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Matrix42 Self-Service Help Center

Data Import/Cleanup

Import

The "Data import" section can be used to import data from SCCM into EM and to specify which data that are relevant for  EM shall be imported. The following options can be selected: ACTIVEDIRECTORY, COMPUTERS, EMPLOYEES, PATCHES, SCCMAPPLICATIONS, SCCMPACKAGES, SERVICES, SOFTWARE, TEAMS and UPDATELISTCOMPLIANCE.

For each import, the following functionality is available: Start, Schedules and Status. Additional functionality for some imports include Data sources and Options.

Start Starts the selected import immediately.
Schedules Is used to specify at which time the import shall be initiated automatically.
Status Checks the status of the current import and of past imports.
Data source Specifies the source for the import (e.g., Active Directory).
Options Available options include auto-archiving and auto-deletion. By default, data are archived after 15 days and deleted after 30 days.

The following sections provide a more detailed description of individual imports:

ACTIVEDIRECTORY

If this import option is selected, all OU elements from the linked Active Directory are imported. Later, these data can be used  for purposes such as creating computer groups. After configuration has been completed successfully, the following status message is displayed.

COMPUTERS

For this import, you must first specify the data source; options include Active Directory, SQL database and Excel file. For imports from SQL or Excel the exact data source must also be specified. If the Active Directory option is selected, all computers from the domain are imported. Imported computers can then be used for purposes such as creating computer groups.

EMPLOYEES

This functionality is similar to the COMPUTERS function, except for the fact that users, rather than computers, are imported.

PATCHES

Under "Patches", the patches and software update groups listed in SCCM under "Software Updates" are imported and are then located under "Packages - Patches".

SCCMAPPLICATIONS

This option is used to import all applications from SCCM, which can then be found under "Packages - SCCM - Applications".

SCCMPACKAGES

This option is used to import all packages from SCCM, which can then be found under "Packages - SCCM - Packages".

SERVICES

This option is used to import all services on SCCM-managed devices.

SOFTWARE

This option imports software that has been installed via SCCM and EM, which does not only include the actual software, but also, for instance, Microsoft redistributables that have been installed together with the software.

TEAMS

This option updates the teams created in EM which are based on an AD group.

UPDATELISTCOMPLIANCE

This option is used to import the update lists from SCCM and the related status messages.

NEW DATA IMPORT

The "New data import" option can be used to create additional, self-defined imports. In a first step, you must specify a name and the data source, which can be an SQL database or an Excel file.

Once you have selected an SQL Database, the following window is displayed for further specifications.

Once you have specified the SQL server, the database name and the authorized user, including password, you can select the table, which may take some time, depending on the database size. In step 2, you select the required table from the database.

After a few moments, you can perform the last step and select the columns of the table you have selected before.

You have now generated a new personal data import that generates personalized reports, based on the inventory.

For imports, the Enterprise Manager always needs a 'Hostname' column. If this column is missing, the import fails.

Unless you create a new, custom database with the required columns, rather than importing an existing database with the required content, but without a "Hostname" column, import will fail! In such cases, you don't have to generate a new column with the name "Hostname"; it is enough to create a new "view" and, for instance, rename the "MachineID" column into "Hostname" with the command "MachineID as Hostname", as illustrated in the following screenshot. To do so, you must select a table from an existing database and create a "new view" which changes the "MachineID" column into "Hostname" column. Now the data import can be completed successfully.

This custom import creates another table in the Enterprise Manager database for importing the data. The table is composed as follows: 'Custom_%Name Import%'!

Clean-up

Use this option to specify a period after which data shall be archived or deleted. These values can be set for the following data:

EM tasks: After expiry of the time set for the respective task, this countdown is started. Once the countdown has ended, the task will be listed at the respective locations under "Archived tasks".

SCCM tasks: Options are similar to EM tasks, but relate to SCCM, rather than EM tasks. Default values are lower. After the archiving period has expired, the tasks and collections are deleted directly in SCCM and can only be viewed in the EM. This applies only for the data generated in EM.

OSD tasks: Options are similar to SCCM and EM tasks, but relate to OSD tasks, rather than SCCM and EM task. An additional option "Clean computer groups" is available to remove computers from OSD configurations.

Permission requests: Defines how long permission requests are stored.

Remote requests: Defines how long remote tasks are stored.

Import logs: Defines how long import logs are stored.

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