Performing an entity smart search across a custom NCIM database table

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Use the entity smart search feature to search for an entity across a custom NCIM database table in an extended NCIM database.

Before you begin

An entity is a topology database concept. All devices and device components discovered by Network Manager are entities. You perform an entity smart search across a custom NCIM database table by specifying a URL that contains the name of the entity and the name of the custom NCIM database table. You specify this URL in the Dashboard Application Services Hub.

About this task

To perform an entity smart search across a custom NCIM database table specify the following URL to the Dashboard Application Services Hub:

http(s)://DASH_HOST:DASH_PORT/ibm/console/ncp_structureview/Search.do?
selectEntityName=entityName&namespace=CUSTOM_TABLE.CUSTOM_FIELD

where

  • DASH_HOST -- Specifies the name of the host computer on which the Dashboard Application Services Hub server was installed.
  • DASH_PORT -- Specifies the port number associated with the host computer on which theDashboard Application Services Hub server was installed.
  • entityName -- Specifies the name of the entity to search across a custom NCIM database table. The entityName is case sensitive as it must match an existing value in the specified NCIM custom database table. The entityName is linked to the entityId in the custom NCIM database table.

    You can also specify spaces in the entityName by using the + (plus sign) or %20 (percent sign followed by the number 20). For example, the space in the entity name ;SM 0001 can be specified as ;SM+0001 or ;SM%200001.

    Note: The URL path is case sensitive (that is, all items in the path are lower case except for the upper case S in Search). The parameter name selectEntityName in the URL specification is also case sensitive.
  • CUSTOM_TABLE -- Specifies the name of the NCIM custom database table in the extended NCIM database in which to perform the search of the entity specified in entityName. This NCIM custom database table contains the two fields: entityId and CUSTOM_FIELD. The entityId is a foreign key to the entityNameCache table and must be unique for each entity across all domains. The entityId is automatically incremented.
    Note: You do not specify the entityId in the URL specification.
  • CUSTOM_FIELD -- Specifies the name of the field to search within the NCIM custom database table. The entityId field in the NCIM custom database table in the extended NCIM database will reference the entityId field in the entityData table.
    Note: When using the extended namespace functionality, ensure that the NCIM custom database table forms a natural join to the NCIM.entityData table by entityId. After that, the user can put whatever data they want into the NCIM custom database table.

    The performance of the extended namespace search is dependent on the NCIM custom database having relevant up-to-date indexing.

    The following notes describe use of the namespace parameter and associated values:

    • The namespace parameter is not case sensitive
    • The parameter values, CUSTOM_TABLE and CUSTOM_FIELD, must be separated by a dot (.).
    • The parameter values, CUSTOM_TABLE and CUSTOM_FIELD, are not case sensitive and can include only alphabetic characters and the underscore (_) character. These parameter values must also begin with an alphabetic character.

Procedure

  1. Log into the Dashboard Application Services Hub.
  2. In the browser Location bar, specify the previously described URL.
    After the URL has been successfully submitted to the Dashboard Application Services Hub server there are four possible scenarios:
    • Single match -- The specified entityName is unique in the NCIM custom database table. The Structure Browser is launched and the selected entityName is displayed in the context of the containing structure.
    • Multiple matches -- The specified entityName exists in more than one Network Manager domain and/or parent entity node. A new context page displays the results using the following format:
      $DOMAIN_NAME/$CONTAINMENT_PATH_BY_ENTITYNAME

      where

      • DOMAIN_NAME -- Specifies the Network Manager domain in which the specified entityName resides.
      • CONTAINMENT_PATH_BY_ENTITYNAME -- Specifies the list of entities that exist from the root entity to the entity specified in the entity smart search. Consider the following example where an entity smart search is performed on an entity called SM00189990:
        DOMAIN1 NAP02513002/SM02513016/SM00189990

        In the example, the containment path for the domain called DOMAIN1 specifies the following entities:

      • Root entity -- The root entity is the first entity in the list. In this example, the root entity is NAP02513002.
      • Repeater entity -- Zero or more repeater entities can follow the root entity. In the example, there is one repeater entity, SM02513016.
      • Search entity -- This is the entity specified in the entity smart search. In the example, the search entity is SM00189990.
      Note: For some search results there will only be a root entity and the entity specified in the entity smart search. For other search results there will be a root entity, one or more repeater entities, and the entity specified in the entity smart search.
    • Zero matches -- A results page displays that indicates there were no matches in the NCIM custom database table for the specified entityName.
    • Error -- A results page displays that indicates an error has occurred and that the search should be attempted again.

    Searches only the domains that the user can access. For more information, see Restricting access to domains in the GUI.

Example

The following example shows the URL for an entity smart search across an NCIM custom database table: 
https://dash01.ibm.com:16311/ibm/console/ncp_structureview/Search.do?
selectEntityName=Tokyo&namespace=customns.location

where

  • dash01.ibm.com -- Specifies the host name of the computer on which the Dashboard Application Services Hub server was installed.
  • 16311 -- Specifies the port number associated with the host computer on which the Dashboard Application Services Hub server was installed.
  • customns -- Specifies the name of the custom table in the extended NCIM database in which to perform the search of the entity specified in entityName.
  • location -- Specifies name of the field to search within the customns custom table.
  • Tokyo -- Specifies the name of the entity to search for in the customns custom table. (This entity is linked to the entityId in the customns custom database table.)