IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide:
Data Source Maintenance with IIM
for IBM Atlas Suite v6.0
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with 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 the Change Request...................................................................................................... 7
Viewing and Completing the Request ..................................................................................... 8
Approving and Rejecting the Request ................................................................................... 12
3
Modifying a Data Source ................................................................................................ 14
4
Deactivating a Data Source ............................................................................................ 17
5
Non-IT Data Source Requests ......................................................................................... 18
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
6
Data Source Requests for ERM Users .................................................................................... 18
Data Source Requests for Legal Users ................................................................................... 19
The Request Form .................................................................................................................. 19
The Request Action Item ....................................................................................................... 20
The Request Approval/Rejection Alert .................................................................................. 20
Catalog Management .................................................................................................... 21
6.1
6.2
6.3
Change Requests Page for Approvers.................................................................................... 21
Change Requests Page for Non-Approvers............................................................................ 22
The Change Request List ........................................................................................................ 23
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 is enabled. If you’re not using IIM, see the Data Source Maintenance
without IIM Users Guide, instead.
Workflow Overview

Creation. A user requests the creation of a new Data Source. The request can be submitted by an IT member
through the Map > Data Sources module, a legal user through the Matters module, or an ERM user through
Schedules > Local Schedules. 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) or forwards it to some other user for further definition (again, if
necessary). Ultimately, one of the Data Source Approvers either 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 in IBM Atlas Suite.
As with modification, deactivation creates a Change Request that must be approved (unless the Request is
submitted by a Data Source Approver, in which case it’s immediately deactivated). Note, also, that the one-ChangeRequest-per-Data-Source rule applies here, as well. If a Data Source has a modification Request waiting to be
approved and a user attempts to deactivate that Data Source, the deactivation Request replaces the modification
Request.
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. A
later chapter, Non-IT Data Source Requests, looks at how legal users and record managers request Data Sources.
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 and click Create Data Source:
Data Source Creation

IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with IIM
You can clone an existing Data Source (or an existing Change Request) by going to its 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 with IIM
2.2
Data Source Creation
Saving the Change Request
After you’ve requested a new Data Source—regardless of which method you 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 depends on how your system is configured. You don’t have to fill out the Name and ID, which
are always marked as required (with a red asterisk), 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.
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Data Source Creation
2.3
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with IIM
Viewing and Completing the Request
When a Data Source Change Request is submitted, 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:
The Data Source Change Request may be missing attribute that need to be supplied before it can be approved. The set
of attributes that are required for approval may be (and typically is) broader than the set that was 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).
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IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with IIM
Data Source Creation
If you need to supply values for the required attributes—or if you simply want to modify the Change Request before its
approved—you can do one of three things:

Edit the Change Request yourself by clicking Edit and supplying the required fields.

Assign the request to another user by clicking the Forward button. The other user doesn’t have to be an Approver.

You can gather the required information from another user by adding a note to the Change Request. This will send
an Alert to the user, who can then edit the Request directly or supply the missing information to the appropriate IT
member.
Editing is fairly straightforward: You click Edit and then click Save when you’re finished. Forwarding and adding notes
are described in the following subsections.
2.3.1
Forwarding
Instead of finishing the definition of a Data Source Change Request, you can assign it, or forward it, to another user.
The implication is that the assignee is responsible for completing the Change Request—or for supplying as much
information as he or she can and then forwarding the Request to someone else.
To forward a Change Request, click the Forward button on the Request’s Details tab. This will open a Forward panel
where you can select the new assignee and supply comments:
The To: menu is populated with:

The Data Source Approvers (Catalog Management)

The Data Source’s Stewards

The user who created the Change Request

The Change Request’s previous assignee (if any)
You’re not limited, in your selection, to the users listed in the menu; the Browse button will open a Resource Chooser
through which you can select any user who has an IBM Atlas Suite account.
IMPORTANT
Use caution when forwarding a Change Request to a non-IT user. The user to whom you forward
the request is automatically given access to the Map module.
The user to whom the Request is forwarded is notified through a Data Source Request Ownership Alert. This is the
same Alert that was sent to the Data Source Approvers when the Change Request was created.
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Data Source Creation
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with IIM
After the Request has been forwarded, its Assignee list is set to the user to whom the request has been forwarded:
Even though the Change Request has been assigned to a single user, it can still be modified by any user who has access
to it, and can be approved by a Data Source Approver.
The comment that was supplied by the user who forwarded the Request is listed in the Event Log:
IMPORTANT
10
The comments that you supply when you forward a Change Request are deleted when the
Request is approved (or rejected).
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with IIM
2.3.2
Data Source Creation
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—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.
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:
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:
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Data Source Creation
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with IIM
The note is also added to the Event Log (not shown).
IMPORTANT
2.4
The comments that you supply when you forward a Change Request are deleted when the
Request is approved (or rejected).
Approving and Rejecting the Request
To approve or reject a Change Request, go to the Details page and click Approve or Reject & Delete:
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:
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IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with IIM
Data Source Creation
The Change Request entry is removed from the Catalog Management tab and the new Data Source is added to the main
Catalog.
If you reject the Request, you’re given a chance to provide comments, the Change Request is deleted, and a rejection
Alert is sent to the requestor:
NOTE
There’s no time limit for approval/rejection.
13
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. We’ll look at the non-Approver UI in a moment.
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with 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’re not a Data Source Approver, the Approve and Reject & Delete buttons are removed from the UI. Instead, you
see a Route for Approval button:
When you route the Change Request for Approval, a Data Source Approval Request Alert is sent to the Data Source
Approvers:
15
Modifying a Data Source
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with IIM
Back in the main Data Source Catalog, you’ll see that the modified (but not yet approved) Data Source is marked with
the
16
icon:
4
Deactivating a Data Source
The workflow for deactivating a Data Source depends on whether or not you’re a Data Source Approver:

If you are an Approver, you’re presented with the Deactivate button on the Data Source’s Details page. When you
click the button, the Data Source is immediately deactivated (unless it has a Change Request pending).

If you’re not an Approver, you see Request Deactivation (as shown below). In this case, a Change Request is
created and must be approved.
You can’t deactivate Data Sources that are being used—that are in the Scope of a Request or part of a Collection, or
that are mapped to a Local Schedule. If you attempt to deactivate a Data Source that’s being used, you see this
warning:
If you attempt to deactivate a Data Source that has a Change Request associated with it, you see this warning:
In this case, it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re a Data Source Approver. If you proceed with the deactivation, a
new Change Request is created (replacing the existing one) and routed for approval. Keep in mind that there’s only one
Change Request per Data Source. If you click OK in the warning, above, and then reject the Request (i.e. if you cancel
the deactivation) the entire Change Request is thrown away—it doesn’t “revert” to the previous draft state.
IMPORTANT
Deactivating a Data Source makes it permanently inactive—you can’t re-activate an inactive Data
Source, nor can you clone it.
5
Non-IT Data Source Requests
ERM and legal users can also request new Data Sources. They do so by navigating to particular pages within the Local
Schedules and Matters modules, respectively. The process that’s initiated by this type of request is (typically) the same
as the Data Source-creation that’s initiated through the Map > Data Sources module: A Change Request is created and
added to the Catalog Management page where it waits to be approved.
ERM and legal users can only request the creation of a Data Source. The controls in the Local Schedules and Matters
modules don’t allow users to request Data Source modification or deactivation.
This chapter looks at the UI that’s presented to ERM and legal users.
NOTE
In order for ERM and Legal users to request Data Sources, your System Administrator must configure the
DS_CONFIGURATION Component.
5.1
Data Source Requests for ERM Users
If you’re an ERM user, here’s how you request a new Data Source:
1
Go to Schedules > Local Schedules and select or create a Local Schedule.
2
Click the Record to Repository Matrix tab.
3
Click Edit on the page that appears.
4
Click the Request Data Source button. A Data Source request form will open. We’ll look at the form in a bit.
You don’t have to save the changes to the Local Schedule. The request is submitted even if you cancel out of the Local
Schedules module. You can, for example, create a “dummy” Schedule that you use simply to get to the Request Data
Source button. Also, you’re not committed to using the Data Source in the Local Schedule’s Repository Matrix.
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with IIM
5.2
Non-IT Data Source Requests
Data Source Requests for Legal Users
A legal user can request a new Data Source as part of the Legal Request UI:
1
Go to the Matters module and select or create a Matter.
2
Click the Requests tab and select-and-Edit or create a Request.
3
Click the Resource Chooser icon in the Data Sources section of the Request page.
4
Click the Request Data Source button that’s displayed along the top of the Resource Chooser.
As in the ERM scenario, you don’t have to save the changes to the Matter or Request.
5.3
The Request Form
The request form that’s presented to an ERM/legal user depends on the user’s role. In a typical configuration the
ERM/legal form is much simpler than that for IT staff. The form always contains the Requestor Comments and Reason
for Request controls (which are always required). In some cases, this may be all that’s needed:
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Non-IT Data Source Requests
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with IIM
After the user has successfully filled out and submitted the form (where “successfully” simply means that all the
required fields were filled in), a success message is displayed:
5.4
The Request Action Item
When a user submits a Data Source request through the Local Schedules or Matters modules, he or she is sent a DATA
SOURCE REQUEST Action Item. The Action Item is a reminder, to the user, that he or she submitted the request:
There are no user obligations associated with the Action Item—again, it’s just a reminder.
5.5
The Request Approval/Rejection Alert
When the request is approved or rejected, a YOUR DATA SOURCE REQUEST HAS BEEN PROCESSED Alert is sent to
the requester. This is the same Alert that we saw in Change Request Approval, earlier in this book.
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6
Catalog Management
In this chapter we’ll take a closer look at the Catalog Management > Change Requests page. The page lists the current
Data Source Change Requests to which you have access, and provides controls that let you refine the list. The controls
that are displayed depend on whether or not you’re a Data Source Approver.
6.1
Change Requests Page for Approvers
If you’re a Data Source Approver, the Change Requests page looks like this:
The controls in the top part of the panel let you refine the list of Change Requests that are displayed:
Element
Reason for Request
Status
Meaning
The reason the Request was submitted, as selected by the requester. The contents of
the dropdown menu depends on how your system is configured.
The state of the Change Request:

In Progress. The Request hasn’t yet been routed for approval (by a non-
Approver).

Created By
Workload For
Pending Approval. The Request has been routed for approval.
The user who originally submitted the Change Request.
The user(s) to whom the Change Request is currently assigned. If the Change Request
Catalog Management
Element
Include Staff
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with IIM
Meaning
has been forwarded, then the assignee is the user(s) to whom it was forwarded,
otherwise it’s the list of Data Source Approvers.
If Include Staff is checked, the system also searches for Change Requests that are
assigned to users who are in sub-Organizations of the assignees’ Organizations.
Updated By
The user who most recently edited and saved the Request.
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
6.2
When you change the set of Data Source Details parameters, the change affects both the Change
Requests page and the Data Source Catalog.
Change Requests Page for Non-Approvers
If you’re not a Data Source Approver, the Change Requests page looks like this:
The parameters in the top part of the search panel are:
Element
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
22
Meaning
Looks for Change Requests that you created.
Looks for Change Requests that are assigned to you.
Looks for Change Requests that were most recently modified by you.
IBM Atlas Suite Users Guide: Data Source Maintenance with IIM
Catalog Management
The three checkboxes are OR’d together; for example, if you check Created By Me and Assigned To Me, the system
looks for Data Sources that you created or that are assigned to you.
6.3
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 the Change Request is for a new Data Source.

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.
23