for Data Source deactivation.
The meanings of the columns are mostly self-explanatory. The Days column is the number of days the Request has
been waiting to be approved.
16